Franklin Guest Smith (February 16, 1840 – October 7, 1912) was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. A Union Army veteran of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Smith also served in the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

and the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, and attained the rank of brigadier general. A native of

Blossburg, Pennsylvania Blossburg is a borough in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,533 at the 2020 census. History In 1792, a party of immigrants who were building the Williamson Road from Williamsport, in Lycoming County, to Painted P ...

, Smith studied

civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

, from which he graduated in 1859. After briefly working as private secretary for

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

, an executive with the

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

and

Ohio and Mississippi Railway The Ohio and Mississippi Railway (earlier the Ohio and Mississippi Rail Road), abbreviated O&M, was a railroad operating between Cincinnati, Ohio, and East St. Louis, Illinois, from 1857 to 1893. The railroad started in 1854 and paralleled the ...

, at the start of the

Smith followed McClellan into the Union Army and obtained a commission as a second lieutenant of

Field Artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...

. Smith served with the 4th Artillery Regiment, part of the Union's

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creatio ...

. He commanded the 4th Artillery's Battery I, and took part in the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, between the United States Army and Confederate States Army, Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a U.S. Army offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southe ...

and other engagements. After the war, Smith continued to serve in the

, including participation in the

and

coastal artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

assignments on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. He was the longtime commander of Battery F, 4th Artillery, and in the 1890s began a long tenure as secretary and member of the

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Siege of Chattanooga. A detailed ...

Commission. During the

, Smith was assigned as artillery inspector for the army's

Department of the South The Department of the South was a military department of the United States Army that existed in several iterations in the 19th century during and after the American Civil War. 1862–65 After the first 11 months of the American Civil War, startin ...

, then commanded a

siege train In military contexts, a train is the logistical transport elements accompanying a military force. Often called a supply train or baggage train, it has the job of providing materiel for their associated combat forces when in the field. When focus ...

of artillery at Fort Tampa,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, which was inactivated after the end of the war eliminated the need for Smith's command to deploy to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. After the war, Smith commanded the Artillery District of Portland,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. On August 3, 1903, Smith was promoted to brigadier general, and he retired on August 4. In retirement, Smith resided in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

He died in Washington on October 7, 1912, and was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Early life

Franklin G. Smith (often referred to as Frank Guest Smith or Frank G. Smith) was born near

, on February 16, 1840, the son of Dr. Franklin Rushton and Mary (Guest) Smith. he attended the local schools, and was graduate of

Bellefonte Academy Bellefonte Academy was a historic school building located at Bellefonte, Centre County, Pennsylvania. The original building was built in 1805, as a two-story, rectangular limestone building. It was enlarged between 1839 and 1845, with the addit ...

. In 1859, he graduated from

with a degree in

. While in college, Smith became a member of the

Theta Delta Chi Theta Delta Chi () is a social fraternity that was founded in 1847 at Union College, New York, United States. While nicknames differ from institution to institution, the most common nicknames for the fraternity are TDX, TDC, Thete, Theta Delt, an ...

fraternity. After graduating, he began a career in railroad management as private secretary to

, who was then serving as vice president of the

and president of the

Civil War

When McClellan was commissioned a major general in the Union Army at the start of the

, Smith continued to serve as his secretary. In August 1861, Smith received a commission as a second lieutenant in the 4th Artillery Regiment. He continued to serve with the 4th Artillery, primarily as commander of Battery I during the regiment's assignment to the

, and took part in the fight at Snodgrass Hill during the

. During the war, Smith received brevet promotions to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

(December 31, 1862) and

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

(September 20, 1863) as commendations for his superior service.

Continued career

Smith continued his army service after the Civil War, primarily in the western United States. This service included

campaigns against the

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

Bannock Bannock may mean: * Bannock (British and Irish food), a kind of bread, cooked on a stone or griddle served mainly in Scotland but consumed throughout the British Isles * Bannock (Indigenous American food), various types of bread, usually prepare ...

, and

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

peoples. He received promotion to captain in 1867 and major in 1891. Smith also served in several

assignments, and was the longtime commander of Battery F, 4th Artillery. From 1893 to 1908, except for his

service in 1898, Smith was secretary and member of the

Commission. Smith was one of the lead planners of the Chattanooga National Cemetery, and a monument in his honor was erected there to commemorate his efforts. Smith received promotion to lieutenant colonel in 1898. During the

, Smith served first as artillery inspector for the army's

. He was subsequently appointed to command a

of 100 cannons that was organized in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, for deployment to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

. After the war, he resumed his duties at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. In 1901, Smith was promoted to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. From November 1902 until August 1903, Smith was commander of the Artillery District of Portland,

. On August 3, 1903, he was promoted to brigadier general as the result of a federal law permitting still-serving Civil War veterans to be advanced one grade prior to retiring. He retired from the army on August 4, but continued to serve at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. He retired from this position in 1908.

Later life

Smith was a member of the Military Service Institution of the United States,

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

United States Naval Institute The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds s ...

Army and Navy Club The Army and Navy Club, commonly known as The Rag, is a private members' club in London that was founded in 1837 for officers of the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Marines. In retirement, Smith was a resident of

He died in Washington on October 7, 1912. Smith was buried at

Legacy

In 1921, the U.S. Army constructed Battery Smith, one of several coastal artillery positions on the island of

Corregidor Corregidor (, , ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of Cavite City and thus the province of Cavite. It is located west of Manila, the nation's capi ...

Manila Bay Manila Bay (; ) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Philippines and ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The site was named for Smith, and remained in operation until U.S. soldiers disabled it at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the

Japanese occupation of the Philippines The Japanese occupation of the Philippines (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pananakop ng mga Hapones sa Pilipinas''; ) occurred between 1942 and 1945, when the Empire of Japan, Japanese Empire occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during Wo ...

, the Japanese required U.S. prisoners of war to strip the usable parts of Battery Smith for use in rebuilding another coastal artillery emplacement, Battery Hearn. The ruins of Battery Smith still exist and are a frequent destination for tourists and historians exploring Corregidor.

Family

In 1866, Smith married Frances Louisa Dauchy (1840–1878) of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

. In 1881 Smith married Georgiana Dauchy (1841–1933), the sister of his first wife. With his first wife, Smith was the father of four children: Mary Jessie; Frances Maria; Margaret; and Charles Franklin. Margaret Smith was the wife of Brigadier General William Chamberlaine. Smith's grandson Franklin Guest Smith (1908–2001) was a 1933 graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

and attained the rank of brigadier general. Smith's uncle Charles Eastwick Smith served as president of the

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and freight transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states from 1924 until its acquisition by Conrail in 1976. Commonly called the Reading Railr ...

. His first cousin Thomas Guilford Smith was a prominent engineer and corporate executive who was associated with the steel businesses of

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

References

External links

Franklin Guest Smith
at Arlington National Cemetery {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Franklin Guest 1840 births 1912 deaths People from Tioga County, Pennsylvania Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni Union army officers United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Army generals Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 20th-century United States Army personnel