Memoir from the diaries of J.G. Swift. 1807-1865.

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Memoir from the diaries of J.G. Swift. 1807-1865.

Chief, U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers, first graduate. U.S. Military Academy, Superintendent, 1812-1814. Memoir includes a brief family history, details of service as an engineering cadet, memories of cadet days at the Military Academy from 1 October 1801 - 12 October 1802, describing the curriculum, Kosciusko's garden and professor George Barron. Later entries talk of the fire in the USMA Colonel's quarters, the contracts (6 Jan 1817) with John Forsyth of Newburgh for the construction of several brick quarters at West Point, orders, 13 Jan 1817, sent from Swift to Capt. Partridge telling the latter to resume function as Superintendent of USMA. Swift discusses the marriage of his sister to G.W. Whistler, and the bond of friendship between himself and Whistler, ties with J.L. Smith, Thomas Sully, William G. McNeill, Sylvanus Thayer, and G.W. Cullum as well as family matters. Duties as a civil engineer and travels are noted in Swift's memoirs.

2 v., bound ; 33 cm.

Related Entities

There are 12 Entities related to this resource.

United States. Army

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6km312r (corporateBody)

The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which wa...

Cullum, George Washington, 1809-1892

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62v2kzd (person)

Cullum was born in New York City on 25 February 1809, to Arthur and Harriet Sturges Cullum. He was raised in Meadville, Pennsylvania. His father worked as a lawyer and an agent of a land company. Cullum attended the United States Military Academy, from 1 July 1829 to 1 July 1833, when he graduated third in the Class of 1833. He designed the Independent Congregational Church at Meadville and it was built in 1835–1836. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Cullum ...

Swift, J. G. (Joseph Gardner), 1783-1865

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6j397nn (person)

Joseph Gardner Swift (1783-1865) was a civil engineer and officer in the U.S. Army. He was one of two students of the first graduating class in 1802 of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. By the age of twenty-eight he was a colonel and Chief Engineer of the Army. His projects included the completion of Fort Clinton (New York City) and during the War of 1812 the fortifications of western Long Island harbors and New York City. He resigned his commission in 1818 and served as Surveyor of the P...

Sully, Thomas, 1783-1872

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pv6mgn (person)

Artist Thomas Sully was born in London, although his actor parents soon emigrated to the United States. A trip back to England to study painting expanded his horizons, and upon his return to the United States he developed a reputation as a first rate painter. He specialized in portraits, especially portraits of women, and painted full-length portraits of many public and private figures. He is perhaps most closely associated with his portrait of Queen Victoria and for his painting, Washington cro...

Smith, John Lind, 1788-1858.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hx50jv (person)

Forsyth, John, 1810-1886

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kw61jx (person)

John Forsyth, professor and Reformed minister, was born in Newburgh, N.Y., on December 31, 1810, the eldest son of John and Jane (Currie) Forsyth. He received a bachelor's degree from Rutgers College in 1829, a master's from Union College in 1834, and the Doctor of Divinity from Rutgers College in 1842. Forsyth taught Latin at the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) from 1846 to 1853, and taught Hebrew and archaeology in the Reformed Theological Seminary (Newburgh, N.Y.) from 1853 t...

United States Military Academy

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67x01xt (corporateBody)

West Point, N.Y., was originally utilized as a strategic defense location during the American Revolution. West Point is geographically located on a 100 ft. plateau overlooking the Hudson River. After the American victory Congress created a Corps of Invalids (veterans) that were transferred to West Point for the purpose of instructing candidates for commission. In 1802 Congress legally established the United States Military Academy at West Point. The Academy produced many leaders of American forc...

Barron, George, fl. 1801-1802.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6nw3554 (person)

Whistler, George W. (George Washington), 1800-1849

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6ks8d6q (person)

Engineer and army officer. Father of artist James McNeill Whistler. From the description of George W. Whistler correspondence, 1842 September 9. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70981348 ...

McNeill, William Gibbs, 1801-1853

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67h29vv (person)

Civil engineer. From the description of Material pertaining to a proposed branch railroad diverging from the Boston and Providence Railroad and terminating at Taunton, [18--]. (State Library of Massachusetts). WorldCat record id: 70968039 ...

Partridge, Alden, 1785-1854

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6h70f3m (person)

U.S. Army officer, engineer, educator, and state legislator from Vermont. From the description of Alden Partridge papers, 1807-1959 (bulk 1817-1842). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70980270 Military educator. From the description of Letter, 1829. (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 38744853 Captain Partridge, of Vermont, was employed to conduct expert military instruction in1834. From the description of Papers of Alden Partridge, 1...

Thayer, Sylvanus, 1785-1872

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6m047rp (person)

Sylvanus Thayer was a United States (U.S.) Army officer who was appointed the superintendent of U.S. Military Academy from July 27,1817-July 1, 1833. After that he was assigned engineer duties in Boston, Massachusetts. From the description of The Sylvanus Thayer papers, 1808-1862. (US Army, Mil Hist Institute). WorldCat record id: 47646716 Sylvanus Thayer was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1808, served as superintendent of the U.S. Militar...