Charles Scott Venable (March 19, 1827 – August 11, 1900) was a

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

, and military officer. In mathematics, he is noted for authoring a series of publications as a

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

professor.

Early life

He was born at

Longwood House Longwood House is a mansion in St. Helena and the final residence of Napoleon Bonaparte, the former Emperor of the French, during his exile on the island of Saint Helena, from 10 December 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. History Longwoo ...

in Farmville, Virginia and graduated from

Hampden-Sydney College Hampden Sydney is a census-designated place (CDP) in Prince Edward County, Virginia, Prince Edward County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,450 at the 2010 census. Hampden Sydney is the home of Hampden–Sydney College, a private all- ...

, founded by his Patriot ancestor Nathaniel Venable, at the age of 15. He was a member of

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

fraternity while at

Career

For several years following his graduation, he served as a mathematics tutor at the college. He received further education at the

as well as in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He became a professor in mathematics and astronomy in Virginia and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. Following the war, Venable resumed his career as an educator.

Civil War

Venable was present at the firing on

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle ...

in April 1861, serving as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the South Carolina state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

. He then fought as a private in Company A, 2nd South Carolina Infantry. In the spring of 1862, Venable joined the staff of presidential military advisor General Robert E. Lee as an aide-de-camp with the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. He continued serving on Lee's staff when the general took command of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

on June 1, 1862. He served on Lee's staff from the Peninsula Campaign to Appomattox Court House and was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

. According to family legend (and some history books) Lee called Venable "Faithful old Venable." Grave_of_Charles_S

Personal life

Following the war, Venable resumed his career as an educator. During a visit to

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

, he was invited to the castle of

Heros von Borcke Johann Heinrich August Heros von Borcke (July 23, 1835 – May 10, 1895) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian Heavy cavalry, cavalry Officer (armed forces), officer and writer. Today, he is best known for his enduring memoir, ''Memoirs of the C ...

, the former aide-de-camp to General

J.E.B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...

. Venable died in Charlottesville in 1900. He was buried at the

University of Virginia Cemetery The University of Virginia Cemetery and Columbarium is a cemetery on the grounds of the University of Virginia, located at the intersection of McCormick Road and Alderman Road. In operation since 1828, during the earliest days of the university, ...

in Charlottesville.

Legacy

Venable Elementary School opened in 1925 near the University of Virginia. In December 2022, the

Charlottesville City Public Schools Charlottesville City Schools, also known as Charlottesville City Public Schools, is the school division that administers public education in the United States city of Charlottesville, Virginia. The current superintendent is Dr. Royal A. Gurley, Jr ...

Naming of Facilities Committee recommended changing the school name to Trailblazers Elementary.

Notes

References

Inventory of the Charles S. Venable Papers, 1862-1894
in the Southern Historical Collection, UNC-Chapel Hill.
"Charles Scott Venable"
Leander McCormick Observatory Museum, Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia. * Johnson, Francis W., ''A History of Texas and Texans: Volume III'', The American Historical Society, Chicago and New York, 1914
p 1235, 1236
* Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Confederacy'', Facts on File (November 1989). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Venable, Charles S. 1827 births 1900 deaths 19th-century American mathematicians American astronomers Confederate States Army officers People from Prince Edward County, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War University of Virginia faculty University of Virginia alumni Burials at the University of Virginia Cemetery Mathematicians from Virginia Southern Historical Society