- John S. Casement
Infobox Military Person
name=John Stephen Casement
lived=January 19 1829 –December 13 1909
placeofbirth=Geneva, New York
placeofdeath=Painesville, Ohio
caption=
nickname="General Jack"
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=1861 – 1865
rank=Brevet Brigadier General
commands=2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXIII Corps.
unit=103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
battles=American Civil War
*Siege of Knoxville
*Atlanta campaign
*Battle of Franklin
*Battle of Nashville
*Battle of Wilmington
awards=
laterwork=Directed theUnion Pacific work crews during construction of the Transcontinental RailroadJohn Stephen "Jack" Casement (
January 1 ,1829 –December 13 ,1909 ) was a general andbrigade commander in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War and a notedrailroad contractor. He directed the constructional phase of the Transcontinental Railroad, which linked theWestern 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.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 underStonewall Jackson . Late in 1863, he was appointed colonel of the 103rd 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 theSiege of Atlanta , he assumed command of the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XXIII Corps. Hisbrigade held the center of the Union line at theBattle 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 theCarolinas Campaign , he took a prominent part in theBattle 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 GeneralGrenville M. Dodge as the chief engineer for theUnion 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 fromFremont, Nebraska , to the railroad's completion atPromontory, Utah .Casement died in
Painesville, Ohio , onDecember 13 ,1909 . Casement Airport is named in his memory, as was aWorld War II liberty ship , the SS "John S. Casement".References
*findagrave|12537614 Retrieved on
2008-02-14
* [http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rocky/oh_biographies/casement.htm General John Stephen Casement]
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