Born March 6, 1820, in Clinton, Connecticut, Horatio Wright graduated second in the Military Academy class of 1841 and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. He superintended construction at Ford Jefferson at Dry Tortugas, 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, 1846-56. While assistant to the Chief Engineer of the Army, 1856-61, he was a member of boards to study iron carriages for seacoast guns and the adaptability of the 15-inch gun for ordnance. He co-wrote a "Report on Fabrication of Iron for Defenses." From Chief Engineer of a division at the First Battle of Bull Run, he advanced to command the famous 6th Army Corps, which saved Washington, D.C., from capture in 1864 and spearheaded the final assault on Petersburg and the pursuit of Lee to Appomattox in 1865. He commanded the Department of Texas, 1865-66, and served as a member of the Board of Engineers for Fortifications and many river and harbor planning boards until he was appointed Chief of Engineers in 1879. While Wright was Chief of Engineers, engineer officers began a reservoir system at the headwaters of the Mississippi River and initiated the first substantial federal effort to control the river's lower reaches. General Wright retired March 6, 1884, and died July 2, 1899, in Washington, D.C. The obelisk marking his grave was erected by survivors of Union Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac.