Richard Delafield
| Richard Delafield | |
|---|---|
Richard Delafield
|
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 1, 1798 New York City, New York |
| Died | November 5, 1873 (aged 75) Washington, D.C |
| Resting place | Green-Wood Cemetery Brooklyn, New York |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Baldwin |
| Relations | Edward Delafield (brother) |
| Children | 6 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1818–1866 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General Brevet Major General
|
| Commands | Superintendent of the United States Military Academy United States Army Corps of Engineers |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Richard Delafield (September 1, 1798 – November 5, 1873) served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy, was Chief of Engineers, and was a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Delafield, born in New York City, New York, one of the 14 children of John and Anne (née Hallett) Delafield. His father had emigrated to New York from England in 1788 and made a fortune as a merchant. His brother was Edward Delafield (1794–1875), a prominent American physician.
He was the first graduate of the United States Military Academy to receive a merit class standing, ranking first in the class of 1818. Commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, he was a topographical engineer with the American commission to establish the northern boundary under the Treaty of Ghent.
He served as assistant engineer in the construction of Hampton Roads defenses from 1819–1824 and was in charge of fortifications and surveys in the Mississippi River delta area from 1824-1832. While superintendent of repair work on the Cumberland Road east of the Ohio River, he designed and built Dunlap's Creek Bridge in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, the first cast-iron tubular-arch bridge in the United States. Appointed superintendent of the Military Academy after the fire in 1838, he designed the new buildings and the new cadet uniform that first displayed the castle insignia. He superintended the construction of coast defenses for New York Harbor from 1846-1855.
...
Wikipedia