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James St. Clair Morton (September 24, 1829 – June 17, 1864) was an American soldier, engineer and writer. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, primarily serving in the Western Theater. ==Early life and career== Morton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Samuel George Morton and Rebecca Pearsall, the oldest of eight children. At the age of 14, he entered the University of Pennsylvania and when he was 18, he attended the United States Military Academy, where, in 1851, he graduated 2nd in a class of 42.〔Callihan, David L. "They Did Their Work Bravely: Civil War Generals Buried in Pennsylvania". Heritage Books, 2004. pg. 48.〕 He was assigned to the Corps of Engineers and was the assistant engineer of construction of forts around Charleston, SC, such as Fort Sumter, from 1851 to 1852. Afterwards, he was the assistant engineer of construction at Fort Delaware until 1855, when he returned to the United States Military Academy to teach as an assistant professor of mathematics and military engineering for two years.〔West, Mike. "Fabulous military career cut short". ''The Murfreesboro Post''. Retrieved from http://www.murfreesboropost.com/fabulous-military-career-cut-short-cms-11132〕〔"The Union Army (Volume 8); A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-65 – Records of the Regiments in the Union Army". General Books LLC, 2010.〕 On April 1, 1854, Morton was promoted to second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.〔 Rejecting the contemporary military strategy of the time, Morton became a strong advocate of Dennis Hart Mahan and was considered one of his best-known students. He would write essays to Secretary of War John B. Floyd regarding Mahan's principals, and on request from Floyd, evaulated Colonel Joseph Totten's plans to defend New York.〔 The findings were presented to Floyd in his ''Memoir on the Dangers and Defenses of New York City,'' which showed that improvement was needed.〔Morton, James St. Clair. "Memoir on the Dangers and Defense of New York City: Addressed to the Hon. John B. Floyd, Secretary of War". Washington: W. A. Harris, 1858.〕 After leaving the United States Military Academy, Morton would be the chief engineer of the Sandy Hook Lighthouse district in New Jersey. Once his work there was completed, he was appointed by the Department of the Interior as chief engineer of the Washington Monument and the water works in the District of Columbia.〔Fitch, John. "Annals of the Army of the Cumberland". Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1864. pgs. 180-181.〕 During this time, Morton would also be promoted to first lieutenant. In 1860, Morton was selected by the Navy Department to examine the Chiriquí Province in Central America for the possibility of a railroad across the Isthmus of Panama. He concluded from his findings that it was possible, but contracted malaria while in the area. While recovering in Washington, Morton was sent in March 1861 to Dry Tortugas, Florida to act as the supervising engineer for Fort Jefferson. With the orders to put the fort into fighting condition, he attempted to help conceive a 420-gun fort and was promoted to captain on August 6, 1861.〔 When malaria affected Morton again in early 1862, he returned to Washington to recover. Once he was well, he helped with the repairs at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James St. Clair Morton」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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