Charles Hamlin was a Union Army

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...

 major 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...

 ("Civil War") who was awarded the honorary grade of brevet

Brevet (military)

In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...

 brigadier general

Brigadier general (United States)

A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

 United States Volunteers

United States Volunteers

United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U. S. Vol., or U.S.V.Starting as early as 1861 these regiments were often referred to as the "volunteer army" of the United States but not officially named that until 1898.During the nineteenth century this was the United States federal...

, to rank from March 13, 1865, by U.S. Senate confirmation on March 12, 1866. He was also the son of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin

Hannibal Hamlin

Hannibal Hamlin was the 15th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War...

 and brother to Cyrus Hamlin

Cyrus Hamlin (general)

Cyrus Hamlin was an attorney, politician, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

, a Union Army brigadier general.

Charles Hamlin began his military career as a major in the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment

1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment

The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It suffered more casualties in an ill-fated charge during the Siege of Petersburg than any Union regiment lost in a single day of combat throughout the war...

 and then gained a staff position as major and assistant adjutant general in the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...

. He fought in the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...

 among other engagements. Hamlin served as assistant adjutant general on the staffs of Generals Hiram G. Berry and Albion P. Howe

Albion P. Howe

Albion Parris Howe was a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Howe's contentious relationships with superior officers in the Army of the Potomac eventually led to his being deprived of division command....

. Hamlin was mustered out of the U.S. Volunteers on September 14, 1865. On January 13, 1866, Hamlin was nominated by President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...

 for the award of the honorary grade of brevet brigadier general United States Volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865 for faithful and meritorious services The U.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 12, 1866.

Along with his sister Sarah, Hamlin was at Ford's Theater on the night of the Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 assassination.

A lawyer in civilian life, Hamlin returned to his home in Bangor, Maine

Bangor, Maine

Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...

 after the war and became City Solicitor in 1867. In 1883 and 1885 he served terms in the Maine House of Representatives

Maine House of Representatives

The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 members representing an equal amount of districts across the state. Each voting member of the House represents around 8,450 citizens of the state...

, becoming its Speaker in his second term. He also served as president of the Eastern Maine General Hospital (now the Eastern Maine Medical Center)

See also

• List of American Civil War generals (Union)

External links