Oliver O. Howard Papers

Oliver Otis Howard was born November 8, 1830 to a farming family in the town of Leeds, Maine. In his youth, Howard attended a number of schools in his native state including Monmouth Academy, North Yarmouth Academy, and Kents Hill School. After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1850 at the young age of 19, he went on attend the United States Military Academy graduating fourth in the class of 1854.

Howard married Elizabeth Anne Waite in 1855 with whom he would father seven children. Transferred to Florida during the Seminole Wars, Howard converted to evangelical Christianity. His conversion would later earn him the moniker, “the Christian general.” Although he considered resigning from the army to become a minister, Howard decided to stay in the service of the United States upon the outbreak of hostilities during the American Civil War.

Howard saw active service during the four years of bloody conflict. Assigned to the Army of the Potomac under Gen. George McClellan, he participated in the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. During the Battle of Fair Oaks on June 1, 1862 Howard was wounded twice in the right arm necessitating its amputation. For his gallantry under fire, Howard was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Quickly recovering, Howard rejoined the Army of the Potomac in time for the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day during the entire day. After Antietam, Howard was given command of the XI Corps.

During the summer of 1863, Howard’s military career suffered a series of embarrassments including disastrous flanking attacks by Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson at the Battle of Chancellorsville and another by Gen. Richard Ewell at Gettysburg two months later. However, Howard had the foresight to select the high ground of Cemetery Hill on which to anchor a defensive line. The position Howard held would see some of the heaviest fighting during the battle. Four months after the battle, President Lincoln would stand upon the same ground as Howard’s men when he gave his Gettysburg Address.

Transferred to the Western Theater after Gettysburg, Howard went on to serve with distinction at the battles around Chattanooga. Upon the death of Gen. James B. McPherson during the Battle of Atlanta, Howard took over command of the Army of the Tennessee (U.S.) leading the right wing of William Tecumseh Sherman’s now famous March to Sea.

After the war, Howard held the post of Commissioner for the Freedmen’s Bureau, aiding former slaves in establishing new livelihoods and integrating them into society. As much as he wished for peace, Howard’s days of fighting were not over. Howard was ordered west, where he again served with distinction in the Nez Perce War and accepted the surrender of Chief Joseph. Howard remained a member of the United States Army until his retirement in 1894.

During his life, educational advancement was a continual theme. At the conclusion of the Civil War Howard helped to found Howard University in 1867 as a theological and educational institution. Howard later helped to found Lincoln Memorial University in 1897 as a living monument to the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Long after his military service had ended, Howard continued to be active in veteran’s organizations. He regularly gave lectures and talks about his life and experiences during the Civil War and wrote multiple books and articles for selected magazines.

Oliver Otis Howard passed away on October 26, 1909, two weeks before his 79th birthday.