George Hampden Crosman (November 2, 1799 – May 28, 1882) was a career officer in the Regular Army of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

who served primarily with the

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 ...

. After graduating from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point in 1823, Crosman served at various army posts in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

during the 1820s and 1830s. He was among the first army officers to propose the establishment of a

U.S. Camel Corps The United States Camel Corps was a mid-19th-century experiment by the United States Army in using camels as pack animals in the Southwestern United States. Although the camels proved to be hardy and well suited to travel through the region, th ...

to better transport supplies. As an officer in the Quartermaster Corps, he played a notable role in the Second Seminole War, the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and 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 states ...

. During the Civil War, he rose to the rank of brevet

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and held a number of important posts in the Quartermaster Corps, most notably as quartermaster of the

Schuylkill Arsenal The Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, now known as the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, was founded as the Schuylkill Arsenal in 1799. History The Schuylkill Arsenal was built in 1800 to function as a quartermaster and provide the U.S. mil ...

in Philadelphia, the army's largest supply depot of that era.

Early career

Born in

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...

in 1799 to George Crosman and Amelia Keith Crosman, George H. Crosman enrolled in the

at West Point in 1819.Bowen, 907–908. After his graduation, he was commissioned second lieutenant in the 6th United States Infantry. During the 1820s, he served at various posts on the frontier with the 6th Infantry including:

Fort Mackinac Fort Mackinac ( ) is a former British and American military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century in the city of Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Mackinac Island. The British built the fort during the American Re ...

, Michigan; Fort Atkinson, Nebraska; and

Jefferson Barracks The Jefferson Barracks Military Post is located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, south of St. Louis. It was an important and active U.S. Army installation from 1826 through 1946. It is the oldest operating U.S. military installation ...

, Missouri.U.S. Mexican War Crosman participated in General Atkinson's expedition up the Missouri River in 1825 and served in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...

of 1832. As a line officer, he was detailed several times for various quartermaster duties, including during the Second Seminole War, until he was transferred from the Infantry to the Quartermaster Department in 1838. Crosman was among the first officers in the U.S. Army to advocate the military use of

camels A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. ...

for transportation of supplies. In 1836, he submitted an extensive study on the subject to his superiors, proposing a

. Subsequently, camels were successfully used in several minor army expeditions in the desert regions of the Southwestern United States in the 1840s and 1850s. By the time of the Civil War, however, the concept of a Camel Corps had been abandoned. During the

, Captain Crosman served as an assistant quartermaster. Although his duties did not typically require him to be in the line of fire, he was nonetheless awarded the brevet rank of major during the

Battle of Palo Alto The Battle of Palo Alto ( es, Batalla de Palo Alto) was the first major battle of the Mexican–American War and was fought on May 8, 1846, on disputed ground five miles (8 km) from the modern-day city of Brownsville, Texas. A force of so ...

"for gallant and meritorious service" when the supply train of which he was in charge came under attack.

Civil War service

During the 1850s, Crosman remained in the Quartermaster Corps. In the months leading up to the Civil War, he was stationed in Utah and held the rank of lieutenant colonel.Eicher, 192. With the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Crosman was appointed Chief Quartermaster of the

Department of Pennsylvania The Department of Pennsylvania (or General Patterson's Army) was a large military unit in the Union Army at the outset of the American Civil War. Established on April 27, 1861, its territory consisted of Pennsylvania, Delaware, and all of Maryland ...

. During the summer of 1861, this military department encompassed all army installations and military personnel stationed in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. In this capacity, Crosman was in charge of distributing food and supplies across three states. After the Department of Pennsylvania was merged with the Department of the Potomac in August 1861, Crosman served as quartermaster for units in the field, most notably as quartermaster for the

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Ar ...

and later the II Corps in the spring and summer of 1862. Crosman coordinated supplies to these units, consisting of thousands of soldiers, during their involvement in the Peninsular Campaign and the Northern Virginia Campaign. In September 1862, Crosman was transferred to Philadelphia and served as quartermaster of the

Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot The Philadelphia Quartermaster Depot, now known as the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, was founded as the Schuylkill Arsenal in 1799. History The Schuylkill Arsenal was built in 1800 to function as a quartermaster and provide the U.S. mil ...

, also known as the Schuylkill Arsenal, which was the chief supply depot for the

U.S. Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

. Crosman served at this post for almost two years until August 1864. From September 20, 1864, to March 10, 1866, he was tasked with compiling a "Manual for the Quartermaster Department." He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the Regular Army in February 1863. On June 30, 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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Andrew Johnson nominated Crosman for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general, U.S.A., (

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 standin ...

), to rank from March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services during the war, and the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the award on July 25, 1866. On April 11, 1866, after Crosman's retirement,

Andrew Johnson nominated Crosman for the award of the honorary grade of brevet major general, U.S.A., (

), to rank from March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services during the war, and the

confirmed the award on April 16, 1867.

Post-war life and legacy

On the day following the confirmation of his award of the grade of brevet brigadier general, July 26, 1866, Crosman resigned from active service in the army. However, on August 27, 1866, he was appointed Chief Quartermaster, Department of the East. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Crosman oversaw sale of surplus military property until August, 1867. After his final retirement he lived with his wife, Hannah Blair Foster Crosman, in Philadelphia. He died on May 28, 1882, in Philadelphia. His granddaughter was the stage and film actress

Henrietta Crosman Henrietta Foster Crosman (September 2, 1861 – October 31, 1944) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Crosman was born in Wheeling, Virginia, to George Crosman Jr. a Civil War Major, and Mary B. Wick, a niece of composer Step ...

. The

George H. Crosman United States Army Reserve Center The George H. Crosman United States Army Reserve Center is a United States Army Reserve facility located in Taunton, Massachusetts. In 2007, the center was the location of a spate of Humvee thefts, in which thieves stole the vehicles and joyrode on ...

in Taunton, Massachusetts was named for him.Department of Defense Base Structure Report

Notes

References

* * Cullum, George W. ''Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy, 2nd edition, volume 1. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1868. * * * * Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R. ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue''. Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. . * *

External links