Charles Henry Tompkins

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Charles Henry Tompkins
United States of America
Union
Service/branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1856-1861
1861-1894
Rank Colonel
Brevet Brigadier General
Battles/wars
AwardsMedal of Honor

Charles Henry Tompkins (September 12, 1830 – January 18, 1915) was an American officer who served as a

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.[1][2] He is not to be confused with another Union officer, Brevet Brigadier General Charles H. Tompkins (d. 1895) who commanded the 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery Regiment.[3][4]

Early life and career

Tompkins was born in

Fort Monroe, Virginia, on September 12, 1830.[4] He was the son of Colonel Daniel D. Tompkins, a career Army officer, and was the grand nephew of Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins
.

He received an appointment to

Pyramid Lake, Nevada, in June 1860.[5]

Tompkins received his commission as a 2nd lieutenant in the

Battle of Fairfax Court House (June 1861)
while a 1st lieutenant, to which he was promoted on April 30, 1861.

Tompkins was reassigned to the

1st Vermont Cavalry
. He resigned his volunteer commission on September 9, 1862.

During the war, he received brevets (honorary promotions) to major, lieutenant colonel, colonel and brigadier general.

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 Marr 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 President Lincoln's assassination. Because of a dispute with General Grant, between 1866 and 1881 he was posted to numerous remote and austere western posts.[5]

He served the remainder of his career in the

Quartermaster Corps, rising to Assistant Quartermaster General on January 24, 1881. The position of Assistant Quartermaster General, carried a rank of colonel in the Regular Army, to which Tompkins was promoted the same day. He finished his career serving on the east coast, voluntarily retiring on September 12, 1894.[5]

Tompkins suffered a broken leg in September 1914 and the wound never healed properly.[5] He died of sepsis in Washington, D.C., on January 18, 1915. He is buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[1][7]

Personal life

Tompkins married Ms. Augusta Root Hobbie of New York on December 17, 1862. They had seven children, four of whom reached adulthood. His eldest son, Selah Reeve Hobbie (“Tommy”) Tompkins, was an Army officer who became Colonel of the

Punitive Expedition that followed for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[5]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
  1. ^ a b "Charles Henry Tompkins". HomeofHeros.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  2. ^ "Medal of Honor recipients Civil War (M-Z)". United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on August 1, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  3. ISBN 1-56013-002-4
    . p. 620.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Fiddler's Green: Charles H. Tompkins". Crossed Sabres. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  6. ^ C. Douglas Sterner. "West Point Medal of Honor recipients". HomeofHeros.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2006. Retrieved April 10, 2009.
  7. ^ "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Reno Hill) - Lot 688" (PDF). oakhillcemeterydc.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 2, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
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