HOWARD, OLIVER OTIS (183o-1909), American sol dier, was born in Leeds, Me., on Nov. 8, 1830. He graduated at Bowdoin college in 1850, and at the U.S. Military Academy in 1854. At the beginning of the Civil War he resigned to become colonel of a Maine volunteer regiment, and at the first battle of Bull Run was in command of a brigade. He served in the Pen insular Campaign, and at the battle of Seven Pines (Fair Oaks) he was twice wounded, losing his right arm. On his return to active service in Aug. 1862, he took part in the Virginian cam paigns of 1862-63 ; at Antietam he succeeded Sedgwick in com mand of a division, and he became major-general of volunteers in March 1863. In the campaign of Chancellorsville (see WILDER NESS) he commanded a corps which was routed by "Stonewall" Jackson, and in the first day's battle at Gettysburg he was for some hours in command of the Union troops. Howard's corps was transferred to Tennessee after Rosecrans's defeat at Chicka mauga, and formed part of Hooker's command in the victory of Chattanooga. When Sherman prepared to invade Georgia in the spring of 1864 Howard was placed in command of a new corps, and took part in the actions of the Atlanta campaign, receiving another wound at Pickett's mills. On the death in action of Gen. M`Pherson, Howard, in July 1864, was selected to command the army of the Tennessee. In this position he took part in the "March to the Sea" and the Carolinas campaign.
Howard served as commissioner of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands from 1865 until 1874; in 1872 he was special commissioner to the hostile Apaches of New Mexico and Arizona; in 1874-81 was in command of the department of the Columbia and conducted the campaign against Chief Joseph in 1877 and that against the Bannocks and Piutes in 1878. In 1886 he was promoted major-general and in 1894 he retired. Howard was deeply interested in the welfare of the negroes; and the establishment by the U.S. Government in 1867 of Howard university, at Washington, especially for their education, was largely due to him; it was named in his honour, and from 1869 to 1873 he presided over it. In 1895 he founded for the education of the "mountain whites" the Lincoln Memorial uni versity at Cumberland Gap, Tenn. He died at Burlington, Vt., on Oct. 26, 1909. He wrote, amongst other works, Donald's Schooldays (1877) ; Chief Joseph (1881) ; a life of General Zachary Taylor (1892) in the "Great Commanders" series; Isa bella of Castile (1894) ; Fighting for Humanity ; Henry in the War (1898) ; papers in the "Battles and Leaders" collec tion on the Atlanta campaign ; My Life and Experience among our Hostile Indians (1907) ; and Autobiography of 0. 0. Howard