 Wright akatanga kuvaka masvingo akapoteredza Washington, D.C., asati apiwa basa mu3rd Division yeDhipatimendi reNortheast Virginia pasi paMaj. Gen. Samuel P. Heintzelman. Achishanda saChief Engineer we3rd Division panguva yeFirst Battle of Bull Run musi waJuly 21, 1861, Wright akasimudzirwa kuva mukuru munaAugust. Akakwidziridzwa kuva brigadier general wevazvipiri mwedzi wakatevera, Wright akapiwa basa reChief Engineer kuMaj. Gen. Thomas W. Shermans November 1861 expedition against Port Royal, South Carolina. Kubudirira kwake paaitungamirira mauto eUnion mumabasa ekurwisa Jacksonville, St. Augustine, uye zvimwe zvinangwa zvechiuto pamhenderekedzo yeFlorida kubva muna Kukadzi kusvika Chikumi 1862 zvakatungamira kugadzwa kwake semukuru mukuru wevanozvipira uye mutungamiri weDhipatimendi reOhio muna Nyamavhuvhu 1862, uye mutungamiri weuto richangobva kuumbwa reOhio munaKurume 1863. Mukutungamira uku akaita basa guru rekugadzira zvinhu mukudzosera kupinda kweConfederate General Braxton Bragg muKentucky muna 1862. Kugadzwa kwake somukuru mukuru hakuna kusimbiswa neSeneti uye kwakadzorerwa muna March 1863. Somukuru wemauto, haana kunzi akakodzera kutungamirira dhipatimendi uye Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside akatumwa kuzomubvisa. Achitaura kuna Burnside, Wright akagara kwenguva pfupi semutungamiriri weDunhu reWestern Kentucky asati adzokera kuMabvazuva. 