Robert Lee Howze (August 22, 1864 – September 19, 1926) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

who was a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for his actions during the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

. Howze graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

in 1888 and then accepted a commission to the United States Army. He first served in the

Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

, then served in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

, Philippine–American War and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. His last assignment was presiding over the courts-martial of Colonel

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

Early life

Howze was born to Captain James A. Howze, of the 14th Texas Cavalry, and Amanda Hamilton Howze in Overton,

Rusk County, Texas Rusk County is a county located in Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 52,214. Its county seat is Henderson. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson Rusk, a secretary of war of the Republic of Texas. Rusk County is part of th ...

. After graduating from Hubbard College in 1883, he attended the

(USMA) at

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

and was in the graduating class of 1888. His classmates included several future general officers, such as Peyton C. March, William M. Morrow,

James W. McAndrew James William McAndrew (June 29, 1862 – April 30, 1922) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and was most notable for his service as chief of staff of the American Expeditionary Forces during Wo ...

, William Robert Dashiell, Peter Charles Harris,

Eli Alva Helmick Major General Eli Alva Helmick (September 23, 1863 – January 13, 1945) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in World War I, among other conflicts, and received the Distinguished Service Medal. Mi ...

, Henry Jervey Jr.,

William Voorhees Judson William Voorhees Judson (16 February 1865 – 29 March 1923) was an American Brigadier general, who served as a military aide with the Root Mission to the Russian Provisional Government. Early life and education William Voorhees Judson was bor ...

, John Louis Hayden, Edward Anderson,

William H. Hart William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Charles Aloysius Hedekin Charles Aloysius Hedekin (December 9, 1865 – January 30, 1944) was a United States Army Cavalry officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in numerous locations and incidents. Military career Hedekin was born on December 9, 18 ...

and William S. Peirce.

Military career

Howze participated in the Pine Ridge Campaign from November 1890 to January 1891. On January 1, 1891, the 6th Cavalry crossed the frozen White River in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

to engage a group of

Brulé Sioux The Brulé are one of the seven branches or bands (sometimes called "sub-tribes") of the Teton (Titonwan) Lakota American Indian people. They are known as Sičhą́ǧu Oyáte (in Lakȟóta) —Sicangu Oyate—, ''Sicangu Lakota, o''r "Burnt T ...

. It was for this action he was presented with the Medal of Honor. Howze married Anne Chiffelle Hawkins, daughter of General Hamilton S. Hawkins, on February 24, 1897. At the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Howze, now a cavalry captain, was made adjutant general of the cavalry in Cuba. Upon his return to the United States, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of volunteers and commanded the Thirty-fourth Volunteer Infantry throughout the Philippine Insurrection. He was promoted to captain in the United States Army on February 2, 1901; to brigadier general of volunteers on June 20, 1901; and to major of the Puerto Rico provincial regiment of infantry in 1901. He received two Silver Citation Stars (converted in 1932 to the Silver Star decoration) for actions respectively in Cuba and the Philippines. Maj

In 1905, Howze was appointed Commandant of Cadets at West Point, remaining in that post until 1909. In 1907 he threatened to discharge an entire class from the academy over a hazing incident. Howze was a major in the 11th Cavalry during General John J. Pershing's

Punitive Expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...

into

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1916. During

Howze was promoted to major general and placed in command of the 38th Infantry Division, which fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in October 1918. He served as commander of the 3rd Division during their march on the

Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

, and commanded the Third Army of Occupation in Germany in 1919. He was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the French Croix de Guerre, and French Legion of Honor for his service in command of the Third Army. General Howze died while on active duty on September 19, 1926, at age 62, and is buried in the United States Military Academy Cemetery at West Point, New York.

Court-martial of Billy Mitchell

Howze's last assignment was to preside over the court-martial of Colonel

, who had made public comments in response to the Navy dirigible crashing in a storm. The crash killed 14 of the crew and Mitchell issued a statement accusing senior leaders in the Army and Navy of incompetence and "almost treasonable administration of the national defense." In November 1925 he was court-martialed at the direct order of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Calvin Coolidge. The trial attracted significant interest, and public opinion supported Mitchell. The court found Mitchell guilty of

insubordination Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying a lawful order of one's superior. It is generally a punishable offense in hierarchical organizations such as the armed forces, which depend on people lower in the chain of command obeying ord ...

