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John S. Casement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John Stephen Casement | |
|---|---|
| January 19, 1829 – December 13, 1909 | |
| Nickname | "General Jack" |
| Place of birth | Geneva, New York |
| Place of death | Painesville, Ohio |
| Allegiance | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1861 – 1865 |
| Rank | Brevet Brigadier General |
| Commands | 103rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War * Siege of Knoxville * Atlanta campaign * Battle of Franklin * Battle of Nashville * Battle of Wilmington |
| Other work | Directed the Union Pacific work crews during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad |
John Stephen "Jack" Casement was a Union general during the American Civil War and directed the constructional phase of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Casement was born in Geneva, New York on January 1, 1829. He worked as a railroad contractor before marrying Frances Jennings in 1857. Just a few years later as the Civil War was beginning he was appointed major in an Ohio volunteer regiment and served in the Shenandoah Valley againstStonewall Jackson. Late in 1863 he was appointed colonel of the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment and fought in the operations around Knoxville in 1863. He continued to lead his regiment during the first phase of the Atlanta campaign. During the siege of Atlanta he assumed command of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXIII Corps. His brigade held the center of the Union line at the battle of Franklin where his commanding officer, Jacob D. Cox credited him with "saving the day for the Union". He was appointed to brigadier general by brevet commission in January 1865 and was transferred to North Carolina along with the rest of the XXIII Corps. He took a prominent part in the battle of Wilmington which was to be his last major combat of the war. After the war he continued his involvement in railroads. In 1866 Thomas Clark Durant appointed General Grenville M. Dodge as the chief engineer for the Union Pacific during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad and hired John and his brother Daniel Casement to direct the construction crews. Daniel was responsible for the financing while John directed the construction crews who took to calling their boss "General Jack". Daniel and John oversaw construction from Fremont, Nebraska to Promontory, Utah. At the famous "golden spike" ceremony, Leland Stanford and Thomas Durant were to drive in the golden spike. When neither men could aim well enough it was General Jack who finished off driving in the final spike of the railroad. Casement died in Painesville, Ohio on December 13, 1909.