William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

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For the surrealist painter, see William Howe (painter).

Sir William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC (August 10, 1729 – July 12, 1814) was an English General who was Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American Revolutionary War, one of the three Howe brothers. He was knighted after his successes in 1775 and was henceforth Sir William, inheriting the viscountcy only upon his brother's death in 1799.

Howe's record in the war was marked by the unsuccessful although heroic attempt to capture Boston and the successful capture of New York City and Philadelphia (although at the expense of costly failure in the Battle of Saratoga which was to draw France into the war).

William was born in England, the third son of Emmanuel Howe, 2nd Viscount Howe and Mary Sophia, the daughter of Sophia Charlotte von Platen-Hallermund the Baroness Kielmansegge & Countess of Darlington {See Earl of Darlington)-a half-sister of King George I. This connection with the crown may have improved the careers of all three sons, but all were also very capable officers. William's eldest brother was General George Howe, who was killed at Ticonderoga in 1758. The next brother was Admiral Richard Howe, who joined him in America during the revolution.

Contents 1 Early career 2 The American Revolution 2.1 Bunker Hill 2.2 The battle for New York 3 After the revolution 4 Genealogy 5 Sources

[edit] Early career

He entered the army when he was seventeen by buying a Cornet's commission in the Duke of Cumberland's Dragoons in 1746. By the next year, he was fighting as a Lieutenant in Flanders as a part of the War of the Austrian Succession. After this war, he joined the 20th Regiment of Foot where he became a friend of James Wolfe.

During the Seven Years' War, Howe's service first brought him to America. His service in this conflict did much to raise his reputation. William commanded a regiment at the siege of Louisbourg and led a successful amphibious landing. This action, carried out under fire, won the attackers a flanking position and earned Howe his commander's praise.

Howe commanded the light infantry under Major General James Wolfe at the Battle of Quebec, Canada on September 13, 1759. He led a fighting ascent to gain position on the Plains of Abraham, clearing the way for Wolfe's army to assemble before that battle. His actions here earned him the rank of Brigadier General. He earned further fame in the capture of Montreal under Jeffrey Amherst before returning to England. Howe also served in the capture of Belle Isle, off the French coast, in 1761. He was adjutant-general of the force that captured Havana in 1762.

In 1761, Howe was elected a Member of Parliament for Nottingham. This was not unusual, as the election of 1761 sent more than 60 army officers to the British House of Commons. He was generally sympathetic to the American colonies. He opposed the Coercive Acts, and, in 1774, assured his constituents that he would resist active duty against the Americans. But when the time came and King George called in 1775, he sailed for America.

[edit] The American Revolution

Major General Howe arrived at Boston, on May 15, at the head of the 4,000 additional troops sent to General Thomas Gage. Gage's orders were to clear the American Army and break their Siege of Boston. Howe's plan was to take Cambridge, but the Americans fortified the high ground above the town.

[edit] Bunker Hill

Howe planned to crush the American's position by massive assault. He was thus in command at the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. He personally led the left wing of the attack. His leadership on the field was outstanding, and the British did succeed in gaining their objective, but the cost was appalling. General Thomas Gage called it a "A dear bought victory, another such would have ruined us."

While Howe was not injured in the battle, it had a pronounced effect on his spirit. The daring, aggressive commander, who had served with Wolfe, became the cautious, reluctant General who was slow to seek direct confrontation. His concept that those in open rebellion were a small minority of Americans who would fold with a display of force was shattered. Howe's report to Lord Germain called for 19,000 additional troops and included the prophecy that "...with a less force....this war may be spun out until England will be heartily sick of it."

[edit] The battle for New York

In October 10, 1775, he replaced Lieutenant General Thomas Gage as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in America when Gage returned to England. He became Sir William when he was knighted in 1775. In April of 1776, the appointment was made permanent, although forces in Canada were placed under Guy Carleton. He successfully defeated General George Washington in the Battle of Long Island in the summer of 1776. In September 1776, he ordered the execution of Nathan Hale for espionage.

In 1777, Howe made a fateful decision to abandon his assignment to capture the lower Hudson River from New York City northward as part of the Saratoga Campaign where he was to meet John Burgoyne attacking from Canada. This led to the capture of Burgoyne and his army. Howe had chosen instead to pursue Washington into Philadelphia. Howe was to succeed in capturing the city (which was to be held only temporarily) but Washington got away. France, emboldened by the American victory at Saratoga, was to enter the war on behalf of the Americans.

[edit] After the revolution

He resigned in 1778, and, on May 20, Sir Henry Clinton took over as commander-in-chief in North America. (See also Commander-in-Chief, North America)

Howe returned to England. In 1782, he was sworn a Privy Counsellor. When his brother, Richard, died in 1799, he inherited the Irish title and became the 5th Viscount Howe. In 1814, he was governor of Plymouth where he died. He is buried at Holly Road, Garden of Rest in Twickenham, England.

[edit] Genealogy

According to The Family of Hoge by James Hoge Tyler (Greensboro, North Carolina: Jos. J. Stone & Co. printers, 1927), William Howe had a brother, Major Joseph Howe, who came to America in 1758 to join their brother General George Augustus Howe, 3rd Viscount, "and finding his brother dead, he drifted southward and finally settled at what came to be known as "Sunnyside", in Pulaski County, Virginia."

William Howe was also brother to Admiral Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe, 4th Viscount Howe. The Family of Hoge quotes The Encyclopedia Brittanica as having this to say about the Howes:

"The friendliness of the brothers, Admiral Richard Howe and General William Howe, to the colonies led to their selection for the command of the British forces in the Revolutionary War. It was thought that they could negotiate a settlement with the American forces."

In addition to Major Joseph Howe, The Family of Hoge tells us there was a sister friendly to Benjamin Franklin who may have inherited the considerable Howe fortune.

"Joseph Howe is reputed to have been of robust physique. His English home was one of refinement and wealth from which he was separated by reason of his sympathy for the Colonists - a thing the more intolerable because of the prominence of his relations on the British side. It is not known that any of the English estate reverted to him although it was considerable and although two of his three brothers (or his cousins) died without issue. All of the property may have gone to an only sister, whom the Encyclopedia Brittannica mentions as a friend of Benjamin Franklin."

[edit] Sources

• George Athan Billias. George Washington's Generals and Opponents: Their Exploits and Leadership (1994), chapter on Howe
• Bowler, Arthur R. Logistics and the Failure of the British Army in America: 1775-1783. Princeton U. Press, 1975. 290 pp.
• Gruber, Ira. Howe Brothers and the American Revolution (1975), the standard biography
• W. H. Moomaw. "The Denouement of General Howe's Campaign of 1777," English Historical Review, Vol. 79, No. 312 (Jul., 1964), pp. 498-512 [Stable URL: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0013-8266%28196407%2979%3A312%3C498%3ATDOGHC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-2

Article online in JSTOR]

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Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by: The Viscount Howe Sir Willoughby Aston	Member for Nottingham with Sir Willoughby Aston 1758–1761, John Plumptre 1761–1774, Sir Charles Sedley 1774–1778, Abel Smith 1778–1779, Robert Smith 1779–1780 1758–1780	Succeeded by: Robert Smith Daniel Parker Coke
Military Offices
Preceded by: Thomas Gage	Commander-in-Chief, North America 1775–1778	Succeeded by: Sir Henry Clinton
Preceded by: The Lord Amherst	Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance 1782–1804	Succeeded by: Sir Thomas Trigge
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by: Richard Howe	Viscount Howe 1799–1814	Succeeded by: Extinct