John Cummings Howell

John Cummings Howell
Rear admiral
Commands held	USS Tahoma USS Nereus Naval Rendezvous Philadelphia League Island Navy Yard Portsmouth Navy Yard North Atlantic Squadron European Squadron
Battles/wars	American Civil War Union blockade Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries First Battle of Fort Fisher Second Battle of Fort Fisher
Signature

John Cummings Howell (November 24, 1819 – September 12, 1892) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He rose to the rank of rear admiral and late in his career was commander-in-chief of the North Atlantic Squadron and then of the European Squadron.

Early life

Howell was born in

Tahoma joined the gunboat USS Somerset in putting 111 men ashore in eight boats at Seahorse Key to destroy three Confederate salt works on October 6, 1862. She went on to capture the sloop Silas Henry, which was running the blockade with a cargo of cotton, at Tampa Bay, Florida, on January 8, 1863; the British schooner Margaret off St, Petersburg, Florida, on February 1, 1863; and the yacht Stonewall off Pea Creek, Florida, on February 22, 1863. She exchanged fire with a Confederate shore battery at Gadsden's Point, Florida, on April 2, 1863, and then returned to her pursuit of blockade runners, capturing the schooner Crazy Jane, carrying a cargo of cotton and turpentine, near Gadsden's point on May 5, 1863, and the schooner Statesman and her cargo of cotton in Tampa Bay on June 6, 1863. On June 18, she both captured the British schooner Harrietton off Anclote Key and destroyed the blockade runner Mary Jane at Clearwater, Florida. On October 17, 1863, she joined the gunboat USS Adela in landing an expeditionary force at Tampa, Florida, and burned the steamer Scottish Chief and the sloop Kate Dale.^[3] Howell detached from Tahoma later in 1863.^[1]

Howell's next tour was as the first commanding officer of the schooner-rigged steamer

In January 1879, Howell turned command of the North Atlantic Squadron over to Rear Admiral Robert H. Wyman. He became commander-in-chief of the European Squadron^[5] in February 1879, serving in that capacity until relieved by Rear Admiral James W. Nicholson on September 16, 1881. He retired from the Navy upon reaching the statutory retirement age of 62 on November 24, 1881.^[1][2]

Death

Howell died at Folkestone, Kent, England, on September 12, 1892.^[2] He is buried at Cheriton Road Cemetery in Folkestone.

See also

References

Sources

• Hamersly, Lewis Randolph. The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, Fourth Edition. Philadelphia: L. R. Hamersly & Co., 1890.
• Rentfrow, James C. Home Squadron: The U.S. Navy on the North Atlantic Station. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2014.
  ISBN 978-1-61251-447-5
  .