Joshua Thomas Owen (March 29, 1821 – November 7, 1887) was a British-born American military officer who served as a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. He commanded the

Philadelphia Brigade The Philadelphia Brigade (also known as the California Brigade) was a Union Army brigade that served in the American Civil War. It was raised primarily in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the exception of the 106th regiment which cont ...

for part of the war. He had an ongoing feud with his commanding officer, general

John Gibbon John Gibbon (April 20, 1827 – February 6, 1896) was a career United States Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Early life Gibbon was born in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the four ...

which resulted in an revoked court-martial in 1863 and an arrest for disobedience of orders during battle in 1864. Owen was scheduled to be court-martialed, but

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

interceded in the case and Owen was honorably discharged from service instead. He served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1858 and was founder and editor of the ''New York Daily Register'', a newspaper and law journal, from 1871 to 1887.

Early life and career

Owen was born in

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, RP: ; cy, Caerfyrddin , "Merlin's fort" or "Sea-town fort") is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy. north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. The population was 14,185 in 2011, ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, on March 29, 1821. He emigrated with his family to the United States. He graduated from Jefferson College in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town lies in a rich coal distr ...

in 1845. He worked as a professor at the

Chestnut Hill Academy Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (also known as SCH Academy or SCH) is an independent, non-sectarian Pre-K through grade 12 school located in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles from Center City. SCH serves ove ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and practiced law. He served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representative in 1858.

Civil War

Owen entered the Civil War on May 8, 1861, as colonel of the 24th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. The unit served only three months and fought in the

Battle of Ball's Bluff The Battle of Ball's Bluff was an early battle of the American Civil War fought in Loudoun County, Virginia, on October 21, 1861, in which Union Army forces under Major General George B. McClellan suffered a humiliating defeat. The operation wa ...

. After the discharge of the 24th Pennsylvania Infantry, he took command as colonel of the

69th Pennsylvania Infantry The 69th Pennsylvania Infantry (originally raised as the 2nd California) was an infantry regiment in the Union army during the American Civil War. Part of the famed Philadelphia Brigade, this all-volunteer regiment played a key role defending ag ...

, a predominantly Irish regiment that was part of the

. Owen and the 69th fought with distinction at

Battle of Glendale The Battle of Glendale, also known as the Battle of Frayser's Farm, Frazier's Farm, Nelson's Farm, Charles City Crossroads, New Market Road, or Riddell's Shop, took place on June 30, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, on the sixth day of the Sev ...

and he was commended by generals

Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

and

John Sedgwick John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was a military officer and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsuccessful assault against Co ...

and recommended for promotion to brigadier general. He led the Philadelphia brigade at the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

, where it performed barely any service. He was reported killed in action twice by two different newspapers during the

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 186 ...

. He lost a finger in battle and had two horses shot from under him. Owen was court-martialed and relieved of brigade command for unclear reasons. Some accounts placed the reason for poor discipline in his troops and others for assaulting his lieutenant colonel while drunk. His sentence was revoked due to his previous good character and service. He was replaced by

Alexander S. Webb Alexander Stewart Webb (February 15, 1835 – February 12, 1911) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for gallantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the war, he w ...

, who led the brigade admirably at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

. Owen returned to his brigade after Gettysburg and led it at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

. On May 15, Owen requested to be transferred or mustered out of service due to ongoing disagreements with his commanding officer, general

. He was arrested on May 18, 1864, under order of Gibbon, for disobedience of orders in the face of the enemy at Cold Harbor and Spotsylvania. Owen was ordered to assault the enemy to the right of another brigade. He encountered unexpected swampland and altered his course to prevent his troops from becoming trapped and emerged to the left of the other brigade. Gibbon pressed charges against Owen for this perceived disobedience. He was scheduled to be court-martialed at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...

, however

intervened with a telegram to secretary of war

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...

and Owen was instead honorably discharged from service on July 16, 1864.

Post war career

After the war, Owen returned to Pennsylvania. He was elected

recorder of deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...

for Philadelphia County and served from 1867 to 1870. He was the founder and editor of the ''New York Daily Register'', a newspaper and law journal, from 1871 to 1887. He died in Philadelphia on November 7, 1887, and was interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

References

Sources

* U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the

Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.

External links