The Department of the East was a military administrative district established by the U.S. Army several times in its history. The first was from 1853 to 1861, the second Department of the East, from 1863 to 1873, and the last from 1877 to 1913.

History

As part of a major reorganization of the Western Territories, after October 31, 1853 the division echelon was eliminated and the six western departments consolidated into four (Departments of Texas, New Mexico, the West, and the Pacific). The four departments (1st-4th) of the Eastern Division were similarly consolidated into the Department of the East, with boundaries encompassing all the states east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

. It remained thus until August 17, 1861, when the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, created a need for a vast increase in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

and more departments to administer them and the Department of the East was discontinued. On January 3, 1863, the Department of the East was revived, to administer the many districts and posts created by the Civil War in

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

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

and the states of

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...

. It became subordinate to the Military Division of the Atlantic, from 1865 to 1866 and the

Division of the Atlantic Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, in 1868 until this department was discontinued in 1873. Again the Department of the East was revived in 1877, once again subordinate to the Division of the Atlantic, until the Division was discontinued in 1891. In 1911, it became subordinate to a new Eastern Division, until the Department of the East was discontinued 1913, being replaced by the Eastern Department. The Panama Canal Department was created as a separate formation on 26 June 1917 by separation from the Eastern Department. The 24th Aero Squadron returned to the United States on or about 1 August 1919 and reported to Mitchell Field, on Long Island, New York. However, the squadron was sent to Park Field, near Memphis, Tennessee, where personnel were de-mobilized and returned to civilian life.Hagdedorn, Dan (1995), Alae Supra Canalem: Wings Over the Canal, Turner Publishing, AFHRA document 00055928, 24th Aero Squadron (Observation), 1917–1919
/ref>AFHRA document 00055929, 24th Fighter Squadron, 1917–1919
/ref> It was carried as an administrative unit seemingly under the Eastern Department, however, it was not re-manned and was finally inactivated on 1 October 1919. The Eastern Department was discontinued when the Army's command was reorganized by the 1920 amendment to the 1916 Defense Act. It was replaced by the

Second Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure ( military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular A ...

Headquarters

The headquarters of the 1853–1861 Department of the East in 1861 was

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

, except for the few years under the command of Gen. Bankhead, when he made his headquarters at

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American coastal pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack ...

, in Baltimore, Maryland. The headquarters of the last Department of the East was originally located in leased office space in New York City until 1878, when the War Department relocated all headquarters functions across the country to army posts due to economic considerations. The headquarters was relocated to Fort Columbus, renamed

Fort Jay Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a ...

in 1904 on

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

in New York Harbor.

1853–1861 Department of the East commanders

* Major. Gen.

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. By the time of the Mexican-American War ...

1853–1854 * Bvt. Brig. Gen.

James Bankhead James Bankhead (1783–1856) was a U. S. Army officer who rose to the rank of brevet brigadier general and served in the War of 1812, Second Seminole War, and Mexican–American War. Biography James Bankhead was born on May 24, 1783, in Port Roy ...

1854–1856 * Major. Gen. John E. Wool 1857 – Aug 17, 1861

1863–1873 Department of the East commanders

* Major. Gen. John E. Wool January 3, 1863 – July 18, 1863 * Major. Gen. John A. Dix, July 18, 1863 – June 27, 1865David Stephen Heidler, Jeanne T. Heidler, David J. Coles, Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History, W. W. Norton & Company, Sept. 1, 2002, p. 587 * Major. Gen.

Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

June 27, 1865 – August, 1866 * Major. Gen.

George Gordon Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. He ...

, August, 1866 – January 2, 1868 * Major. Gen.

Thomas W. Sherman Thomas West Sherman (March 26, 1813 – December 31, 1879) was a United States Army officer with service during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. While some contemporaries mistakenly identified him as the brother of the more f ...

January 2, 1868 – July 16, 1868 * Major. Gen.

Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command ...

July 16, 1868 – December 16, 1872

1877–1913 Department of the East commanders

In 1878, the War Department directed that all departmental commands, if not located on a post, were to give up leased office space and off-post housing allowances and relocate headquarters and staff to the nearest Army post. In New York City, the headquarters was moved to Fort Columbus on

in New York Harbor. * 1878 Winfield S. Hancock * 1886

John M. Schofield John McAllister Schofield (September 29, 1831 – March 4, 1906) was an American soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He was appointed U.S. Secretary of War (1868–1869) under President Andrew Johnson and later served a ...

* 1888

Oliver O. Howard Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the Civil War. As a brigade commander in the Army of the Potomac, Howard lost his right arm while leading his men against ...

* 1891

* 1894 Nelson A. Miles * 1895 Thomas H. Ruger * 1897

Wesley Merritt Wesley Merritt (June 16, 1836December 3, 1910) was an American major general who served in the cavalry of the United States Army during the American Civil War, American Indian Wars, and Spanish–American War. Following the latter war, he became ...

* 1898 20 May to 2 July

Royal Thaxter Frank Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

* 1898 2 July to 24 October George L. Gillespie * 1898 William R. Shafter * 1899

* 1900

John R. Brooke John Rutter Brooke (July 21, 1838 – September 5, 1926) was one of the last surviving Union generals of the American Civil War when he died at the age of 88. Early life Brooke was born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, and was educated in nearby Col ...

* 1902 Arthur MacArthur * 1902

Adna R. Chaffee Adna Romanza Chaffee (April 14, 1842 – November 1, 1914) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. Chaffee took part in the American Civil War and Indian Wars, played a key role in the Spanish–American War, and fought in the Boxe ...

* 1903

Henry C. Corbin Henry Clark Corbin (September 15, 1842 – September 8, 1909) was an officer in the United States Army who served as Adjutant General of the U.S. Army from 1898 to 1904. Life and career He was born in Monroe Township, Clermont County, Ohio, H ...

* 1904

Frederick D. Grant Frederick Dent Grant (May 30, 1850 – April 12, 1912) was a soldier and United States minister to Austria-Hungary. Grant was the first son of General and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant and Julia Grant. He was named after his ...

* 1904

James F. Wade James Franklin Wade (April 14, 1843 – August 23, 1921) served as a major general of volunteers in the United States Army during the Spanish–American War. Wade was born in Jefferson, Ohio on April 14, 1843. His father, Senator Benjamin F. Wade, ...

* 1907

* 1908

Leonard Wood Leonard Wood (October 9, 1860 – August 7, 1927) was a United States Army major general, physician, and public official. He served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba, and Governor-General of the Philip ...

* 1910

* 1912 Tasker H. Bliss * 1912 Thomas H. Barry

1913–1920 Eastern Department commanders

* 1913 Thomas H. Barry * 1914 Robert K. Evans * 1914

* 1917 J. Franklin Bell * 1917

Eli D. Hoyle Eli DuBose Hoyle (July 19, 1851 – July 27, 1921) was a brigadier general in the United States Army. He is most noted for his command of the port of embarkation at Governor's Island in New York Harbor during World War I, for which he received t ...

* 1918

William A. Mann William is a male given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norm ...

* 1918 J. Franklin Bell * 1919 Thomas H. Barry * 1919

Charles Justin Bailey Charles Justin Bailey (June 21, 1859 – September 21, 1946) was a major general in the United States Army who commanded the 81st Infantry Division during World War I. Early life He was born in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania on June 21, 1859. He gr ...

References

US Army Order of Battle, 1919–1941
chapter 2)

{{Union Army Formations

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

Government agencies established in 1853 Government agencies established in 1863 Government agencies established in 1877 1853 establishments in the United States