James St. Clair Morton was an American soldier, engineer and writer. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, primarily serving in the Western Theater.
Morton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Samuel George Morton and Rebecca Pearsall, the oldest of eight children. At the age of 14, he entered the University of Pennsylvania and when he was 18, he attended the United States Military Academy, where, in 1851, he graduated 2nd in a class of 42. He was assigned to the Corps of Engineers and was the assistant engineer of construction of forts around Charleston, SC, such as Fort Sumter, from 1851 to 1852. Afterwards, he was the assistant engineer of construction at Fort Delaware until 1855, when he returned to the United States Military Academy to teach as an assistant professor of mathematics and military engineering for two years. On April 1, 1854, Morton was promoted to second lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers.
Source: Wikipedia