GEORGE W. CULLUM. 417 



He died of pneumonia at his residence in New York City, on the 

 28th of February, 1892. 



Between the time of his graduation and the breaking out of the 

 Mexican War, he served as Assistant Engineer in the construction of 

 Fort Adams at Newport Harbor, as Superintending Engineer of the 

 construction of Fort Trumbull and Battery Griswold in New London 

 Harbor, and Forts Independence, Warren, and Wiuthrop in Boston 

 Harbor, of the pier and lighthouse at Goat Island, Newport Harbor, 

 and as Assistant to the Chief Engineer at Washington. 



During the Mexican War he was charged with devising and con- 

 structing sapper, miner, and ponton trains for our armies, and prepar- 

 ing a text-book on military bridges. 



After the war he was placed on duty at the Military Academy as 

 commandant of Sappers, Miners and Pontoniers, Instructor of Prac- 

 tical Military Engineering, etc. Here he remained until 1850, when 

 his health was so broken down that he was compelled to go abroad on 

 a sick leave of absence, which he spent in travelling through Europe, 

 Asia, Africa, and the West Indies. The climate of Egypt completely 

 restored him. In 1852 he resumed his former duties at West Point, 

 and in 1853-54 he also superintended the modification of the Treasury 

 Building in New York City. From 1855 to the breaking out of the 

 Civil War he served as Superintending Engineer of the construction 

 and repair of Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney, Fort Macon, Fort Cas- 

 well, Fort Moultrie, Clark's Point, Fort Adams, Fort Trumbull, 

 Battery Griswold, Willet's Point, and Fort Schuyler, and of the har- 

 bor improvements of Charleston. In 1858 he was a member of the 

 Board on the Defences of New York Harbor. 



During the Civil War he served as Aide de Camp to General Scott, 

 as Chief Engineer and Chief of Staff of the Department of Missouri 

 and of the Mississippi, and as Chief of Staff of General Halleck, then 

 in command of the Army. In 1861-62 he conducted extensive mili- 

 tary operations, more especially of an engineering character. His 

 position as Chief of Staff was one of great responsibility, and afforded 

 him an opportunity to exercise great influence on all the military 

 operations of the war. In addition to these duties, his talents were 

 required in those branches in which he was especially proficient, such 

 as organizing systems of fortification and improving the ponton service, 

 revising the programme of instruction at the Military Academy, etc. 

 In this work he was sometimes associated with other officers, and the 

 reports of the boards upon which he served mark one of the most 

 important eras in the history of modern warfare. These reports were 

 vol. xxvu. (n. s. xix.). 27 



