John Trout Greble (January 19, 1834 in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

– June 10, 1861 in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

) was a soldier 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 ...

in 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 killed at the

battle of Big Bethel The Battle of Big Bethel, also known as the Battle of Bethel Church or Great Bethel, was one of the earliest, if not the first, land battle of the American Civil War. It took place on the Virginia Peninsula, near Newport News, on June 10, 1861 ...

, and was the first 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 ...

to be killed in the war.

Biography

He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1854, was assigned to the 2nd artillery, and stationed at

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. In September 1854 he was made 2nd lieutenant and sent to

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 ...

, where he served in the Indian troubles for two years. He was compelled, in consequence of a severe fever, to return home on sick leave, but in the beginning of 1856 resumed his duties, acting part of the time as quartermaster and commissary until December 1856, when he was appointed acting assistant professor of geography, history, and ethics in the U.S. Military Academy, where he remained until September 24, 1860. He was promoted to 1st lieutenant on March 3, 1857. He was detailed for active duty 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 ...

in late 1860, and rendered efficient service in preventing its seizure. On May 26, 1861, he was sent to

Newport News Newport News () is an independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the fifth-most populous city in Virginia and 140th-most populous city i ...

as master of ordnance, superintended the fortifications of that point, and trained the volunteers to artillery practice. When the expedition to Big Bethel was planned, he was unexpectedly detailed to accompany it with two guns, though in his own judgment it was ill-advised. When the Union Army troops were repelled, by his management of the guns he protected them from pursuit and destruction. Just at the close of the action, when he had given the orders to withdraw his guns from the field, he was struck by a rifle ball on the right temple and instantly killed. For his bravery in the two days' action, he was brevetted captain, major, and lieutenant colonel, on the day of his death.Memoir of Lieut.-Col. John T. Greble, of the United States Army
by Lossing, Benson John, 1813–1891. Philadelphia, 1870. First Buried in Philadelphia's Woodland Cemetery, he was later reburied in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County Pennsylvania. Two U.S. Army forts were named for him;

Fort Greble Fort Greble was an American Civil War-era Union fortification constructed as part of the defenses of Washington, D.C. during that war. Named for First Lieutenant John Trout Greble, the first West Point graduate killed in the U.S. Civil War, it ...

in the defenses of Washington, DC in 1861 and another Fort Greble in the 1890s on Dutch Island, Rhode Island.

Family

He married Sarah Bradley French, daughter of

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 ...

professor John W. French. Their son,

Edwin St. John Greble Edwin St. John Greble (June 24, 1859 – September 30, 1931) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in several conflicts, including the Spanish–American War and World War I. Biography Greble was bo ...

, who was born at

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, became a major general of the U.S. Army.

Notes

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External links

* – for grave marker in West Laural Hill Cemetery,

Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route ...

* – for burial information at Philadelphia's Woodland Cemetery * {{DEFAULTSORT:Greble, John Trout 1834 births 1861 deaths Union army officers United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War

Biography

Family

Further reading

Notes

References

External links