successful action against the Brest Fleet her-
alded as the Glorious First of June (1794),
wherein 26 enemy ships were dismasted. Con-
sequently, George III made him Knight of the
Garter, the first naval officer so honored for
his exploits. Three years later Howe under-
took the hazardous duty of quelling the dan-
gerous mutiny by the Channel Fleet at Spit-
head. Apparently, “Black Dick” was the only
officer that the sailors considered trustwor-
thy, and the trouble subsided. Howe died,
probably near Bath, on August 5, 1799. His
role as a mediator in the American Revolution
was relatively minor—and doomed from the
start—but the conviction with which he pur-
sued it was consistent with the man.
Bibliography
Balderston, Marion. “Lord Howe Clears the Delaware.”
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olution.” New York History7 (1976): 321–338; Com-
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John A. The British Navy in the American Revolu-
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ican Independence: Britain and Seapower in the
1760s and 1770s.Vancouver: University of British
Columbia Press, 1988; Warner, Oliver. The Glorious
First of June.New York: Macmillan, 1961.HOWE, WILLIAM
Howe, William
(August 10, 1729–July 12, 1814)
English General
P
rior to the American Revolution, “Billy”
Howe enjoyed a reputation as one of
the finest officers in the British army.
He drubbed the Yankees hard on several oc-
casions, but his inability to close and clinch
complete victory remains a mystery. Histori-
ans have puzzled ever since over his contro-
versial performance: Was he grossly negli-
gent—or simply unwilling to destroy a cause
he secretly sympathized with?
William Howe was born in England on Au-
gust 10, 1729, into a wealthy and politically
well-connected family. This background held
him in good stead when, following an excel-
lent education at Eton, he joined the presti-
gious Duke of Cumberland’s Light Dragoons
as a coronet in 1746. Over the next decade
Howe proved himself to be an exemplary offi-
cer who thoroughly trained and disciplined
the men under his command. By 1755, he was
lieutenant colonel of the 55th Regiment of
Foot and part of the army under Gen. Jeffrey
Amherst. Howe participated in the reduction
of Louisbourg in July 1758 and, following the
death of his brother George Augustus at
Ticonderoga, New York, acquired his seat in