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Namesake
John Rodgers Meigs (February 9, 1842 – October 3, 1864) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was the son of Brigadier General
Montgomery C. Meigs, the Quartermaster General of the United States Army. He participated in the First Battle of Bull Run. He attended the United States Military
Academy, where he was an acting assistant professor of mathematics and graduated first in his class in June 1863.
He was lauded by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton for strengthening the defenses of Baltimore, Maryland; was an engineer and acting aide-de-camp on the staff of
Brigadier General (Volunteers) William W. Averell and was Chief Engineer of the Middle Military Division and aide-de-camp to General Phillip Sheridan. Photo taken
circa 1864. (Wikipedia) |
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USED Snagboat John R. Meigs at St. Louis in 1890
During the Spanish-American War in 1898, the Mississippi River below Forts Jackson and St. Phillip downriver from New Orleans, was mined to prevent the approach of
the Spanish fleet. Meigs drew the assignment of removing the mines once the war ended. On 1 September 1898 a mine exploded under of on the forecastle
destroying the foredeck of the boat clear back to the pilothouse. Pilot J.C. Davis was not injured although the pilothouse was destroyed. Engineer J.W. Lane was blown into
the river but escaped injury. A maid also survived, but the rest of the crew perished. Neither the wreck nor the victims were recovered.
Crew members: CAPT. Phinras Starr; Sgt. John Newman and Pvt. Pat Carlos, US Army Engineer Corps; J.D, Malone, fireman; Ralph Rogers and Harry Jackson, deckhands;
J.C. Davis, pilot; J.W. Lane, engineer.
Louisiana Digital Library, Baton Rouge, La. |
John Spivey |