, and suspended him from active duty for five years without pay.Maxwell AFB. American Airpower Biography. ''Billy Mitchell''
/ref> The generals ruling in the case wrote, "The Court is thus lenient because of the military record of the Accused during the World War."Maksel 2009, p. 49. On February 1, 1926, Mitchell resigned in-lieu of accepting the courts punishment. Billy Mitchell at his court-martial

Military awards

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

* Silver Star with

oak leaf cluster An oak leaf cluster is a ribbon device to denote preceding decorations and awards consisting of a miniature bronze or silver twig of four oak leaves with three acorns on the stem. It is authorized by the United States Armed Forces for a speci ...

* Indian Campaign Medal *

Spanish Campaign Medal The Spanish Campaign Medal was a military award of the United States Armed Forces which recognized those men of the U.S. military who had served in the Spanish–American War. Although a single decoration, there were two versions of the Spanish C ...

Army of Cuban Occupation Medal The Army of Cuban Occupation Medal was a military award created by the United States War Department in June 1915. The medal recognizes those service members who performed garrison occupation duty in the United States Protectorate over Cuba, follo ...

Philippine Campaign Medal The Philippine Campaign Medal is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, medal of the United States Armed Forces which was created to denote service of U.S. military men in the Philippine–American War between the years of 1899 an ...

Mexican Border Service Medal The Mexican Border Service Medal was a U.S. service medal established by an Act of Congress on July 9, 1918. It was awarded for service between May 9, 1916 and March 24, 1917, or with the Mexican Border Patrol between January 1, 1916 to April ...

* Victory Medal *Officer, French Legion of Honor *French Croix de Guerre

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, Company K, 6th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At White River, S. Dak., 1 January 1891. Entered service at: Overton, Rusk County, Tex. Born: 22 August 1864, Overton, Rusk County, Tex. Date of issue: 25 July 1891. Citation:

Bravery in action.

Army Distinguished Service Medal citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General Robert Lee Howze, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As Commander of the 3d Division on its march to the Rhine and during the occupation of the enemy territory General Howze proved himself energetic and capable, exhibiting superb qualities of leadership. He maintained an unusually high standard of efficiency in his unit, rendering eminently conspicuous service as a Division Commander.

Dates of rank

Source: ''Army Register'', 1926

Namesakes

Camp Howze

There were two military installations named in honor of General Howze. Camp Howze, Texas, was a large

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

training facility near Gainesville, Texas.

Camp Howze, South Korea __NOTOC__ Camp Howze was a United States Army post in Bongilchon, South Korea, until it was deactivated and turned over to the South Korean Army in 2005. History Originally a US Marine Corps— divisional level—command post (1953–1955) for ...

, was a US Army installation located off Main Supply Route (MSR) 1 near the towns of Kumchon and Paju-Ri.

USS General R. L. Howze (AP-134)

The , launched May 1943, was named in his honor.

Relations

Two of his sons graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and became generals: Major General Robert Lee Howze Jr., Class of 1925, and General Hamilton H. Howze, Class of 1930.

References

: ;Citations ;Bibliography * Maksel, Rebecca. "The Billy Mitchell Court-Martial". ''Air & Space'', Vol. 24, No. 2, 46–49. Also online (as of June 28, 2009) a

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howze, Robert Lee 1864 births 1926 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients United States Army generals of World War I United States Military Academy alumni Commandants of the Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy Burials at West Point Cemetery People of the Mexican Revolution American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military personnel of the Philippine–American War American military personnel of the Indian Wars Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Recipients of the Legion of Honour People from Overton, Texas People from Highlands, New York American Indian Wars recipients of the Medal of Honor Pine Ridge Campaign United States Army generals United States Military Academy faculty Military personnel from Texas