Complex sentence: His grandfather and namesake led the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, 1874--1891, with the rank of brigadier general; he was a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served in the American Civil War.
Split into simpler sentences: His grandfather and namesake led the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps, 1874--1891, with the rank of brigadier general. He was a graduate of the United States Military Academy and served in the American Civil War.