Charles Hamlin (September 13, 1837 – May 15, 1911), from Bangor, Maine, was an attorney and a Union Army officer 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 ...

, attaining the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He was nominated for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers by

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: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

on January 13, 1866, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. He was one of the sons of Vice President

Hannibal Hamlin Hannibal Hamlin (August 27, 1809 – July 4, 1891) was an American politician and diplomat who was the 15th vice president of the United States, serving from 1861 to 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's first term. He was the first Republi ...

and a brother to

Cyrus Hamlin Cyrus Hamlin (January 5, 1811 – August 8, 1900) was an American Congregational missionary, co-founder of Robert College, and the father of A. D. F. Hamlin. Biography Hamlin was born in Waterford, Maine and grew up on his family's far ...

, a Union Army brigadier general.

Biography

Hamlin was born in

Hampden, Maine Hampden is a town on the Penobscot River estuary in Penobscot County, Maine, Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,709 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Hampden is part of the Bangor, Maine, Bangor metropolita ...

, and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1857. During the

, Hamlin served in the Union Army as a major,Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R. ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue.'' p. 257. Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. .Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands.'' p. 276 Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . and was awarded the honorary rank of brevet brigadier general

United States 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 ...

, to rank from March 13, 1865, by

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

confirmation on March 12, 1866. Hamlin began his military career as a major in the

1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It suffered more casualties in an ill-fated charge during the Second Battle of Petersburg than any Union regiment lost in a single day of comba ...

. He gained a staff position as major and assistant adjutant general in 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 ...

. He fought in the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

among other engagements. Hamlin served as assistant adjutant general on the staffs of Generals Hiram G. Berry and

Albion P. Howe Albion Parris Howe (March 13, 1818 – January 25, 1897) was an American officer who served as a Union general in the American Civil War. Howe's contentious relationships with superior officers in the Army of the Potomac eventually led to his b ...

. While serving under Gen. Howe in Washington, Hamlin was in the audience at Ford's Theatre when President Lincoln was assassinated. Hamlin was mustered out of the U.S. Volunteers on September 14, 1865. On January 13, 1866, Hamlin was nominated by

for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general United States Volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865Eicher, 2001, p. 747 for faithful and meritorious services The

confirmed the award on March 12, 1866. Along with his sister Sarah, Hamlin was at

Ford's Theater Ford's Theatre is a theater located in Washington, D.C., which opened in 1863. The theater is best known for being the site of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the theater box where ...

on the night of the

Lincoln assassination On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play ''Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, Linc ...

. After the war, Hamlin became a companion of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. A lawyer in civilian life, Hamlin returned to his home in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

after the war. He became the City Solicitor of Bangor in 1867. In 1883 and 1885 he was elected to successive terms in the

Maine House of Representatives The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via ...

, becoming its Speaker in his second term. He also served as president of the Eastern Maine General Hospital (now the Eastern Maine Medical Center).''Guide to the Hamlin Family Papers,'' Folger Library, University of Maine Orono

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Guide to the Hamlin Family Papers, Folger Library, University of Maine Orono. * Hunt, Roger D. and Brown, Jack R. ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue.'' Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamlin, Charles 1837 births 1911 deaths Children of vice presidents of the United States Politicians from Hampden, Maine Politicians from Bangor, Maine Speakers of the Maine House of Representatives Union army officers People of Maine in the American Civil War Republican Party members of the Maine House of Representatives Hannibal Hamlin 19th-century members of the Maine Legislature

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links