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Union Army Major General Oliver Otis Howard (1830 – 1909) Medal of Honor recipient, Founder of Howard University

Major General William Tecumseh Sherman (seated at center) poses for a Civil War portrait with his staff, including O.O. Howard, standing at far left. Howard’s right arm was shattered at the June 1, 1862, Battle of Fair Oaks, Va., and soon thereafter amputated. (Library of Congress)
Battle History | Gettysburg PA
Oliver Otis Howard with Chief Joseph at the Carlisle Indian School, 1904
Monument to Union general Oliver Otis Howard at Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, site of the fateful battle of the U.S. Civil War | Library of Congress
General Oliver Otis Howard House
History | Howard University
Abraham Lincoln as I Knew Him

American author Ambrose Bierce (1842 – 1914), who served under General Howard as a major, once sardonically commented that he remained a “consummate master of the art of needless defeat.” Indeed, most historical military reviews of his early performance as a battlefield commander characterize his effectiveness as “spotty”. Perhaps the “Christian General” lacked the leadership skills and pure savagery of command his peers exhibited, such as William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant. By the time Sherman took Atlanta in July 1864, however, he appeared to have redeemed himself to the extent that he was given the command of the Army of Tennessee. During Sherman’s conclusive March to the Sea and through the Carolinas, he served with distinction on his right flank. In his memoirs, Sherman commended the Christian General as a commander of “the utmost skill, nicety, and precision.”

While nowhere near the zeal of Abolitionist Captain John Brown (1800 – 1859), he regularly publicly expressed open support of emancipation before the outbreak of the Civil War. After its conclusion, he was appointed the first Freedmen’s Bureau commissioner which was created as the principal social welfare initiative during the Reconstruction period. Poorly funded from its inception, the initial relief aid effort provided meals to millions of destitute blacks and whites, started educational programs, and opened the possibility of civil rights reforms in the future. The Christian General, though proven to be an unqualified administrator of the program, founded Howard University with federal funds he managed to procure. The bureau eventually evolved as America’s first federal public welfare agency.

Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1865) Lawyer, U.S. Congressman, 16th U.S. President 

Hiram Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822 – 1885) 18th U.S President 

William Tecumseh Sherman (1820 – 1891) Union Army General 

General Robert Edward Lee (1807 – 1870) Commander of the Confederate States Army 

U.S. Army Lt. Caspar Wever Collins (1844 – 1865) Cartographer, Slain by Red Cloud 

Historically Noted Military Commanders

University Founders and Benefactors

Related ancestral blog articles

Agnatic descendant of Duke John Howard, KG (1421 – 1485) Earl Marshal, Lord Admiral 

FabPedigree

Wiki

SOURCES

Congressional Medal of Honor Society – Oliver Otis Howard

Oliver Otis Howard – General in the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Indian Wars

Freedmen’s BureauOliver Otis Howard: Westward, Christian Soldier

Oliver Otis Howard

Thunder in the Mountains: Book Explores Clash between Two American Legends

The Oliver Otis Howard Papers Online

THE CIVIL WAR GENERAL WHOSE GODLY “MISSION” WENT ASTRAY

ARTICLES AND STATEMENTS BY AND ABOUT GENERAL HOWARD

YouTube videos

BIBILOGRAPHY

The Patricians, A Genealogical Study – Ebook Editions US$5.95

Author at Harrod’s Deli – London

Steven Wood Collins (1952 – ) Antiquarian, Genealogist, Novelist 

By Steven Wood Collins

I spent most of my life unaware of my ancestral heritage. Sure, I knew of the personal history of my more immediate relatives; but beyond that, I never had any inkling as to my ancestral heritage. Then one day many years ago my sister said to me, “I sometimes wonder about our family background.” And so my quest to discover our genealogical roots commenced.

I started building my family tree with the very basic relationships, going back in time from my grandparents, one ancestor at a time. That initial effort proved to be the hardest part of the pursuit, mainly due to my lack of expertise as a novice genealogical researcher. As I gained familiarity with the databases and how to efficiently mine them, my progress gained ever-increasing momentum. Today, The Patricians! tree (Ancestry.com) contains nearly 120,000 individuals, stretching over 135 generations, 5,800 of which are my direct ancestors in a genealogical sense.

During this trek back in time, I encountered fascinating figures in both history and obscurity. This blog contains many stories about their genealogical relationship to me (and many of you). By far and away, as a student of history, the historically obscure individuals are of particular interest to me. I cite Baron “Blue Beard” Montmorency-Laval de Rais (1405 – 1440) as an example of a historically maligned personage whose real contribution to history, as both a playwright and hero of France, has yet to be properly recognized. Another example is Earl Edward de Vere (1550 – 1604), who’s yet to gain widespread recognition as the actual author of the body of literary work wrongly ascribed to William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616).

My life-long interest in international economics and finance continues unabated. I primarily demonstrate this professional involvement as a contributor to the Long Room, the members-only international finance professionals' forum hosted by the Financial Times of London.

I'm an avid recreational scuba diver who enjoys traveling to exotic dive sites. My love of the sea and marine life gives me an unbounded appreciation and support of “green” issues, especially those devoted to the conservation of endangered species and coral reefs.

He continually posts results of his personal genealogical research to his Goodreads Authors Blog. Entitled The Patricians - The Ancestral Heritage of Steven Wood Collins, the work represents thousand of hours of his research efforts and related commentary.