Grenville Dodge
| Grenville Mellen Dodge | |
|---|---|
Major General Dodge sometime after his June 1864 promotion to Maj.Gen
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 5th district |
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In office March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869 |
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| Preceded by | John A. Kasson |
| Succeeded by | Francis W. Palmer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 12, 1831 Danvers, Massachusetts |
| Died | January 3, 1916 (aged 84) Council Bluffs, Iowa |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1866 |
| Rank |
 Major General
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| Commands |
XVI Corps Department of the Missouri |
| Battles/wars | |
Grenville Mellen Dodge (April 12, 1831 – January 3, 1916) was a Union army officer on the frontier and pioneering figure in military intelligence during the Civil War, who served as Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence Chief in the Western Theater. He served in several notable assignments, including command of the XVI Corps during the Atlanta Campaign.
He later served as a U.S. Congressman, businessman, and railroad executive who helped direct the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Historian Stanley P. Hirshon suggested that Dodge, "by virtue of the range of his abilities and activities," could be considered "more important in the national life after the Civil War than his more famous colleagues and friends, Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan."
Dodge was born in Putnamville, near Danvers in Massachusetts, to Sylvanus and Julia Theresa Phillips Dodge. From the time of his birth until he was 13 years old, Dodge moved frequently while his father tried various occupations. In 1844, Sylvanus Dodge became postmaster of the South Danvers office and opened a bookstore. While working at a neighboring farm, the 14-year-old Grenville met the owner's son, Frederick W. Lander, and helped him survey a railroad. Lander was to become "one the ablest surveyors of the exploration of the West," according to Charles Edgar Ames in Pioneering the Union Pacific. Lander was impressed with Dodge and encouraged him to go to his alma mater, Norwich University (in Vermont). Dodge prepared for college by attending Durham Academy in New Hampshire.
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