Editing Washington Roebling (section)

==Education and military service==
The oldest son of Johanna (née Herting) and [[John A. Roebling]], Washington was born in 1837 in [[Saxonburg, Pennsylvania]], a town co-founded by his father and his uncle, Carl Roebling. His early schooling consisted of tutoring by Riedel and under Henne in Pittsburgh.<!-- Need full names -->  He was sent to stay with Professor Lemuel Stephens of the Western University of Pennsylvania (now known as the [[University of Pittsburgh]]), where Roebling also attended some classes.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mB8er1ajraUC&pg=PA107|title=Washington Roebling's Father: A Memoir of John A. Roebling
|first=Washington Augustus|last=Roebling|editor-last=Sayenga|editor-first=Donald|publisher=American Society of Civil Engineers Press|location=Reston, VA|year=2009|pages=107–109|isbn=978-0-7844-0948-0|access-date=October 1, 2013}}</ref> Roebling eventually attended the [[Trenton Academy]] and acquired higher education in engineering at the [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]] in [[Troy, New York]], from 1854 to 1857. He wrote a thesis titled "Design for a Suspension [[Aqueduct (water supply)|Aqueduct]]."<ref>Caso, Frank. [http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=52 "Washington A. Roebling."] In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present'', vol. 3, edited by Giles R. Hoyt, [[German Historical Institute Washington DC]]. Last modified November 8, 2012.</ref>

Following his graduation as [[civil engineer]] (C.E.), Roebling joined his father to work as a [[bridge]] builder. From 1858 to 1860, he assisted his father on the [[Sixth Street Bridge (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)|Sixth Street Bridge]] project to replace an older bridge over the Allegheny River. During that period, he lived in a boarding house on Penn Street. Following completion of the bridge, Roebling returned to Trenton, where he worked in his father's wire mill.

On April 16, 1861, soon after the start of the American Civil War, Roebling enlisted as a private in the New Jersey Militia. Seeking more than garrison duty, he resigned after two months and re-enlisted in a New York artillery battery: Company K, 83rd NY Volunteers. He performed staff duty engaged in the construction of suspension bridges to provide for the movement of troops.<ref>{{cite book|title=History of the Ninth Regiment N.Y.S.M. 83rd N.Y. Volunteers|publisher=OgliviePress|location=57 Rose St.|page=370}}</ref> He rose steadily in rank and was soon commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant.<ref name="cw">McCullough 1972, pp. 157-162.</ref>

Roebling saw action in numerous battles: Manassas Junction ([[Second Battle of Bull Run|Second Bull Run]]), [[Battle of Antietam|Antietam]], [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville]], [[Battle of the Wilderness|the Wilderness]], [[Siege of Petersburg]], and most notably, the [[Battle of Gettysburg]]. Soon after Chancellorsville, he was perhaps the first to note the movement of [[Robert E. Lee]]'s [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] Army toward the northwest while conducting [[air balloon reconnaissance]].<ref name="cw"/>

On July 2, 1863, during Gettysburg, Roebling was one of the first Union officers on [[Little Round Top]]. Observing signs of approaching Confederate troops, he hurried down the hill to report to [[Brigadier general (United States)|Brig. Gen.]] [[Gouverneur K. Warren]], for whom Roebling was aide-de-camp. General Warren and Roebling descended further to find troops to secure this important tactical position. Roebling helped haul artillery up the hill, while Warren sent two of his aides, including Lt. [[Ranald S. Mackenzie]], to search for infantry support. The two aides secured a brigade from the Union [[V Corps (ACW)|V Corps]]. Commanded by Col. [[Strong Vincent]], the brigade immediately occupied the hill and defended the left flank of the [[Army of the Potomac]] against repeated Confederate attacks. As Vincent's brigade began moving into position, Warren and Roebling had left the hill. Roebling sent the 140th New York Volunteers to the hill, not knowing that Vincent's brigade was already engaging with advance Confederate troops. The 140th New York provided much needed reinforcements.<ref name="cw" /><ref>Norton (1992), pp. 292–296, 330–332.</ref>

Roebling was [[Brevet (military)|brevet]]ted [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]] in December 1864 for gallant service. He ended his service brevetted to [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]].  After the war, he became a veteran companion of the [[Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States]].