Oliver Otis Howard (November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909) is a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.

He is a corps commander noted for suffering two humiliating defeats, at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, but he recovers from the setbacks while posted in the Western Theater, and serves there successfully as a corps and army commander.

Known as the "Christian general" because he tries to base his policy decisions on his deep religious piety, he is given charge of the Freedmen's Bureau in mid 1865, with the mission of integrating the freed slaves into Southern society and politics during the second phase of the Reconstruction Era.

Howard takes charge of labor policy, setting up a system that requires free slaves to work on former plantation land under pay scales fixed by the Bureau, on terms negotiated by the Bureau with white land owners.

Howard's Bureau is primarily responsible for the legal affairs of the freedmen.

He attempts to protect the Negroes from hostile conditions, but lacks adequate power, and is repeatedly frustrated by President Andrew Johnson.

Howard's allies, the Radical Republicans, win control of Congress in the 1866 elections and impose Radical Reconstruction, with the result that freedmen are given the vote.

With the help and advice of the Bureau, they join Republican coalitions along with "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" to take political control of most of the southern states.

Howard is also a leader in promoting higher education for freedmen, most notably in founding of Howard University in Washington and serving as its president 1867–73.

After 1874, Howard commands troops in the West, conducting a famous campaign against the Nez Perce tribe.

Utley (1987) concludes that his leadership against the Apaches in 1872, against the Nez Perce in 1877, the Bannocks and Paiutes in 1878, and against the Sheepeaters in 1879 all add up to an impressive record, although he was outshone by George Custer and Nelson Miles.