__NOTOC__ Edward Brush Fowler (May 29, 1826 – January 16, 1896) was an

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

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 is best known for his command of the 14th Brooklyn Regiment and a

demi-brigade A ''demi-brigade'' ( en, Half-brigade) is a military formation used by the French Army since the French Revolutionary Wars. The ''Demi-brigade'' amalgamated the various infantry organizations of the French Revolutionary infantry into a single ...

during the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

in July 1863.

Early life

He was born in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, and his family moved to Brooklyn when he was an infant. He attended Brooklyn Gaslight School with the intention of becoming an

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifi ...

, before entering military service.

Early career and personal life

He was a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

by the time he was 18, and 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 ...

by 1847 when he began his association with the 14th Regiment (New York State Militia), a unit made up primarily of Brooklyn businessmen, tradesmen and firemen. By 1852 he was a lieutenant colonel, and married Annie Cook at the Methodist Church on Hanson Place in Fort Greene. Eventually, Fowler and his wife had three children, two boys and a girl.

Military career

When the Civil War broke out, Fowler was commander of the 14th Brooklyn, which was stationed in Fort Greene Park. They were deployed to action at the Battle of Bull Run, where their red pants and their fierceness earned them the nickname the "Red-Legged Devils". Sometime in 1862, Fowler wrote a letter home commenting on the regiment, a bit about the uniforms, and the tactics in which he had to use. It was later placed in the regimental history:

In 1860 the Board of Officers adopted the French '
chasseur ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a mor ...
' uniform, consisting of ashy red trousers, white leggings, a blue jacket, red chevrons and shoulder knots. A fixed to the head was to be a french style kepi with blue band, red above and blue top.
Little did the officers of that board dream that the uniform that they then adopted would become historic, sung of in poets' lays and transferred to the artist's canvas as that of the "red-legged devils," the Brooklyn Fourteenth.

Fowler was known to his men as "Ned", and inspired strong loyalty from them. The regiment fought again at

Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederat ...

(the Battle of Manassas), where 860 of its 960 men were lost. Fowler himself took bullets in the thigh and convalesced in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, during which he was promoted to full colonel and named to be the commandant of the hospital. In January 1863, Fowler returned to active duty, and commanded the 14th Brooklyn in the

as part of the First Army Corps. The 14th continued on to fight at the

Battle of Mine Run The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union ...

, the

Wilderness Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Unio ...

and the

Battle of Spotsylvania The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

, a total of 22 military engagements. At the end of the 14th's term of service, on March 13, 1865, Fowler was

brevetted In many of the world's military establishments, a brevet ( or ) was a warrant giving a commissioned officer a higher rank title as a reward for gallantry or meritorious conduct but may not confer the authority, precedence, or pay of real rank. ...

a brigadier general of

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army and the ...

for gallant and meritorious services.

Civilian life

Fowler returned to Brooklyn, where he lived in Fort Greene and took on the positions of an officer of the Long Island Savings Bank, the treasurer of the Atlantic & Pacific Company, the auditor of the Commercial Cable Company, the chief clerk of the Brooklyn Board of Audit and a member of the Kings County 11th Ward Board of Supervisors. He maintained his connection with the 14th Brooklyn for two years, assisting with soldier's pension funds, and was active in veterans affairs. Fowler died at his home at 47 Brevoort Place on January 16, 1896. His body laid in state at Brooklyn City Hall, and he was buried with full military honors in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...

Statue

On May 18, 1902, the

City of Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county i ...

dedicated a statue of Fowler by

Henry Baerer Henry Baerer (1837-1908) was an American sculptor born in Munich, Germany. Works include: * two versions of the Puck (magazine), Puck magazine mascot on the Puck Building, New York (1886) * Ludwig van Beethoven (Baerer), Bronze bust of Beethoven ...

Fort Greene Park Fort Greene Park is a city-owned and -operated park in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City. The park was originally named after the fort formerly located there, Fort Putnam, which itself was named for Rufus Putnam, George Washington's Chief ...

. The statue had deteriorated by the 1960s, and was removed to storage for safekeeping. In 1976 it was reinstalled at a new location, Fowler Square, formerly Lafayette Square, located at the intersection of Lafayette Avenue and Fulton Street at Fort Greene Place. The statue was conserved in 2005, and the square itself was renovated in 2010."Public Plaza Sites"
on the

New York City Department of Transportation The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is the agency of the government of New York City responsible for the management of much of New York City's transportation infrastructure. Ydanis Rodriguez is the Commissioner of the Departm ...

website

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Edward Brush Union Army colonels People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Eastern Iron Brigade 1826 births 1896 deaths Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn