Joseph Bailey

Joseph Bailey (May 6, 1825March 21, 1867) was a civil engineer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Bailey was born near the town of Pennsville in Morgan County, Ohio. He earned a civil engineering degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, then moved to Wisconsin and became a civil engineer and lumberman. After successfully building a log dam on the Wisconsin River for use by lumber raftsmen, he and his wife, Mary, purchased several tracts of land in Kilbourn, Wisconsin (now Wisconsin Dells). He built a home in town with acreage that stretched northward up River Road which included the site of present-day Meadowbrook Resort. Politically, he was a Democrat. Civil War Bailey entered the Union Army at the beginning of the war as captain of Company D of the 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He served as part of Major General Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the Gulf, which occupied New Orleans after Admiral David Farragut captured the city in April 1862. Bailey was named acting chief engineer for the city of New Orleans shortly after its occupation. Promoted to major in May 1863, Bailey contributed to the Union Army's engineering activities in support of the Siege of Port Hudson. In August 1863, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel when the regiment was redesignated as the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment.