★ ★  Ord, Edward

Edward Otho Cresap Ord
Ord 1.jpg

:us34stars:

Edward Ord
was an engineer in the United States Army, and an officer who saw action in three wars: the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the American Civil War. Ord commanded the Union Army of the James during the final days of the Civil War, and played a crucial role in forcing the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After Lincoln's assassination, Ord was called upon by General Grant to investigate the role of the Confederate government in the plot. Ord's finding of no involvement by Confederate Officials greatly reduced the calls for revenge in the North against the former rebellious states.

Born: October 18, 1818

Birthplace: Cumberland, Maryland

Father: Lt. James Ord 1789 – 1873
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​

Mother: Rebecca Ruth “Miss Becky” Cresap 1794 – 1860
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​

Wife: Mary Mercer Thompson 1834 – 1894
(Buried: San Antonio National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas)​

Married: October 14, 1854 in San Francisco, California

Children:

Roberta Augusta “Bertie” Ord Trevino 1856 – 1884​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Major Edward Otho Cresap Ord Jr. 1858 – 1923​
(Buried: San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California)​
Lucy Maud Ord Mason 1860 – 1953​
(Buried: Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Fort Leavenworth, KS)
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Captain James Thompson Ord 1863 – 1905​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Mary “Molly” Ord Hillcoat 1865 – 1899​
(Buried: San Antonio National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas)​
Lt. Jules Garesche “Garry” Ord 1866 – 1898​
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)​
Albert E. Ord 1871 – 1872​
(Buried: Prospect Hill Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska)​
Education:
1839: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (17th​ in class)​
Occupation before War:
1839 – 1841: 2nd​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery​
1841 – 1850: 1st​ Lt. United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery​
1850 – 1861: Captain United States Army, 3rd​ Artillery​
Civil War Career:

1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers
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1861: Union Army Commander at Battle of Dranesville, Virginia​
1861: Brevetted to the rank of Lt. Colonel for duty at Dranesville​
1861 – 1865: Major United States Army 4th​ Artillery​
1862 – 1866: Major General of Union Army Volunteers​
1862: Brevetted to the rank of Colonel for duty at Iuka, Mississippi​
1862: Union Army Commander at Battle of Hatchie’s Bridge, TN.​
1863: Corps commander in the final days of Siege of Vicksburg, Miss.​
1863 – 1864: Corps Commander Union Army Department of the Gulf​
1864: Wounded during the attack on Fort Harrison, Virginia​
1865: Commander of the Union Army of the James​
1865: Brevetted to the rank of Brig. General for duty at Hatchie, Miss.​
1865: Brevetted to the rank of Major General for duty at Fort Harrison​
1865 – 1865: Lt. Colonel United States Army 1st​ Artillery​
1865 – 1880: Brigadier General United States Army​
1865: Investigated the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln conspiracy​
1865: Determined the Confederate Government was not part of Assassination​
1866: Mustered out of Volunteer Service on September 1st​
Occupation after War:
1865 – 1880: Brigadier General United States Army​
1866 – 1867: Commander of Department of the Arkansas​
1867 – 1868: Commander of Fourth Military District​
1868 – 1871: Commander of U.S. Army Department of California​
1871 – 1875: Commander of U.S. Army Department of the Platte​
1875 – 1880: Commander of U.S. Army Department of Texas​
1880: Retired from Active duty in United States Army on December 6​
1881: Appointed by Congress as Major General of United States Army​
1881 – 1883: Civil Engineer for Mexican Southern Railroad Company​

Died: July 22, 1883

Place of Death: Havana, Cuba

Cause of Death: Yellow Fever

Age at time of Death: 65 years old

Burial Place: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
 
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Ord was one of the best Federal generals and is kind'a neglected. In 1880 he was victim of an injustice when President Hayes forcibly retired him make room for Nelson Miles to become a general. Hayes could've retired McDowell, a wealthy man and one with a record inferior to Ord's. But McDowell was Hayes' pal.

