The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 119

Author: Armstrong, J. M., & company, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Cincinnati, J. M. Armstrong
Number of Pages: 946

USA > Kentucky > The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century > Part 119

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Chairman of the District Executive Democratic Com- mittee. He was born a Democrat; during the war, sup- ported the South by his earnest sympathy, but took no active part in the contest, yet was not without partici- pancy in the troubles of the times; and, since the war, has been one of the most active and successful Demo- cratic leaders in his part of the State. He is greatly devoted to his profession, and is, in fact, an enthusiast in any cause he espouses. He is a man of fine literary attainments, and a ready and able speaker. He is an active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and, in the ministry, would doubtlessly have been a man of uncommon powers. He is barely in the prime of life, with a combination of splendid personal traits which would distinguish him anywhere among men. Mr Clarke was married, October 3, 1854, to Miss Cordelia A. Robertson, daughter of Christopher Robertson, of Bracken County, and niece of the late Dr. J. Taylor Bradford. They have five living children.

TANDIFORD, HON. ELISHA D., M. D., President of the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road, was born December 28, 1831, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. His father was a native of Kentucky, and followed agricultural and man- ufacturing pursuits, some of his ancestors emi- grating at an early day, from Scotland, and settling in Maryland. His mother was of Irish descent, her family settling at Louisville about the close of the last century ; and his family, on both sides, were among the sturdy pioneers of Kentucky, who shared in the hardships and dangers of the "Dark and Bloody Ground." Dr. Stan- diford received a good education, a part of which was obtained at St. Mary's College, in Marion County, Ken- tucky. He studied medicine under Prof. J. B. Flint, and graduated in the Kentucky School of Medicine, at Louisville, where he immediately entered upon the prac- tice of his profession, and continued actively and suc- cessfully engaged for several years. He finally entirely abandoned his profession, to engage in farming and business pursuits; became largely interested in manu- facturing and banking ; was, for some years, President of the Red River Iron Works, one of the most exten- sive iron manufactories in the West; was, until recently, President of the Louisville Car-wheel Company, one of the largest establishments of the kind in the Ohio Val- ley ; is President of the Farmers' and Drovers' Bank, of Kentucky, the largest deposit hank in the State; all of these corporations largely owing their prosperity to his great business ability ; was, for several years, member of the Louisville Board of Education ; in 1868, was elected to the State Senate; was re-elected in 1872, and was instrumental in bringing about some valuable legislation

towards the improvement of the State. During his last term in the State Senate, he was elected to represent his district in the Lower House of Congress, and took his seat in that body, at the commencement of the forty- third session ; was distinguished as an active worker, and a debater of great ability; was influential in the passage of the bill authorizing the Government to take possession of the Louisville and Portland Canal, a meas- ure greatly beneficial to the interests of commerce on the Ohio river; his speech on the subject exciting fa- vorable comment throughout the country. He also appeared prominently in the debates opposing the re- duction of wages for revenue agents, the reduction of certain tariffs, the repealing of the charter of the Freed- men's Savings and Trust Company, and in favor of granting a charter to the Iron Molders' National Union ; making for himself an honorable and valuable Congres- sional record. At the close of his term, he was tendered the re-nomination by both parties, which he declined, believing that in his large business and home interests he could better serve the people. In 1873 or 1874, he was elected Vice-President of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and, in 1875, was elected president, and still fills that position. Under his management, the commer- cial importance of that road has been greatly advanced, its entire working thoroughly systematized, many of its superfluous offices dispensed with, the running expenses of the road largely reduced, its actual condition greatly improved, its local business increased, its general earn- ings greatly augmented, and the standing of the road permanently fixed in the public confidence. He is a man of uncommon business and executive ability; is ready for any emergency; is remarkably clear-sighted; is possessed of uncommon energy; turns almost every thing he touches to advantage; and is, emphatically, one of the most active and enterprising, public-spirited, suc- cessful, and valuable business men of Louisville. Dr. Standiford is attractive in manners, genial, and com- panionable ; is over six feet in height; in the very prime of life, and is a splendid specimen of physical manhood.

