Class of 1855

Cyrus Ballou Comstock: Born Feb. 3, 1831, Wrentham, MA.

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1851, to July 1, 1855, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Bvt. Second Lieut., Corps of Engineers, July 1, 1855.

Served: as Asst. Engineer in the construction of Ft. Taylor, Key West Harbor, Fla., 1855‑56, — and in building Ft. Carroll, Patapsco

(Second Lieut., Corps of Engineers, Sep. 1, 1855)

River, Md., 1856‑59; as Superintending Engineer of the construction of Ft. Carroll, Md., 1859; and at the Military Academy, as Asst. Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Sep. 9, 1859, to July 27, 1861.

First Lieut., Corps of Engineers, July 1, 1860.

Served during the Rebellion of the Seceding States, 1861‑66: as Asst. Engineer in the construction of the Defenses of Washington, D. C., Aug. 9, 1861, to Mar., 1862; as Assistant to the Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, Mar. to June 2, 1862, — as Senior Engineer on the Staff of General Sumner, June 2 to July 3, 1862, — and with the Engineer Battalion, July to Sep., 1862, in the Virginia Peninsular Campaign, being engaged on Reconnoissance before, and Siege of Yorktown, Apr. 5 to May 4, 1862, — and construction of Defensive Works, making Reconnoissances, and in the various Engineer Operations on the Advance towards Richmond, and Change of Base to the James River, May to Aug., 1862; in the Maryland Campaign (Army of the Potomac), Sep. to Nov., 1862, being engaged in the Battle of South Mountain, Sep. 14, 1862, — Battle of Antietam, Sep. 17, 1862, — and numerous Reconnoissances, Sep., 1862; as Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, Nov. 21, 1862, to Mar. 30, 1863; in the Rappahannock Campaign (Army of the Potomac), Dec., 1862, to June, 1863, being engaged in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 12‑13, 1862, — and Battle of Chancellorsville,

(Captain, Corps of Engineers, Mar. 3, 1863)

May 2‑4, 1863; in the Department of the Tennessee, June to Oct., 1863, being engaged in the Siege of Vicksburg, June to July 4, 1863, — and as

(Bvt. Major, July 4, 1863,
for Gallant and Meritorious Services at the Siege of Vicksburg, Mis.)

Chief Engineer of the Army of the Tennessee, July 1 to Oct. 16, 1863; on sick leave of absence, Sep. to Dec., 1863; as Asst. Inspector-General of the Military Division of the Mississippi, Nov. 19, 1863, to Mar. 29, 1864; as Aide-de‑Camp to Lieut.‑General Grant, Mar. 29, 1864, to

(Lieut.‑Colonel, Staff — Aide-de‑Camp to the General-in‑Chief, Mar. 29, 1864)

July 25, 1866; in the Richmond Campaign, May 4, 1864, to Jan. 4, 1865, being engaged in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5‑6, 1864, —

(Bvt. Lieut.‑Col., May 6, 1864,
for Gallant and Meritorious Services at the Battle of the Wilderness, Va.)

Battle of Spottsylvania, May 12, 1864, — Battle of Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864, — Assaults of Petersburg, June 16 and 18, 1864, and of the "Mine," July 30, 1864, — and Assault and Capture of Ft. Harrison, Sep. 29, 1864; as Chief Engineer of the Expedition to Cape Fear River, N. C., Jan. 4‑15, 1865, being engaged at the Assault and Capture of Ft.

(Bvt. Colonel, U. S. Army, and Bvt. Colonel and Bvt. Brig.‑General, U. S. Volunteers, Jan. 15, 1865, for Gallant Services in the Capture of Ft. Fisher, N. C.)

 p605  Fisher, Jan. 15, 1865; and as Senior Engineer on the Staff of Major-General Canby in the Mobile Campaign, Feb. 27 to Apr. 15, 1865, being

(Bvt. Brig.‑General, U. S. Army, Mar. 13, 1865,
for Gallant and Meritorious Services in the Campaign ending
with the Capture of Mobile, Ala.)

engaged in the Siege of Spanish Fort, Mar. 27 to Apr. 8, 1865, — and Storming of Blakely, Apr. 9, 1865.

Bvt. Major-General, U. S. Volunteers, Mar. 26, 1865, for Faithful and Meritorious Services during the Campaign against the city of Mobile and its Defenses.

Major, Corps of Engineers, Dec. 28, 1865.

Served: as Aide-de‑Camp to the General-in‑Chief, commanding the Armies of the United States, headquarters at Washington, D. C., July 25,

(Colonel, Staff — Aide-de‑Camp to the General-in‑Chief, July 25, 1866)

1866, to May 3, 1870; as Superintending Engineer of the Geodetic Survey of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes, May 12, 1870, to July, 1874, Jan. 16, 1875, to June 17, 1877, and June 25, 1878, till completion in 1882; on professional duty in Europe examining the Improvement of Deltas of great Rivers, July to Nov. 19, 1874; as Superintending Engineer to examine the progress of the Eads' Jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi, Apr., 1875, to May 28, 1877; on leave of absence in Europe, June 17, 1877, to June 11, 1878; as Member of Board on site of Harbor of Refuge in Lake Huron, Oct., 1871, to July 18, 1872, — on bridging the Channel between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, Mar. to Dec. 24, 1873, — on Improvement of Buffalo Harbor, N. Y., Dec. 10, 1873, to Mar. 23, 1874, — on Improvement of the Mouth of the Mississippi, July, 1874, to Jan. 13, 1875, — on Cleveland Breakwater, Apr. 21 to June 14, 1875, — and on Improvement of Low-water Navigation of the Mississippi River, July 8, 1878, to June 30, 1879, — of Mississippi River Commission since June 30, 1879, — of the Board of Engineers for Fortification and River

(Lieut.‑Colonel, Corps of Engineers, July 17, 1881)

and Harbor Improvements since Aug. 2, 1882, — of the Board of Visitors to the Engineer School of Application since Mar. 11, 1885; in charge of Fort at Willet's Point, N. Y., Mar. 11, 1886, to Apr. 5, 1887; in command of the Engineer Battalion, Mar. 15 to Apr. 26, 1886, and of the Engineer School of Application at Willet's Point, N. Y., Mar. 15, 1886, to Apr. 5, 1887; as Superintending engineer of the repairs of Ft. Schuyler, N. Y., May 24, 1886, to Apr. 5, 1887; as Division Engineer for inspecting the engineer works in the Southeastern territory of the United States since

(Colonel, Corps of Engineers, Apr. 7, 1888)

Dec. 3, 1888; and Member of various Engineer Boards on river and harbor improvements, bridge constructions, and harbor lines, since 1882.

Civil History. — Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Apr. 17, 1884. Author of "Report on Primary Triangulation of the U. S. Lake Survey," 18–––.