Charles Whittlesey (October 4, 1808 - October 18, 1886) was a soldier,

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

, historian, and an investigator of mounds relics of the United States. He is described by

Ephraim George Squier Ephraim George Squier (June 17, 1821 – April 17, 1888), usually cited as E. G. Squier, was an American archaeologist, history writer, painter and newspaper editor. Biography Squier was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister, Joel ...

and

Edwin Hamilton Davis Edwin Hamilton Davis (January 22, 1811 – May 15, 1888) was an American physician and self taught archaeologist who completed pioneering investigations of the mound builders in the Mississippi Valley. Davis gathered what, at that time, was the ...

in their book ''

Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley ''Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley'' (full title ''Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley: Comprising the Results of Extensive Original Surveys and Explorations'') (1848) by the Americans Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton ...

'' as a "zealous investigator" in the field of "American antiquarian research."

Biography

Whittlesey 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 ...

in 1831, and was assigned to the 5th Infantry Regiment. In 1832 he was stationed at

Fort Howard, Wisconsin Fort Howard was a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States. It was first incorporated as a "borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-gover ...

, and after serving in the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

, he resigned his commission on September 30 of the same year. After studying law, he followed that profession in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and from 1836 to 1837, was editorially connected with the ''Cleveland Herald''. In 1837 Whittlesey was appointed assistant geologist of the

State of Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, under William W. Mather, and given charge of the topographical and mathematical parts of that survey, which disclosed the rich coal and iron deposits of eastern Ohio that are the foundation of its manufacturing industries. At this time, he also carefully examined and measured several of the works of the

Mound Builders A number of pre-Columbian cultures are collectively termed "Mound Builders". The term does not refer to a specific people or archaeological culture, but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks erected for an extended period of more than 5 ...

, and his plans and notes of twenty of these remains were embodied in

and

E. G. Squier Ephraim George Squier (June 17, 1821 – April 17, 1888), usually cited as E. G. Squier, was an American archaeologist, history writer, painter and newspaper editor. Biography Squier was born in Bethlehem, New York, the son of a minister, Joel S ...

's ''

''. From 1847 until 1851 he was engaged by the

U.S. Government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fede ...

in making a

mineralogical Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...

and geological survey of the region about

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

and the upper

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Subsequently, he was professionally engaged as a mining engineer in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, and in 1858 became associated in the geological work of the survey of Wisconsin. In February 1861, he was enrolled in a company that tendered its services to Gen.

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

to escort the President-elect

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

to Washington, D.C.. He was made assistant quartermaster general on the staff of the

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

on April 17, 1861, and during the Western Virginia Campaign acted as chief engineer of the Ohio troops. At the expiration of his three months' service he was appointed

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the

20th Ohio Infantry The 20th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Three-months regiment The 20th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Columbus, Ohio April through May 1861 in response to Presiden ...

on August 15, 1861, and detailed as chief engineer of the

Department of the Ohio The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern states near the Ohio River. 1st Department 1861–1862 Genera ...

, with charge of planning and constructing the defenses of Cincinnati. He was present at the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

, where he led his regiment, and after the surrender was sent to north in charge of over 10,000

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

prisoners. At the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

, he commanded the 3rd brigade of Maj. Gen.

Lewis Wallace Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...

's division, but failing health compelled his retirement from active service, and he resigned on April 19, 1862. Whittlesey returned to service in September 1862, serving on Wallace's staff, providing assistance directing civilian and military labor for the defense of Cincinnati. Following the passing of the Confederate threat to the city, Whittlesey again returned to civilian life. He then resumed the geological exploration in the Lake Superior and upper Mississippi basin, and continued his literary labors. In 1867, he was active in the founding of the Western Reserve and Northern Ohio Historical Society, of which he was president until his death in 1886. He was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1870. Due to his work describing early North American indigenous people, an archaeological designation, the

Whittlesey culture Whittlesey culture is an archaeological designation for a Native American people, who lived in northeastern Ohio during the Late Precontact and Early Contact period between A.D. 1000 to 1640. By 1500, they flourished as an agrarian society by 1500 ...

, describing people who lived in Northeast Ohio from A.D. 1000 to 1600, was named in his honor.

Works

Whittlesey's bibliography included about 200 titles. In addition to his reports for the geological surveys, he published in the “Smithsonian Contributions”: *
Historical collections of Ohio : containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc.
' (1848) *
Descriptions of Ancient Works in Ohio
' (Washington, 1851) * ''On Fluctuations of Level in the North American Lakes'' (1860) *
Ancient Mining on the Shores of Lake Superior
' (1863) * ''On the Fresh-Water Glacial Drift in the Northwestern States'' (1866) He is also the author of: * ''Life of John Fitch'', in Sparks's “American Biography” (Boston, 1845) *
Early History of Cleveland and Vicinity
' (Cleveland, 1867)

Notes

References

* Tribble, Scott, "Living in the Past: Charles Whittlesey," ''Timeline'' (Ohio Historical Society, April-June 2008) *

External links

Guide to Charles Whittlesey, Letter 1880
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittlesey, Charles 1808 births 1886 deaths 19th-century American geologists 19th-century American archaeologists People of Ohio in the American Civil War Union Army colonels Members of the American Antiquarian Society People from Southington, Connecticut 19th-century archaeologists Scientists from Connecticut Scientists from Ohio