John G. Foster

John Gray Foster
Portrait of John Foster by Mathew Brady, ca. 1863
Born	(1823-05-27)May 27, 1823 Whitefield, New Hampshire
Died	September 2, 1874(1874-09-02) (aged 51) Nashua, New Hampshire
Place of burial	Nashua Cemetery
Allegiance	United States of America Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1846–1874
Rank	Major General
Commands held	Department of North Carolina Army of the Ohio XVIII Corps Department of the South
Battles/wars	Mexican-American War Battle of Vera Cruz Battle of Cerro Gordo Battle of Contreras Battle of Churubusco Battle of Molino del Rey American Civil War Battle of Fort Sumter Burnside's North Carolina Expedition Battle of Roanoke Island Battle of New Bern Battle of Fort Macon Battle of Kinston Battle of White Hall Battle of Goldsboro Bridge Battle of Washington Knoxville Campaign Battle of Bean's Station Sherman's March to the Sea
Other work	Assistant Professor of Engineering at West Point, Assistant to the Chief of Engineers in Washington D.C., Superintendent of the Harbor of Refuge, Author

Mexican-American War

American Civil War

John Gray Foster (May 27, 1823 – September 2, 1874) was a career military officer in the United States Army and a Union general during the American Civil War whose most distinguished services were in North and South Carolina. A postbellum expert in underwater demolition, he wrote the definitive treatise on the subject in 1869. He continued with the Army after the war, using his expertise as assistant to the Chief Engineer in Washington, DC and at a post on Lake Erie.

From 1862 to December 1863 Foster commanded the Department of North Carolina. After the Emancipation Proclamation, he appointed Horace James, a Congregational minister, to help freedmen prepare for independent life, and directed a former contraband camp to be developed as the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island. By 1864, 2200 freedmen were settled on household plots. Many worked for pay for the Army, which held the forts. Under President Andrew Johnson, after the war, the Army abandoned the colony. Most of the freedmen chose to return to the mainland for work.

Foster was born in Whitefield, New Hampshire. When he was ten, his family moved to Nashua, where he attended the local schools before enrolling in the Hancock Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1846, fourth in his class of 59 cadets.

He first served as an engineer during the Mexican-American War, under Winfield Scott. Severely wounded at the Battle of Molino del Rey, he won two brevet promotions for bravery. After the war, Foster returned to West Point as an instructor. In 1858 he was on engineering duty in Charleston Harbor, where he helped in the construction of Fort Sumter.