Graduated #1 in the West Point class of 1849

Commanded the Department of the South at Charleston, South Carolina

A military medal called the "Gillmore Medal" was named in his honor

(1825-88) Born in Lorain County, Ohio, he graduated #1 in the West Point class of 1849. After an assignment in New York City, Gillmore traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, where he supervised the construction of Fort Clay on a hilltop commanding the city. Gillmore commanded a division in the Army of Kentucky then the District of Central Kentucky. Though long associated with engineering and artillery, Gillmore's first independent command came at the head of a cavalry expedition against Confederate General John Pegram. Gillmore defeated the Confederates at the battle of Somerset for which he was given a brevet promotion to colonel in the U.S. Army. Gillmore was chief engineer of the Port Royal, S.C. expedition in 1861-62 which gained an important Union position on the South Carolina coast. His greatest moment in the Civil War came when his brilliant plan reduced Fort Pulaski, Ga., the Confederate stronghold which guarded the approach to the Savannah River. In 1863, he commanded the Department of the South and was in charge of the Charleston, South Carolina campaign. A military medal was named in his honor, the "Gillmore Medal" a military decoration of the United States Army which was first issued on October 28, 1863, after General Quincy A. Gillmore, who commanded Union troops attempting to seize Fort Wagner in 1863. Also called the Fort Sumter Medal, the "Gillmore Medal" commemorates the men who served in the fighting around Charleston, South Carolina, in 1863, and was presented to all Union soldiers who had served under General Gillmore's command. It was said that his operations constituted a new era in the science of engineering and gunnery. In 1864, he served under General Benjamin F. Butler and was involved in the Bermuda Hundred, Va. campaign. In February 1865, he returned to the command of the Department of the South until the end of the war. As the war was drawing to an end he was in command when Charleston and Fort Sumter were finally turned over to Union forces. He received brevet promotions to Brigadier General and Major General in the U.S. Army for the campaign against Battery Wagner, Morris Island and Fort Sumter dated March 13, 1865. Gillmore returned to New York City after the war. There he became a prominent civil engineer, authoring several books and articles on structural materials, including cement. Gillmore served on the city's Rapid Transit Commission that planned elevated trains and mass public transportation, and led efforts to improve the harbor and coastal defenses. General Gillmore died at Brooklyn, New York, at the age of 63. His son and grandson, both also named Quincy Gillmore, were West Point graduates, officers in the U.S. Army and generals in the New Jersey National Guard. All three Gillmores were buried in the West Point Cemetery, at the United States Military Academy.

Wet plate, albumen carte de visite photograph, mounted to 2 3/8 x 4 card. Standing view in uniform with rank of brigadier general, and holding his kepi with U.S. cloth hat wreath insignia. Back mark: E. & H.T. Anthony, No. 501 Broadway, New York, made from a photographic negative from Brady's National Portrait Gallery. Sharp image. Excellent.