Martin Luther Smith

Martin Luther Smith
Martin Luther Smith
Born	(1819-09-09)September 9, 1819 Danby, New York
Died	July 29, 1866(1866-07-29) (aged 46) Savannah, Georgia
Place of burial	Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Georgia
Allegiance	United States of America Confederate States of America
Service/branch	United States Army  Confederate States Army
Years of service	1842–61 (USA) 1861–65 (CSA)
Rank	Captain (USA) Major General (CSA)
Battles/wars	Mexican-American War American Civil War

Mexican-American War

Martin Luther Smith (September 9, 1819 – July 29, 1866) was an American soldier and civil engineer, serving as a major general in the Confederate States Army. Smith was one of the few Northern-born generals to fight for the Confederacy, as he had served most of his early military career in the South with the United States Army's topographical engineers, marrying a native of Athens, Georgia. He planned and constructed the defenses of Vicksburg.

Smith was born in Danby, New York, where his father had settled after moving from Maine. In 1842, he graduated 16th in his West Point class of 56, which included twenty-two future Civil War generals including James Longstreet, D. H. Hill, and Abner Doubleday. His initial assignment was in Florida, where he surveyed the terrain and drew maps for army usage. In 1846, he married a Georgia woman and subsequently raised a family.

He served as an engineer during the Mexican-American War, and was brevetted for his performance in mapping the valley of Mexico City prior to Winfield Scott's assaults. He returned to Florida after the war. He was promoted from second lieutenant to first lieutenant in 1853. Three years later, he was elevated to captain. He resigned from the army on April 1, 1861, to side with the Confederacy.