Today in Wheeling History: November 22 — Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington, U.S. Army Brigadier General and Chief of Ordnance, was born in Wheeling (1837).
Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington was born on November 22, 1837, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1856 and graduated in May 1861, ranking seventh in his class. Immediately assigned to the Ordnance Corps, Buffington trained volunteer soldiers in Washington, D.C., before being posted to the St. Louis Arsenal. In April 1862, he was promoted to Colonel of Volunteers and briefly helped defend Pilot Knob, Missouri. On October 25, 1862, Buffington returned to Wheeling to command the ordnance depot and serve as Chief Ordnance Officer for the District of West Virginia. His career spanned numerous arsenals, including New York, Baton Rouge, and Detroit. He was also tasked with dismantling Confederate ordnance facilities after the Civil War. Buffington was a prolific inventor, developing the depressing carriage for seacoast cannons and later co-inventing the disappearing carriage with William Crozier. These innovations became standard in U.S. coastal defenses from 1890 to 1925. He served as the 10th Chief of Ordnance from 1899 to 1901. Buffington died on July 10, 1922, in Madison, New Jersey, and was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His legacy includes both military service and technological advancement in artillery design.
To learn more: Wikipedia biography (https://tinyurl.com/25ct4u24), Disappearing gun (https://tinyurl.com/msanrvrp), U.S. Army Ordnance Corps history (https://tinyurl.com/3ehstuwe), Find a Grave memorial (https://tinyurl.com/2b72v7xb), Harper’s Encyclopedia entry (Perseus) (https://tinyurl.com/5yv6tdr2)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
Adelbert Rinaldo Buffington was born on November 22, 1837, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1856 and graduated in May 1861, ranking seventh in his class. Immediately assigned to the Ordnance Corps, Buffington trained volunteer soldiers in Washington, D.C., before being posted to the St. Louis Arsenal. In April 1862, he was promoted to Colonel of Volunteers and briefly helped defend Pilot Knob, Missouri. On October 25, 1862, Buffington returned to Wheeling to command the ordnance depot and serve as Chief Ordnance Officer for the District of West Virginia. His career spanned numerous arsenals, including New York, Baton Rouge, and Detroit. He was also tasked with dismantling Confederate ordnance facilities after the Civil War. Buffington was a prolific inventor, developing the depressing carriage for seacoast cannons and later co-inventing the disappearing carriage with William Crozier. These innovations became standard in U.S. coastal defenses from 1890 to 1925. He served as the 10th Chief of Ordnance from 1899 to 1901. Buffington died on July 10, 1922, in Madison, New Jersey, and was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His legacy includes both military service and technological advancement in artillery design.
To learn more: Wikipedia biography (https://tinyurl.com/25ct4u24), Disappearing gun (https://tinyurl.com/msanrvrp), U.S. Army Ordnance Corps history (https://tinyurl.com/3ehstuwe), Find a Grave memorial (https://tinyurl.com/2b72v7xb), Harper’s Encyclopedia entry (Perseus) (https://tinyurl.com/5yv6tdr2)
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons, Find a Grave
RSS Feed
