The Biographical Dictionary of America/Barnard, John Gross

​BARNARD, John Gross, soldier, was born at Sheffield, Mass., May 19, 1815. He was graduated from West Point in 1833, and was appointed to duty at Newport, R.I., in the engineer corps with the rank of brevet 2d lieutenant. He was afterwards engaged on fortifications at Pensacola and New Orleans and had attained a captaincy in 1848. During the Mexican war he was constructing engineer, the fortifications of Tampico being built under his direction, and he made the topographical maps of the country around the city of Mexico preparatory to its capture. For these services he received a brevet major's commission on May 30, 1848. In the Tehuantepec survey for a railroad across the isthmus in 1850 he acted as chief engineer by appointment of President Fillmore, and in 1852 he surveyed the mouths of the Mississippi river. In 1854 he was instructor of practical engineering at the military academy, of which, in 1856, he was made superintendent. He was afterwards given charge of the defences of New York city. In 1858 he was promoted major of engineers. In 1861 he was appointed chief engineer of defences of Washington and afterwards of the army of the Potomac, serving thus until 1864, when he was placed on General Grant's staff and given the management of the engineering department of the entire army. On March 31, 1863, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel of engineers, and at the close of the civil war he was made colonel of engineers, and brevetted major-general U.S. army "for gallant and meritorious services in the field." He served as a member of the joint board of army and navy officers in harbor defences, torpedoes, etc., and as senior member of the board of engineers for fortifications up to the time of his death. The University of Alabama gave him the degree of A.M. in 1838, and Yale college conferred upon him that of LL.D. in 1864. Among his published works are: "Survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec" (1852); "Phenomena of the Gyroscope" (1858); "Dangers and Defences of New York" (1859); "Notes on Sea- Coast Defence" (1861); "The Confederate States of America and the Battle of Bull Run" (1862); "Reports of the Engineer and Artillery Operations of the Army of the Potomac" (1863); "Eulogy on General Totten" (1866); "Report on the Defences of Washington" (1871); "The North Sea Canal of Holland and Improvement of Navigation from Rotterdam to the Sea"; "Problems of Rotary Motion presented by Gyroscope, the Precession of the Equinoxes, and the Pendulum," and numerous reports and memoirs. He died in Detroit, Mich., May 14, 1882.