Joseph Abel Haskin (June 21, 1818 - August 3, 1874) was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. A veteran of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he attained the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Biography

Joseph A. Haskin was born in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

on June 21, 1818, a son of William Phelps Haskin (1787-1855) and Sarah "Sally" (Slade) Haskin (1791-1856). He was raised and educated in Troy, where his father served in appointed and elected offices including

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Rensselaer County Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,130. Its county seat is Troy. The county is named in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the la ...

. In 1839 Haskin graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point as 10th out of a class of 31 and was commissioned as 2nd lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery. At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War he was a 1st lieutenant and received

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotions to captain for Cerro Gordo and major for

Chapultepec Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in Mexico, measuring in total just over 686 hectares (1,695 acres). Centered on a rock formation called Chapultep ...

. He was severely wounded during the battle Chapultepec which resulted in the loss of his left arm. At the close of the war Haskin was promoted to captain as a staff officer in the quartermaster's department. In 1851 he was promoted to captain in the 1st U.S. Artillery. Haskin was in command of the Baton Rouge Barracks when the Civil War began. He was forced to surrender on January 10, 1861 to the Confederate forces in Louisiana. He was exchanged and assigned to the staff of

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. By the time of the Mexican-American War ...

with the rank of lieutenant colonel. For the majority of the war Haskin served as a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

and

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

commander in the

Department of Washington Department of Washington, was a department of the Union Army constituted on April 9, 1861. It consisted of the District of Columbia to its original boundaries, and the State of Maryland as far as Bladensburg. It was merged into the Military D ...

manning the Defenses of Washington D.C. In 1864 Haskin was in command of the defenses north of the Potomac in the XXII Corps when General

Jubal A. Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate States of America, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early r ...

's Confederate army approached

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Haskin had roughly 4,000 troops to man the fortifications within Washington itself. On July 8 General

Martin D. Hardin Martin D. Hardin (June 21, 1780October 8, 1823) was a politician and lawyer from Kentucky. Born in Pennsylvania, his family immigrated to Kentucky when he was still young. He studied law under George Nicholas and commenced practice at Richmond ...

was assigned to take over command from Haskin who reverted to command of the 2nd brigade. During the

Battle of Fort Stevens The Battle of Fort Stevens was an American Civil War battle fought July 11–12, 1864, in what is now Northwest Washington, D.C., as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 between forces under Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early and Un ...

Haskin's brigade occupied the line from Fort Slocum to Fort Totten. For the remainder of the war he was in command of the XXII Corps' artillery. In recognition for his service in the defenses of Washington Haskin was promoted to brigadier general in the volunteer services. He also received brevet promotions to colonel and brigadier general in the U.S. Army in 1865. Haskin retired on December 15, 1870. He was buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.Burial Detail: Haskin, Joseph Abel
– ANC Explorer Haskin's son

William L. Haskin William L. Haskin (May 31, 1841 – September 24, 1931) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, Haskin took part in the quashing of the 1866 and 1870 Fenian raids, when Irish nationalists a ...

served as brigadier general in the U.S. Army. His daughter Katherine was the wife of General

Marcus P. Miller Marcus Peter Miller (March 27, 1835 – December 11, 1906) was a career officer in the United States Army. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War and a U.S. Army veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–A ...

References

* Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Cooling, Benjamin F. ''The Day Lincoln Was Almost Shot: The Fort Stevens Story''. Scarecrow Press Inc., 2013. .

External links

William Lawrence Haskin
at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website {{DEFAULTSORT:Haskin, Joseph A. American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Union Army generals 1818 births 1874 deaths United States Army officers