John G. Foster"If you want Washington, come and get it."
Major General of the Volunteers John G. Foster's response to D.H. Hill's demand that he surrender Washington, North Carolina. |
John G. Foster was born in Whitefield, New Hampshire in 1823. His family moved to Nashua, New Hampshire when he was young. He graduated fourth in his class from West Point in 1847 and shortly after saw action in the Mexican War. Later, he returned to West Point and became assistant to the professor of engineering from 1855 to 1857. In 1858 he began working on the construction of Fort Sumter, in Charleston Harbor, until 1860. In 1861 he was in command of strengthening the fortifications of Charleston Harbor which included Fort Moultrie. On the eve and for the duration of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, April 12 – 14, 1861, he was second in command of the fort under Major Robert Anderson. After the surrender and bloodless withdrawal of federal troops from Fort Sumter, he was appointed as brigadier general of the volunteers for the Union Army. This position led him to the battles of Roanoke Island and New Berne as well as the sieges of Savannah and Charleston. After the war, he returned to civilian life and worked on improving Boston Harbor in Massachusetts. His funeral in 1874 brought the city of Nashua, NH to a standstill as stores and shops closed and the city was draped in mourning. No fewer than eight Civil War generals attended his funeral.
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