Joseph Swift
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Joseph Gardner Swift (December 31, 1783 – July 22, 1865) was an American soldier who, in 1802, became the first graduate of the newly instituted United States Military Academy in West Point, New York; he would later serve as its fourth Superintendent from 1812 to 1814, and as Chief of Engineers of the United States Army from 1812 to 1818. In 1814, Swift was elected as member of the American Philosophical Society.


Early life and education

Swift was born on Nantucket Island, the son of Foster Swift and his wife, Deborah. At the age of six, he saw
George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
on Boston Common, an experience that made an indelible impression on him. In 1792, the Swifts moved to Taunton, Massachusetts, where Joseph became the student of Reverend Simeon Doggett, who prepared him to enter Harvard College. Swift had read accounts of the American Revolution in his father’s diary and heard stories from a family friend, Major General David Cobb. With Cobb’s advice and assistance, Swift was appointed by President John Adams on May 12, 1800 as a cadet of artillerists and engineers. He reported for duty a month later at Newport Harbor. Later, in the summer of 1801, Secretary of War Henry Dearborn notified the Army that President Thomas Jefferson had directed the establishment of a military academy at West Point, New York. Swift reported as a cadet to the academy on October 14, 1801. On December 15, 1801, then-Major Jonathan Williams took command and several months later became the first
Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy The Superintendent of the United States Military Academy is the academy's commanding officer. This position is roughly equivalent to the chancellor or president of an American civilian university. The officer appointed is, by tradition, a grad ...
. The Academy was established by law on March 16, 1802. Swift progressed well and was considered by Williams to be the foremost cadet. After a thorough examination, Swift became the first graduate of the Academy on October 12, 1802.
Simeon Magruder Levy Simeon Magruder Levy (January 1774 – March 1807), also known as Simon Levy, was an officer in the United States Army. He was the second overall graduate and first Jewish graduate of the United States Military Academy (West Point). Early ...
was the only other graduate in 1802.


1802-1814

Swift remained at West Point until April 30, 1804, and in June of that year, became the superintending engineer of the construction of the defenses of the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. In January 1805 he became the commander of Fort Johnson, North Carolina. Swift returned to West Point in 1807 and took command of the Academy in Williams' absence. He remained there until November 23 of that year, when the Academy was closed for the winter vacation. Swift was promoted to
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in February 1808 and assigned to lead the defenses of the Eastern Department covering the New England coast. He was assigned with
Joseph Gilbert Totten Joseph Gilbert Totten (August 23, 1788 – April 22, 1864) fought in the War of 1812, served as Chief of Engineers and was regent of the Smithsonian Institution and cofounder of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1836, he was elected a member ...
and Sylvanus Thayer, also graduates of West Point. Once again, Swift was assigned to his old station at the mouth of the Cape Fear River where he was charged with superintending and inspecting southern coast defenses until 1812. In July 1812, Jonathan Williams resigned as Chief Engineer of the Army, and Swift, then a lieutenant colonel and the next senior Engineer in the Army, assumed his command. His appointment as Colonel and Chief Engineer of the Army was unanimously confirmed in December 1812. Pending his confirmation, Swift was ordered back to his duties to superintend the defenses of North Carolina. Before leaving Washington, he ordered Captain Alden Partridge, the senior Engineer officer at West Point, to open the Military Academy (then practically defunct) in the coming spring. Swift was 30 years old upon becoming Chief Engineer of the Army and Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. In March 1813, Swift was called to Washington and consulted with the Secretary of War on the application of large appropriations for fortification of coastal defenses. He then reported to New York City to supervise the fortifications process, acting in his capacity as the Chief Engineer and Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy. As Superintendent, Swift made frequent trips to West Point; he initiated plans for a new mess hall, academic building, and South Barracks and was authorized to employ an acting chaplain to be Professor of Ethics, History, and Geography (the first such being Rev.
Adam Empie Adam Empie (September 7, 1785 – November 6, 1860) was an Episcopal priest in North Carolina and Virginia, who also taught and served as President of the College of William and Mary. Early life and education Born in Schenectady, New York, to ...
). He remodeled the functions of the academic staff and assumed the duties of inspector of the institution to oversee the authority of the local commander, Captain Partridge. With the repairs of New York Harbor completed and fortifications against the British fleet in place, Swift requested orders for the field. He became the Chief Engineer of the Northern Army under Major General
James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...
, which took him to the ill-fated
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; here Swift won a citation for gallantry in the
battle of Chrysler's Farm The Battle of Crysler's Farm, also known as the Battle of Crysler's Field, was fought on 11 November 1813, during the War of 1812 (the name ''Chrysler's Farm'' is sometimes used for the engagement, but ''Crysler'' is the proper spelling). A Briti ...
. He was breveted a brigadier general on February 19, 1814. The Secretary of War refused Swift further field service because coastal defenses required attention and sent Swift again to New York where, in conjunction with the Committee of Safety, he established plans for coastal defenses for New York and Brooklyn and supervised thousands of volunteers working on the project. For that effort the Corporation of New York named him Benefactor to the City.


