Christopher Columbus Andrews
Encyclopedia
Christopher Columbus Andrews (October 27, 1829 – September 21, 1922) was an American
soldier, diplomat, newspaperman, author, and forester.
, the son of a rural farmer. He attended school during the winter months until 1843, when he travelled to Boston. He attended the Francestown
Academy, completed his education, and studied law in Cambridge, Massachusetts
, in 1848. He passed his bar examination two years later and established a law practice in Newton, Massachusetts
, where he served as a member of the city school board in 1851–1852.
He briefly relocated to Boston in 1853, but left the following year for the West, settling in Kansas
. He went to Washington, D.C.
, to help promote Kansas's interest to the United States Congress
, and spent two years working as a law clerk in the United States Treasury Department. He then moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota
, in 1856, and three years later, was elected to the Minnesota State Senate. During the presidential election of 1860, he actively supported the Northern Democrat
Stephen A. Douglas
, and was nominated as a presidential elector. Despite his support for Douglas, in 1861, he was instrumental in establishing a newspaper, the Minnesota Union, supporting the policies of President Abraham Lincoln
, and served as editor before enlisting in the Union Army
.
rank of brigadier general
and at its close was brevetted
as a major general
. He originally enlisted as a private, but was commissioned captain in the 3rd Minnesota Infantry
. Captured by Confederates
in Tennessee
in July 1862, he was held as a prisoner of war
until October, when he was exchanged. He returned to his regiment as lieutenant colonel
and participated in the Vicksburg Campaign
.
In July 1863, Andrews was promoted to colonel
and commanded a brigade
in the operations to capture Little Rock, Arkansas
, later in the year. Throughout the balance of the year and into early 1864, Andrews helped organize and foster the Unionists in Arkansas, and was influential in the reorganization of Arkansas as a free state. He was promoted to brigadier general in acknowledgement of his efforts while commanding troops near Augusta, Arkansas
. Andrews was assigned to the command of the Second Division of the XIII Corps
, and participated in the siege and storming of Fort Blakely
in Alabama
. On March 9, 1865, he was brevetted Major General and assigned command of the district of Mobile.
, to supervise the early stages of Reconstruction in the region and to keep the order while a new provisional civil government was put in place under Governor Andrew J. Hamilton
. He mustered out of the service on January 15, 1866.
Andrews was United States Minister to Sweden
and Norway
from 1869 to 1877, and United States Consul-General
to Brazil
from 1882 to 1885. He helped supervise the 1880 census for Minnesota.
Interested in scientific forestry, Andrews after the war worked to stir public sentiment for responsible logging and forest practices, but without much success until the Great Hinckley Fire
of 1894 burned several towns in east-central Minnesota
, garnering widespread public attention. He maintained that proper forestry would renew the state's ravaged timberlands and make them fire resistant. Eventually, leading foresters and companies began to implement Andrews' ideas and practices. He was Minnesota state Forestry Commissioner when the Baudette Fire of 1910
burned, further strengthening his argument for regulation of forestry.
A prolific writer, his publications include a History of the Campaign of Mobile (1867) and Brazil, Its Conditions and Prospects (1887; third edition, 1895).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier, diplomat, newspaperman, author, and forester.
Early life and career
Andrews was born in Hillsborough, New HampshireHillsborough, New Hampshire
Hillsborough, frequently spelled Hillsboro, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,011 at the 2010 census...
, the son of a rural farmer. He attended school during the winter months until 1843, when he travelled to Boston. He attended the Francestown
Francestown, New Hampshire
Francestown is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,562 at the 2010 census.- History :Incorporated in 1772, Francestown takes its name from Frances Deering Wentworth, the wife of colonial governor John Wentworth. There were 928 residents when the first...
Academy, completed his education, and studied law in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, in 1848. He passed his bar examination two years later and established a law practice in Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, where he served as a member of the city school board in 1851–1852.
He briefly relocated to Boston in 1853, but left the following year for the West, settling in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He went to 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....
, to help promote Kansas's interest to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, and spent two years working as a law clerk in the United States Treasury Department. He then moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
, in 1856, and three years later, was elected to the Minnesota State Senate. During the presidential election of 1860, he actively supported the Northern Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and was the Northern Democratic Party nominee for President in 1860. He lost to the Republican Party's candidate, Abraham Lincoln, whom he had defeated two years earlier in a Senate contest following a famed...