ARDIN, HON. BENJAMIN, Lawyer, was born in 1784, in Westmoreland County, Vir- ginia, and was the son of Benjamin Hardin, who married his cousin, Sarah Hardin, the oldest sister of Col. John Hardin. In 1787, he was brought by his parents to Washington County, Kentucky. He was educated under Ichabod Radley, Daniel Barry, an Irish scholar, and at Bards- town College. He began the study of the law at Richmond, in 1804, under Martin D. Hardin, and afterwards studied with Felix Grundy, at Bardstown ; and, in 1806, was licensed to practice, and settled in

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Elizabethtown, where he resided only two years. In 1808, he removed with his family to Bardstown, where he remained during his life. His practice soon ex- tended over Nelson, Washington, Bullitt, Grayson, Hardin, Meade, Marion, Breckinridge, and Spencer Counties, and to the Court of Appeals, and even to the State of Indiana, requiring immense labor and yielding him a large income, notwithstanding his small fees. In 1810, he was elected to the Legislature; was several times re-elected; and, from 1826 to 1832, served in the State Senate; was ten years in Congress, serving from 1815 to 1817, from 1819 to 1823, and from 1833 to 1837; from 1844 to 1847, was Secretary of State, under Gov. Owsley; and, during his service in that office, had a serious controversy with the Governor, in which he defended himself in a speech before the Legislature, which was characterized by great ability, and won for him universal admiration. He finally resigned the Sec- retaryship, and entered actively upon the practice of his profession. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1849, and was one of the most influen- tial and active members of that body. He died Sep- tember 24, 1852. Before his death, he united with the Methodist Church, and had long been a firm believer in the Bible, and the doctrines of Christianity. He was a man of uncommon powers of memory; grasped readily every question brought before him; was a most ani- mated and powerful speaker, but seldom indulged in flights of fancy ; and was undoubtedly one of the most successful and able lawyers who ever lived in Kentucky. Mr. Hardin was married, in 1806, to Miss Barbour, who died before him, in 1852. One of his sons was a lawyer, and three of his daughters married lawyers.

RY, GENERAL SPEED S., Lawyer, Merchant, and Soldier, fourth son of Thomas W. Fry, and grandson of Joshua Fry, one of the early dis- tinguished settlers of Boyle (or Mercer) County, was born September 9, 1817, five miles west of Danville, in Mercer (now Boyle) County, Kentucky. His father was born in Virginia, and was brought to Kentucky by his grandfather, in his thir- teenth year. He engaged in farming until 1836, when he removed to Crawfordsville, Indiana, where he bought a large flouring-mill, and continued the milling business until his death, which occurred in the Winter of 1837. His mother's name was Eliza J. Smith, and she was the daughter of John Smith, and sister of the late Hon. John Speed Smith, of Madison County, Kentucky. Gen. Fry's early education was commenced under Dun- can Robinson, at his school, on Salt river, and contin- ued by his grandfather, who, although a man of wealth, was greatly devoted to teaching, and became the early

literary trainer of many of the young men of the times, who subsequently took the first rank in the affairs of the State. (See sketch of Joshua Fry.) He subsequently entered the preparatory department of Centre College, and, after completing the Freshman course, entered Wa- bash College, at Crawfordsville, in Indiana, in 1838, and there graduated in 1841. A short time afterwards, he returned to Kentucky, and entered upon the study of law, under his uncle, John Speed Smith, and, after a thorough preparation, received his license, and entered upon the practice of his profession at Danville. The law proving incongenial to his tastes, he soon abandoned it, and began merchandising. At the outbreak of the Mexi- can War, he was in command of a military company in his town, and at once set about. raising a company for the army, on the call of the President for troops from Kentucky. His company was soon organized and mus- tered into the service as a part of Colonel William R. McKee's regiment; suffered all the hardships incident to a campaign in that climate; participated conspicu- ously in the battle of Buena Vista, where he and Lieut .- Col. Morrison, of an Illinois regiment, had the honor of firing the last guns in that memorable battle. His regi- ment served out its one year's time of enlistment, and, although almost to a man offering their service to the Government, they were, in the most complimentary man- ner, assured by Gen. Taylor that they had done their duty, and that the strength of the army made their re- enlistment 'unnecessary. The regiment was accordingly mustered out of the service; and, on June 9, 1847, he returned home, and again resumed mercantile business. On November 4, 1847, he was married to Mildred T. Smith, of Jefferson County, Kentucky. Eighteen months afterwards, she died, leaving an infant daughter, who still survives. In 1851, under the provisions of the new State Constitution, he was urged by his friends to run for the office of county judge, and was elected for a term of four years, and was continuously re-elected, holding the position until the commencement of the rebellion. It was hardly possible, nor was it desirable, for him to re- main a quiet spectator in the great conflict, certainly inevitable to the close observer. He did not hesitate as to the side on which he should stand. Being opposed to the institution of slavery, and having no sympathy with his section on that point, and having been reared under the teachings of some of the most unflinching and noble of all the early patriots of the State, he at once ear- nestly espoused the cause of the National Government, and set about organizing home guards as a means of immediate home protection ; Kentucky standing in the anomalous position of neutrality, and the general Gov- ernment having no troops in the State to control the inflammable elements every-where beginning to appear on the surface. In April, 1861, he enrolled a hundred young men, who pledged themselves to stand by the old

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flag, and give all the protection to the community pos- sible. On finding himself unable to obtain arms from the State authorities, he, with five other gentlemen pro- ceeded to Cincinnati, to receive arms offered by the Gov- ernment to Kentucky loyalists. They found that the arms so designed had been stored at Maysville, to which place they repaired with an order from General William Nelson, and conveyed the arms through the country to Lexington and Danville, succeeding in arming and maintaining their organizations as "Home Guards," until President Lincoln called upon the State for troops. From General Nelson he received authority to raise a regiment for the Union army ; and, entering at once upon the work, on August 6, 1861, opened, with a handful of recruits, "Camp Dick Robinson," in Garrard County. The recruits came in slowly for the first week or two, every impediment possible being thrown in the way of enlistments by the adversaries of the Government. But soon, from the mountains and other parts of the State, men willing to stand by the old flag gathered to his standard, and, October 9, 1861, his regiment was mus- tered into service, by Gen. George H. Thomas. Gen- erals Zollicoffer and Buckner were gathering troops on the Tennessee border, and threatening Kentucky, and the new regiment of Kentuckians was not destined long to wait an opportunity to show their devotion to the cause of the country. Gen. Zollicoffer had found some resistance at "Wild Cat" to his advance toward the in- terior of Kentucky, and had taken up his quarters and in- trenched himself at Mill Springs. Toward this point Gen. Thomas turned his attention, and, on January 18, 1862, pitched his camp near the post occupied by the rehel army. Col. Fry was ordered to let his men rest from duty during the night, there not being any signs of army move- ment on the part of the Confederates; but, early in the morning, at daybreak, he was aroused by the report that the pickets had been driven in, and that a battle was imminent. He was soon in his saddle, and his regiment in line of battle, and, shortly afterwards, was attacked with such force by the rebels, that, being greatly outnumbered, he ordered his regiment to take a new position, in rear of the fence inclosing " Logan's Field," where they had at first formed. The enemy, supposing them to be retreating, attacked them furi- ously here, and, although severely repulsed, renewed the attack at short distance, much of the time the conflict being hand to hand, continuing for two hours. At one time during the fight, owing to the very damp condition of the atmosphere, a dense cloud of smoke settled upon the field, making it necessary, for a time, to suspend hostilities for safety to their own troops. At this lull, the Confederates were again deceived, and rushed forward as before, to be received by volley after volley from his regiment, until, the Second Minnesota coming to his assistance, the enemy were driven back,

and beyond the field. At this juncture, Col. Fry rode forward to ascertain the position of affairs, and, passing to the right of his own regiment, met and rode against an officer whom he did not recognize, as his gum overcoat concealed his uniform, and who addressed him by saying : "We must not shoot our own men," receiving the reply, "Of course, I would not do so in- tentionally." He then said: "Those are our men."