1814-1818

After completing the defenses of New York, Swift was called upon to form a new system of infantry tactics, to reduce the Army to a peacetime establishment, and later, with Colonel
George Bomford George Bomford (1780 – March 25, 1848) was a distinguished military officer in the United States Army and an inventor and designer of weapons and defensive installations. He served as the second Chief of Ordnance for the U.S. Army Ordnance Cor ...
, to rebuild the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., which had been destroyed by the British in the War of 1812. Shortly after the war, Congress authorized the President to employ Brigadier General Simon Bernard of the French Army, a distinguished engineer under Napoleon, as an assistant in the Corps of Engineers. He was placed at the head of the Board of Engineers while Swift became solely Superintendent of the Military Academy. Swift protested the admission of foreigners into the American military, who in the event of war might become enemies. However, Bernard stayed on the Board of Engineers until 1831. As Superintendent, Swift recommended sending two Engineer officers to Europe to examine French and Dutch fortifications and to purchase books to form a library at West Point. It was also hoped that one of them would replace him as Superintendent. Swift also secured a loan from
Jacob Barker Jacob Barker (December 17, 1779 – December 26, 1871) was an American financier and lawyer. Early life He was born on December 17, 1779, in Swan Island, Maine, of Quaker parentage. He was the son of Robert Barker (1723–1780) and Sarah ( n ...
, a rich
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
merchant, because no government appropriations were available. Swift saved the institution from abandonment when he personally arranged a $65,000 loan at 7% interest. For some time, Swift remained in local command at West Point, and in January 1817, proceeded to Washington to present his grievances to President James Madison. This resulted in Swift’s resuming his position in Washington at the head of the Corps of Engineers and leaving Bernard without any military control. Swift accompanied newly elected President James Monroe on his trip to examine the northern states and during the seven-week excursion was able to study the battlefields of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, as well as inspect arsenals, Navy yards and fortifications, and study the capacity of the country for defense. He also examined institutions of learning, particularly the Military Academy, in which Monroe was very interested. At the time of this visit to West Point, it was decided that Partridge would be replaced by then-Major Sylvanus Thayer, who, in 1817, was appointed Superintendent of the Academy and later became known as "the Father of West Point". The Presidential tour continued to Maine, and Swift and a joint board of Army and Navy officers examined fortifications from Penobscot, Maine, to Connecticut. He also traveled to the Chesapeake Bay area and chose a site for a Navy yard at
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
. In 1818, just before leaving the military, Swift’s main duties were in Virginia. He studied the northern tributaries of the
Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...
and made his last inspection of the Military Academy in September 1818. He was engaged with
Governeur Kemble Gouverneur Kemble (January 25, 1786 – September 18, 1875) was a two-term United States Congressman, diplomat and industrialist. He helped found the West Point Foundry, a major producer of artillery during the American Civil War. Early life ...
and four others in establishing the West Point Foundry at Cold Spring-on-the-Hudson. After contemplating civilian life for more than two years, he submitted his resignation on November 12, 1818, reserving all his rights as a brevet brigadier general in the Army, to be called into service in the event of war. He maintained this status until his death. Soon after he left the Army, Swift was asked by the Corps of Engineers to sit for a portrait in his honor. The portrait, painted by Sully, was hung in the Library at the Academy upon its completion and hangs there today.


