J. H. Hobart Ward | |
|---|---|
 John Henry Hobart Ward | |
| Born | (1823-06-17)June 17, 1823 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 24, 1903(1903-07-24) (aged 80) Monroe, New York, U.S. |
| Place of burial | Community Cemetery, Monroe |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service |
|
| Rank | Brigadier general |
| Battles / wars | |
John Henry Hobart Ward (June 17, 1823 – July 24, 1903) was an American soldier who fought in theMexican–American War and in theAmerican Civil War. Ward joined the army in 1842 and fought in multiple battles in the Mexican–American war, including theBattle of Monterrey, where he was wounded. After leaving the army, he served successively as the assistantcommissary general and commissary general for the state of New York. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, Ward rejoined the army, and became the colonel of the38th New York Infantry Regiment. Ward and his regiment were engaged in theFirst Battle of Bull Run and in several battles in thePeninsula campaign. He was promoted to command abrigade after theBattle of Chantilly in September 1862.
Ward then led his brigade at the battles ofFredericksburg,Chancellorsville, andGettysburg. By early 1864, he had developed a strong reputation as a military leader, although there had been an incident when he panicked and fled the field during anight attack at Chancellorsville. On May 6, 1864, during theBattle of the Wilderness, Ward left his command and was observed riding to the rear on anartillery caisson. Six days later, during theBattle of Spotsylvania Court House, Ward was found to be intoxicated by two superior officers. He was removed from command that day, and was arrested on June 12, although he was given anhonorable discharge in July and was not sent to a trial. After his removal from military service, Ward served as a clerk in the New York court system, and was struck and killed by a train while vacationing in 1903.
John Henry Hobart Ward was born on June 17, 1823, inNew York City. Both his father and grandfather had died of the effects of wounds suffered while serving in the United States military. After receiving an education from Trinity Collegiate School, he enlisted as aprivate in the7th United States Infantry Regiment in August 1842, at the age of 18.[1] He was promoted tosergeant major in 1845.[2] While Ward was in the army, theMexican-American War began.[3] He was present at theSiege of Fort Brown inTexas,[4] which was an unsuccessful attempt by theMexican Army to captureFort Brown in May 1846.[5] Ward later fought in theBattle of Monterrey,[4] where he was wounded,[3] and was also present at thecapture of Vera Cruz.[4] Ward was additionally present at the battles ofCerro Gordo andHuamantla.[2] He later married one of the local women of Vera Cruz. According to historianEzra J. Warner, Ward left the army in April 1847,[4] while historianLarry Tagg states that he remained until 1851.[3] Ward was next the New York state assistantcommissary general,[4] a position which he held from 1851 until 1855, when he took over the role of state commissary general itself. He remained in that position until 1859.[3]
After the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War, Ward used his military experience and political connections to gain a commission ascolonel in the38th New York Infantry Regiment.[3] Recruited from the populace of New York and organized by the state,[6] the unitmustered in to theUnion Army on June 3, 1861.[7] On July 21, Ward led the regiment in theFirst Battle of Bull Run. Part ofOrlando B. Willcox's brigade, the 38th New York deployed behind two Unionartillery batteries onHenry House Hill.[8] The regiment later fell back towards the rear under heavy artillery fire. Later in the battle, Ward led the regiment in a charge againstConfederate positions on Henry House Hill, along with the69th New York Infantry Regiment. The two Union regiments took a foothold on the hill, but were driven off by Confederate reinforcements.[9] Willcox was wounded and captured during the battle,[10] and Ward temporarily took command of the brigade. Willcox's official report of the action praised Ward.[3] The battle ended in arout, with Union troops fleeing the field in disorganization.[11]
Ward then saw service in thePeninsula campaign in early 1862, fighting at the battles ofYorktown,Williamsburg, andSeven Pines.[2] A charge by the 38th New York at Williamsburg brought praise to Ward from Brigadier GeneralPhil Kearny, and Ward gained further adulation from Kearny,III Corps commander[12] Brigadier General[13]Samuel P. Heintzelman, and Brigadier GeneralJoseph Hooker for his performance at Seven Pines. At that battle, Ward had briefly led the brigade his regiment was in, after Brigadier GeneralDavid B. Birney was temporarily removed from command.[12] Ward and his men were only minimally involved in theSeven Days' Battles,[14] and while he was engaged in theSecond Battle of Bull Run and theBattle of Chantilly,[4] his overall participation in theSecond Bull Run campaign was minimal. Kearny had been killed in September at Chantilly, and when Birney advanced to divisional command to replace Kearny, Ward took over the brigade.[14]
