Thomas Sidney Jesup (December 16, 1788 – June 10, 1860) 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 known as the "Father of the Modern

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 ...

". His 52-year (1808–1860) military career was one of the longest in the history of the United States Army.

Biography

Thomas Jesup was born in Berkeley County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

(now

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

). He began his military career in 1808, and served in 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 ...

, seeing action in the battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane in 1814, where he was wounded. He was appointed Quartermaster General on May 8, 1818, by President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American statesman, lawyer, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, Monroe was ...

.Brigadier General Jesup, father of the Quartermaster Corps
, US Quartermaster Foundation

Seminole War and controversy

In 1836, while Jesup was still officially Quartermaster General, President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

detached him first to deal with the Creek tribe in

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 ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, and then to assume command of all U.S. troops 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 ...

during the Second Seminole War (1835–1842).Jahoda, Gloria. ''The Trail of Tears: The Story of the American Indian Removals 1813–1855''. Holt, Rinehart and Winston. New York. 1975. . His capture of

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

leaders

Osceola Osceola (1804 – January 30, 1838, Asi-yahola in Muscogee language, Creek), named Billy Powell at birth in Alabama, became an influential leader of the Seminole people in Florida. His mother was Muscogee, and his great-grandfather was a S ...

and

Micanopy Micanopy (c. 1780 – December 1848 or January 1849), also known as Micco-Nuppe, Michenopah, Miccanopa, and Mico-an-opa, and Sint-chakkee ("pond frequenter", as he was known prior to being selected as chief), was the leading chief of the Sem ...

under a false flag of truce provoked controversy in the United States and abroad. Many newspapers called for an inquiry and his firing but the government supported its general, and at the conclusion of the hostilities, Jesup returned to his official post. He was famously quoted as having declared about the Seminole that " e country can be rid of them only by exterminating them."

Further service

During 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 ...

, Jesup traveled from his headquarters in Washington, D.C., to oversee the supplying of troops in Mexico. He served as Quartermaster General for 42 years, having the second longest continual service in the same position in U.S. military history ( George Gibson served as Commissary General of the US Army for 43 years, from 1818 until 1860). He died in office in Washington, D.C., in June 10, 1860 at age 72.

Dates of rank

*2nd Lieutenant, 7th Infantry – 3 May 1808 *1st Lieutenant, 7th Infantry – 1 December 1809 *Captain, 7th Infantry – 20 January 1813 *Major, 19th Infantry – 6 April 1813 *Major, 25th Infantry – 18 April 1814 *Brevet Lieutenant Colonel – 5 July 1814 *Brevet Colonel – 25 July 1814 *Major, 1st Infantry – 17 May 1815 *Lieutenant Colonel, 3rd Infantry – 30 April 1817 *Colonel, Assistant Adjutant General – 27 March 1818 *Brigadier General, Quartermaster General – 8 May 1818 *Brevet Major General – 8 May 1828

Legacy and honors

Jesup, Georgia Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,809 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County. History By February 1869, Willis Clary had begun building a two-story hotel near the junction o ...

;

Lake Jesup Lake Jesup is the largest lake in Seminole County, Florida, United States and is one of many that make up the St. Johns River. Located along the middle basin of the St. Johns, the lake encompasses an area of approximately , including open wa ...

, Florida; and

Fort Jesup Fort Jesup, also known as Fort Jesup State Historic Site or Fort Jesup or Fort Jesup State Monument, was built in 1822, west of Natchitoches, Louisiana, to protect the United States border with New Spain and to return order to the Neutral Strip. ...

, Louisiana, were named in his honor. *1986, Jesup was inducted into the Quartermaster Hall of Fame. *Battery Jesup at the Spanish–American War fort, Fort Fremont

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jesup, Thomas 1788 births 1860 deaths Military personnel from West Virginia American military personnel of the Mexican–American War United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) People from Berkeley County, West Virginia People from West Virginia in the War of 1812 American people of the Seminole Wars Quartermasters United States Army generals