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Charles Ewing (General)
Encyclopedia
Charles Ewing, was an attorney and Union Army
general during the American Civil War
. He was the son of Interior Secretary
Thomas Ewing
, the brother of Thomas Ewing, Jr.
and Hugh Boyle Ewing
, and the foster brother & brother-in-law of William T. Sherman. Ewing's sister and Sherman's wife was Ellen Ewing Sherman
.
, and at the University of Virginia
. He studied law, was admitted to practice and was so engaged at St. Louis, Missouri
, when the civil war occurred.
At the Battle of Vicksburg
he planted the flag of his battalion on the parapet of the Confederate fort, and received in the accomplishment a severe wound. For this action he was brevetted major in 1863; for his action at Jackson, Colliersville and Missionary Ridge
and in the Atlanta campaign
he was made lieutenant-colonel by brevet in 1864, and for gallant conduct in the march to the sea and thence through the Carolinas to Washington he was brevetted colonel in 1865. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers, March 8, 1865.
. Beginning in 1874, he served as the Catholic Commissioner for Indian Missions (later known as the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
), which involved defending Roman Catholic mission interests and Native American rights. Based on its prior missionary initiatives the Catholic Church felt justified to operate schools at 34 of the 72 agencies, but the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant
allowed them at only seven. Ewing served as Catholic Commissioner until his death in Washington on June 20, 1883.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
general during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was the son of Interior Secretary
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing
Thomas Ewing, Sr. was a National Republican and Whig politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate as well as serving as the Secretary of the Treasury and the first Secretary of the Interior.-Biography:...
, the brother of Thomas Ewing, Jr.
Thomas Ewing, Jr.
Thomas Ewing, Jr. was an attorney, the first chief justice of Kansas and leading free state advocate, Union Army general during the American Civil War, and two-term United States Congressman from Ohio, 1877-1881. He narrowly lost the 1880 campaign for Ohio Governor.-Early life and career:Ewing...
and Hugh Boyle Ewing
Hugh Boyle Ewing
Hugh Boyle Ewing, , was a diplomat, author, attorney, and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He was a member of the prestigious Ewing family, son of Thomas Ewing, the eldest brother of Thomas Ewing, Jr. and Charles Ewing, and the foster brother and brother-in-law of William T. Sherman...
, and the foster brother & brother-in-law of William T. Sherman. Ewing's sister and Sherman's wife was Ellen Ewing Sherman
Ellen Ewing Sherman
Ellen Ewing Sherman , was the wife of General William Tecumseh Sherman, a leading Union general in the American Civil War. She was also a prominent figure of the times in her own right....
.
Early life and career
He was educated at the Dominican CollegeDominican College
There are several current and former institutions of higher learning named Dominican College.-Higher education:*Dominican College , a four-year private college in Orangeburg, New York...
, and at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. He studied law, was admitted to practice and was so engaged at St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, when the civil war occurred.
Civil War
He then joined the U.S. Army and was commissioned in 1861 captain in the 13th infantry, of which William T. Sherman, his brother-in-law, was colonel, and was appointed inspector-general on the staff of General Sherman, when in command of the western army.At the Battle of Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
he planted the flag of his battalion on the parapet of the Confederate fort, and received in the accomplishment a severe wound. For this action he was brevetted major in 1863; for his action at Jackson, Colliersville and Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge
Missionary Ridge is a geographic feature in Chattanooga, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Missionary Ridge, a battle in the American Civil War, fought on November 25, 1863. Union forces under Maj. Gens. Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and George H...
and in the Atlanta campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
he was made lieutenant-colonel by brevet in 1864, and for gallant conduct in the march to the sea and thence through the Carolinas to Washington he was brevetted colonel in 1865. He was made brigadier-general of volunteers, March 8, 1865.
Postbellum career
In 1867 General Ewing resigned his commission in the army, and opened a successful law practice in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Beginning in 1874, he served as the Catholic Commissioner for Indian Missions (later known as the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions
The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States.-History:...
), which involved defending Roman Catholic mission interests and Native American rights. Based on its prior missionary initiatives the Catholic Church felt justified to operate schools at 34 of the 72 agencies, but the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
allowed them at only seven. Ewing served as Catholic Commissioner until his death in Washington on June 20, 1883.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
- Bureau of Catholic Indian MissionsBureau of Catholic Indian MissionsThe Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions was a Roman Catholic institution created in 1874 by J. Roosevelt Bayley, Archbishop of Baltimore, for the protection and promotion of Catholic mission interests among Native Americans in the United States.-History:...
External links
- Photos of General Ewing at generalsandbrevts.com
- Ewing Family History Pages
- Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Records at Marquette University.
- Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions Digital Image Collection at Marquette University; keyword: general ewing.