Edward Ord
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Edward Otho Cresap Ord (October 18 1818 – July 22 1883) was the designer of Fort Sam Houston, and a U.S. Army officer who saw action in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the Civil War.
Ord was born in Cumberland, Maryland, the son of James and Rebecca Ord. Some accounts claim that he was a grandson of King George IV of England. He was considered a mathematical genius and was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy by President Andrew Jackson. His roommate at West Point was future general William T. Sherman. He graduated in 1839 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery.
Thanks to the efforts of two men, historians have a fairly good view of what the pueblo of Los Angeles looked like at the middle of the 19th century. Lieutenant Ord surveyed the pueblo and his assistant William Rich Hutton sketched many scenes of the pueblo and drew the first map from Ord's survey. Ord was in California when the gold rush began, with its resultant skyrocketing of prices. Since their military salaries no longer covered living expenses, Ord's commander suggested that the younger officers take on other jobs to supplement their income.
At about this time Los Angeles officials needed to have a survey of the public lands in order to sell them, and Ord was hired as the surveyor. He chose William Hutton as his assistant, and together the two mapped Los Angeles in July and August of 1849. The Los Angeles City Archives has the original map produced by Hutton from Ord's survey.
Ord was promoted to captain in 1850 while serving in the Pacific Northwest. He married Mary Mercer Thompson on October 14 1854, and they had thirteen children.
In 1862 Ord was promoted to the rank of major general and commanded the 2nd Division of the Army of the Tennessee at Corinth. Although he was seriously wounded at Battle of Hatchie's Bridge in Mississippi, he returned to duty and commanded the XIII Corps during the last part of the Vicksburg Campaign. During the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign he commanded the XVIII Corps and was seriously wounded in the attack on Fort Harrison. He was in command of the Army of the James during the Appomattox Campaign.
Ord commanded the Fourth Military District during Reconstruction.
Ord retired from the army in 1880 and worked on railroad construction in Mexico. He died in Havana, Cuba, from yellow fever. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Fort Ord in Monterey, California, was named for him.
References
- Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J.: Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Cresap, Joseph Ord, and Cresap, Bernarr, The History of the Cresaps, The Cresap Society, McComb, Mississippi, 1937.
External links
- [Biography from the Texas State Historical Association]
- [Article from Spartacus Schoolnet]
- [Edward Ord photograph page]
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