James St . Clair Morton 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . Civil War . In May 1862 , Morton was assigned to the Army of the Ohio as chief engineer under General Don Carlos Buell . He immediately began construction of fortifications around Nashville , Tennessee and was ordered to stay and complete construction while the Army of the Ohio marched to Kentucky . The construction of these defenses , named Fort Negley , would take three months to complete and would become the largest inland masonry fort of the time . When General Buell was relieved of command in October 1862 , Morton would become chief of engineers of the Army of the Cumberland under General William S . Rosecrans . Rosecrans , who was facing engineering problems , decided to organize the Pioneer Brigade , with the intentions of forming an engineer unit . This brigade would be composed of mechanics and laborers , totaling 2 , 600 men . They were ordered to train in Nashville for a month and on November 29 , 1862 , Morton was commissioned as Brigadier General of Volunteers , a position which President Abraham Lincoln had promised him . Stones River . In late December , about 1 , 700 men of the Pioneer Brigade would join the rest of the Army of the Cumberland on its march to Murfreesboro , Tennessee . Arriving on the outskirts of the city on the 29th , they were ordered to build bridges and abatis , to clear roads , and improve fords . On the morning of the 31st , the Pioneer Brigade was positioned to the rear of the Union army . Around mid - day , the brigade was ordered forward to support Captain James Stokes ' Chicago Board of Trade Battery , which was positioned on a small knoll west of the Nashville Turnpike , behind the center of the Union lines . Upon arriving , they witnessed hundreds of fleeing soldiers , with the Confederate forces reforming for another attack . The Pioneer Brigade was immediately behind the front lines now and from their position , had a clear view of open ground in front of them , offering Stokes ' battery a deadly advantage . When the Confederates launched the attack , Morton ordered Stokes ' battery to open fire with canister , which effectively drove the attackers away . He then advanced to a rise and held it under the fire of enemy artillery . This repulse helped General Rosecrans buy time as he regrouped stragglers and brought up fresh units to reform the line . While he was doing this , three more charges were thrust upon the forward line , with the last charge finally breaking them , causing them to retreat back to the turnpike . Morton had his brigade form upon Stokes ' battery again . Once Rosecrans had formed a new line , the Pioneer Brigade and Stokes ' battery were re - adjusted to fit the line , being moved to the front of the turnpike and the right of the new line . Additional troops that had been rallied were brought to the right of Morton . As the front line continued to withdraw , they appeared from the woods directly in front of Morton and then slowly took refuge behind his lines . The Confederates , still in pursuit , began to appear from the woods , allowing Stokes ' battery to open fire with canister . Morton rode to the front of his troops and said , " Men , you haven ' t much ammunition , but give them what you have and then wade in on ` em with the bayonets ! " With that , the lines were ordered to stand and open fire , putting gaps into the oncoming Confederate lines . The lines wavered and then began to withdraw . Upon seeing the success , Rosecrans order the brigade to charge forward and occupy the fields just outside the woods . The Confederates rallied three times and pressed forward again , but each time , were forced back . The following day brought the New Year , with only minor skirmishing . The Pioneer Brigade was ordered to the rear and allowed to rest . On January 2 , Confederate General John C . Breckenridge attacked the Union left center and was successful in capturing a number of guns . As the Pioneer Brigade moved towards the action , the Confederates had already begun retreating , and Morton had his brigade participate in their pursuit . The Confederates withdrew from the city on the 4th , leaving the Union victorious . Morton would report 12 killed and 23 wounded . In addition , Stokes ' battery had 3 killed and 10 wounded . After the battle , Morton supervised the construction of Fortress Rosecrans , doing so until June 1863 . Covering 200 acres , these earthworks would become the largest fort built during the Civil War . Tullahoma Campaign and Chickamauga . While Morton and the Pioneer Brigade did not have a large role in the Tullahoma Campaign , their record would be marred by some incidents that occurred , including drunkenness among the ranks . He would also be reprimanded for delaying General Alexander McCook ' s XX Corps , which got stuck behind the Pioneer Brigade . McCook would personally take this to Rosecrans , who would scold Morton in front of other officers while at his headquarters . Despite this , Morton would be promoted to Major in the Regular Army on July 3 , 1863 . During the battle of Chickamauga , the Pioneer Brigade fell into the wrong place again , this time in front of retreating Union troops . Morton had been ordered to survey the front by Rosecrans , and after getting separated from the General , found himself among General McCook ' s troops , which were to the right of General James Longstreet ' s breakthrough of the Union lines . Morton and the Pioneer Brigade soon got caught up in the retreat , despite having just been pulled up . This embarrassment to the army brought about a number of demotions and transfers . Morton , who had been slightly wounded while standing near Rosecrans during the battle , was not immediately relieved of his command . However , on October 10 , he would be relieved and General William Farrar Smith would take his place . After seeking a transfer , which was denied , Morton requested that he be reduced in rank , from his volunteer rank of brigadier general to his Regular Army rank of major . He was mustered out of the volunteer service on November 7 , 1863 , with this becoming the only known incident of a general voluntarily reducing his rank . Returning to Nashville on November 14 , he served as the supervising engineer of construction of defenses in the area until January 30 , 1864 . Following this , he would act as assistant to the Chief Engineer in Washington until May . Death . Morton returned to the field in May , serving as the Chief Engineer in the IX Corps under General Ambrose Burnside . On June 17 , 1864 , during the Second Battle of Petersburg , Morton was surveying the area in front of General Orlando B . Willcox ' s division , which was about to attack , when he was shot in the chest and killed . His body was returned to Philadelphia and he was buried with military honors at Laurel Hill Cemetery . Following his death , Morton received the following posthumous brevets in the Regular Army :