Max Corput, fully documented as Maximilien van den Corput (died 1911) was a
Belgian-American
Belgian Americans are Americans who can trace their ancestry to people from Belgium who immigrated to the United States. While the first natives of the then-Southern Netherlands arrived in America in the 17th century, the majority of Belgian immi ...
architect. He designed the
second Union Station of
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
. Van den Corput also served as an officer in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
during 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 th ...
.
Name
The "van den" (Dutch: ''from the'') is very common in Dutch and Belgian surnames, and references to Corput regarding the civil war usually include his full last name. However, later references including one in the ''
Atlanta Constitution
''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the Atlanta metropolitan area, metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Con ...
'' omit the "van den", suggesting that he later went simply by "Corput".
His first name has, additionally to alternative spelling, also been documented as "Maxwell" and occasionally "Joseph John" as middle names.
Early life and civil war
Corput was born near
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. His exact date of birth is unknown, and has variously been put between 1824 and 1826. In 1848 he belonged to a group of Belgians who emigrated to the United States after the incorporation of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
into the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...
, which caused dissatisfaction among the French-speaking Belgian elite. The group, that included several family members like Corputs younger brother Felix, traveled via
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
* '' ...
and Charleston. As the
Cherokee Indians
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...
had recently been dispossessed of Northwest
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, freeing the land for further settlement, the Corputs settled as farmers in the area at
Cave Spring.
When the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
started in 1861 Corput joined the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
. He was commissioned as a Third Lieutenant (1861) in the ''Cherokee Artillery'' battery; a unit recruited from the
Floyd and
Cherokee counties. Several of his relatives joined the unit, too, his brother Felix being the Quartermaster Sergeant. The unit was surrendered during the
Siege of Vicksburg
The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...
, but quickly returned to the field afterwards. By 1864 Corput had been promoted to captain and commanded the battery. At the
Battle of Resaca
The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...
its four 12-pounder Napoleons were captured. Corput himself became a prisoner of war on April 12, 1865 at Salisbury,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. He was held prisoner at
Camp Chase
Camp Chase was a military staging and training camp established in Columbus, Ohio in May 1861 after the start of the American Civil War. It also included a large Union-operated prison camp for Confederate prisoners during the American Civil War ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
until paroled in October.
[
]
Later life
After the war Corput settled in Atlanta and founded the architectural firm of Van den Corput and Fay. He had previously been involved in the firm Corput and Bass, where he had begun his career as an engineer, but became known for his architectural designs.
Corput died on January 16, 1911, in Atlanta and was buried there in Oakland Cemetery. His grave was unmarked until 2014. His wife, and mother of their six children, Marie, was 24 years younger than him and died in 1920.Obituary, ''Atlanta Constitution'', October 23, 1920
/ref> Corput and his battery are the namesakes of the Sons of Confederate Veterans
The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) is an American neo-Confederate nonprofit organization of male descendants of Confederate soldiers
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the militar ...
''Capt. Max van den Corput's Battery Camp #669''.[
]
Buildings designed
* Georgia Railroad Freight Depot
The Georgia Railroad Freight Depot (1869) is the oldest building in downtown Atlanta.
It is located on the east side of Central Avenue, bordered by the MARTA and freight railroad lines on its north side. It anchors the north side of Steve Polk P ...
(1869), oldest building in Downtown Atlanta
Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The larger of the city's two other commercial districts ( Midtown and Buckhead), it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, s ...
* DeGive's Opera House
DeGive's Opera House was the main venue for opera in the U.S. city of Atlanta from 1871 until 1893.
History and location
The Atlanta History Center describes how Belgian consul Laurent DeGive purchased an unfinished building at the corner of ...
(1870–1921)
* Atlanta's second Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
(1871–1930)
* The Clayton County Courthouse
* The Old Bartow County Courthouse
The Old Bartow County Courthouse built in 1869 is an historic stately redbrick Italianate architecture, Italianate style building located at 4 East Church Street in Cartersville, Georgia, Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia, United States. Built ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corput, Max
1825 births
1911 deaths
19th-century American architects
Belgian architects
Confederate States Army officers
Belgian emigrants to the United States
Foreign Confederate military personnel
American Civil War prisoners of war
People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Civil War
Architects from Atlanta
Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta)