Thomas Benton Howard Papers, 1869-1920: Finding Aid
Published in February 2014
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6917
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: MS 209
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
- Title: Thomas Benton Howard Papers
- Dates: 1869-1919
- Size: 0.83 linear feet
- Container Summary: 2 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize folders
- Creator: Howard, Thomas Benton, 1854-1920
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: Thomas Benton Howard was an admiral in the United States Navy and a member of the United States Naval Academy Class of 1873. The Howard papers focus on Howard's time as a midshipman at the Naval Academy, his service during the cruise of the Great White Fleet, his participation in the Military Order of the Carabao, the various Navy vessels he served aboard or were under his command.
Biographical Chronology of Thomas Benton Howard
- 1854
- On August 10, is born in Galena, Illinois.
- 1869
- In June, is appointed to the United States Naval Academy.
- 1873-1874
- Serves aboard U.S.S. Alaska and U.S.S. Wabash of the European Station.
- 1874
- U.S.S. Wabash relocates to Key West.
- 1874-1875
- Serves aboard U.S.S. Franklin of the European Station.
- 1876-1878
- Is assigned to the Naval Academy in the department of Mathematics, as well as U.S.S. Constellation for the 1877 practice cruise.
- 1878-1879
- Serves aboard U.S.S. Plymouth of the North Atlantic Station.
- 1879-1881
- Is attached to U.S.S. Kearsarge of the North Atlantic Station.
- 1881-1884
- Is assigned to the Naval Academy and the practice ship U.S.S. Dale.
- 1884-1887
- Serves aboard U.S.S. Saratoga.
- 1887-1891
- Is assigned to the Naval Academy in the department of Physics and Chemistry, and later the department of Mechanics and Applied Mathematics. Is also attached to U.S.S. Constellation for the 1889 practice cruise.
- 1891-1893
- Is attached to U.S.S. Bennington of the Squadron of Evolution and the South Atlantic Station, which also takes part in the Naval Review of 1893.
- 1893-1894
- Serves aboard U.S.S. Miantonomah.
- 1894-1897
- Is assigned to the Naval Academy in the department of Physics and Chemistry, as well as U.S.S. Monongahela for the 1895 practice cruise.
- 1897-1898
- Is attached to U.S.S. Concord and took part in the Battle of Manila Bay and the capture of Subic Bay during the Spanish-American War.
- 1899
- Serves aboard U.S.S. Charleston, battling insurgents in Manila (February 5) and taking part in the Battle of Caloocan (February 10) and the bombardment of Cebu (July 26-28).
- In August, transfers to the monitor U.S.S. Monadnock, taking part in further bombardment of Cebu (September 12).
- 1900
- In February, receives command of U.S.S. Monadnock.
- In April, is attached to U.S.S. Scindia.
- In September, is assigned to the Naval Academy as the Head of Ordnance and Gunnery.
- 1901
- On March 4, Commands U.S.S. Puritan during the Presidential Inauguration.
- Commands U.S.S. Chesapeake during the Naval Academy's practice cruise.
- 1903
- On February 5, is detached from the Naval Academy for service as commanding officer of U.S.S. Nevada.
- 1905-1906
- Is attached to the Naval Academy as Head of Ordnance and Gunnery.
- 1907
- In May, receives command of U.S.S. Olympia and the Naval Academy practice squadron.
- In August, is detached from the Naval Academy.
- In October, receives command of U.S.S. Tennessee.
- 1908-1909
- Takes part in the cruise of the Great White Fleet. During the cruise, receives command of U.S.S. Ohio.
- 1910
- Receives command of the Fourth Division of the Atlantic Fleet, with U.S.S. Georgia as flagship.
- 1912
- Receives command of the Third Division of the Atlantic Fleet.
- In April, is detached from the Atlantic Fleet to await orders.
- 1914
- Is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet.
- 1915
- In September, is detached from the Pacific Fleet to serve as President of the Naval Examining and Retirement Boards.
- 1916
- On August 10, is transferred to the Retired List.
- 1920
- On November 9, dies in Annapolis, Maryland.
Description of Contents
The Thomas Benton Howard Papers, comprising 0.83 linear feet of documentation, span from 1869 to 1920, coving Howard's career in the United States Navy and subsequent retirement. The papers focus on Howard's time as a midshipman at the Naval Academy, his service during the cruise of the Great White Fleet, his participation in the Military Order of the Carabao, the various Navy vessels he served aboard or were under his command.
The collection consists of correspondence, orders, reports, publications, visiting cards, maps, and a notebook.
The Thomas Benton Howard Papers touch upon most aspects of Howard's career, but focus specifically on several key aspects. Howard's time as a midshipman at the Naval Academy is the primary focus of the lone notebook in the collection, which not only includes class notes, but various statistics on the Naval Academy Class of 1873. His service during the 1908 cruise of the Great White Fleet is represented by various publications on the locales visited, especially those in Australia, as well as planning documents, including maps and ground plans for several events. The fleet's cruise is also represented by some of the U.S. Navy vessel magazines in the collection. In addition to his service at sea and at the Naval Academy, Howard served on numerous Navy boards, courts-martial, and courts of inquiry, which are represented by their own correspondence, as well as occasional statements by those seamen called before the boards on which Howard was serving. Howard's social life is represented by materials from his involvement in the Military Order of the Carabao, as well as invitations and visiting cards from various social events. Details of the remainder Howard's career, such as his various assignments to the Naval Academy and service as Commander of the Third and Fourth Divisions of the Atlantic Fleet, can be gleaned from his official and personal correspondence, orders, and cruise reports.
