John Haskell Calef (September 24, 1841 – January 4, 1912) was a career

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

in the

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, and a veteran of 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 ...

Early and family life

Born in

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of North Shore (Massachusetts), Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. ...

to John Church Calef and his wife Eliza Baldwin Haskell, he had at least three older sisters and a brother. He attended 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 ...

and graduated 22nd in the Class of 1862. He married Mary Matilda Newell in 1870 in

San Joaquin, California San Joaquin (Spanish: ''San Joaquín'', meaning " St. Joachim") is a city in Fresno County, California, United States. The population was 3,701 at the 2020 census, down from 4,001 at the 2010 census. The nearest high school in the area is Tra ...

, and they had children.

Career

Commissioned in to the 5th Regiment of Artillery upon graduation, Calef fought with it in 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 ...

and at

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 Virgin ...

. He transferred to Battery A, 2nd U.S. Artillery and the

U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various artillery battery, batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War. Made up almost entirely of individual, Company (military unit), company-strength batter ...

in October 1862. While in command of Battery A during the early summer of 1863, his three-inch rifles supported Buford on the first day of 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, ...

. For his bravery during that battle and exemplary service during the war, Lieutenant Calef received brevet promotions to captain and major. Promoted to permanent

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

on November 3, 1863, Calef also acted as the regimental

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the

2nd Regiment of Artillery The 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment is an air defense artillery regiment of the United States Army, first formed in 1821 as a field artillery unit. Battery A-2nd ADAR THAAD (Battery A, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Terminal High Altitu ...

from November 1864 through March 1865. After the war, Lt. Calef remained in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

. He was stationed for a considerable period at the

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

in California and at

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American Coastal defense and fortification, coastal bastion fort, pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, Baltimore, Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War ...

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. He turned down an offer at a promotion to captain that would have required him to transfer branches to the 10th U.S. Cavalry. The 10th Cavalry was (along with the 9th) a regiment formed of African-American troopers. Though Calef's reasons for turning down the promotion can only be speculated, many officers at the time considered to accept command of black troops a career ending move. Calef remained with the Artillery branch, and earned his captaincy with the 2nd U.S. Artillery, and also briefly served as an instructor at the Artillery School of Practice at

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth o ...

, in

Hampton, Virginia Hampton is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 137,148 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, seve ...

. He was promoted successively to command the

1st Regiment of Artillery The 1st Air Defense Artillery is an air defense artillery regiment in the United States Army first formed as a field artillery unit in 1821. Lineage Constituted 1 June 1821 in the Regular Army as the 1st Regiment of Artillery, and organized fro ...

as colonel of the regiment.

Later life

Lt. Col. Calef retired in August 1900. He taught military science at

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

from October 1903 to March 1906. Calef was advanced 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 ...

on the retired list in April 1904. He died of pneumonia in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, on January 4, 1912, and was laid to rest at the Post Cemetery at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on January 8, 1912.

References

* Heitman, Francis B. ''Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903''. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1903. * Petruzzi, J. David.
"Faded Thunder"
''Hoofbeats and Cold Steel'' February 23, 2007. * ''Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy''. West Point, NY: West Point Alumni Foundation, Inc., 1970. * U.S. War Department. ''The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies''. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1894. {{DEFAULTSORT:Calef, John H. 1841 births 1912 deaths People from Gloucester, Massachusetts United States Military Academy alumni Union army officers People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War United States Army colonels Military personnel from St. Louis Saint Louis University faculty Burials at West Point Cemetery