History of Leeds, (Androscoggin County) Maine United States of America

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Oliver Otis Howard, soldier, was born in Leeds, Maine, Nov. 8, 1830; son of Rowland Bailey and Eliza (Otis) Howard. The family were in moderate circumstances and he spent his boyhood on the farm, attending the district school, and later the academies at Monmouth and Yarmouth. His father died when he was nine years old and he lived for two years with his uncle, John Otis, at Hollowell. He entered Bowdoin college in 1846, and was graduated A.B., 1850, A.M., 1853. He secured an appointment to the U.S. Military academy, West Point, Sept. 1, 1850, through the influence of his uncle, John Otis, and was graduated in 1854, fourth in a class of forty-six. He was promoted in the army brevet second lieutenant of ordnance, July l, 1854; second lieutenant, Feb. 15, 1855; first lieutenant, July 1, 1857; brigadier-general, Dec. 21, 1864, and major-general, March 19, 1868; retiring by operation of law, Nov. 8, 1894. He was on duty at the arsenal at Watervliet, N.Y., 1854-55; at the Kennebec arsenal, Augusta, Maine, 1855-56; at Watervliet, N.Y., 1856; was chief of ordnance on the staff of General Harney in the Seminole war in Florida, 1857, and assistant professor of mathematics, West Point, 1857-61. He resigned to accept promotion in the volunteer service, June 8, 1861; was made colonel of the 3d Maine volunteers, May 28, 1861; promoted brigadier-general, Sept. 3, 1861, and major-general, Nov. 29, 1862; and was honorably mustered out of the volunteer service, Jan. 1, 1869. He was brevetted major-general, March 13, 1865, for "gallant and meritorious services in the battle of Ezra Church and during the campaign against Atlanta, Georgia;" and received the thanks of congress, Jan. 28, 1864, "for the skill and heroic valor which, at Gettysburg, repulsed, defeated and drove back, broken and dispirited, beyond the Rappahannock, the veteran army of the rebellion;" and a medal of honor "for distinguished bravery in the battle of Fair Oaks, Va., June 1, 1862, leading the 61st New York volunteer infantry in the charge across the enemy's line, where he was twice severely wounded in the right arm, necessitating its amputation, while serving as brigadier-general of volunteers, commanding brigade." In the volunteer army he was employed in the defences of Washington, June and July, 1861; commanded the 3d brigade, Heintzleman's division, in the Manassas campaign of July, 1861; commanded a brigade of Casey's division in the defence of Washington, July to September, 1861; commanded the 1st brigade, Sumner's division, September, 1861, to April, 1862; commanded the same brigade in the Army of the Potomac, April-June, 1862; commanded a brigade at Fair Oaks, Va., June 1, 1862; was on sick leave disabled by wounds, June 2-Aug. 27, 1862; commanded California brigade, Sedgwick's division, Army of the Potomac, in the Northern Virginia campaign, August-September, 1862; commanded the same brigade in the 2d division, 2d corps, during the Maryland campaign, September, 1862; succeeded General Sedgwick, wounded, to the command of the 2d division, 2d corps, at the battle of Antietam, Sept. 14, 1862; was on the march to Falmouth, Va., October-November, 1862; served in the Rappahannock campaign, 1862-1863; commanded the 11th corps, Army of the Potomac, at Chancellorsville, April-May, 1863; in the Pennsylvania campaign, June-September, 1863; guarded the Orange and Alexandria railroad, Catlett's station, Va., July-September, 1863; served in the Army of the Cumberland, September-October, 1863; in operations about Chattanooga, Tenn., October-November, 1863; on the expedition for the relief of Knoxville, Tenn., November-December, 1863; in the occupation of Chattanooga, Tenn., December, 1863-April, 1864; commanded the 4th army corps, Army of the Cumberland, April, 1864; participated in the