 In 1892 he was assigned as Light House Inspector in the 10th Light House District, which comprised 114 miles of the St. Lawrence River as well as Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and the Niagara River.Of note, he relieved Commander Charles Vernon Gridley, who would later command , Commodore George Dewey's flagship, during the attack on Manila at the beginning of the Spanish–American War.During his tenure, Woodward, on behalf of the United States Government, presented a life-saving medal second class to Miss Maebelle L. Mason, at the 'Cadillac Hotel,' Detroit, during the National Convention of the Grand Army of the Republic.