Timeline Tuesday

Howard Joseph Peltier

Oct 27, 1909 - November 27, 1988 

                           

Date/Age	Event	Description
1909	Birth	27 Oct 1909 Lansing Ingham, Michigan, USA
1910 2 mths	Census/Residence	Paw Paw, Van Buren, Michigan, USA
1912 Age 2	RMS Titanic Disaster	Bet. 10-15 Apr 1912, Atlantic Ocean Built in Belfast, Ireland, the RMS Titanic was the largest passenger steam ship of the time. The ship was built using the most modern technology and was largely thought of as unsinkable. The Titanic left on its maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. On the night of April 14, shortly before midnight, the Titanic hit an iceberg; it sank a short 2 hours and 40 minutes later. 1,517 of the 2,223 people on board the ship were killed, due to the lack of lifeboats available, making the sinking of the Titanic one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.
1914 Age 4	World War I	Bet. 28 Jun 1914 - 11 Nov 1918 in Europe World War I was a conflict involving most of the world’s powers. The beginning of the war was sparked by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary. The world quickly formed into alliances, The Allied Powers (United Kingdom, France, The Russian Empire, and later the USA) fought against the Central Powers (The German Empire, The Austro-Hungarian Empire, The Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Bulgaria). Over 70 million military personnel fought in the war including 60 million Europeans. The Western Front consisted of a trench line that changed little until 1917. More than 15 million people were killed, making WWI one of the deadliest conflicts in history.
1929 Age 19	The Great Depression	Bet.  1929-19141 in USA and Europe The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn that started with the stock market crash of 1929. It lasted until the entry of the USA in World War II in 1941. Unemployment rose to 25% here and as high as 33% in other countries. It was the largest economic downturn in history.
1929 Age 19	Stock Market Crash of 1929	Oct 1929 in USA The Stock Market Crash of 1929, also known as Black Tuesday, was the most devastating crash in U.S. history. For 10 years after the crash, all western industrialized countries were affected by an economic slump.
1930 Age 20	Census/Residence	Lansing Ingham, Michigan, USA Living with his brother, Ralph
1930 Age 20	The Holocaust	Bet. 1930-1945 in Eastern Europe The Holocaust refers to the systematic genocide of over 6 million European Jews by Nazi Germany. The genocide be gan in stages in the early 1930’s by removing Jews from society; moving the Jews to concentration camps, where they died of slave labor and disease; moving Jews to ghettos; mass shootings in conquered territories; and finally extermination camps where most Jews who survived the journey were killed in gas chambers.
1933 Age 23	Marriage to Ruth A Parks	28 Jun 1933 Duplain, Clinton, Michigan, USA
1934 Age 24	Birth of son, Lynn Howard Peltier	Jul 1934 Michigan, USA
1935 Age 25	Death of mother, Luella S. Ranney Peltier	25 Sep 1935 Bath, Clinton, Michigan, USA
1936 Age 27	Birth of son, Gary L Peltier	03 Nov 1936 Elsie, Clinton, Michigan, USA
1939 Age 29	World War II	World War II began on September 1, 1939 with the German invasion of Poland.  The war involved most of the world’s powers and was divided into two sides: the Allies versus the Axis. World War II changed the boundaries of war with significant actions against civilians including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in war. 100 million military personnel were involved in the conflict. World War II was the deadliest war in history with over 70 million casualties. The war ended in 1945 with the victory of the Allies.
1939 Age 29	Birth of son, David Raymond Peltier	11 Sep 1939 Elsie, Clinton, Michigan, USA
1940 Age 30	Census/Residence	Elsie, Clinton, Michigan, USA
1941  Age 32	Attack on Pearl Harbor	The attack on Pearl Harbor was an attack by the Japanese Navy on the US Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. The attack by the Empire of Japan was intended to stop the USA from intervening in the war they were planning in South East Asia. Four US Navy battleships were sunk during the attack. Three cruisers, three destroyers, one minelayer, and one anti-aircraft training ship were also sunk or damaged during the attack. 188 US aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 personnel were killed; and 1,282 personnel were wounded during the attack. The USA declared war on the Empire of Japan after this attack, after which Germany and Italy declared war on the USA. This propelled the United States into the European theater during WWII.
