From Wikipedia.
CHARLES CHOCTEAU GRATIOT ( 1786-1855)
Back on June 15th, I mentioned that Fort Hampton was engineered and built by Captain Charles Gratiot so decided to do some research on him. Interesting fellow.
He was born in St. Louis to a rich fur-trading father and President Thomas Jefferson personally appointed him to the United States Military Academy at West Point in July 1804. Gratoit was a member of the Class of 1806, the 4th graduating class. (Back then cadets attended for varying numbers of years before graduation.)
Commissioned into the Corps of Engineers (which usually received the top graduates), he made captain by 1808, which was a remarkable rise in the peacetime army back then. One of his first assignments was to assist Alexander Macomb in the construction of the Charleston, S.C. defenses. It was during this time that he oversaw the construction of Fort Hampton.
Chales Gratiot returned to the USMA in 1810 and became commander of the Army garrison, a post he held from 1810-1811.
A Rising Young Officer. --Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
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