Charles Henry Tompkins
Encyclopedia
Charles Henry Tompkins was a Union Army
colonel
, who received an appointment to the brevet
grade of Brigadier General
of volunteers during the American Civil War
. He was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor in action on June 1, 1861 in the Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
. This was the first action in the Civil War for which a Union Army officer would receive the Medal of Honor, although it was not awarded until 1893.
. He received an appointment to West Point
from Brooklyn, New York as a member of the class of 1851, though he did not graduate with his class. He resigned in 1849 for unspecified reasons. Tompkins pursued private business interests until enlisting
as a Private
in the First Dragoons in 1856, rising to the rank of sergeant before his enlistment ended in January 1861. He served on the western frontier and was recognized for his performance in action near Pyramid Lake, Nevada in June 1860.
Tompkins received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in March 1861. It was in this unit that he gained fame for his heroism in action at the Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
while a 1st Lieutenant. He would later rise to the grade of colonel and be awarded the honorary grade of Brevet Brigadier General by the war's end. He was the commander of the 4th Maine Artillery during the Peninsula Campaign
. Tompkins served in several commands under Major General John Sedgwick
, including command of the artillery of Sedgwick's division of II Corps
during the Battle of Seven Pines
, and the artillery brigade of Sedgwick's VI Cops
at Gettysburg
. Tompkins was personally present at Sedgwick's death at the battle of Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
. On December 12, 1864, President
Abraham Lincoln
nominated Tompkins for the award of the grade of brevet
brigadier general
of volunteers to rank from August 1, 1864. The United States Senate
confirmed the award on February 12, 1865.
was the first Confederate soldier killed in combat during the Civil War.
Lincoln's
assassination. Because of a dispute with General Grant
, between 1866 and 1881 he was posted to numerous remote and austere western posts. He served the remainder of his career in the Quartermaster Corps, rising to the rank of Quarter-master General which carried a rank of Colonel in the Regular Army. He finished his career serving on the east coast, voluntarily retiring in 1894. Tompkins suffered a broken leg in September 1914 and the wound never healed properly. He died of sepsis in Washington, D.C.
on January 18, 1915. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, DC.
, also served as a career army officer.
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...
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...
, who received an appointment to the 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...
grade 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...
of volunteers 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 a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor in action on June 1, 1861 in the Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
The Battle of Fairfax Court House was a skirmish between a small Union Regular Army cavalry force and a Virginia militia infantry company in the village of Fairfax Court House in Fairfax County, Virginia on June 1, 1861, during the early days of the American Civil War...
. This was the first action in the Civil War for which a Union Army officer would receive the Medal of Honor, although it was not awarded until 1893.
Early life and career
Tompkins was born in Fort Monroe, VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He received an appointment to West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
from Brooklyn, New York as a member of the class of 1851, though he did not graduate with his class. He resigned in 1849 for unspecified reasons. Tompkins pursued private business interests until enlisting
Enlisted rank
An enlisted rank is, in most Militaries, any rank below a commissioned officer or warrant officer. The term can also be inclusive of non-commissioned officers...
as a Private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
in the First Dragoons in 1856, rising to the rank of sergeant before his enlistment ended in January 1861. He served on the western frontier and was recognized for his performance in action near Pyramid Lake, Nevada in June 1860.
Tompkins received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in March 1861. It was in this unit that he gained fame for his heroism in action at the Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
The Battle of Fairfax Court House was a skirmish between a small Union Regular Army cavalry force and a Virginia militia infantry company in the village of Fairfax Court House in Fairfax County, Virginia on June 1, 1861, during the early days of the American Civil War...
while a 1st Lieutenant. He would later rise to the grade of colonel and be awarded the honorary grade of Brevet Brigadier General by the war's end. He was the commander of the 4th Maine Artillery during the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
. Tompkins served in several commands under Major General John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick
John Sedgwick was a teacher, a career military officer, and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was the highest ranking Union casualty in the Civil War, killed by a sniper at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House.-Early life:Sedgwick was born in the Litchfield Hills town of...
, including command of the artillery of Sedgwick's division of II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
during the Battle of Seven Pines
Battle of Seven Pines
The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....
, and the artillery brigade of Sedgwick's VI Cops
VI Corps (ACW)
The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...
at 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...
. Tompkins was personally present at Sedgwick's death at the battle of Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
. On December 12, 1864, 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....
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...
nominated Tompkins for the award of the 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...
of volunteers to rank from August 1, 1864. The United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
confirmed the award on February 12, 1865.
Medal of Honor citation
"Twice charged through the enemy's lines and, taking a carbine from an enlisted man, shot the enemy's captain." Captain John Quincy MarrJohn Quincy Marr
John Quincy Marr was a Virginia militia company captain and the first Confederate soldier killed by a Union soldier in combat in the American Civil War at the Battle of Fairfax Court House , Virginia on June 1, 1861...
was the first Confederate soldier killed in combat during the Civil War.
Postbellum
Tompkins was appointed as one of the nine officers assigned to the military commission investigating the conspirators involved in PresidentPresident 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....
Lincoln's
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. Because of a dispute with General 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...
, between 1866 and 1881 he was posted to numerous remote and austere western posts. He served the remainder of his career in the Quartermaster Corps, rising to the rank of Quarter-master General which carried a rank of Colonel in the Regular Army. He finished his career serving on the east coast, voluntarily retiring in 1894. Tompkins suffered a broken leg in September 1914 and the wound never healed properly. He died of sepsis 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....
on January 18, 1915. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, DC.
Personal life
Tompkins married Ms. Augusta Root Hobbie of New York on December 17, 1862 . They had a total of seven children, with four of them reaching adulthood. His eldest son, Selah Reeve Hobbie (“Tommy”) Tompkins, was an Army officer who became Colonel of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. His second son, Frank TompkinsFrank Tompkins
Colonel Frank Tompkins was an American officer in the United States Army and Medal of Honor recipient for his leadership in the 1916 Battle of Columbus, New Mexico, during the conflict on the Mexican-American border.-Biography:...
, also served as a career army officer.