Arrangement
The Thomas Benton Howard Papers are arranged alphabetically by topic and document type.
Access and Use
Access
Access is unrestricted.
Copyright and Permission
The Thomas Benton Howard Papers are the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Custodial History
Howard's Naval Academy Notebook was originally purchased by the Naval Academy Museum, Museum Accession No. 81.65.
Provenance and Acquisition
Gift of Lee Mogul in 1979 and transfer from the Naval Academy Museum.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
Additional material pertaining to Howard's time as a midshipman at the Naval Academy can be found in his Midshipman Conduct Record at Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library. Photographs of Howard as a midshipman can be found in the U.S.N.A. photographic class book, '73, Photo Album 15 and Photo Album 96 at Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library.
Materials Cataloged Separately
Four photographs and four negatives of Thomas Benton Howard have been removed and added to the Special Collections Picture File and Transitional Picture File.
Processing and Other Information
Howard's Naval Academy Notebook was previously processed and housed with the Alumni/Memorabilia section of the Naval Academy Archives until July 2014.
Preferred Citation
Thomas Benton Howard Papers, MS 209
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:
"Thomas Benton Howard [obituary]," Army and Navy Journal. November 13, 1920: 298.
Processing Information
This collection was processed in March 1986. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in February 2014.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Arkansas (Monitor : BM-7)
- Courts-martial and courts of inquiry
- Georgia (Battleship : BB-15)
- Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Cuba)
- Howard, Thomas Benton, 1854-1920
- Melbourne (Vic.)
- Military Order of the Carabao
- Ohio (Battleship : BB-12)
- San Diego (Armored cruiser : ACR-6)
- Severn (Bark)
- Shinjuku Gyoen (Tokyo, Japan)
- Sydney (N.S.W.)
- Tennessee (Armored cruiser : ACR-10)
- United States Naval Academy -- Midshipmen -- Cruises
- United States Naval Academy. Class of 1873
- United States. Navy -- Cruise, 1907-1909
- War games
- Yokohama-shi (Japan)
Genre Terms
- Correspondence
- Manuscripts
- Notebooks
- Orders (military records)
- Periodicals
- Printed ephemera
- Programs (documents)
- Reports
- Visiting cards
Contents List
Boards, 1904-1914
Letters and memoranda pertaining to boards on which Howard served, covering such topics as the sinking of the tug Mohawk, the training of firemen, bonuses given to battleships, the Office of Naval Intelligence, incidents involving the crew of U.S.S. Nebraska in France (1910), the Guantanamo Naval Station, and the Naval Examining Board.
Correspondence - Official, 1899-1910
Letters and memoranda pertaining to Howard's orders, commendations, and letters of thanks. Specific topics include an accident on board U.S.S. Missouri (1904), an apparatus to prevent flarebacks aboard U.S.S. Nevada, and target practice aboard U.S.S. Ohio and Tennessee (1908). Also included are transfer receipts for Bureau of Navigation publications and a fitness report.
Correspondence - Official, 1911-1919
Letters and memoranda pertaining to Howard's orders, commendations, recommendations, crew transfers, and letters of thanks. Specific topics include the disappearance of seaman Edward W. Lee of U.S.S. Georgia (1911), House Naval Committee hearings on Navy Personnel (1913), unfinished duties at Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet (1915), the Mexican Campaign Badge (1918), and the proposed transfer of the U.S. Naval Observatory to the Smithsonian Institution. Also included are transfer and custody receipts for confidential documents.
Cruise Reports, 1904-1911, undated
Reports regarding Howard's service aboard U.S.S. Decatur en route to Manila (1904), U.S.S. Nevada while attached to the Naval Academy (1904), U.S.S. Olympia (1907), U.S.S. Tennessee (1907), U.S.S. Ohio (1908-1909), U.S.S. Georgia at Brest (1910), and ships of the Fourth Division (1911).
Great White Fleet, 1908
Includes newspaper clippings, event programs, memoranda, pamphlets, and itineraries. Topics include events in Sydney, Australia; visit to Yokohama, Japan; arrangements for calls in Sydney and Melbourne, description of Victoria, Australia; and an address by Cardinal Moran.
Miscellaneous, 1875-1918, undated
Includes materials pertaining to Philip R. Voorhees' steering apparatus patent, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, dedication of the General William Tecumseh Sherman statue, the unveiling of the Porter Memorial Window at the Naval Academy Chapel, the Atlantic Fleet roster of officers, the strategic importance of naval stations (Senate Committee Print), and the June 8, 1918 total solar eclipse. Also included is a reminiscence entitled "Some Experiences of a Visit to the Front," circa 1918.
United States Naval Academy - Notebook, 1869-1915
Includes notes on steam; rosters of the Class of 1873, including class standing, marriages, deaths, Cadet Officers, and boat crews; hops and balls given by the Class of 1873; signatures of shipmates; Howard's monthly academic standing at the Naval Academy; notes on shipbuilding; notes on calculus; songs and poems; drawings and caricatures by Howard; and lists of officers on Howard's ships from 1889 to 1900. Inside the front cover is a menu for the 1907 Reunion of the Class of 1873 and a postcard of Admiral Howard Day, June 8, 1915 in San Diego.
War Games, 1911-1912, undated
Memoranda, orders, and rules for war games engaged in by the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Fourth Division. Also includes two Naval War College publications: "The Strategic Naval War Game or Chart Maneuver" by Captain W. McCarty Little and "War and Policy" by J.S. McKean.