Edward Brush Fowler
Encyclopedia
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
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...
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 is best known for his command of the 14th Brooklyn and a demi-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...
during 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...
in July 1863.
Fowler enlisted into the Union Army as the 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...
of the 14th Brooklyn on April 18, 1861, at the age of 35. On February 22, 1862, he 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...
of the regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
after Col. Alfred M. Wood
Alfred M. Wood
Alfred M. Wood was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.On April 13, 1858, Wood was commissioned as colonel of the 14th New York Militia , a local antebellum militia regiment....
was wounded at the First Battle of Manassas.
Colonel Fowler was very active after the war with Veteran Affairs and the 14th Brooklyn Association, helping veterans of the 14th Brooklyn with pension funds. He always attended the funerals of fallen 14th Brooklyn soldiers post-war. He was very highly respected in Brooklyn and was a beloved hero of the Civil War.
Colonel Fowler died on January 16, 1896. His body was shown at Brooklyn Borough Hall, and he was buried with full military honors at Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
.
On May 18, 1902, the City of Brooklyn dedicated a statue of Fowler in Fort Greene Park.