On October 4, 1862, Ward was promoted to brigadier general.[4] At theBattle of Fredericksburg, Ward's brigade was engaged against the portion of the Confederate line defended byStonewall Jackson's men.[14] After other Union troops were repulsed, Ward led his brigade in an attack. Ward's brigade was repulsed,[15] having suffered heavy casualties. He continued to lead his brigade at theBattle of Chancellorsville.[14] At Chancellorsville, on the night of May 2/3, 1863, Birney's division made anight attack under orders from III Corps commanderDaniel Sickles, with Ward's brigade leading the charge. The attack resulted in chaos, including multiplefriendly fire incidents. Ward panicked during the event and rode down two Union soldiers while fleeing to the rear.[16] While his panicked flight at Chancellorsville was an embarrassment for him, Ward's military career suffered no long-term harm from the incident. By this time, Ward had developed an excellent reputation as a combat leader.[14]
By the time of theBattle of Gettysburg in early July 1863, Ward had led his brigade for 10 months, which was longer than most brigade commanders in theArmy of the Potomac.[17] At Gettysburg, on July 2, Ward's brigade defended a position near theDevil's Den.[18] When Confederate forces attacked, Ward's brigade fought hard, but was eventually forced to retreat under heavy enemy pressure.[19] Sickles was wounded during the battle, leading to Birney assuming corps command and Ward was advanced to command the division.[20] Ward himself suffered a wound during the battle.[21]
Ward saw further action in an engagement at Kelly's Ford and in theBattle of Wapping Heights after Gettysburg.[2] In early 1864, the Army of the Potomac underwent a reorganization, and Birney's division was transferred to theII Corps. Ward retained a brigade command after the reorganization.[22] HistorianEzra J. Warner wrote that by May 1864, Ward "had been almost universally eulogized by his superiors for bravery and ability".[21] On May 5, during theBattle of the Wilderness, Ward's brigade entered the fighting when it was sent forward to support the line of theVermont Brigade, which was heavily engaged with Confederate troops.[23]
The next day, Ward's brigade was part of the Union line as it was fighting off Confederate attacks. Abrushfire broke out in front of the position of Ward's brigade, and some of the Union soldiers fled in panic, including Ward, who, according to a staff officer, rode acaisson to the rear. Another staff officer claimed to have later encountered Ward on the caisson and to have suggested he dismount and attempt to rally his men.[24] Four days later, in theBattle of Spotsylvania Court House, Ward's men participated in an attack against Confederate lines in the Laurel Hill area. A Confederate shell fragment gave Ward a head wound not long before the attack began. His men succeeded in temporarily breaking the Confederate line, but were not sufficiently supported and were forced to withdraw.[25] May 12, in another phase of the fighting at Spotsylvania Court House, saw Ward's brigade participate in an attack that broke a major hole in the Confederate line.[26]
During the fighting on May 12, Birney noted Ward heading for the rear, claiming that he was looking for his horse. Major GeneralWinfield Scott Hancock also noticed Ward behaving recklessly, and concluded that he was drunk. Hancock informed Birney of the matter, and the latter officer agreed that Ward was intoxicated and sent him to the rear.[27] That same day, he was removed from command under charges of "misbehavior and intoxication in the presence of the enemy during the Battle of the Wilderness".[21]Charles Dana, theAssistant Secretary of War, had written a letter dated May 9 stating that Ward had been arrested for "running away in the Wilderness battle". Warner suggests that this letter is evidence that the decision to relieve Ward had already been made by the time that Dana wrote his letter. On June 12, Ward was formally placed under arrest and sent toFort Monroe.[28]
Ward was never brought to trial; historianHarry W. Pfanz suggests that this was due to his multiple wounds and long military career.[29] He received anhonorable discharge on July 18, and theUnited States Secretary of War refused requests to restore Ward to the service and then hold a trial to ascertain if he was guilty of the charges or not. In his following civilian career, Ward spent 32 years as a clerk with thesuperior court and theSupreme Court of New York. On July 24, 1903, while on vacation inMonroe, New York, Ward was struck and killed by a train. He received aMasonic funeral inBrooklyn, and his body was then taken to Monroe for permanent burial in the Community Cemetery there.[21]
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