Thomas Sidney Jesup (December 16, 1788 – June 10, 1860) 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 known as the "Father of the Modern

Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of quartermaster corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...

". His 52-year (1808–1860) military career was one of the longest in the history of the United States Army.

Biography

Thomas Jesup was born in Berkeley County, Virginia (now

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

). He began his military career in 1808, and served in 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 ...

, seeing action in the battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane in 1814, where he was wounded. He was appointed Quartermaster General on May 8, 1818, by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

.Brigadier General Jesup, father of the Quartermaster Corps
, US Quartermaster Foundation

Seminole War and controversy

In 1836, while Jesup was still officially Quartermaster General, President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

detached him first to deal with the Creek tribe in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, and then to assume command of all U.S. troops 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 ...

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 ...

(1835–1842).Jahoda, Gloria. ''The Trail of Tears: The Story of the American Indian Removals 1813–1855''. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York. 1975. . His capture of

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

leaders

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Vsse Yvholv in Muscogee language, Creek, also spelled Asi-yahola), named Billy Powell at birth, was an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfa ...

and Micanopy under a false flag of truce provoked controversy in the United States and abroad. Many newspapers called for an inquiry and his firing but the government supported its general, and at the conclusion of the hostilities, Jesup returned to his official post. He was famously quoted as having declared about the Seminole that " e country can be rid of them only by exterminating them."

Further service

During 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, ...

, Jesup traveled from his headquarters in Washington, D.C., to oversee the supplying of troops in Mexico. He served as Quartermaster General for 42 years, having the second longest continual service in the same position in U.S. military history ( George Gibson served as Commissary General of the US Army for 43 years, from 1818 until 1860). He died in office in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 1860, at age 71. He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Dates of rank

*2nd Lieutenant, 7th Infantry – 3 May 1808 *1st Lieutenant, 7th Infantry – 1 December 1809 *Captain, 7th Infantry – 20 January 1813 *Major, 19th Infantry – 6 April 1813 *Major, 25th Infantry – 18 April 1814 *Brevet Lieutenant Colonel – 5 July 1814 *Brevet Colonel – 25 July 1814 *Major, 1st Infantry – 17 May 1815 *Lieutenant Colonel, 3rd Infantry – 30 April 1817 *Colonel, Assistant Adjutant General – 27 March 1818 *Brigadier General, Quartermaster General – 8 May 1818 *Brevet Major General – 8 May 1828

Legacy and honors

* Jesup, Georgia;

Lake Jesup Lake Jesup is the largest lake in Seminole County, Florida, United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of ...

, Florida; and Fort Jesup, Louisiana, were named in his honor. *1986, Jesup was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame. *Battery Jesup at the Spanish–American War fort, Fort Fremont

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jesup, Thomas 1788 births 1860 deaths Military personnel from West Virginia American military personnel of the Mexican–American War United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) People from Berkeley County, West Virginia People from West Virginia in the War of 1812 United States Army personnel of the Indian Wars United States Army personnel of the Seminole Wars Quartermasters United States Army generals