Josiah Gorgas
Born: July 1, 1818
Birthplace: Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Father: Joseph Gorgas 1770 – 1841
(Buried: Center Church of the Brethern Cemetery, Louisville, Ohio)
Mother: Sophia Atkinson 1778 – 1849
(Buried: Massillon City Cemetery, Massillon, Ohio)
Wife: Amelia Ross Gayle 1826 – 1913
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Married: December 29, 1853 in Toulminville, Alabama
Children:
Major General William Crawford Gorgas 1854 – 1920
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)
Jessie Gorgas 1856 – 1925
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Mary Gayle Gorgas 1857 – 1944
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Minnie Gorgas Palfrey 1859 – 1953
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Maria Bayne Gorgas 1861 – 1953
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Captain Richard Haynsworth Gorgas 1864 – 1935
(Buried: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Education:
1841: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (6th in class)
Occupation before War:
1841 – 1847: Brevet 2nd Lt. United States Army, Ordnance Dept.
1841 – 1843: Ordnance Officer for Watervliet Arsenal, New York
1843 – 1844: Ordnance Officer at Detroit Arsenal in Michigan
1844 – 1845: Ordnance Officer for Watervliet Arsenal New York
1847 – 1855: 1st Lt. United States Army, Ordnance Dept.
1847: Served in the Siege of Vera Cruz, Mexico
1847 – 1848: in Charge of Ordnance at Depot at Vera Cruz
1848 – 1851: Assistant Ordnance Officer, Watervliet Arsenal
1851: Assistant Ordnance Officer at Allegheny Arsenal
1851 – 1853: Assistant Ordnance Officer at Fort Monroe Arsenal
1853 – 1856: Commander of Mount Vernon Arsenal, Alabama
1855 – 1861: Captain United States Army, Ordnance Dept.
1856 – 1858: Commander of Kennebec Arsenal, Maine
1858 – 1860: Commander of Charleston Arsenal, South Carolina
1860 – 1861: Commander of Frankford Arsenal, Pennsylvania
1860: Member of United States Army Ordnance Board
1861: Resigned from United States Army on April 3rd
Civil War Career:
1861 – 1865: Confederate Chief of Ordnance for the Confederacy
Took an interest in blockade Running
Bought five blockade – runners that had some success
Created the Confederate Ordnance Department out of nothing
1864 – 1865: Brigadier General in the Confederate Army
Created gunpowder mill in Augusta Arsenal in Augusta, Georgia
Found Alternative Sources of Saltpeter
Occupation after War:
1866 – 1868: Manager of iron works at Brierfield Furnace
1868 – 1878: Vice Chancellor University of the South
1878 – 1883: President University of Alabama
Died: May 15, 1883
Place of Death: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Age at time of Death: 65 years old
Cause of Death: Deteriorated health
Burial Place: Evergreen Cemetery, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
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