But they were invisible in the smoke, and Gen. Fry, still thinking him a Union officer just come upon the field, started toward the right of his regiment, but, when at fifteen or twenty paces, turned and saw the officer standing in the same position; and, about the same time, he was apprised of the real state of affairs by seeing an- other officer ride from under cover near the road, who, having advanced to the side of the former with pistol in hand, fired at him, the ball lodging in the hip of his horse. Col. Fry then drew his pistol, with the intention of firing on the officer who had attempted to take his life, but seeing he had again returned to his conceal- ment, and just then believing that the officer he met in the road was a Confederate, and that his singular con- duct was only explicable on the supposition that he had designed drawing him into a trap, or to have him killed, he at once leveled his pistol and fired, the unknown ' officer, who proved to be Gen. Felix K. Zollicoffer, falling mortally wounded at the crack of his pistol. Gen. Zollicoffer at the same time received a wound from a musket ball, which would not have been fatal. He had never seen Gen. Zollicoffer before, and did not know it was he who had fallen at his hand. The dead officer's bloody clothes were afterwards cut from his body, and it, dressed in a suit of Gen. Fry's, was passed through the lines to his friends. As to some stories circulated at the time, as to Gen. Zollicoffer's appeal for mercy, and the subsequent bad treatment of his body, nothing could be farther from the truth. The Confederate officer never having spoken, except the quoted sentences above, and his body receiving the greatest possible care. After the death of their popular leader, the Confederates retreated to their intrenchments, which were in turn, the follow- ing night, abandoned. From Mill Springs, Col. Fry, was ordered with his regiment to Louisville, and by way of Nashville proceeded to Pittsburg Landing, but, being in command of the trains, did not reach there in time to participate in the great battle of Shiloh. On March 21, 1862, he received his commission as brigadier-gen- eral, and was assigned to the command of a brigade, consisting of the Fourth Kentucky, Tenth Kentucky, and Fourteenth and Thirty-first Ohio Regiments. His brigade took part in the siege of Corinth; was in the pursuits of Bragg through Kentucky, and a portion of it, under his immediate command, took part in the bat- tle of Perryville, October 8, 1862; and during that en- gagement, by the sickness of Gen. Schoeph, he was

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placed in command of the division, and held that posi- tion until the Spring of 1863. On May 26, of that year, he was made commander of the Eastern Division of Kentucky, with headquarters at Camp Nelson, in Jessa- mine County ; January, 1864, he was ordered with all the troops at his command to Knoxville, Tennessee; was compelled to halt his force at Burnside Point, on the Cumberland river, by reason of the condition of the route, and the want of subsistence for the army; with two orderlies, he reported in person to Gen. Schofield, · then in command at Knoxville; was commanded to await orders at Burnside Point ; in April, was ordered with his force to Louisville for the purpose of joining Sherman, which he was prevented doing by a long illness at Louis- ville, after which he again took charge of Camp Nelson, remaining there with his command during the Fall and Winter of 1864. His position at that time was a try- ing one, the great problem of human slavery, which was now being rapidly solved, being forced upon his atten- tion. But his conduct of the difficult question, before the people and in the army, fully met the approval of his superior officers. In September, 1865, he was mus- tered out of the service, again returning to private life. In 1866, he became the candidate of his party for Con- gress, but was defeated by his Democratic opponent. For some time he engaged in collecting claims against the Government. In April, 1869, he was appointed Su- pervisor of Internal Revenue for his district, and held the position until the consolidation of the districts in 1872. Gen. Fry was always an emancipationist, and has been mainly identified with the party in his State ap- proaching most nearly his sentiments on that and other disturbing political questions. Religiously, he is con- nected with the Presbyterian Church, and has for several years been a ruling elder in that denomination. He is a man of deep, strong feelings; has great confidence in his friends; is warm in his friendships; is broad in his views and conduct; readily forgives an enemy; as a sol- dier, was brave and skillful; and, as a citizen, is one of the most upright and valuable of his community. Gen. Fry was again married in 1851, and from this union has had three sons.

