Graduated from West Point in 1842. He was stationed at a variety of locations between 1842 and 1861, including the Waterville Arsenal, Washington, D.C., San Antonio, TX, and Charleston, SC. In 1857 he was ordered to West Point as Instructor of Ordinance and Gunnery, and while there wrote "Ordinance and Gunnery, a Course of instruction for the Cadets of the Military Academy," which was used as a text book until some time after his death. When the war broke out in 1861 he was ordered to Washington as principal assistant to the chief of ordnance, General James W. Ripley. In September 1863 he was ordered to the command of Washington arsenal. He was promoted to Colonel in 1865 for faithful and meritorious service. In 1866, ordered to the command of the national armory in Springfield, MA, where he remained until his death.