Gustavus A. Loomis (September 23, 1789 – March 5, 1872) was a

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 ...

officer who served during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

, 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, ...

and 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 ...

. He was one of the oldest soldiers to serve in the civil war.

Biography

Loomis was born in

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, and graduated from

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 ...

in 1811. He entered the army as a second lieutenant of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

. After garrison duty in the harbor of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1812–13, he was ordered to the Niagara frontier in 1813 for service in the

. He assisted in the capture of Fort George (May 27, 1813) and was made prisoner at

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara, also known as Old Fort Niagara, is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great L ...

on December 19, 1813. He was exchanged and transferred to the Artillery Corps on May 12, 1814. Following the War of 1812, Loomis 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 ...

in 1819. He was transferred to the

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

in 1821. In 1832, during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans led by Black Hawk (Sauk leader), Black Hawk, a Sauk people, Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of ...

, he was in garrison at

Fort Crawford Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th century. The army's occupation of Prairie du Chien spanned the existence of two fortifications, both of them named Fort Crawford. The ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. During the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

; Loomis was promoted 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 ...

in the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment in 1838. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on September 22, 1840. He commanded the 6th U.S. Infantry Regiment in

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 ...

(1842–1844) and served as Lieut. Col of the 6th U.S. Infantry in the Mexican War (1846–1848). On March 9, 1851, Loomis 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 ...

and was given command of the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment at Fort Belknap,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

(1852–1853). During the

Third Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

, he served as commander of the Department of Florida from 1857–1858. During the Civil War, he was so successful as a recruiter in Connecticut and Rhode Island that President Lincoln made him Superintendent of General Recruiting for the entire Union army at

Fort Columbus A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

, New York.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 735 He also served as commandant of the prisoner of war camp at Fort Columbus.Lawson, Kenneth E., ''For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis''. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2011. . p. 376 On June 1, 1863, Loomis was retired from active duty as a

of infantry, but was immediately recalled to duty.Lawson, Kenneth E., ''For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis''. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2011. . p. 383 In 1864 he was assigned as a senior court martial officer at Fort Columbus. He remained on active duty after the war to process administrative and

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

proceedings. In 1867 he was still in uniform, managing army supply, personnel, and administrative issues related to his duties as a court martial officer. On July 17, 1866,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated Loomis for appointment to the brevet grade of brigadier general in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

for long and faithful service, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

confirmed the appointment on July 26, 1866. Gustavus Loomis died on March 5, 1872, at Stratford Connecticut. He was buried at Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut. Throughout his life in the military he was often known as a Christian officer.Lawson, Kenneth E., ''For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis''. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2011. . pp. 383–384

Notes

External links

References

* Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . : {{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Gustavus People of Vermont in the American Civil War United States Army personnel of the Seminole Wars Union army colonels American people of the Black Hawk War United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers 1789 births 1872 deaths People from Thetford, Vermont Burials at Grove Street Cemetery War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom

Biography

See also

Notes

External links

References