Army of the Ohio. He was in command for only a short time before he was badly injured in a fall from his horse. Upon his recovery, he took command of the Department of the South and aided in forcing the surrender of Savannah, Georgia. He was making preparations for the surrender of Charleston, but his wounds forced him to relinquish command to Maj. Gen. Quincy A. Gilmore. Foster was assigned to command of the Department of Florida at the end of the war, receiving a promotion to the rank of major general in the volunteer service and brevet major general in the regular army. Postbellum After the war, Foster remained in the army, being promoted to lieutenant colonel of engineers in 1867. Promoted to colonel of engineers in 1871, he was involved in military and underwater surveying. He became an expert in underwater demolition, publishing a definitive manual on the subject in 1869 that became the acknowledged reference work. From 1871 until 1874, he was assistant to the Chief of Engineers in Washington, D.C. His final post was as superintendent of the Harbor of Refuge on Lake Erie. Foster died in Nashua, New Hampshire, and was buried in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua Cemetery. The first official reunion of the New Hampshire Veterans Association, which took place in Manchester, New Hampshire in October 1875, was named Camp J.G. Foster. Honors The John G. Foster Post #7 of the Grand Army of the Republic in Nashua was named in his honor. In 1900, Fort Foster in Maine was named in his memory by the US Army. It is preserved as a park. A statue of him stands on Lock Street in the French Hill neighborhood of Nashua, New Hampshire, including a plaque honoring his achievements. See also List of American Civil War generals (Union) References Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, . Further reading Clarence E.E. Stout, "John Gray Foster," The Granite Monthly, (1882). Frank G. Noyes, "Biographical sketch of Major-General John G. Foster, son of New Hampshire, soldier of the Republic," The Granite Monthly, (1899). External links John G. Foster webpage Fort Foster webpage Foster biography 1823 births 1874 deaths People from Whitefield, New Hampshire United States Military Academy alumni American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Union Army generals People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War