John S. Casement

John Stephen Casement
Nickname(s) "General Jack"
Born January 19, 1829
Geneva, New York
Died December 13, 1909 (aged 80)
Painesville, Ohio
Allegiance United States United States of America
Union
Service/branch  United States Army
Union Army
Years of service 1861 – 1865
Rank Brevet Brigadier General
Unit Ohio 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Commands held 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXIII Corps.
Battles/wars

American Civil War

Other work Directed the Union Pacific work crews during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad

John Stephen "Jack" Casement (January 19, 1829 – December 13, 1909) was a general and brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War and a noted railroad contractor. He directed the constructional phase of the Transcontinental Railroad, which linked the Western United States with the East.

Early life and career

John S. Casement was born in Geneva, New York. He worked as a railroad contractor before marrying Frances Jennings in 1857.

General John S. Casement and His Outfit (1867-8). Photo by Andrew J. Russell.

Civil War

Just a few years later, as the Civil War was beginning in 1861, he was appointed as a major in an Ohio volunteer infantry regiment and served in the Shenandoah Valley against Confederates under Stonewall Jackson. After his heroic actions at the Battle of Winchester, March 23, 1862, Casement was appointed colonel of the newly formed103rd Ohio Volunteer Regiment and fought in the operations around Knoxville.

He continued to lead his regiment during the first phase of the Atlanta Campaign in 1864. During the Siege of Atlanta, he assumed command of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXIII Corps. His brigade held the center of the Union line at the Battle of Franklin, where his commanding officer, Jacob D. Cox, credited him with "saving the day for the Union."

He was appointed as a brigadier general by brevet commission in January 1865 and was transferred to North Carolina along with the rest of the XXIII Corps. During the Carolinas Campaign, he took a prominent part in the Battle of Wilmington, which was to be his last major combat.

Postbellum career

After the war, he resumed his involvement in the burgeoning railroad industry. In 1866, Thomas Clark Durant appointed Major General Grenville M. Dodge as the chief engineer for the Union Pacific Railroad during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Dodge hired Casement and his brother Daniel to direct the construction crews. Daniel Casement was responsible for financing the operations, while John directed the construction crews who took to calling their boss "General Jack." The brothers oversaw the construction from Fremont, Nebraska, to the railroad's completion at Promontory, Utah.

Casement died in Painesville, Ohio, on December 13, 1909. Casement Airport is named in his memory, as was a World War II liberty ship, the SS John S. Casement.

References

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