1818-1832

The day after his resignation, Swift accepted the surveyorship of the Port of New York. As a civil engineer, he soon became involved in various important projects. In 1819, he was consulted on the feasibility of banking and draining the Newark Flats. In 1820 he was appointed by the Legislature of New Jersey to superintend the plan to open the Morris Canal improvement. In 1822 he was one of three Commissioners charged with regulating streets and drainage of the eastern part of the City of New York. In 1825, he was appointed as commissioner to determine the capacity of the Bronx and Croton Rivers to supply New York City with pure water. Unfortunately for Swift, during this time he decided to venture into business dealings on
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. In 1825, he was elected vice president of a life and trust insurance company. The company failed, and all its members were indicted for conspiracy to defraud the state. Swift was acquitted but suffered the loss of all his property. Without means to support his family, Swift moved to a small farm belonging to his wife in Haywood County, Tennessee, where he built a small cabin and began growing cotton. Finding the title to his plantation defective and his children suffering from the weather, Swift returned to New York and to his career in civil engineering; within the following year took charge of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad in Maryland. In March 1829, he was appointed superintendent of the harbor improvements on Lake Ontario and held this position for sixteen years. While the lake works were suspended during the winter of 1829, Swift took charge of construction of a new railroad from New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain that was routed five miles through a dense swamp, which was considered impassable as it could be neither drained nor piled. This was a pioneer railroad of the South, and perhaps the first in America where iron edge rails were used. In 1832, Swift succeeded
Benjamin Wright Benjamin Wright (October 10, 1770 – August 24, 1842) was an American civil engineer who was chief engineer of the Erie Canal and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. In 1969, the American Society of Civil Engineers declared him the "Father of America ...
as Chief Engineer of the
New York and Harlem Railroad The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and was the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson, it was opened in stages between 1832 and ...
, but interference from the Board of Directors caused him to resign.


1832-1865

Swift moved to Geneva, New York, and
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elected him Professor of Engineering and Statistics. Though he declined this honor, he accepted the membership offered to him in the Society of Statistics of Paris, France, and took a great interest in statistical and educational matters. In 1833, Swift was asked to present his views on how far the West Point system of discipline and instruction could be adapted to a university to be established in the City of New York. In 1834, he proposed a plan to Governor
William L. Marcy William Learned Marcy (December 12, 1786July 4, 1857) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as U.S. Senator, Governor of New York, U.S. Secretary of War and U.S. Secretary of State. In the latter office, he negotiated the Gad ...
for normal schools and advised the school system to secure the services of Professor Horace Webster as Superintendent of the Free Academy, which later became the College of the City of New York.


Marriage and family

Swift married Louisa Margaret Walker, the daughter of James and M.M. Walker, on June 6, 1805 in North Carolina. They had at least six children.Washington Street Cemetery


Death

Swift died on July 23, 1865 in Geneva, aged eighty-two, and was buried in
Washington Street Cemetery Washington Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at Geneva in Ontario County, New York. The cemetery was laid out in 1832 and the entry is distinguished by a handsome cast iron arch dating from the 1840s / 1850s. It contains about 2,200 ...
in Geneva next to his wife, who had died in Geneva on November 15, 1855. Six of their children are also buried there: * Charlotte Swift, born April 5, 1826, died December 31, 1840; * Julius H. Swift, died February 6, 1850, aged 35; * Thomas Delano Swift, born Wilmington, November 27, 1812, died Geneva September 1829; * James Thomas Swift, died July 31, 1890; * Foster Swift, M.D., born Geneva October 31, 1833, died Santa Cruz, West Indies May 10, 1875; *
Jonathan Williams Swift Jonathan may refer to: *Jonathan (name), a masculine given name Media * ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer * ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski * ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...
, Commodore, United States Navy, born Taunton, March 30, 1808, died Geneva July 30, 1877. Also buried there are three of their daughters-in-law and one of their grandsons.


References

*
USMA Register of Graduates and Former Cadets
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swift, Joseph Gardner United States Military Academy alumni Superintendents of the United States Military Academy United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 1783 births 1865 deaths People from Nantucket, Massachusetts Burials in New York (state) United States Army officers Military personnel from Massachusetts