Administering The Army

Army Administration and the Defenses

The administration of logistics within the Defenses of Washington occurred at various levels. Because Washington, D.C. was the capital of the nation, the various bureaus of the Army and Navy were located in the area. At the beginning of the war, the Army's supply and service functions included the Adjutant-General, Quartermaster, Engineer, Topographical Engineer, Ordnance, Subsistence, Medical, Pay, Provost Marshal, Inspector General and Signal departments and bureaus. The Quartermaster, Ordnance, Subsistence and Medical departments accomplished most of the Army's procurement and distribution of supplies, but in certain instances, the other departments or bureaus had to perform these duties.

Below the bureaus and departments, officers in the various commands, such as armies, corps, divisions and brigades, including the Defenses of Washington, served on the commander's staff in positions such as Chief Quartermaster and Chief Engineer to oversee the operation of those bureau's functions within the command. Thus, within the Defenses of Washington, the Chief Quartermaster was responsible for all quartermaster functions and operations and the Chief Engineer, who was John G. Barnard for most of the war, oversaw the engineer functions and operations. These men, for all practical purposes, had two bosses who were the commanding officer of the command in which they served and the chief of the bureau whose functions and operations they oversaw. These officers usually furnished periodic reports of operations to both their commanding officer and their chief of bureau.

Often, in lesser commands of the Defenses of Washington, such as "Defenses North of the Potomac," the "Artillery Defenses of Alexandria," and fort and regimental headquarters, there were officers and men who oversaw bureau activities. That often left someone at the fort or regimental level, such as the ordnance sergeant, responsible for bureau activities at those sites. So, at most levels of command, military personnel or civilians had the responsibility for insuring the accomplishment of the bureaus' activities. During the Civil War, this was especially true because the bureaus had few service personnel, especially non-commissioned officers and enlisted men, to do the work.

The Faces of the Forts Administration Gallery will include a selection of the Army's bureau chiefs and those who served in those positions for the Department of Washington, Twenty-second Army Corps, when applicable.

Adjutant-General of US Army

Brigadier General Lorenzo Thomas, March 7, 1861-February 22,1869

Quartermaster General of US Army

Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston, June 20, 1860-April 22, 1861 *Resigned from the US Army to join the Confederate States Army

Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, May 15, 1861-February 6, 1882

Chief of Engineers

Brevet Major General Joseph G. Totten, December 6, 1838-April 22, 1864 *Died of illness in office

Brigadier General Richard Delafield, April 22, 1864-August 8, 1866

Chief of Ordnance of the US Army

Brevet Brigadier General James W. Ripley, April 23, 1861-September 15, 1863

Brigadier General George W. Ramsay, September 15, 1863-September 12, 1864

Brevet Major General Alexander B. Dyer, September 12, 1864-May 20, 1874

Surgeon General of US Army

Brevet Brigadier General Thomas Lawson, October 17, 1836-May 15, 1861

Brigadier General Clement Finley, May 15, 1861-April 28, 1862

Brigadier General William A. Hammond, April 28, 1862-August 18, 1864

Brigadier General Joseph Barnes, August 18, 1864-July 3, 1882

Provost Marshal General of US Army

Brigadier General James B. Fry, March 17, 1863-August 27, 1866 *Office abolished on August 27, 1866

Inspector General of US Army

Office vacant, June 2, 1861-September 25, 1861

Brigadier General Randolph B. Marcy, September 25, 1861-January 2, 1881

Chief Signal Officer of US Army

Brigadier General Albert J. Meyer, June 21, 1860-November 15, 1863; October 30, 1866-August 24, 1880 *Signal Corps reactivated in 1866

Lieutenant Colonel William J. L. Nicodemus, November 1863-December 26, 1864

Colonel Benjamin F. Fisher, December 26, 1864-August 1865 *Signal Corps dissolved


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