, and was nominated as a presidential elector. Despite his support for Douglas, in 1861, he was instrumental in establishing a newspaper, the Minnesota Union, supporting the policies of President Abraham 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...
, and served as editor before enlisting in the 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...
.
Civil War
During the Civil War, Andrews rose to the regularRegular army
A regular army consists of the permanent force of a country's army that is maintained under arms during peacetime.Countries that use the term include:*Australian Army*British Army*Canadian Forces, specifically "Regular Force"*Egyptian army*Indian Army...
rank of 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...
and at its close was brevetted
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...
as a major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
. He originally enlisted as a private, but was commissioned captain in the 3rd Minnesota Infantry
3rd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 3rd Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union army during the American Civil War. It fought in several campaigns in the Western Theater.-Service:...
. Captured by Confederates
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
in July 1862, he was held as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
until October, when he was exchanged. He returned to his regiment as lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
and participated in the Vicksburg Campaign
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen....
.
In July 1863, Andrews was promoted to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
and commanded a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
in the operations to capture Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
, later in the year. Throughout the balance of the year and into early 1864, Andrews helped organize and foster the Unionists in Arkansas, and was influential in the reorganization of Arkansas as a free state. He was promoted to brigadier general in acknowledgement of his efforts while commanding troops near Augusta, Arkansas
Augusta, Arkansas
Augusta is a city in Woodruff County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,693 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Woodruff County.-Geography:Augusta is located at ....
. Andrews was assigned to the command of the Second Division of the XIII Corps
XIII Corps (ACW)
XIII Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was first led by Ulysses S. Grant and later by John A. McClernand and Edward O.C. Ord...
, and participated in the siege and storming of Fort Blakely
Battle of Fort Blakely
-Sources:**-External links:*...
in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. On March 9, 1865, he was brevetted Major General and assigned command of the district of Mobile.
Postbellum
Andrews was dispatched to Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, to supervise the early stages of Reconstruction in the region and to keep the order while a new provisional civil government was put in place under Governor Andrew J. Hamilton
Andrew J. Hamilton
Andrew Jackson Hamilton was a United States politician during the third quarter of the 19th century. He was a lawyer, state representative, military governor of Texas, as well as the 11th Governor of Texas during Reconstruction.-Early life:Hamilton was born in Huntsville, Alabama on January 28, 1815...
. He mustered out of the service on January 15, 1866.
Andrews was United States Minister to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
from 1869 to 1877, and United States Consul-General
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
from 1882 to 1885. He helped supervise the 1880 census for Minnesota.
Interested in scientific forestry, Andrews after the war worked to stir public sentiment for responsible logging and forest practices, but without much success until the Great Hinckley Fire
Great Hinckley Fire
The Great Hinckley Fire was a major conflagration on September 1, 1894, which burned an area of at least 810 km² , perhaps more than 1000 km², including the town of Hinckley, Minnesota. The fire killed hundreds, with the minimum number estimated at 418. However, some scholars believe the...
of 1894 burned several towns in east-central Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, garnering widespread public attention. He maintained that proper forestry would renew the state's ravaged timberlands and make them fire resistant. Eventually, leading foresters and companies began to implement Andrews' ideas and practices. He was Minnesota state Forestry Commissioner when the Baudette Fire of 1910
Baudette Fire of 1910
The Baudette Fire, also known as the Spooner-Baudette Fire, was a large wildfire that burned in Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota, including nearly all of the twin towns of Spooner and Baudette on October 7, 1910. In addition to Baudette, the fire also burned the villages of Graceton, Pitt,...
burned, further strengthening his argument for regulation of forestry.
A prolific writer, his publications include a History of the Campaign of Mobile (1867) and Brazil, Its Conditions and Prospects (1887; third edition, 1895).
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
- General C. C. Andrews State ForestGeneral C. C. Andrews State ForestThe General C. C. Andrew State Forest is a state forest located in Pine County, Minnesota. The forest is named in honor of major general Christopher Columbus Andrews, a Civil War veteran, and an early Minnesota state Forestry Commissioner and proponent for scientific forestry and forest management...
, Pine County, Minnesota