George Lewis Gillespie - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

George Lewis Gillespie, Jr., was born in Kingston, Tennessee on October 7, 1841. He attended the United States Military Academy, graduating second in the class of 1962. During the Civil War, Gillespie commanded two companies of engineers that built fortification and bridges throughout Virginia. Gillespie was awarded the Medal of Honor for his action during the Battle of Cold Harbor. After the Civil War, Gillespie supervised the improvement of harbors in Cleveland, Chicago, Boston and New York and he initiated construction of the canal on the Columbia River. General Gillespie also served as acting Secretary of War in 1901 and was in charge of the military ceremonies during the funeral of President William McKinley in 1903. General Gillespie retired from military service in 1905 and lived his remaining years in Saratoga Springs, New York. General Gillespie died on September 27, 1913 and is resting in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery in West Point, New York.

General Gillespie’s Medal of Honor Citation reads:

“Exposed himself to great danger by voluntarily making his way through the enemy's lines to communicate with Gen. Sheridan. While rendering this service he was captured, but escaped; again came in contact with the enemy, was again ordered to surrender, but escaped by dashing away under fire.”

Description: George Lewis Gillespie, Jr., was born October 7, 1841, in Kingston, Tennessee. He graduated second in the class of 1862 at the United States Military Academy and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. Another Southerner who remained loyal to the Union, Gillespie joined the Army of the Potomac in September 1862. He commanded two companies of the engineer battalion which built fortifications and bridges throughout the Virginia campaigns until the Appomattox surrender. He received the Medal of Honor for carrying dispatches through enemy lines under withering fire to General Sheridan at Battle of Cold Harbor, Virginia. He was later Sheridan's Chief Engineer in the Army of the Shenandoah and the Military Division of the Gulf. After the Civil War, Gillespie successively supervised the improvement of harbors at Cleveland, Chicago, Boston, and New York. He initiated construction of the canal at the Cascades of the Columbia River and built the famous lighthouse on Tillamook Rock off the Oregon coast. Gillespie also served on the Board of Engineers and for six years as president of the Mississippi River Commission. He commanded the Army's Department of the East in 1898. While Chief of Engineers, he was acting Secretary of War in August 1901. He had charge of ceremonies at President McKinley's funeral and at the laying of the cornerstone of the War College Building in 1903. He served as Army Assistant Chief of Staff in 1904-05 with the rank of major general. General Gillespie retired June 15, 1905, and died September 27, 1913, in Saratoga Springs, NY Date of birth: 10/07/1841 Date of death: 09/27/1913 Area of notoriety: Military Marker Type: Monument Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily: Dawn to Dusk Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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