William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

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.

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe.

Howe's record in the war was marked by the costly assault on Breed's Hill known as The Battle of Bunker Hill and the successful capture of New York City and Philadelphia - the latter of which would have significant strategic implications.

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.

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.

The American Revolutionary War

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.

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. Personally leading the left wing of the attack, Howe's assault gained the objective, but the cost was appallingly heavy. General Thomas Gage called it "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." This "genial six-footer with a face some people described as 'coarse'" in private revealed a marked lack of self-confidence combined, not surprisingly, with a noted dependence on his brother Admiral Lord Howe and the elder Howe's opinions.

The New York Campaign

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.

The Philadelphia Campaign

On 30 November 1776, Howe wrote Lord Germain, Secretary of State for America, that he would send a 10,000 man force up the Hudson River to capture Albany, New York. Howe later changed his mind and informed Germain that the Albany Expedition would be postponed until after Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was secured. Germaine received this letter on 23 February 1777.

Howe's campaign began at Head of the Elk Maryland, southwest of Philadelphia. On September 11, 1777, Washington attempted to stop the British movement near Chadds Ford along the Brandywine Creek in the Battle of Brandywine. Howe defeated Washington, and after several weeks of manuever, Howe entered the city.

Consequences of the Philadelphia Campaign

Concommittant with the Philadelphia Campaign, General John Burgoyne lead an expedition - the Saratoga Campaign south from Montreal to capture Albany and join the cancelled New York-Albany expedition. Burgoyne's campaign had been approved 28 February, 1777, after Germaine had been notified that Howe was not moving up the Hudson to Albany. Whether Germain told Burgoyne about Howe's revised plans is unclear; presumably he did. Whether Germain, Howe, and Burgoyne had the same expectations about the degree to which Howe was supposed to support the invasion from Canada is also unclear. Some have argued that Howe failed to follow instructions and essentially abandoned Burgoyne's Army; others suggest that Burgoyne failed on his own and then tried to shift the blame to Howe and Clinton.

Regardless of which claim is true, the defeat and surrender of Burgoyne's expedition at Saratoga, New York dramatically altered the strategic balance of the conflict. Support for the Continental Congress, suffering from Howe's successful occupation of Philadelphia, was strengthened and the victory encouraged France to enter the war against Britain. Spain and the Netherlands soon did the same. The loss also further weakened the current British government under Lord North.

After the revolution

Howe 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.

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 Encyclopædia Britannica 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."

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 Bold text

Article online in JSTOR]

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