Henry Lycurgus Howison (October 10, 1837 – December 31, 1914) was a

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He was an officer in the Union Navy throughout 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 ...

, participating in the

Battle of Port Royal The Battle of Port Royal was one of the earliest amphibious operations of the American Civil War, in which a United States Navy fleet and United States Army expeditionary force captured Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, between Savannah, Geo ...

and

Battle of Mobile Bay The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was a naval and land engagement of the American Civil War in which a Union fleet commanded by Rear Admiral David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fle ...

. He later served as professor and department head at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

Early life

Henry Lycurgus Howison was born on October 10, 1837, in Washington, D.C., to Juliet Virginia (née Jackson) and Henry Howison. He then lived in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

and was recommended for the

. Howison entered the Naval Academy on September 26, 1854, as acting midshipman and graduated on June 11, 1858.

Career

Howison left on the USS ''Saratoga'' on June 17, 1858, to

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

. He then served the next three years on the steam frigate USS ''Wabash'', the gunship USS ''Pocahontas'' and the steam sloop USS ''Pawnee''. He was promoted on January 19, 1861, as a "passed midshipman". He was subsequently promoted to master in February 1861 and as lieutenant in April 1861. In April 1861, he was present at the surrender of General Anderson at the

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (also the Attack on Fort Sumter or the Fall of Fort Sumter) (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina, by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender of the ...

. He was sent on a special assignment to Cloud's Mill, Virginia and was involved in a skirmish with General

Stuart Stuart may refer to: People *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) * Clan Stuart of Bute, a Scottish clan *House of Stuart, a royal house of Scotland and England Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, ...

's cavalry. He took part in the capture of

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

alongside Andrew E. K. Benham. He was the executive officer of three

South Atlantic Blockading Squadron The Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to enforce the Union blockade of the ports of the Confederate States. It was formed in 1861 and split up the same year for th ...

ships: steamer USS ''Augusta'', monitor USS ''Nantucket'' and USS ''Catskill''. Howison took part in the bombardments of Forts Moultrie, Sumter and

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

. He then took command of the USS ''Bienville'' in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

and participated in the

. In March 1865, Howison was appointed lieutenant commander. Howison worked in ordnance inspection duty in the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...

for one year. He then worked on steamer USS ''Pensacola'' on the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast o ...

as a navigator and executive officer. From 1868 to 1872, Howison rejoined the Washington Navy Yard and then the U.S. Naval Academy. From 1870 to 1872, he was in charge of all vessels at the Naval Academy and was senior instructor aboard the stationary school ship USS ''Constitution''. Howison was promoted to commander and commanded the gunboat USS ''Shawmut'' from 1873 to 1875. He then returned to the Naval Academy. He served as head of the Department of Seamanship from 1875 to 1878. From 1878 to 1881, he was Inspector of Ordnance. He worked at the Naval Academy until the 1880s. He was promoted to captain. In 1881, he became a member of the first advisory board of the Navy. In 1886, Howison commanded the screw sloop USS ''Vandalia''. In 1888, Howison was appointed as president of the Steel Inspecting Board. From 1890 to 1892, Howison served in the Lighthouse Board. He then served as captain of the

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

from 1892 to 1893 and commander of Mare Island Navy Yard from 1893 to 1896. In 1896, Howison took command of the new battleship USS ''Oregon''. From May 1897 to March 1899, Howison served as commandant of the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

. He was promoted to

in September 1898. In March 1899, Howison became commander of

South Atlantic Station The Commander-in-Chief South Atlantic was an operational commander of the Royal Navy from 1939. The South American area was added to his responsibilities in 1960, and the post disestablished in 1967. Immediately before the outbreak of the Sec ...

aboard the USS ''Chicago'' and served in that role until he retired on October 10, 1899. In September 1901, Howison was added to a Court of Inquiry on the conduct of Commodore

Winfield Scott Schley Winfield Scott Schley (9 October 1839 – 2 October 1911) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the hero of the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War. Biography Early life Born at "Richfields" (his father's far ...

during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. He was removed from the proceedings due to previous statements made against Schley's conduct.

Personal life

Howison married Hannah J. Middleton on October 3, 1865. In December 1914, Howison received an operation for intestinal obstruction at St. John's Riverside Hospital. Three weeks later, Howison died at his home, 53 Locust Hill Street in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

, on December 31, 1914. He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

Admiral Henry L. Howison (Brady-Handy photograph collection)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howison, Henry L. 1837 births 1914 deaths United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Military personnel from Indiana People of Indiana in the American Civil War Union Navy officers United States Naval Academy faculty United States Navy rear admirals People from Yonkers, New York Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)