Charles Henry Howard (August 28, 1838 – January 27, 1908) was an officer 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 a newspaper editor and publisher. He was the younger brother of Union general

Oliver O. Howard Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army, Union General officer, general in the American Civil War, Civil War. As a brigade commander in the Army of the Potomac, Howard ...

Early life

Howard was born in

Leeds, Maine Leeds is a New England town, town in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,262 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan St ...

, on August 28, 1838. He attended Kent's Hill School and

North Yarmouth Academy North Yarmouth Academy (also known as "NYA") is an independent, co-ed, college preparatory day and boarding school serving students from early childhood education to postgraduate. NYA was founded in 1814, in what was then North Yarmouth, Maine, p ...

. He graduated from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

in Brunswick, Maine, in 1859 and then attended the

Bangor Theological Seminary Bangor Theological Seminary was an ecumenical seminary, founded in , in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ. Located in Bangor, Maine, and Portland, Maine, it was the only accredited graduate school of religion in Northe ...

for one year before enlisting for the Civil War.

Civil War

Howard enlisted as a private and musician in the 3rd Maine Infantry in June 1861, upon the request of his brother

, and saw action at the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 61st New York Infantry on January 24, 1862, and served during the

Peninsula Campaign The Peninsula campaign (also known as the Peninsular campaign) of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March to July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The oper ...

, where he was wounded during the

Battle of Seven Pines The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union's Army of the Po ...

at Fair Oaks, Virginia. He fought at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

and was wounded again in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat between the Union Army, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

. In 1863, he was promoted to

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 ...

and aide-de-camp to his older brother Oliver and served with him at the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. He and his brother's corps were transferred to Tennessee and fought in the

Battles for Chattanooga The Chattanooga campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army of the Cumberland at the Battle of Chickamauga i ...

. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and assistant inspector general in May 1864, and to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in March 1865. Howard also commanded the

United States Colored Troops United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand fo ...

training camp at

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, South Carolina ...

; as well as the 128th U.S.C.T. Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to brevet brigadier general on August 15, 1865.

Postbellum career

Following the war, Howard served in the

Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen (i.e., former enslaved people) in the ...

(the "Freedmen's Bureau"). He also became Inspector of Schools for South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and Assistant Commissioner for the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. Brigadier General Howard as an inspector in the Freedmen's Bureau testified on January 31, 1866, before the U.S. Congress’ Joint Committee on Reconstruction on the condition of and prognosis for the freedmen in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, and about the attitudes and intentions of the people toward the United States and toward the freedmen. His remarks were published in the Report of the Joint Committee on Reconstruction dated January 1, 1866. His remarks at the hearing were printed in the March 12, 1866, issue of the New York Tribune. Howard was for five years the Western Secretary of the

American Missionary Association The American Missionary Association (AMA) was a Protestant-based abolitionist group founded on in Albany, New York. The main purpose of the organization was abolition of slavery, education of African Americans, promotion of racial equality, and ...

. He also served as editor-in-chief of the ''Advance'', a Congregational journal (1871–1881) and controlling editor of '' Farm, Field, and Stockman'', later '' Farm, Field, and Fireside'' (1885–1905). He was briefly Western Editor and Business Manager of the ''National Tribune'' (1885). Howard continued to hold special government appointments in his later life including Government Inspector of Indian Agencies under Presidents

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 1881 until his death in September that year after being shot two months earlier. A preacher, lawyer, and Civi ...

and

Chester A. Arthur Chester Alan Arthur (October 5, 1829 – November 18, 1886) was the 21st president of the United States, serving from 1881 to 1885. He was a Republican from New York who previously served as the 20th vice president under President James A. ...

. Howard married Mary Catherine Foster of

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 ...

, in 1867, and had five sons and two daughters. He died in

Glencoe, Illinois Glencoe () is a lakefront village in northeastern Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,849. Glencoe is part of Chicago's North Shore and one of the wealthiest communities in Illinois. According to t ...

on January 27, 1908, and was buried at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is a historic rural cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. At , it is the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago and its first private cemetery. The Entrance Gate and Administration ...

in Chicago.

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .
Charles Henry Howard Collection
Bowdoin College, website accessed May 16, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Charles Henry People of Maine in the American Civil War 1838 births 1908 deaths Bowdoin College alumni People from Leeds, Maine Union army colonels Bangor Theological Seminary alumni Burials at Rosehill Cemetery

Early life

Civil War

Postbellum career

See also

References