Gustavus Adolphus De Russy (November 3, 1818 – May 29, 1891) was a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary 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 the United Stat ...

career officer, who was a part of the prominent De Russy military family. He was promoted to the rank of general during 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 ...

Early life

De Russy was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

to American army officer

René Edward De Russy René Edward De Russy (February 22, 1789 – November 23, 1865) was an engineer, military educator, and career United States Army officer who was responsible for constructing many Eastern United States coastal fortifications, as well as some fort ...

(1789–1865) and Harriet Elizabeth Taylor (1805–1834). His father was born in

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colonization of the Americas, French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1803. The name derives from the Spanish main city on the isl ...

(now Haiti) in 1789 and his French colonial family moved as refugees to Virginia two years later, fleeing the revolution on the island. Gustavus's sister, Clara Louise De Russey (1829–1900), married William Augustus Nichols (1818–1869), who became a Brevet Maj. Gen. His sister, Emily Caroline De Russy (1831–1857), married

Henry Jackson Hunt Henry Jackson Hunt (September 14, 1819 – February 11, 1889) was Chief of Artillery in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Considered by his contemporaries the greatest artillery tactician and strategist of the war, he was ...

(1819–1889), who became a Brig. Gen. After his mother's death in 1834, his father remarried to Helen Augusta Maxwell (1832–1908). Through this marriage, De Russy was the half-brother of Fanny De Russy (1857–1925), who married Eli D. Hoyle (1851–1921); and Sara Wetmore De Russy (1860–1926), who married

Arthur Murray Arthur Murray (born Moses Teichman; April 4, 1895 – March 3, 1991) was an American ballroom dancer and businessman, whose name is most often associated with the dance studio chain that bears his name. Early life and start in dance Arthur Mur ...

(1851–1925). Both brothers-in-law were also career officers, as were their sons. Like his father and paternal uncle, De Russy was admitted to

West Point 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 ...

, starting in 1835. He was forced to resign in 1838 for alcohol use.

Career

In 1847, De Russy was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army and served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, first winning a brevet to 1st Lieutenant for "gallantry and meritorious service" at the

Battle of Contreras The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place on 19–20 August 1847, in one of the final encounters of the Mexican–American War, as invading U.S. forces under Winfield Scott approached the Mexican capital. Ameri ...

and the Churubusco, and later, a brevet to captain for "gallant and meritorious service" at

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest Nature Value Area´s in Mexico, measuring in total just over . Centered on a rock formation called Chapultepec Hill, one of ...

. By virtue of his service in the Mexican War, he became a member of the

Aztec Club of 1847 The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It is a male-only hereditary organization with membership of those who can trace a direct ancestral connection "based on ma ...

in 1881. He remained in the army following the war, serving as quartermaster at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth o ...

from 1848 until 1857. That year he was promoted 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 ...

. By the start of the Civil War, De Russy was serving in the 4th US Artillery. He commanded the artillery reserve of

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in the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

and the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army ...

, receiving promotions to

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 ...

and lieutenant colonel. He 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 ...

in March 1863 and again to brigadier general of volunteers in May of the same year. He commanded the southern defenses of

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 ...

until the end of the war. After the war, De Russy reverted to the rank of major as the forces were reduced. He continued serving in the army, receiving new promotions to lieutenant colonel in 1879, and colonel in 1882, until retiring in 1882.

Personal life

De Russy was married to Frances Clitz (1836–1901). She was the daughter of Captain John Clitz (1790–1836), who died while in command of

Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The Kingdom of Great Britain, British built the f ...

, sister of Rear Admiral

John M. B. Clitz Rear Admiral (United States), Rear Admiral John Mellen Brady Clitz (1 December 1821 – 9 October 1897) was an Commissioned officer, officer in the United States Navy. During his long naval career, he fought in both the Mexican–American War, Me ...

(1821–1897), Commander of the

Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron (naval), squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron w ...

; and Brig. Gen. Henry Boynton Clitz (1824–1888), the Commandant of Cadets at the West Point from 1862 to 1864. His wife's sister Sarah Clitz (1835–1906) married 1857 West Point graduate Robert H. Anderson (1835–1888), who resigned his U.S. Army commission to become a brigadier general in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

. Together, she and De Russy had the following children: * René Edward De Russy (1858–1860), who died young. * Emily Clitz De Russy (1862–1949), who married John Trust Sickel (1862–1921) on July 21, 1898, in

Alma, Michigan Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,488 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905. Alma hosts the annual Highland Festival on Memo ...

. De Russy died in his home in Detroit on April 30, 1891. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in his hometown.

References

External links

*
Short Biography

Photograph of DeRussy and Staff on Steps of Arlington House, Arlington, Virginia

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Russy, Gustavus 1818 births 1891 deaths Union army generals Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American people of French descent Military personnel from Brooklyn People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit)