Gustavus A. Loomis (September 23, 1789 – March 5, 1872) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

officer who served during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

, 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 ...

. He was one of the oldest soldiers to serve in the civil war.

Biography

Loomis was born in

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, covering an area of , in 2015 had a population of 24, ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, and graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1811. He entered the army as a second lieutenant of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. After garrison duty in the harbor of New York in 1812–13, he was ordered to the Niagara frontier in 1813 for service in the

. He assisted in the capture of Fort George (May 27, 1813) and was made prisoner at

Fort Niagara Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built by New France to protect its interests in North America, specifically control of access between the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, the easternmost of the Great Lakes. The fort is on the river's e ...

on December 19, 1813. He was exchanged and transferred to the Artillery Corps on May 12, 1814. Following the War of 1812, Loomis was promoted to captain in 1819. He was transferred to the

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

in 1821. In 1832, during 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 ...

, he was in garrison at

Fort Crawford Fort Crawford was an outpost of the United States Army located in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, during the 19th century. The army's occupation of Prairie du Chien spanned the existence of two fortifications, both of them named Fort Crawford. The ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. During the Second Seminole War; Loomis was promoted to major in the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment in 1838. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on September 22, 1840. He commanded the 6th U.S. Infantry Regiment in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

(1842–1844) and served as Lieut. Col of the 6th U.S. Infantry in the Mexican War (1846–1848). On March 9, 1851, Loomis 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 ...

and was given command of the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment at Fort Belknap,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

(1852–1853). During the

Third Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

, he served as commander of the Department of Florida from 1857–1858. During the Civil War, he was so successful as a recruiter in Connecticut and Rhode Island that President Lincoln made him Superintendent of General Recruiting for the entire Union army at

Fort Columbus A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, New York.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 735 He also served as commandant of the prisoner of war camp at Fort Columbus.Lawson, Kenneth E., ''For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis''. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2011. . p. 376 On June 1, 1863, Loomis was retired from active duty as a

of infantry, but was immediately recalled to duty.Lawson, Kenneth E., ''For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis''. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2011. . p. 383 In 1864 he was assigned as a senior court martial officer at Fort Columbus. He remained on active duty after the war to process administrative and

court martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

proceedings. In 1867 he was still in uniform, managing army supply, personnel, and administrative issues related to his duties as a court martial officer. On July 17, 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 Loomis for appointment to the brevet grade of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the

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 ...

for long and faithful service, to rank from March 13, 1865, 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 appointment on July 26, 1866. Gustavus Loomis died on March 5, 1872, at Stratford Connecticut. He was buried at Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut. Throughout his life in the military he was often known as a Christian officer.Lawson, Kenneth E., ''For Christ and Country: A Biography of Brigadier General Gustavus Loomis''. Greenville, SC: Ambassador International, 2011. . pp. 383–384

Notes

External links

References

* Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . : {{DEFAULTSORT:Loomis, Gustavus People of Vermont in the American Civil War American people of the Seminole Wars Union Army colonels American people of the Black Hawk War United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers 1789 births 1872 deaths People from Thetford, Vermont Burials at Grove Street Cemetery War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom

Biography

See also

Notes

External links

References