15 Facts About Horatio Wright

Horatio Gouverneur Wright was an engineer and general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Horatio Wright took command of the VI Corps in May 1864 following the death of General John Sedgwick.

Horatio Wright taught engineering and French at West Point over the next several years.

Horatio Wright was sent to Florida in 1846, where he spent ten years working on the harbor of St Augustine and the defenses of Key West, including Fort Jefferson.

Horatio Wright later co-wrote Report on Fabrication of Iron for Defenses based on his time on the board.

Horatio Wright was captured during this action, but was released four days later as Virginia had not yet joined the Confederacy and therefore wasn't at war with the United States.

Horatio Wright began constructing fortifications around Washington, DC, before being assigned to the 3rd Division of the Department of Northeast Virginia under Maj.

In May 1863, Horatio Wright was given command of the 1st Division in the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac under Maj.

Horatio Wright's corps fought at Cold Harbor from June 3 to June 12,1864.

In George Thomas Stevens's post-war history of the VI Corps, Horatio Wright related to Thomas that he himself was the person who shouted at the president to get down.

Horatio Wright was promoted to lieutenant colonel of engineers in November, before leaving volunteer service in September 1866.

Horatio Wright was involved in a number of engineering projects including the Brooklyn Bridge and the completion of the Washington Monument.

Horatio Wright retired at that rank on March 6,1884, and lived in Washington, DC, until his death in 1899.

Horatio Wright was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia under an obelisk erected by veterans of the VI Corps, facing the Washington Monument he completed.

The city of Fort Horatio Wright, Kentucky, is named for an earthwork structure that was planned during the Confederate invasion of Kentucky in the summer of 1862 while Horatio Wright was in command of the Department of the Ohio.