Montgomery Cunningham Meigs | |
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Born | Augusta, Georgia, U.S. | May 3, 1816
Died | January 2, 1892 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 75)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United States Union |
Service | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1836–1882 |
Rank | Brigadier General Brevet Major General |
Commands | Quartermaster General |
Battles / wars | American Civil War |
Relations | John Rodgers Meigs (son) "Monty" Meigs (son) |
Other work | Smithsonian Institution regent National Academy of Sciences, member, builder of Arlington National Cemetery |
Montgomery Cunningham Meigs (/ˈmɛɡz/; May 3, 1816 – January 2, 1892) was a career United States Army officer and military and civil engineer, who served as Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army during and after the American Civil War. Although a Southerner from Georgia, Meigs strongly opposed secession and supported the Union. His record as Quartermaster General was regarded as outstanding, both in effectiveness and in ethical probity, and Secretary of State William H. Seward viewed Meigs' leadership and contributions as key factors in the Union victory in the war.
Meigs was one of the principal architects of Arlington National Cemetery. Meigs's decision to locate the cemetery on Robert E. Lee's family estate, Arlington House, was partly a gesture to humiliate Lee for siding with the Confederacy.