Charles Devens | |
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| Associate Justice of theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | |
| In office 1873–1877 | |
| Preceded by | Horace Gray |
| Succeeded by | August Soule |
| In office 1881–1891 | |
| Preceded by | August Soule |
| Succeeded by | John Lathrop |
| Judge of the Massachusetts Superior Court | |
| In office 1867–1873 | |
| 35thUnited States Attorney General | |
| In office March 12, 1877 – March 4, 1881 | |
| President | Rutherford B. Hayes |
| Preceded by | Alphonso Taft |
| Succeeded by | Wayne MacVeagh |
| Member of theMassachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1848–1849 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1820-04-04)April 4, 1820 |
| Died | January 7, 1891(1891-01-07) (aged 70) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Party | Whig (Before 1860) Democratic (1860–1867) Republican (1867–1891) |
| Education | Harvard University (BA,LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States • Union |
| Branch/service | United States Army • Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1866 |
| Rank | Brigadier General BrevetMajor General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Charles Devens Jr. (April 4, 1820 – January 7, 1891) was an American lawyer, jurist and statesman. He also served as a general in theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War.
Born inCharlestown, Massachusetts, Devens graduated fromBoston Latin School and eventuallyHarvard College in 1838, and from theHarvard Law School in 1840. He was admitted to thebar inFranklin County, Massachusetts, where he practiced law from 1841 to 1849.[1]
In 1848, he was aWhig member of theMassachusetts Senate. From 1849 to 1853, Devens wasUnited States Marshal for Massachusetts, in which capacity he was called upon in 1851 to remand thefugitive slave,Thomas Sims, to slavery. This he felt constrained to do, much against his personal desire; subsequently, he attempted in vain to purchase Sims's freedom, and many years later appointed him to a position in theUnited States Department of Justice inWashington, D.C.[1]
Devens practiced law atWorcester, Massachusetts, from 1853 until 1861.
On April 16, 1861, Devens gave an impassioned speech at Mechanics Hall in Worcester in support ofLincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. To a large crowd he called upon the young men of Worcester to "rise and go with" him to the "rescue of Washington". Three days later, he was appointed major of the 3rd Massachusetts Rifle Battalion.[2]
He was appointed ascolonel of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry in July 1861 and wounded at theBattle of Ball's Bluff in Virginia in October.
Although still recovering, Devens was promoted tobrigadier general of volunteers in April 1862 and assigned command of the 1st Brigade/1st Division. He was wounded a second time at theBattle of Seven Pines and spent most of the summer recovering. His brigade was not heavily involved in theMaryland Campaign. Shortly afterwards, it was reassigned to theVI Corps. Devens commanded the 2nd Brigade/3rd Division/VI Corps during theBattle of Fredericksburg.
In January 1863, Devens was given command of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, VI Corps. After Maj. GenOliver O. Howard took command of the XI Corps, he appointed Devens as a division commander, and at Chancellorsville he was wounded a third time.[2] According to a report by Gen. Steward L. Woodford, who served with him, Devens remounted his horse, stayed with his men and did not go to the hospital until his men had bivouacked (set up camp).
Devens distinguished himself at theBattle of Cold Harbor, while commanding the 3rd Division/XVIII Corps inUlysses S. Grant'sOverland Campaign. During the final stages of theSiege of Petersburg, he commanded the 3rd Division of theXXIV Corps.
Devens's troops were the first to occupyRichmond after its fall in April 1865.[1]
After the war, Devens became a companion of the Massachusetts Commandery of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
On January 13, 1866,PresidentAndrew Johnson nominated Devens for the award of the honorary grade ofbrevet major general,United States Volunteers, to rank from April 3, 1865, for services during the Richmond campaign,[3] and theU.S. Senate confirmed the award on March 12, 1866.[4] Devens remained in the army for a year as commander of the military district ofCharleston, South Carolina,[1] before mustering out and returning home. He later served as the fifth Commander-in-Chief of theGrand Army of the Republic from 1873 to 1875 and was also a veteran companion of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.
Devens was also a key figure in the investigation into the execution of Confederate veteran Calvin Crozier by soldiers of the 33rd Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops, atNewberry, South Carolina in September 1865 following an altercation in which a soldier was seriously wounded and expected to die. Over Devens's strong objections the officer in command, who claimed responsibility for the execution, after two separate trials, including a General Court Martial, in which both courts found his actions justifiable, was exonerated and returned to duty.[5][6]
He was a judge of the Massachusetts superior court, from 1867 to 1873, and was an associate justice of theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court from 1873 to 1877, and again from 1881 to 1891. From 1877 to 1881, he wasAttorney General of the United States in the Cabinet ofPresidentRutherford B. Hayes.[1] Devens was a close friend to President Hayes and his family, and was a favorite of Washington society during his time in office.[7]
He was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1878.[8]
Charles Devens died of heart failure inBoston, Massachusetts in 1891, and is buried inMount Auburn Cemetery inCambridge, Massachusetts.
In 1906, the city ofWorcester, Massachusetts, erected anequestrian statue of Charles Devens in front of the former Worcester Court House, located on Court Hill. The statue was originally located on the front middle of the Courthouse area, it was later relocated to the front side.
Camp Devens, laterFort Devens, was established in 1917 in the Massachusetts towns ofAyer,Harvard,Lancaster andShirley, and named after the general.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Devens, Charles".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 8 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 120.
Media related toCharles Devens at Wikimedia Commons
Works related toCharles Devens at Wikisource| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Massachusetts 1862 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic 1873–1875 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 1873–1877 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 1881–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Attorney General 1877–1881 | Succeeded by |
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