John Rodgers Meigs

John Rodgers Meigs

Library of Congress

Quick Facts

Significance:

US engineer

Place of Birth:

Washington, D.C.

Date of Birth:

February 9, 1842

Place of Death:

Dayton, Virginia

Date of Death:

October 3, 1864

Place of Burial:

Arlington, Virginia

Cemetery Name:

Arlington National Cemetery

Disguised Confederates killed Meigs, an engineer, during the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign. US soldiers had orders to burn nearby farms to retaliate. Both armies threatened to destroy private civilian property as part of their military strategy.   

A Military Family 

Meigs was a member of a prestigious military family with revolutionary connections.
His paternal great-grandfather, Return Jonathan Meigs, fought in the American Revolution and later served as an Indian agent to the Cherokee Nation. His maternal grandfather, Navy commodore John Rodgers, commanded squadrons in the Mediterranean Sea and became a national hero during the War of 1812. John's father, General Montgomery Meigs, was a successful engineer who served as Quartermaster General of the US Army during the Civil War.

Wanting to continue the family's military service, Meigs received an appointment to West Point. He graduated from the academy first in the class of 1863. The nation was in its third year of Civil War. Meigs was immediately commissioned First Lieutenant of Engineers. 

Civil War Service 

Meigs worked to improve defenses of the Baltimore & Ohio in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Daily duties included designing fortifications, drawing topographical maps, and reconnoitering terrain on cavalry patrols. When Philip Sheridan took command of the Middle Military Division in August of 1864, Meigs was promoted to Chief Engineer and traveled with the Army of the Shenandoah as Sheridan's aide-de-camp. 

Controversial Death 

During the 1864 Shenandoah Valley campaign, Sheridan's army advanced into the upper Shenandoah Valley. The burning of this region's farmland systematically destroyed supplies that supported Confederate war efforts. On a dark and rainy night near the Valley town of Dayton, Meigs was killed by Confederate cavalry troopers. The incident is the source of much controversy. The Confederates may have disguised themselves as US soldiers. Meigs may have disobeyed a verbal request to surrender. This occurred more than one mile behind US lines. Sheridan believed that Meigs was murdered. In retaliation, he ordered nearby homes to be burnt and civilian men to be arrested. After desperate pleading by the local townspeople, these orders were canceled.

Public Mourning 

The death of Lieutenant Meigs gained national attention. His funeral was attended by several government officials, including President Abraham Lincoln. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton commented that Meigs, "has fallen an early victim to murderous rebel warfare." His tomb at Arlington National Cemetery is unique. A high-relief sculpture depicts a young Meigs in his engineer uniform lying injured in Shenandoah Valley mud.