- Albion P. Howe
Infobox Military Person
name= Albion Parris Howe
born= birth date|1818|3|13
died= death date and age|1897|1|25|1818|3|13
placeofbirth=Standish, Maine
placeofdeath=Cambridge, Massachusetts
placeofburial=
caption=
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
serviceyears= 1841-1882
rank= Brevet Major General, USA
commands= Artillery Depot, Washington, D.C.
unit= 4th U.S. Artillery West Point teacher
battles=Mexican-American War American Civil War
*Second Battle of Bull Run
*Battle of South Mountain
*Battle of Antietam
*Battle of Fredericksburg
*Battle of Gettysburg
awards=
laterwork=
portrayedby=Albion Parris Howe (March 13, 1818 – January 25, 1897) was a
Union Army general in theAmerican Civil War . Howe's contentious relationships with superior officers in theArmy of the Potomac eventually led to his being deprived of division command.Early life
Howe was born in
Standish, Maine . He graduated from theUnited States Military Academy in 1841. After serving in the 4th U.S. Artillery for two years, he taught mathematics at the U.S. Military Academy for three years.Howe served in the Mexican War and was awarded a brevet promotion in 1847 to the rank of captain for gallantry during
Winfield Scott 's advance uponMexico City , especially for his actions at theBattle of Contreras and theBattle of Churubusco . He was promoted to the rank of captain on March 2, 1855. Howe served underRobert E. Lee during the suppression of John Brown atHarpers Ferry .Civil War
At the beginning of the Civil War, Howe served under Maj. Gen.
George B. McClellan in western Virginia. He took command of John J. Peck's 3rd Brigade, (55th New York, 62nd New York, and the 93rd, 98th, and 102nd Pennsylvania regiments) Couch's 1st Division, Keyes's IV Corps during theSeven Days Battles , after Peck was promoted to command of Silas Casey's Division of the same corps. Howe received the brevet rank of major in the regular army for his role at theBattle of Malvern Hill . He was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in the volunteer service on June 11, 1862.In the subsequent campaigns of the
Army of the Potomac , Howe fought in theBattle of South Mountain and was present at theBattle of Antietam . He was promoted to command 2nd division, VI Corps, leading it at theBattle of Fredericksburg . His division was heavily engaged at Fredericksburg and Salem Church during the Chancellorsville Campaign. Howe's division led a reconnaissance in the vicinity of Fredericksburg on June 3, 1863, as the Union high command tried to determine whether theArmy of Northern Virginia was moving out of its positions to undertake an offensive. It was only minimally engaged in the campaign culminating in theBattle of Gettysburg . His division was the last to reach the battlefield and his two brigades were assigned to opposite ends of the Union line, leaving him effectively without a command. [Tagg, p. 112.] During the pursuit of Lee's retreating army, the1st Vermont Brigade of Howe's division fought the Confederate rear guard nearFunkstown, Maryland , on July 10, 1863. Howe continued in division command during theBristoe Campaign and theMine Run Campaign .Howe was removed from command by Maj. Gen.
George G. Meade shortly thereafter. Howe's bad relationship with his corps commander, Maj. Gen.John Sedgwick , including support of Maj. Gen.Joseph Hooker in the controversies that were spawned by the Union defeat at Chancellorsville, probably contributed to this removal. Meade, if he did not initiate Howe's removal, at least did not oppose it. [Hyde, p. 80,] Howe testified against Meade and Sedgwick before the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, claiming Sedgwick spoke to him about retreating toWestminster, Maryland . Sedgwick's testimony before the committee contradicted Howe's without naming him. The committee did not pursue this contradiction. [Hyde, p. 83.] What is clear is that Sedgwick sought the services of Brig. Gen.George W. Getty to replace Howe in command of the 2nd Division. [Winslow, pp. 141, 145.]After leaving the Army of the Potomac, Howe commanded the artillery depot in
Washington, D.C. He was in the field briefly atHarpers Ferry , opposing the raid on Washington by Confederate Lieutenant GeneralJubal Early .Postbellum service
At the close of the war, Howe served in the honor guard that stood watch over the corpse of
Abraham Lincoln , and soon afterward was appointed as a member of themilitary commission that tried the Lincoln conspirators. Howe did not make any public comments on the conviction or hanging ofMary E. Surratt , but was not among the five officers who petitioned PresidentAndrew Johnson to commute her sentence to life in prison. [Kauffman, n. 471.] Both assignments may indicate that theRadical Republican faction in the Congress found him useful and sympathetic. [Hyde, p. 79.] He also served in the Freedmen's Bureau in 1865. Howe was mustered out of the volunteer service on July 15, 1866.Howe retired from the Army on June 30, 1882, at the rank of colonel. He died in
Cambridge, Massachusetts , and is buried there inMount Auburn Cemetery . [Eicher, p. 306.]ee also
*List of Amerian Civil War generals
References
* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* Hyde, Bill, "The Union Generals Speak: The Meade Hearings on the Battle of Gettysburg", Louisiana State University Press, 2003, ISBN 978-0807125816.
* Kauffman, Michael W., "American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies", Random House, 2004, ISBN 0-375-50785-X.
* Parsons, Philip W., "The Union Sixth Corps in the Chancellorsville Campaign", Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2006, ISBN 0-7864-2521-0.
* Tagg, Larry, [http://www.rocemabra.com/~roger/tagg/generals/ "The Generals of Gettysburg"] , Savas Publishing, 1998, ISBN 1-882810-30-9.
* Winslow, Richard Elliott, III, "General John Sedgwick: the Story of a Union Corps Commander", Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1982, ISBN 0-89141-030-9.Notes
External links
* [http://www.civilwarhome.com/howegettysburgor.htm Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe's Official Report on the Battle of Gettysburg]
*findagrave|5888308 Retrieved on2008-08-12 Persondata
NAME= Howe, Albion P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Union Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=March 13, 1818
PLACE OF BIRTH=Standish, Maine
DATE OF DEATH=January 25, 1897
PLACE OF DEATH=Cambridge, Massachusetts
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