Charles Seaforth Stewart (April 11, 1823 – July 22, 1904) was a colonel in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He graduated first in his West Point Class of 1846, which included future generals George McClellan,

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

, and George Pickett.

Early life

Charles S. Stewart was born aboard the US ship ''Thames'' on April 11, 1823 while the ''Thames'' was at sea in the Pacific Ocean. His mother was Harriet Bradford (née Tiffany), and his father, Reverend Charles Samuel Stewart was a US Navy chaplain. Stewart's ancestors included great-grandfather Charles Stewart. Stewart was raised and educated in

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

and Princeton, New Jersey. At age 17, Stewart began the first of three sea journeys as the captain's clerk aboard the U.S.S. '' Brandywine''. In 1842, he began attendance at the United States Military Academy. Stewart graduated in 1846, ranked first of the 59 students in his class, which entitled him to a coveted assignment in the Corps of Engineers.

Start of career

Stewart specialized in seacoast construction and his first posting was as assistant engineer planning and overseeing construction of

Fort Trumbull Fort Trumbull is a fort near the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound in New London, Connecticut and named for Governor Jonathan Trumbull. The original fort was built in 1777, but the present fortification was built between 1839 and ...

, Connecticut. Beginning in 1847, he carried out a similar assignment at Fort Warren, Massachusetts. From 1849 to 1854, Stewart was assistant professor of engineering at West Point. He returned to Fort Warren in 1854, and was superintending engineer of construction there and at nearby Forts Independence and Winthrop. From 1859 to 1861, Stewart was superintending engineer for the Great Brewster and Deer Island

seawalls A seawall (or sea wall) is a form of coastal defense constructed where the sea, and associated coastal processes, impact directly upon the landforms of the coast. The purpose of a seawall is to protect areas of human habitation, conservation ...

outside Boston Harbor.

Civil War

Stewart served primarily in Virginia during the American Civil War and his postings between 1861 and 1865 included: assistant engineer and chief engineer of the defenses at

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...

(1861-1864); supervising engineer of the field works constructed in Newport News (1861); assistant engineer during the Siege of Yorktown (1862); assistant engineer during the Battle of Williamsburg (1862); and reconnoitering with the advance party of the forces commanded by George Stoneman between

Williamsburg Williamsburg may refer to: Places *Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum and private foundation in Virginia *Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood in New York City *Williamsburg, former name of Kernville (former town), California *Williams ...

and Mechanicsville (1862). Following a period of illness and convalescence at Fort Monroe, Stewart's later wartime postings included: consulting engineer during the defense of

Suffolk, Virginia Suffolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and as such has no county. As of the 2020 census, the population was 94,324. It is the 9th most populous city in Virginia and the largest city in Virginia by boundary land area as ...

(1863); consulting engineer for construction of the defenses of Portsmouth and Norfolk (1863); consulting engineer during demonstrations outside of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

(1863); supervising engineer for construction of defenses at Port Lookout, Maryland (1864); chief engineer of the Middle Military Division (1864-1865); and special duty in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

and

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

, Maryland (1865), followed by special duty at

Fort Clinch Fort Clinch is a 19th-century masonry Coastal defence and fortification, coastal fortification, built as part of the Seacoast Defense (US)#Third system, Third System of seacoast defense conceived by the United States. It is located on a peninsula n ...

, Florida (1865). Stewart received

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotion to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in recognition of his wartime service.

Later career

After the war, Stewart was superintending engineer of the defenses of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

and Delaware Bay (1865-1870). From 1870 to 1886, he was a member of the board of engineers that planned the defenses of the Pacific Coast, a duty he carried out while serving as superintending engineer of construction of Fort Point, Point San Jose, and

Angel Island Angel Island may refer to: *Angel Island (California), historic site of the United States Immigration Station, Angel Island, and part of Angel Island State Park, in San Francisco Bay, California * Angel Island, Papua New Guinea * ''Angel Island'' (n ...

San Francisco Harbor San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water from a ...

. In 1872, Stewart supervised the removal of Rincon Rock from San Francisco Harbor. In 1872 and 1872, he led the team that examined the seawalls and breakwaters at Trinidad Harbor, Santa Cruz, and Estero Bay. Between 1873 and 1886, Stewart was superintending engineer of construction of the fort at San Diego, leader of the team that examined the estuary in Santa Barbara Channel, and the team that surveyed the San Joaquin River below

Stockton Stockton may refer to: Places Australia * Stockton, New South Wales * Stockton, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region New Zealand *Stockton, New Zealand United Kingdom *Stockton, Cheshire *Stockton, Norfolk *Stockton, Chirbu ...

. In 1874 and 1875, he supervised the removal of the wreck of the SS ''Patrician'' and the outcropping known as Noonday Rock from San Francisco Harbor. Between 1875 and 1886, Stewart oversaw improvements to the harbor in

San Diego Bay San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...

, and the San Joaquin River. He also oversaw the survey of the Colorado River between Fort Yuma and Dorado Canyon in 1879, examination of the harbors of San Luis Obispo, San Buenaventura, and Santa Barbara in 1879, and survey of Trinidad Harbor from 1879 to 1880. From 1880 until his retirement, Stewart was chief engineer of the 12th Lighthouse District, examined and surveyed the channel for San Diego Harbor, constructed a breakwater for the San Luis Obispo Harbor, and served on several engineer boards that planned River and Harbor Improvements.

Retirement and death

Stewart was promoted to colonel in June 1882. He retired in 1886, and lived in Cooperstown. In 1904, he was promoted to brigadier general on the retired list in recognition of the superior service he rendered throughout his career. he died in

Siasconset, Massachusetts Siasconset is a census designated place (CDP) at the eastern end of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, United States with an elevation of 52 feet (16 m), and a population of 205 at the 2010 census. Although unincorporated, the village has ...

on July 22, 1904 and was buried at Lakewood Cemetery in Cooperstown.

References

External links

*
Career Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Charles Seaforth 1823 births 1904 deaths United States Army Corps of Engineers personnel