1942 Age 33	Death of father, Joseph Henry Peltier	19 Nov 1942 Bath, Clinton, Michigan, USA
1944 Age 34	Birth of daughter, Barbara Ruth Peltier	26 Jun 1944 Michigan, USA
1945 Age 35	Hiroshima and Nagasaki Nuclear Bombings	One two nuclear bombs have ever been used offensively during war. The first was detonated on the city of Hiroshima, Japan near the end of World War II on August 6, 1945. The second was detonated on the city of Nagasaki, Japan three days later on August 9, 1945. The bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of approximately 110,000 people, mostly civilians, and the eventual deaths of many more due to injury, acute radiation sickness, and ionizing radiation.
1947 Age 37	The Cold War	The Cold War was an extensive period of political and military tension between the Soviet Union and the powers of the Western World, primarily the United States. The tensions began after WWII when the USA and the Soviet Union disagreed about the configuration of the post war world. While the “war” consisted of proxy wars, espionage, propaganda, a nuclear arms race, the race to space, and military coalitions, the primary participants never officially engaged in conflict. The Cold War ended in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
1949 Age 39	Death of brother, Ralph Comfort Peltier	13 Mar 1949 Lansing, Ingham, Michigan, USA
1950 Age 40	Census/Residence	Elsie, Clinton, Michigan, USA; Relation to Head: Head; Marital Status: Married
1950 Age 40	Korean War	The Korean War was a conflict between the Republic of Korea supported by the USA and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea supported by the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union. The war began with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. The war ended when an armistice was signed designating the 38th parallel as the demilitarized zone.
1955 Age 45	Civil Rights Movement	Bet. 1955-1968 in USA The Civil Rights Movement was a movement, primarily in the Southern United States, aimed at restoring suffrage and outlawing racial discrimination against African- Americans. During this time period non- violent protests and civil disobedience staged by activists created crisis situations for the government. Some notable protests include the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, the Greensboro Sit-in, and the Selma to Montgomery Marches. Notable legislation was passed during this time including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Voting Rights Act of 1965, The Immigration and Nationality Service Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
1959 Age 49	Vietnam War	Bet. Sep 1959 - Apr 1975 The Vietnam War was fought between the communist forces of North Vietnam supported by China and the Soviet Union and the non-communist forces of South Vietnam supported by the USA and other allies. The war resulted in large casualties including 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5-2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and 58,159 US soldiers.
1963 Age 54	John F. Kennedy Assassination	22 Nov 1963 in Dallas, Texas. President John F. Kennedy was fatally shot while riding with his wife, Jaqueline, in a Presidential motorcade near Dealey Plaza in Dallas. After a government investigation, Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the assassination but was killed before he could stand trial. President Kennedy was succeeded in the Presidency by his Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson.
1965 Age 55	Marriage of daughter, Barbara Ruth Peltier to  Bruce Campbell Nash II	09 Jan 1965 California, Branch, Michigan, USA
1969 Age 53	Apollo 11 Moon Landing	Apollo 11 was the first lunar mission of NASA’s Apollo program and the first space mission to land a man on the moon. The “Eagle” lunar module reached the moon on July 20, 1969 after which Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Jr became the first two men to walk on the moon.  It is estimated that 600 million people across the world watched the broadcast of the moon landing. After conducting a number of operations on the moon, the astronauts returned safely to earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24, 1969.
1970 Age 60	Marriage of son,  David Raymond Peltier to Katherine E “Kathy” Storke	24 Jan 1970 Douglas County, Nevada, USA
1988 Age 79	Death	27 Nov 1988 Owosso, Shiawassee, Michigan, USA

