FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Brian Williams, Communications Coordinator
912.651.2125, or Email
Georgia Historical Society to Dedicate Civil War 150 Marker for U.S. Army General
SAVANNAH, Ga., November 26, 2012 – The Georgia Historical Society will unveil a new historical marker in Augusta, Ga., in the 600 block of Broad Street to mark the birthplace of U.S. Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs, Fri., Dec. 7, 2012, at 12 p.m.
Meigs was born in Augusta on May 3, 1816, and graduated fifth in his class from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers and oversaw the construction of many of Washington’s most important buildings, including the wings and dome of the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Aqueduct, which all speak to his ability as an engineer. During the Civil War, he remained in the United States Army and was appointed Quartermaster General in 1861.
“Meigs, a native Georgian, played and important and decisive role in arguably the most crucial event in American history,” said GHS President and CEO, Dr. W. Todd Groce. “This marker allows us to share his story with an audience that is today largely unfamiliar with him.”
GEN Montgomery C. Meigs, USA (Ret), the great-great-great-grand-nephew of Meigs will make the keynote address. General Meigs is President and CEO of Business Executives for National Security. During a 35-year career in the U.S. Army, General Meigs served as Commander, U.S. Army Europe (1998-2002). For the first year of that assignment, he also served as Commander of SFOR, NATO's peacekeeping force in Bosnia. He also led the 1st Infantry Division in its deployment enforcing the Dayton Treaty in Bosnia (1996-1997) and commanded the Iron Brigade of the 1st Armored Division in Operation Desert Storm and at Medina Ridge. He holds a Ph.D. in history and has taught at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
In partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Georgia Battlefields Association and Historic Augusta, Inc., this event is part of a statewide commemoration of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary. The program is conducted across the state to unveil new and recently-replaced historical markers that explore the stories of Georgia's Civil War history as lived and experienced by its people during those tumultuous and transformative years.
The Georgia Historical Society has administered Georgia’s statewide marker program since 1998, erecting almost 200 historical markers across Georgia on a wide variety of subjects. Now, online mapping tools allow you to design statewide driving routes based on historical markers, while mobile apps give information about markers nearby. Visit www.georgiahistory.com for more ways to use Georgia’s historical markers and experience history where it happened.