James Chatham Duane | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1824-06-10)June 10, 1824 |
| Died | December 8, 1897(1897-12-08) (aged 73) New York City, New York |
| Place of burial | |
| Allegiance | United States of America Union |
| Branch | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1848–1888 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| Battles / wars | Utah War American Civil War |
| Spouse | Harriet Whitehorne Brewerton |
| Relations | James Duane (great-grandfather) |
| Signature | .png) |
James Chatham Duane (June 10, 1824 – December 8, 1897) was a career officer in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War, being the Chief Engineer of theArmy of the Potomac.
Duane was born on June 10, 1824, inSchenectady, New York, to James Duane and Harriet Constable. His paternal grandparents were James Chatham Duane (1769–1842) and Mary Ann Bowers (1773–1828). His great-grandfatherJames Duane (1733–1797) was a member of theContinental Congress and mayor ofNew York City.[1] Duane graduated fromUnion College in 1844, where he was a founding member ofChi Psi fraternity,[2] and from theUnited States Military Academy in 1848, where he ranked third in his class.
He taught practical military engineering there from 1852–54 during the superintendency ofRobert E. Lee. Serving with the Army's company of sappers, miners, and pontoniers for nine years before theAmerican Civil War, he led the engineers on a 1,100-mile march on theUtah Expedition in 1858 and commanded select engineer troops to guard PresidentAbraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861.
Duane built the first militarypontoon bridge over thePotomac River at theBattle of Harpers Ferry in 1862, served as Chief Engineer of theArmy of the Potomac from 1863 to 1865, and in seven hours in 1864 built the longest pontoon bridge of the Civil War (2,170 ft) across theJames River.
On April 10, 1866,PresidentAndrew Johnson nominated Duane for appointment to the grade ofbrevetbrigadier general in theRegular Army (United States), to rank from March 13, 1865, and theUnited States Senate confirmed the appointment on May 4, 1866.[3]
Duane commanded atWillets Point,New York, from 1866 to 1868, and for ten years constructed fortifications along the coasts ofMaine andNew Hampshire. He was appointedlieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army to rank from March 7, 1867, andcolonel in the U.S. Army, January 10, 1883.[4] He was president of the Board of Engineers from 1884 to 1886. AppointedChief of Engineers and brigadier general on October 11, 1886, he retired June 30 1888.[4] He then became Commissioner ofCroton Aqueduct inNew York City. He published a paper on the "History of the Bridge Equipage in the United States Army."
He married Harriet Whitehorne Brewerton (1830-1914) in 1850. Together, they had:[1]
General Duane died inNew York City, November 8, 1897.[4] He was buried inVale Cemetery, Schenectady, New York.[4]
This article containspublic domain text from"Brigadier General James Chatham Duane".Portrats and Profiles of Chief Engineers. Archived fromthe original on March 6, 2005. RetrievedMay 24, 2005.
Media related toJames Chatham Duane at Wikimedia Commons| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief of Engineers 1886–1888 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
