Grenville Mellen Dodge II (1831 - 1916)

Born 12 Apr 1831 in Putnamville, Danvers, Essex County, Massachusetts

Ancestors

Husband of Ruth Anne (Browne) Dodge — married 29 May 1854 in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts

Died 3 Jan 1916 at age 84 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa

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Biography

Grenville Dodges born 12 Apr 1831 in Putnamville, Danvers, Essex, Massachusetts, USA. He was thee son of Sylvanus Dodge Julia Teresa, Phillips. He was educated as a civil engineer, Grenville Dodge moved west to Peru, Illinois in 1851 and began a career surveying for railroad companies. Grenville worked his way up to becoming the lead assistant with well-known surveyor Peter M. Dey. They would survey westward across Iowa ending up near Council Bluffs on the Missouri River. The area was a major outfitting point and steamboat trading center and must have impressed Grenville. In 1854 he married Miss Annie Browne of Peru and together they would eventually move to the Council Bluffs area where they would make their home for years to come. He passed away on 3 Jan 1916 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa. Grenville and Annie would have the following children:

Lettie (Dodge) Montgomery (1855-1935)

Ella (Dodge) Pusey (1858-1931)

Annie Dodge (1866-1950)

Dodge continued with surveying work for the railroads and then would become involved in banking and parlayed his knowledge of potential railroad routes into a very lucrative land speculation business in which he would become quite wealthy. He would next become politically active in western Iowa and at one point in 1859 Grenville had the opportunity to meet Abraham Lincoln, at the time a lawyer for the Chicago and Rock Island Railway. Lincoln would learn Council Bluffs could be the best jump off point for a transcontinental railway heading west.

With the onset of the Civil War, Dodge would turn down a commission in the regular Union Army and join Iowa’s 4th Infantry Militia Regiment as a colonel. He was said to drill right beside his men and then he led them into battle in Missouri. He was wounded twice in the Missouri campaigns, once in an accident and a second time during the Battle at Pea Ridge when a tree limb, hit by an enemy artillery round, broke and came down on him. The Union forces held off the Missouri Confederates and Dodge was promoted to brigadier general in command of the Central Division of the Army of the Tennessee. Working under General U.S. Grant, General Dodge became known for his effectiveness in repairing and maintaining the western supply railways. As if that wasn't enough, Dodge also established a spy network of around 100 undercover agents that included women and blacks. He would keep his agents' identities secret, even from his superiors and the information gathered became indispensable to the Union cause. Grant rewarded Dodge’s service by giving him command of the 16th Army Corps as Grenville became a major general. The 16th Corps would maintain the right flank for General Sherman's army as Sherman made his famous march to the sea.

Dodge was wounded a third time during fighting outside of Atlanta when a mini-ball glanced off of his head, knocking him senseless and tearing a strip of his scalp off. At first he was thought to have been killed but the wound wasn't quite that bad. It did, however, lead to a 30-day leave and his eventual transfer to the command of the Department of Missouri. As the war ground to a halt, General Dodge would also assume command of the Departments of Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Utah. Until May of 1866 he would be in charge of Indian campaigns on the plains, attempting to protect immigrants moving west.

Later in 1866, Grenville Dodge would be hired as the chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad as the push across America was begun in earnest. At the same time he was also elected to a two year term in the United States Congress. Serving his term in Washington, Grenville must have concluded Washington's political lifestyle wasn't for him because he opted not to run again. He stayed active in Republican politics though by attending national conventions as a delegate from Iowa several times.

As the Union Pacific’s chief engineer he oversaw construction and fought the corruption that seemed to run rampant around the endeavor. He led his workers by being fearless in the face of danger, forceful when he had to be (and that included with his superiors as well) and he was as efficient as possible. Dodge was on hand at the pounding of the golden spike that signified the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad at Promontory Point, Utah. Grenville Dodge played a key role in overseeing to completion, one of the greatest engineering projects of the 19th century. He would shortly resign from the railroad in favor of following other pursuits.

At this point, in 1870, Dodge would leave Council Bluffs and move to New York City where he served as a representative and lobbyist for railroad interests. He served on the Board of Directors with the Union Pacific Railroad for almost 30 years and consulted on and built railroads around the globe.

Dodge would retire and return to Council Bluffs in 1907 where he would remain until his death in 1916.

Sources

• Wikipedia Biography on Grenville M. Dodge [1]

• Genealogy of the Dodge Family of Essex County Massachusetts, 1629-1898, by Joseph Thompson Dodge. Democrat Printing Co. Wisconsin - Vol 1 1894 & Vol 2 1898, J. T. D. Pages 335, 394-398. [2]

• Encyclopedia.com Biography on Grenville Mellen Dodge [3]

• Signal Corps Association Biography on Grenville Mellon Dodge [4]

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774-Present. Dodge, Grenville Mellen (1831-1916) [5]

• Wikipedia on the First Transcontinental Railroad [6]

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-XRX8 : 6 November 2017), Granville Melen Dodge, 12 Apr 1831; citing Birth, Danvers, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 758829.

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29L-C2H3 : 6 November 2017), Grenville M. Dodge and Annie Brown, 29 May 1854; citing Marriage, Salem, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 761211.

• "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M82L-C5F : 2 October 2017), Granville M Dodge, 1860.

• "United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDV5-2S9 : 12 April 2016), G M Dodge, Iowa, United States; citing p. 10, family 73, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 545,915.

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDLD-SVG : 14 August 2017), Granvil Dodge, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district ED 193, sheet 305A, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0361; FHL microfilm 1254361.

• "Iowa State Census, 1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HWP7-92M : 2 April 2016), Granville M Dodge, Council Bluffs, Kane, Pottawattamie, Iowa; citing p. 3, 1885, State Historical Society, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1020176.

• "Iowa State Census, 1895," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VTQD-RCR : 30 June 2016), Granville M Dodge, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States; citing p. 331, 1895, State Historical Society, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1,022,100.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M9L8-9PM : accessed 3 December 2017), Grenville M Dodge, Kane Township Council Bluffs city Ward 3, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 140, sheet 15B, family 349, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,455.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MG9W-BPD : accessed 3 December 2017), Grenville M Dodge, Council Bluffs Ward 3, Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 136, sheet 12A, family 273, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 421; FHL microfilm 1374434.

• "Iowa State Census, 1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK4T-PVKQ : 5 October 2016), Grenville M Dodge, 1915; citing Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States, card no. , Iowa State Historical Department, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1462730.

• "Iowa, Grand Army of the Republic Membership Records, 1861-1949," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q23N-3KLZ : 2 June 2016), Grenville Mellen Dodge, 1861-1949; citing Iowa, United States, Military Service, State Historical Department, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1487413.

• Find A Grave: Memorial #12605 Grenville Mellen Dodge. Citing Walnut Hill Cemetery, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, USA ; Maintained by Find a Grave .