Catharinus P. Buckingham
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Catharinus Putnam Buckingham (March 14, 1808 – August 30, 1888) was an American soldier, college professor, author, and industrialist. He served as a general in the Union Army during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, and was the main assistant to the
U.S. Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the C ...
,
Edwin M. 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 ...
, during part of the first term of the
Lincoln Administration Abraham Lincoln's tenure as the 16th president of the United States began on March 4, 1861, and ended upon his death on April 15, 1865, days into his second term. Lincoln, the first Republican president, successfully presided over the Union ...
.


Early life and career

Buckingham was born and raised in the Putnam section of
Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking and Muskingum River, Muskingum rivers, the city is approximately east of Columbus, Ohio, Columb ...
, the only child of Ebenezer and Catharine Putnam Buckingham. He was a grandson of
Rufus Putnam Rufus Putnam (April 9, 1738 – May 4, 1824) was an American military officer who fought during the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. As an organizer of the Ohio Company of Associates, he was instrumental in the initial co ...
of
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
fame and his wife Persis Rice Putnam. He graduated from the
United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
sixth in the Class of 1829. He subsequently served as a second lieutenant in the 3rd U.S. Artillery on topographical duty. Buckingham married Mary Gird on July 5, 1830, in
Utica, New York Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...
. He was Assistant Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy at West Point from October 1830 to August 28, 1831. He resigned from the Army in 1831. From 1833 to 1836, he was a professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at
Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...
. During that time, he remarried, this time to Mary P. Turner on August 24, 1835. He was later the proprietor of the Kokosing Iron Works in
Knox County, Ohio Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 62,721. Its county seat is Mount Vernon. The county is named for Henry Knox, an officer in the American Revolutionary War who was later the ...
. Buckingham married a third time, on August 26, 1845, to Marion A. Hawkes.


Civil War and postwar career

At the outbreak of the Civil War, he was appointed assistant adjutant general of the Ohio Commissary in May 1861 and was promoted to adjutant general in July. A year later, in July 1862, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general of
U.S. Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army (United ...
, and was assigned to special duty as assistant to the
Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
at the
War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...
in Washington, D.C., and served until he resigned on February 11, 1863. Buckingham is best known for having carried the orders relieving MG
George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...
from command of the
Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...
on November 7, 1862. After his war service he authored a textbook, ''New Arithmetic on the Unit System'', (Philadelphia, 1869). He is also credited as having written ''Principles of Arithmetic'' in 1871. He became president of the Chicago Steel Works in 1873 and was a professor of experimental philosophy at West Point until he retired in 1881. He served as a member of the Board of Visitors for the academy in 1879. Buckingham died in
Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, at the age of 80, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Zanesville. He is one of six former Civil War generals buried in that city.


See also

*
List of American Civil War generals (Union) Union generals __NOTOC__ The following list shows the names of substantive, full grade general officers (Regular U.S. Army or U.S. Volunteers) effectively appointed, nominated, confirmed and commissioned (by signed and sealed document) who s ...


Notes


References


United States Military Academy biography of Buckingham



Further reading

* Arney, Chris, ''West Point's Scientific 200: Celebration of the Bicentennial. Biographies of 200 of West Point's Most Successful and Influential Mathematicians, Scientists, Engineers, and Technologists'', 2002.


External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, Catharinius P. 1808 births 1888 deaths American education writers American businesspeople in metals Kenyon College faculty People from Zanesville, Ohio People of Ohio in the American Civil War United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers Union army generals