The affair really teed off Sherman, who commanded the army and who held Ord in very high regard even though Ord's high handed methods in sending Mackenzie and Shafter into Mexico after hostile Indians caused Sherman some political trouble.
 
Ord was one of the best Federal generals and is kind'a neglected. In 1880 he was victim of an injustice when President Hayes forcibly retired him make room for Nelson Miles to become a general. Hayes could've retired McDowell, a wealthy man and one with a record inferior to Ord's. But McDowell was Hayes' pal.

The affair really teed off Sherman, who commanded the army and who held Ord in very high regard even though Ord's high handed methods in sending Mackenzie and Shafter into Mexico after hostile Indians caused Sherman some political trouble.
That's true, you hardly ever hear about him until the end of the war. I wonder why?
 
Ord was the worst of yankee generals there was. He ordered and allowed a lot of atrocities to take place during his reign of terror as commander of the 4th military district during reconstruction. One (of many) of his main plays was in 1867 before the elections, if you sent cloths to a family member during the CW you could not register to vote along with many other things like this, not to mention he turned a blind eye as to what his USCT were doing to the civilian population. He should have been hung.
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Ord was the worst of yankee generals there was. He ordered and allowed a lot of atrocities to take place during his reign of terror as commander of the 4th military district during reconstruction. One (of many) of his main plays was in 1867 before the elections, if you sent cloths to a family member during the CW you could not register to vote along with many other things like this, not to mention he turned a blind eye as to what his USCT were doing to the civilian population. He should have been hung.
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Well, I think that the veracity of this article is in the first paragraph. "The following is supposed to to be..." It does not show any actual proof of Ord's actions, only one publisher opinion.
 
Well, I think that the veracity of this article is in the first paragraph. "The following is supposed to to be..." It does not show any actual proof of Ord's actions, only one publisher opinion.
The publisher was my GG Grandfather and I have many documents to backup up his claims. The main one is below.

 
The publisher was my GG Grandfather and I have many documents to backup up his claims. The main one is below.

This is a very interesting document , however, it does not in any way prove validate any of your or your great grandfather's comments about Ord. In fact, it does not even mention Ord by name. It merely provides proof that your great grandfather published "incendiary" articles in his newspapers. I am going to do some research to find out how true your, and his, comments might be, because I don' really know anything about him, so I can't say if you are right or wrong.
 
When He took over as commader of the Army of the James ,He was replacing Ben Butler. This was the second time Ord was personally asked by Grant to replace a troublesome subordinate. The first time was when Grant asked Ord to replace John A. McClernand of the 13th Corps. Twice He was tapped by Grant.

If you happen to come across a lithograph of Lee's surrender in the parlor of Wilmer McClean you should come across a picture of General Ord. I believe He was present.

There is a biography about Ord titled "Appomattox Commander: The Story of E.O.C. Ord" by Bernard Cresap. Bound to be a relative with a name like Cresap. That was his mother's maiden name.
 
If you happen to come across a lithograph of Lee's surrender in the parlor of Wilmer McClean you should come across a picture of General Ord. I believe He was present.

Indeed, Ord and Gibbon pushed the 24th Corps hard and it was one of the corps that got west of Lee at Appomattox and headed him off. (The other being Griffin's 5th Corps. Griffin's, get it?)

One of the soldiers in this photo taken at Appomattox appears to have the heart shaped badge of the 24th Corps on his hat.
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Ord is quite infamous today for his extreme pro-southern and pro-slavery views, writing letters to Jefferson Davis, as the war was already underway. When they came across Davis' Mansion in Mississippi and found these letters, Grant and Sherman had them covered up to protect their colleague Ord.
 
Ord is quite infamous today for his extreme pro-southern and pro-slavery views, writing letters to Jefferson Davis, as the war was already underway. When they came across Davis' Mansion in Mississippi and found these letters, Grant and Sherman had them covered up to protect their colleague Ord.
Interesting. Do you have a source?
 
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