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Griffin was born in [[Granville, Ohio]], the son of Apollos Griffin. He attended the nearby [[Kenyon College]] in [[Gambier, Ohio|Gambier]], and graduated from the [[United States Military Academy|U.S. Military Academy]] in [[West Point, New York]], placing 23rd out of 38 in the Class of 1847.<ref name="Eicher269">Eicher, 2001, p. 269.</ref> Commissioned as a [[brevet (military)|brevet]] [[Second lieutenant#United States|second lieutenant]], he served with the 2nd U.S. Artillery during the final campaign of the [[Mexican–American War]].
He was promoted to [[First Lieutenant#United States|first lieutenant]] in 1849 and served in the [[New Mexico Territory]] against [[Navajo people|Navajo Indians]] until 1854, when he left the Southwest [[frontier]]
==Civil War==
[[File:Manassas, Griffin's canons.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Griffin's battery at Bull Run battlefield]]
Griffin commanded his battery during the early part of the 1862 [[Peninsula Campaign]] but the unit was not heavily engaged during this time. He was promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] of volunteers on June 12, 1862, to rank from June 9
[[File:Charles Griffin general - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|General Griffin and his staff]]
Assigned command of a [[division (military)|division]] in the [[V Corps (Union Army)|V Corps]], he served at the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]] where his command lost heavily in the failed assault on Marye's Heights and during the [[Battle of Chancellorsville|Chancellorsville Campaign]], where they were largely held in reserve. Stricken with illness, he turned over command of the division to a subordinate and did not accompany it during the early part of the [[Gettysburg Campaign]]. Arriving as the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] was winding down, his return was widely celebrated by his men. The popular officer led the division throughout the year, including during the [[Mine Run Campaign]]. Griffin participated in most of the major battles of the [[Army of the Potomac]] in 1864, including the [[Overland Campaign]] and [[Siege of Petersburg]]. On December 12, 1864, [[President of the United States|President]] [[Abraham Lincoln]] nominated Griffin for appointment as a [[Brevet (military)|brevet]] [[Major general (United States)|major general]] of volunteers, to rank from August 1, 1864, and the [[United States Senate]] confirmed the appointment on February 14, 1865.<ref>Eicher, 2001, p. 712.</ref>
Griffin assumed command of V Corps during its final campaign and was present when [[Robert E. Lee]] surrendered at [[Appomattox Court House National Historical Park|Appomattox Court House]]. In August, he was assigned command of the district of [[Maine]], with his headquarters in [[Portland, Maine|Portland]].
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==Postbellum==
He became entangled in political issues and registered both black and white voters under the [[Reconstruction Acts]] in the spring of that year. He strictly enforced the ironclad [[oath of allegiance]] (forcing men to publicly swear that they had never served the Confederacy) as the basis for jury selection. Dissatisfied with the performance of appointed Governor [[James W. Throckmorton]], Griffin persuaded General Sheridan to remove him from office and replace him with a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] and loyal Unionist, [[Elisha M. Pease]]. Together, they used their power and position to remove several [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] antebellum state officeholders who had supported the Confederacy, replacing them with other Unionists.
Griffin was assigned command of the [[Fifth Military District]], replacing Sheridan, and was ordered to report to [[New Orleans]]. However, before he could leave for Louisiana and his new headquarters, he died in
[[Fort Griffin]] on the Texas [[frontier]] was later named in his honor.
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