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Partly-printed vellum DS as president, one page, 13.75 x 16.5, February 13, 1846. President Polk appoints Rufus Ingalls as "Second Lieutenant in the First Regiment of Dragoons, in the service of the United States. Signed at the conclusion by James K. Polk and countersigned by Secretary of War William L. Marcy. The upper left retains the original white War Department seal. In very good to fine condition, with mottled staining affecting only the appearance. An impressive commission that represents the first officer’s appointment in the legendary military career of Rufus Ingalls (1818–1893), the future 16th Quartermaster General of the United States Army.
After graduating from West Point, Ingalls joined the First U.S. Dragoons as a second lieutenant. He was soon promoted to first lieutenant and served in the Mexican–American War in the New Mexico Territory in the Army of the West under Col. Stephen W. Kearny. He distinguished himself in action at the Battle of Embudo Pass and during the Siege of Pueblo de Taos, for which he received the brevet rank of first lieutenant.
Renowned for his logistical brilliance, Ingalls played a vital role in sustaining Union operations during the Civil War. He served as aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and as Chief Quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac, where he efficiently managed the supply chain during key campaigns, including Gettysburg and Grant’s Overland Campaign. He later oversaw logistics for all Federal armies operating against Petersburg and Richmond; his supply base at City Point, Virginia, became the largest port operation in the Western Hemisphere.
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