Grenville Dodge was born on April 12, 1831, at Danvers, Massachusetts; he attended Norwich University, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1851. He then moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and worked for the railroad.

In July 1861, Dodge was appointed colonel of the 4th Iowa Infantry Regiment; he commanded the First Brigade of the Army of the Southwest at the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862. Dodge was promoted to brigadier general for his services and assumed command of the District of Mississippi, where he was tasked with protecting and building railroads. Promoted to major general in June 1864, Dodge commanded the XVI Corps during Sherman’s Atlanta campaign. Dodge personally directed General Thomas Sweeny’s division during the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864, a move that so outraged Sweeny that he physically attacked Dodge. Dodge was wounded during the siege of Atlanta, and ended the war as commander of the Department of the Missouri.

Dodge returned to Iowa and was elected to Congress, serving from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1869. Dodge then returned to railroad engineering, and during the 1880s and 1890s served as president and chief engineer of numerous railroad companies.

Dodge died at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on January 3, 1916.

Carte-de-Visite by Howard & Hall, Corinth, Miss.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 11838