John G. Foster Military person

John Gray Foster (May 27, 1823 – September 2, 1874) was a career military officer in the United States Army and a Union general during the American Civil War whose most distinguished services were in North and South Carolina. A postbellum expert in underwater demolition, he wrote the definitive treatise on the subject in 1869. He continued with the Army after the war, using his expertise as assistant to the Chief Engineer in Washington, DC and at a post on Lake Erie.From 1862 to December 1863 Foster commanded the Department of North Carolina. After the Emancipation Proclamation, he appointed Horace James, a Congregational minister, to help freedmen prepare for independent life, and directed a former contraband camp to be developed as the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island. By 1864, 2200 freedmen were settled on household plots. Many worked for pay for the Army, which held the forts. Under President Andrew Johnson, after the war, the Army abandoned the colony. Most of the freedmen chose to return to the mainland for work.

Personal facts

Birth date	May 27, 1823
Birth place	Whitefield New Hampshire
Date of death	September 02, 1874
Place of death	Nashua New Hampshire

Search

Military person

allegiance	Union
military operations	American Civil War Battle of Kinston Battle of New Bern Mexican–American War Burnside's North Carolina Expedition Battle of Fort Sumter Sherman's March to the Sea Siege of Veracruz Battle of Molino del Rey Battle of Goldsboro Bridge Battle of Roanoke Island Battle of Washington Battle of White Hall Siege of Fort Macon Battle of Cerro Gordo Battle of Churubusco Battle of Contreras Battle of Bean's Station Knoxville Campaign
military branch	Union Army
military command	Department of the South IX Corps Army of the Ohio XVIII Corps Department of North Carolina
service start	1846
service end	1874