Orlando M. Poe
| Orlando Metcalfe Poe | |
|---|---|
Orlando M. Poe, taken at the end of the Civil War.
|
|
| Born |
March 7, 1832 Navarre, Ohio |
| Died | October 2, 1895 (aged 63) Detroit, Michigan |
| Place of burial | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1856 - 1895 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Commands held | 2nd Michigan Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Orlando Metcalfe Poe (March 7, 1832 – October 2, 1895) was a United States Army officer and engineer in the American Civil War. After helping General William Tecumseh Sherman's March to the Sea, he was responsible for much of the early lighthouse construction on the Great Lakes and design of the Poe Lock at Soo Locks between lakes Superior and Huron.
Orlando Metcalfe Poe was born in Navarre, Ohio. After going to local schools, he attended the United States Military Academy, graduating sixth in his class in 1856. From then until 1861 he served as assistant topographical engineer on the survey of the northern Great Lakes; during this time he was promoted to first lieutenant.
Poe’s great-great-grandparents were Catherine and George Jacob Pfau. They were of Palatine German descent, and their sons were the first to Anglicize their surname to Poe following the American Revolutionary War. The Pfau family migrated to Ohio from central New York, where German immigrants had settled in the early 18th century. Pfau’s sons Adam and Andrew were famed for their skirmishes with Native Americans in southern Beaver County, Ohio. Both men were known as fearless fighters. The first Andrew Poe is reputed to have slain the Wyandot Indian Chief Bigfoot in 1781. The brothers’ exploits were detailed in volume II of Theodore Roosevelt’s book, The Winning of the West from the Alleghenies to the Mississippi, 1777 - 1783. Poe is a second cousin of the painter Andrew Jackson Poe. He also had English heritage from Metcalfe ancestors.
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