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DODGE, Grenville Mellen, soldier, born in Danvers, Massachusetts, 12 April 1831. He was graduated at Captain Partridge's military academy, Norwich, Vermont, in 1850, and in 1851 removed to Illinois, where he was engaged in railroad surveys until 1854. He was afterward similarly employed in Iowa and as far west as the Rocky mountains, and made one of the earliest surveys along the Platte for a Pacific railroad. He was sent to Washington in 1861 by the governor of Iowa to procure arms and equipments for the state troops, and on 17 June became colonel of the 4th Iowa regiment, which he had raised, having declined a captaincy in the regular army tendered him by the secretary of war. He served in Missouri under Fr6mont, commanded a brigade in the army of the southwest, and a portion of his command took Springfield 13 February 1862, opening General Curtis's Arkansas campaign of that year. He commanded a brigade on the extreme right in the battle of Pea Ridge, where three horses were shot under him, and, though severely wounded in the side, kept the field till the final rout of the enemy. For his gallantry on this occasion he was made brigadier general of volunteers on 31 March 1862. In June of that year he took command of the district of the Mississippi, and superintended the construction of the Mississippi and Ohio railroad. General Dodge was one of the first to organize colored regiments. During the Vicksburg campaign, with headquarters at Corinth, he made frequent raids, and indirectly protected the flanks of both Grant and Rosecrans, being afterward placed by Grant at the head of his list of officers for promotion. He distinguished himself at Sugar Valley, 9 May 1864, and Resaca, 14 and 15 May and for his services in these two battles was promoted to major general of volunteers on 7 June 1864. He led the 16th corps in Sherman's Georgia campaign, distinguished himself at Atlanta on 22 July where, with eleven regiments, he withstood a whole army corps, and at the siege of that City, on 19 August was severely wounded and incapacitated for active service for some time. In December 1864, he succeeded General Rosecrans in the command of the department of Missouri. That of Kansas and the territories was added in February 1865, and he carried on in that year a successful campaign against hostile Indians. In 1866 he resigned from the army to become chief engineer of the Union Pacific railroad, which was built under his supervision. He resigned in 1869 to accept a similar place in the Texas Pacific railroad, and since then has been constantly employed in building railroads in the United States and Mexico. He has been for many years a director of the Union Pacific railroad. General Dodge was elected to congress from Iowa as a Republican during his absence from the state, and served one term in 1867'9, declining a renomination. He was also a delegate to the Chicago republican convention of 1868 and the Cincinnati convention of 1876.
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