# William Sooy Smith > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_Sooy_Smith > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_Sooy_Smith.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sooy_Smith > Source revision: 1353319534 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Brigadier general in the Union Army William Sooy Smith Born (1830-07-22)July 22, 1830 Tarlton, Ohio, US Died March 4, 1916(1916-03-04) (aged 85) Medford, Oregon, US Place of burial Forest Home Cemetery Forest Park, Illinois Allegiance United States Union Branch United States Army Union Army Service years 1853–1854; 1861–1864 Rank Brigadier General Commands 13th Ohio Infantry Regiment 1st Division / XVI Corps Cavalry / Mil. Div. of the Mississippi Conflicts American Civil War Battle of Shiloh Battle of Perryville Vicksburg Campaign Battle of Okolona Signature **William Sooy Smith** (July 22, 1830 – March 4, 1916) was a [West Point](/source/United_States_Military_Academy) graduate and career [civil engineer](/source/Civil_engineer) who became a [brigadier general](/source/Brigadier_general_(United_States)) in the [Union Army](/source/Union_Army) during the [American Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War). In civilian life, he was a renowned [engineer](/source/Engineer) involved in [bridge](/source/Bridge) construction that included the building of the first large all steel bridge in the world.[1] ## Early life and career Smith was born in [Tarlton, Ohio](/source/Tarlton%2C_Ohio), and graduated from [Ohio University](/source/Ohio_University) in 1849 with an engineering degree. He furthered this degree at West Point as soon as he left the university, graduating sixth in his class from the [U.S. Military Academy](/source/United_States_Military_Academy) in 1853. Smith resigned from the Army on June 19, 1854 to accept a position with the [Illinois Central Railroad](/source/Illinois_Central_Railroad). Smith established the engineering company Parkinson & Smith in 1857, and was involved in the first [surveys](/source/Surveying) for a bridge between the United States and [Canada](/source/Canada) across the [Niagara River](/source/Niagara_River) near [Niagara Falls](/source/Niagara_Falls). ## Civil War [Battles of West Point](/source/Battle_of_West_Point), [Okolona](/source/Battle_of_Okolona), and [Ivey Farm](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Ivey_Farm&action=edit&redlink=1) in eastern Mississippi, February 1864 (CMH Pub 75-15 Map 1) Bust of Smith by [Solon Borglum](/source/Solon_Borglum) at [Vicksburg National Military Park](/source/Vicksburg_National_Military_Park) In 1861 at the outbreak of the Civil War, Smith joined the [13th Ohio Infantry](/source/13th_Ohio_Infantry), and by June he was commissioned as its [colonel](/source/Colonel_(United_States)). After serving in [western Virginia](/source/West_Virginia_in_the_American_Civil_War), he was appointed [brigadier general](/source/Brigadier_general_(United_States)) ([volunteers](/source/United_States_Volunteers)) on April 16, 1862 to rank from April 15, 1862.[2][3] Smith participated in the [Vicksburg campaign](/source/Vicksburg_campaign), commanding the [XVI Corps](/source/XVI_Corps_(Union_Army))' first division.[1] On January 27, 1864, as part of the [Meridian Campaign](/source/Meridian_Campaign), Smith was given the command of General Hurlbut's force of 7,000 cavalry, to be consolidated from their positions throughout western Kentucky and Tennessee,[1] along with the 2,500 that was already under his command. However, Smith delayed his advance waiting on one of the units, [Waring](/source/George_E._Waring_Jr.)'s brigade, which was ice bound near Columbus, Kentucky.[4] He did not start his advance until February 11, ten days later than planned. Smith's force did not join up with Sherman at Meridian as forces under Maj. Gen. [Nathan Bedford Forrest](/source/Nathan_Bedford_Forrest) defeated him on February 22, 1864 in the [Battle of Okolona](/source/Battle_of_Okolona). Smith was forced to fight an eleven-mile running battle before retreating across the state line into [Tennessee](/source/Tennessee_in_the_American_Civil_War) on February 26. Consequently, he was criticized for putting Sherman's [Meridian Expedition](/source/Battle_of_Meridian) in danger.[5] Afterwards, he served as chief of [cavalry](/source/Cavalry) in both the Department of Tennessee and the [Military Division of the Mississippi](/source/Military_Division_of_the_Mississippi), under [Ulysses S. Grant](/source/Ulysses_S._Grant) and [William T. Sherman](/source/William_T._Sherman).[1] He resigned from the Army in July 1864 due to [rheumatoid arthritis](/source/Rheumatoid_arthritis). ## Postbellum career Smith in later life After leaving the army Smith returned to [civil engineering](/source/Civil_engineering). In 1867, he sank the first pneumatic [caisson](/source/Caisson_(engineering)) of the Waugoshanee lighthouse in the [Straits of Mackinaw](/source/Straits_of_Mackinac). At [Glasgow, Missouri](/source/Glasgow%2C_Missouri), from 1878 to 1879, Smith worked on the [Glasgow Railroad Bridge](/source/Glasgow_Railroad_Bridge). This was the first all-steel bridge, which crossed the [Missouri River](/source/Missouri_River).[1] In 1876 Smith was awarded the American Centennial Exposition prize, and continued to work in engineering until retirement to [Medford, Oregon](/source/Medford%2C_Oregon) towards the end of his life.[1] After his death in 1916, he was buried in [Forest Home Cemetery](/source/Forest_Home_Cemetery%2C_Chicago) in [Forest Park, Illinois](/source/Forest_Park%2C_Illinois). ## See also - [American Civil War portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:American_Civil_War) - [List of American Civil War generals (Union)](/source/List_of_American_Civil_War_generals_(Union)) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CWR_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CWR_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-CWR_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-CWR_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-CWR_1-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-CWR_1-5) Civil War Reference [*Civil War Reference*](http://www.civilwarreference.com/people/index.php?peopleID=4272) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120324015108/http://www.civilwarreference.com/people/index.php?peopleID=4272) March 24, 2012, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) accessed and retrieved 2011-07-03 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Eicher, John H., and [David J. Eicher](/source/David_J._Eicher), *Civil War High Commands.* Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-8047-3641-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8047-3641-1). p. 728. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [President](/source/President_of_the_United_States) [Abraham Lincoln](/source/Abraham_Lincoln) sent the nomination of Smith for the appointment to the U.S. Senate on April 5, 1862, during the [Battle of Shiloh](/source/Battle_of_Shiloh), and the Senate confirmed the nomination on April 15, 1862. Eicher, 2001, p. 728. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Sherman, William T. ["The Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman"](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/4361/4361-h/4361-h.htm#ch15). *www.gutenberg.org/*. D. Appleton 1889. Retrieved June 6, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-ABPP_5-0)** The American Battlefield Protection Program [*Okolona*](https://web.archive.org/web/20070714153443/http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/ms013.htm) retrieved July 7, 2007 ## External links - Media related to [William Sooy Smith](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:William_Sooy_Smith) at Wikimedia Commons - [William Sooy Smith](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9838) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave) Authority control databases International VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States Other SNAC Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Sooy Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sooy_Smith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sooy_Smith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.