invasion of Georgia, May-July, 1864; commanded the Army and Department of Tennessee, July-October, 1864; was in pursuit of Hood's army, October-November, 1864; commanded the right wing of General Sherman's army in the march to the sea, November-December, 1864; engaged in the invasion of the Carolinas, January-April, 1865; was a commissioner of the bureau of refugees, freedmen and abandoned lands, May 12, 1865-June 30,1872; a special Indian commissioner for New Mexico and Arizona, February-November, 1872; commanded the Department of the Columbia, 1874-81; was superintendent of the U.S. Military academy, 1881-82; and was commander of the Department of the Platte, 1882-86; of the Department of California, Columbia and Arizona, and the Division of the Pacific, 1886-88; of the Division of the Atlantic, 1888-91, and of the Department of the East, 1891-94. The battles in which he saw active service include Bull Run, July 21, 1861; Fairfax, March 3, 1862; West Point, Va., May 7, 1862; Bottom's Bridge, May 17, 1862; Fair Oaks, May 31-June 1, 1862, where he lost his arm; Centreville, Sept. 1, 1862; Antietam, Sept. 14, 1862; Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862; Chancellorsville, May 2-4, 1863; Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863; Lookout Valley, Tenn., Oct. 29, 1863; Missionary Ridge, Nov. 23-25, 1863: Tunnel Hill, Rocky-face Ridge, Buzzard-Roost Gap, and Dalton, Ga., May 7-12, 1864; Resaca, May 14-15, 1864; Adairsville, May 17, 1864; Cassville, May 19, 1864; Dallas, May 25-26,1864; Pickett's Mill, May 27, 1864; Pine and Kenesaw mountains, June 20-July 2, 1864; Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4,1864; Peach Tree Creek, July 20, 1864; Atlanta, July 22, 1864; Ezra Church, July 28, 1864; Jonesboro, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, 1864; pursuit of Hood's army in Northern Georgia and Alabama, Oct. 4-Nov. 1, 1864; Griswoldville, Ga., Nov. 16,1864; Savannah, Dec. 21, 1864; Pocotaligo, S.C., Jan 4, 1865; River Bridge, Feb. 3, 1865; Orangeburg, Feb. 15, 1865; Congree Creek, Feb. 1865; Cheraw, March 3, 1865; Fayetteville, N.C., March 11, 1865; Bentonville, March 19-21, 1865; Goldsboro, March 24, 1865, and surrender of Johnston's army at Durbam's Station, N.C., April 26, 1865. The French government conferred on him the badge of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1884. He served as president of Howard university, Washington, D.C., published by the government largely through his instrumentality and named in his honor, 1869-73, and as trustee of the institution from its organization; and was elected president of the Congregational Home Missionary society in 1897. He was married, Feb. 14, 1855, to Elizabeth Ann, daughter of Alexander Black Waite, of Portland, Maine, and had fiver sons and two daughters: Lieut.-Col. Guy Howard, killed in action in the Philippines, Oct. 22, 1899; Maj. John Howard, of the 48th volunteer infantry; Maj. J. W. Howard, civil engineer; Chauncey O. Howard; Harry S. Howard; Grace Ellen Howard, wife of James T. Gray, of Portland, Ore.; and Bessie Howard. He received the degree of LL.D. from Waterville college, Maine (now Colby university), 1865; from Shurtleff college, Ill., 1865; from Gettysburg Theological seminary, Pa., 1866, and from Bowdoin college, 1888. He is the author of: Donald's School Days (1878); Chief Joseph of the Nez Perc?s, in Peace and War (1878); Life of Zachary Taylor (1892); Fighting for Humanity (1898); Henry in War (1899); translator of Life of the Cogent de Gasparin (1885), and Isabella de Castile (1893); and contributor of the articles: The Eleventh Corps at Chancellorsville, The Struggle for Atlanta and Shermannau's Advance from Atlanta in "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" (1884-88).

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Leeds, (Androscoggin County) Maine

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