Charles J Whiting

Charles Jarvis Whiting (1814-1890) was a United States Army officer who commanded a cavalry regiment, and briefly a brigade, during the American Civil War.

Biography Earlier years Whiting was born on November 28, 1814, at Lancaster, Massachusetts but shortly moved to Castine, Maine where he spent the rest of his childhood. Whiting applied for the United States Military Academy but was initially rejected due to being too short but was later admitted the following year before graduating 4th in the Class of 1835. His first post was as Brevet Second Lieutenant in the 2nd United States Artillery on July 1, 1835. Whiting then served as an engineer in the Second Seminole War before resigning on May 31, 1836 Whiting then got married in 1841 but his wife died in 1847 leaving him as a widowed father with his only daughter, Anna Waterman Whiting and left his wife's family to raise the infant. and Fredericksburg as well as Stoneman's 1863 raid. Despite being one of the few senior majors remaining in the Union Army, Whiting assumed command of the Reserve Brigade when John Buford assumed command of the 1st Division of the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps. The Reserve Brigade consisted of the corp's Regular Army elements; portions of the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th U.S. Cavalry regiments, as well as the 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment. He would serve as brigade commander for just a few weeks.

Whiting led the Reserve Brigade at the Battle of Brandy Station but due to his orders conflicting with Buford's orders, the Regular Army failed to save the 6th Pennsylvania in time and Whiting was relieved from his post and sent to Fort Preble. Where, after an incident that occurred on the fort with Benjamin Butler, Whiting was dismissed on November 5, 1863, for "disloyalty and for using contemptuous and disrespectful words against the President of the United States".

Incident with the Navajo After his dismissal, Whiting returned to Castine to ponder his future until when in 1866, the United States Army was again looking for experienced officers for the Western Frontier and Andrew Johnson reinstated his rank of Major of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment. He was first stationed at Fort Marcy, New Mexico before transferring to Fort Union. In July 1867, a group of Navajo natives were suspected of having stolen livestock and when six soldiers died trying to recover the livestock, Whiting commanded the 3rd Cavalry to quell the peasant unrest and ensure peace between the settlers and the Navajo. Whiting later met up with the board of officials at Fort Sumner and came to the conclusion that the former post commander had provoked the Navajo.

Later years On May 6, 1869, Whiting was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was transferred to the 6th Cavalry Regiment and was then stationed at Greenville, Texas to ensure peace during the Reconstruction Era. On 1870, Whiting was stationed at Fort Griffin but was honorably discharged on January 1, 1871, and went home to Castine. Whiting and his wife remained there but his back pain from Gaines' Mill grew worse and this eventually caused him to die on January 2, 1890.