43 Facts About Edward Ord

Edward Ord commanded an army during the final days of the Civil War, and was instrumental in forcing the surrender of Confederate General Robert E Lee.

For example, Saul David concludes that it is generally accepted that the Prince of Wales and Mrs Fitzherbert had at least one child and that James Edward Ord would be the most likely candidate.

Edward Ord was considered a mathematical genius and was appointed to the United States Military Academy by President Andrew Jackson.

Edward Ord graduated in 1839 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 3rd US Artillery.

Edward Ord fought in the Second Seminole War in Florida and was promoted to first lieutenant.

In January 1847, Edward Ord sailed on the USS Lexington around Cape Horn with Henry Halleck and William Tecumseh Sherman.

Edward Ord arrived in Monterey, California, the capital of that newly acquired territory, and assumed command of Battery F, 3rd US Artillery, with orders to complete Fort Mervine, which was renamed Fort Halleck.

Edward Ord was in California when the gold rush began, with its resultant skyrocketing prices.

Since their military salaries no longer covered living expenses, Edward Ord's commander suggested that the younger officers take on other jobs to supplement their income.

Edward Ord produced a map of the Gold and Quicksilver district of California dated July 25,1848.

Later, Los Angeles officials needed to have a survey of the public lands in order to sell them, and Edward Ord was hired as the surveyor.

Edward Ord chose William Rich Hutton as his assistant, and together the two mapped Los Angeles in July and August 1849.

Lieutenant Edward Ord surveyed the pueblo and his assistant Hutton sketched many scenes of the pueblo and drew the first map from Edward Ord's survey.

La Reina De Los Angeles, published in 1929, states that Edward Ord was offered 160 acres of public land and 10 building sites all in the present downtown business district but accepted the $3000 instead.

Edward Ord was promoted to captain in 1850 while serving in the Pacific Northwest.

Edward Ord's efforts improved navigation safety as the gold rush increased both ship traffic and accidents.

Edward Ord then served in the Pacific Northwest, in campaigns against Native Americans, at Benicia Barracks, and Fort Monroe, Virginia before returning to California.

In 1859, while attending artillery school at Fort Monroe, Ord was summoned by Secretary of War John B Floyd to quell John Brown's raid on the Harpers Ferry Federal arsenal.

Edward Ord penned a letter to his wife on December 2,1859, from the arsenal, describing the day and a hilltop climb with Colonel Lee.

Edward Ord married Mary Mercer Thompson on October 14,1854, and they eventually had thirteen children.

One of their notable children was Jules Garesche Edward Ord, who was killed in action after reaching the top of San Juan Hill in Cuba.

Edward Ord was the officer who started and led the charge that Teddy Roosevelt followed.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, Edward Ord was serving as Captain of Battery C, 3rd US Artillery, and as post commander at the US Army's Fort Vancouver in Washington Territory.

On May 7,1861, Edward Ord led two companies of the 3rd Artillery from Fort Vancouver to San Francisco.

On May 3,1862, Edward Ord was promoted to the rank of major general of volunteers and, after briefly serving in the Department of the Rappahannock, was assigned command of the 2nd Division of the Army of the Tennessee.

Edward Ord likewise missed the fighting at Corinth but engaged the Confederate forces in their retreat at the Battle of Hatchie's Bridge.

John A McClernand from his command, Ord was conveniently situated to assume command of the XIII Corps during the final days of the Siege of Vicksburg.

Edward Ord's forces were present during the Battle of the Crater but did not actively participate in the fighting.

In March 1865, during a prisoner exchange in Virginia, Edward Ord spoke with Confederate General James Longstreet.

Edward Ord suggested that a first step might be for Lee and Grant to have a meeting.

Edward Ord was assigned command of the Army of the James during the Appomattox Campaign.

John Gibbon's corps of Edward Ord's army played a significant role in the breakthrough at Petersburg.

Edward Ord was present at the McLean house when Lee surrendered, and is often pictured in paintings of this event.

Grant called upon Edward Ord to find out if the assassination conspiracy extended beyond Washington, DC Edward Ord's investigation determined the Confederate government was not involved with the assassination plot.

Edward Ord commanded the Department of the Platte from December 11,1871, until April 11,1875, when he was reassigned as the commander of the Department of Texas.

Edward Ord served in that role until his retirement on December 6,1880.

In January 1872, Edward Ord was a member of the buffalo hunting excursion with the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia on the plains of southwest Nebraska with American celebrities of the day.

In 1876, Edward Ord was appointed military governor of the Fourth Military District which included Mississippi and Arkansas.

Edward Ord has always been called on when hard duty was expected, and never flinched.

Later in 1881, Edward Ord was hired by his former commander, US Grant, president of the Mexican Southern Railroad owned by Jay Gould, as a civil engineer to build a railroad line from Texas to Mexico City.

Edward Ord became seriously sick while on his way from Vera Cruz to New York.

Edward Ord was taken ashore at Havana, Cuba, where he died in the evening of July 22,1883.

Edward Ord was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.