Military Monday

 

William Ozmun Wyckoff
1835-1895

Mustered out as a Captain, 32nd New York Infantry

Civil War

1861-1863

Born on a farm in Lansing, Tompkins County, New York, Wyckoff was 26 years old when the war broke out in 1861. He enlisted in the 32nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Company E / Company I).

During his two-year term of service (1861–1863):

• Private to Officer: Wyckoff demonstrated strong leadership and reliability early on. He was promoted through the non-commissioned officer ranks before earning a commission as a Lieutenant and eventually reaching the rank of Captain.

• Frontline Service: As Captain, he led his company through some of the VI Corps' most grueling engagements, including the Peninsula Campaign, Crampton’s Gap (where the 32nd NY suffered massive losses), Antietam, and Chancellorsville.

The 32nd New York Infantry Regiment (also nicknamed the "1st California Volunteers" because several early companies were recruited with ties to California) was a two-year volunteer unit. Organized in Staten Island and mustered into federal service on May 31, 1861, the regiment fought in the eastern theater of the war as part of the famous VI Corps (Sixth Corps) of the Army of the Potomac.

Key Campaigns and Battles

1. First Bull Run (July 1861)

Shortly after arriving in Washington, the 32nd New York marched into northern Virginia under General Irvin McDowell. During the Union disaster at the First Battle of Bull Run, the regiment served in reserve on the heights of Centreville. They formed defensive squares to repel Confederate cavalry and held position to successfully cover the retreat of the main Union army back toward Washington.

2. The Peninsula Campaign & West Point (Spring/Summer 1862)

In the spring of 1862, the regiment was shipped to the Virginia Peninsula as part of General George McClellan’s campaign toward Richmond.

• Battle of Eltham's Landing / West Point (May 7, 1862): This was the regiment’s first severe trial by fire. Landing by transports near West Point, Virginia, the 32nd New York was heavily engaged against General W.H.C. Whiting's Confederate troops while covering the Union landing. The regiment fought gallantly and drove the enemy back, though taking significant casualties.

• Seven Days Battles (June 25 – July 1, 1862): The regiment saw heavy action at Gaines' Mill and fought through White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill as the Union forces fought their way back to Harrison's Landing.

3. Maryland Campaign & Crampton’s Gap (September 1862)

The most severe combat in the regiment's history came during the Maryland Campaign:

• Battle of Crampton’s Gap / South Mountain (September 14, 1862): Charged with assaulting a heavily defended mountain pass, the 32nd New York suffered devastating losses. Their commander, Colonel Roderick Matheson, and Major George Lemon were both mortally wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Francis E. Pinto had to take command of the combined remnants of the 32nd and 33rd New York Regiments.

• Battle of Antietam (September 17, 1862): Just three days later, at the bloodiest single day in American history, the unit served in support positions under continuous artillery fire near the Sunken Road/Bloody Lane area.

4. Fredericksburg & Chancellorsville (Winter 1862 – Spring 1863)

• Fredericksburg (December 1862): The regiment supported Union artillery and helped repel a Confederate attack on the New Jersey Brigade. They endured freezing conditions in open positions overnight.

• The "Mud March" (January 1863): Participated in the infamous, rain-soaked, bogged-down march through thick Virginia clay.

• Chancellorsville Campaign & Salem Church (May 1863): During General Joseph Hooker's campaign, the VI Corps crossed the Rappahannock and took Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg before advancing toward Salem Church, where the unit saw its final active skirmishing and rear-guard actions.

Regiment Summary & Muster Out

• Muster Out: Because the 32nd New York was a 2-year regiment, its term of service expired in the spring of 1863. The regiment was officially mustered out in New York City on June 9, 1863.

• Casualties: Over their two years of service, the 32nd New York lost 45 officers and enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in battle, and 54 men to disease.

Because William Ozmun Wyckoff rose from Private to Captain, he went through nearly every tier of the Army hierarchy:

1. Private -> Non-Commissioned Officer (Corporal/Sergeant): Promoted for reliability, skill, and survival through early trials.

2. NCO -> Lieutenant: Commissioned as a junior officer, often to fill vacancies left by casualties at West Point or Gaines' Mill.

3. Lieutenant -> Captain: Promoted to company command, likely following the high officer mortality rate during the Maryland Campaign (such as Crampton's Gap, where top leadership was lost).

As a Captain, he would have been responsible for commanding an entire company of ~80 to 100 men—leading them directly on the battle line, managing company rolls, rations, arms, and discipline.

Thank you to Gemini for providing information about the regiment and the campaigns William Ozmun Wyckoff participated in.  It would have taken me much, much longer to bring together all this information.