ColorizedPast
Corporal
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2016
- Location
- Hangzhou, China (Wisconsin, USA)
Brigadier General Henry Washington Benham (USA)
Henry Washington Benham was born on 17 April 1813 in Cheshire, Connecticut. He graduated first in the class of 1837 from the United States Military Academy. He served in the Engineer Corps and fought in the Mexican-American War from 1847-1848. From 1849 to 1852, he was superintending engineer of the sea wall for the protection of Great Brewster Island, Boston Harbor, and from 1852 to 1853 of the Washington Navy Yard.
In 1861, he was appointed engineer of the Department of the Ohio. He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and commanded a brigade at New Creek. He disobeyed orders and was subject to a court martial after the Battle of James Island on 16 June 1862 under David Hunter. From 1863 to 1865, with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he was in command of the engineer brigade of the Army of the Potomac.
Benham was mustered out of the volunteer service on 15 January 1866. He was awarded the brevet grade of major general of volunteers and later brevet major general in the regular army. Promoted to colonel in 1867, he oversaw the Boston Harbor sea wall from 1866 to 1873 and the defenses of New York Harbor from 1877 to 1882. He died in New York on 1 July 1884.
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