UCKNER, JOHN, Farmer and Manufacturer, was born December 21, 1791, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. His father, Philip Buck- ner, came to this State from Caroline County, Virginia, in 1785; and was a member of the Second Constitutional Convention, from Bracken County ; and was also a Senator in the Kentucky Legis- lature. John Buckner received his education at Ver- sailles, in Woodford County, and acted as Deputy Sheriff of that county for four years. In 1814, he re-

moved to Southern Kentucky, and settled in Christian County ; engaged in merchandising for several years ; for eight or ten years held the position of Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff; was stage contractor for eight years; kept hotel four years at Hopkinsville; was the builder of the brick court-house in Christian County, which was burned during the war; speculated in real estate largely ; carried on a large farm ; owned an extensive distillery ; was, for many years, a prosperous miller and tanner ; and was, in fact, for over half a century, to a very great extent, the backbone of his section, taking an active in- terest in every thing contributing to the prosperity and welfare of his county. He has been one of the most in- dustrious, enterprising, and useful men of Southern Kentucky ; few men have been more beneficial in the community ; few men have lived so long to see the ben- efits of their own works. Although he is eighty-five years old, he walks with a light step, is never sick, and has a well preserved mind. He has been three times married, and is now a widower, surrounded by his chil- dren and children's children; is full of youthful vivacity, passing along the current of time, cheerfully waiting for the summons to go.

USH, JAMES M., M. D., was born in May, 1848, at Frankfort, Kentucky. His parents were Philip and Eliza Bush. His mother's maiden name was Palmer, and she was sister to the wife of Governor John Adair. His grand- parents, Philip and Mary Bush, were Germans, and emigrated to America, settling at Winchester, Vir- ginia. about 1750. His parents emigrated to Kentucky at an early day, and settled at Frankfort. Joseph H. Bush, who acquired considerable distinction as an artist, was his brother. Dr. Bush was educated at Danville, where he graduated; and afterwards studied medicine with Dr. Goldsmith, of Louisville. In 1831, he entered the medical department of Transylvania University, from which he graduated, in 1833. He was soon after appointed Demonstrator of Anatomy for Prof. Benjamin W. Dudley; and, in 1839, was regularly appointed to the Professorship of Anatomy and Surgery in Transyl- vania University. In 1850, he assisted in the establish- ment of the Kentucky School of Medicine, at Louis- ville, lecturing there in the Winter, and at Lexington in the Summer. After a three years' connection with the school at Louisville, he lectured exclusively at Transyl- vania University, until the commencement of the war. During the cholera of 1831-2, in Louisville, he devoted himself largely to the cause of the suffering, and distin- guished himself also at Lexington, in the Spring of 1833, in the treatment and care of the victims of that disease. During the period of his long professorship,

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he made many valuable contributions to medical science, mainly through the columns of the "Transylvania Jour- nal of Medicine," and was, probably more than any other physician, instrumental in bringing before the world the experiences and practice of Dr. Dudley, and was himself distinguished as one of the most skillful surgeons of the country. As a teacher, he was distinguished for clear- headedness; was exact in his demonstrations, clear in his enunciation of principles, and, without being an orator, was an attractive and able lecturer. During and since the war, he devoted himself to the practice of his profession; was a close and keen observer, and displayed great skill in determining the treatment of diseases. Few physicians who ever flourished in Central Ken- tucky made a more wide-spread and favorable reputa- tion, both as a physician and surgeon, having, through- out his life, not only the highest confidence and respect of the profession, but also the affection and confidence of a large circle of friends, who relied implicitly on his professional skill; and probably Transylvania University never had a more earnest, accomplished, and able teacher. He was a man little given to demonstration and display; and, although taking great delight in his friendships, he sought the companionship only of a few. He was long a Director of the Northern Bank of Ken- tucky, and was prominently identified with the local and State organizations of his profession. Was an earnest, active, and useful member of society; was gen- tle and sympathetic in nature; was distinguished for his great personal honor and dignity; and, living without re- proach, his death was felt as a great loss to the people of Lexington, where he had long resided. He died February 8, 1875, at his home in that city. Dr. Bush was married, in 1835, to Miss James, a noble lady of Chillicothe, Ohio, with whom he lived in great happi- ness. In his son Dudley, he centered his hopes; edu- cated him for the medical profession, in which he quickly rose to great promise; but his premature death cast a gloom over the life of his father, from which he never wholly recovered.

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The Biographical encyclopaedia of Kentucky of the dead and living men of the nineteenth century, Part 119

Author: Armstrong, J. M., & company, pub Publication date: 1878 Publisher: Cincinnati, J. M. Armstrong Number of Pages: 946

Author: Armstrong, J. M., & company, pub
Publication date: 1878
Publisher: Cincinnati, J. M. Armstrong
Number of Pages: 946