USA > Maryland > Portrait and biographical record of the Sixth congressional district, Maryland V. 1 > Part 20
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EN. HENRY KYD DOUGLAS was born in Shepherdstown, Harper's Ferry District, Va., September 29, 1840, and is the son of Robert and Mary (Robertson) Douglas, natives respectively of Scotland and Ireland, but after their marriage in Hagerstown, residents on a plantation in the Old Dominion. One of his relatives, Samuel Douglas, was attorney general of Virginia, while her father, John Robertson, was the first mayor of Hagerstown, Md.
Educated primarily in private schools, the sub- ject of this sketch was later a student in Franklin and Marshall College, at .the time when Jaines Buchanan was a member of the faculty, and upon his graduation he received his diploma from Mr. Buchanan, then president of the United States. On completing liis literary education his took up the study of law, which he carried on until his graduation from Judge Brockenbrough's law school at Lexington, Va., in 1860. He then went to St. Louis, Mo., for the purpose of engaging in the practice of the law, but soon afterward his native state, Virginia, seceded, whereupon he immediately returned home, and entered the Con- federate army as a private in Company B, Second Virginia Infantry, the noted Stonewall Jackson brigade, commanded by Col. T. J. Jackson. He was made orderly sergeant of his company just
before the battle of Bull Run, in which, July 21, : 1861, he took an active and valiant part.
His valor was recognized by his promotion to the rank of second lieutenant, then to that of first lieutenant, and later to captain of the same company. In March, 1862, he was de- tailed by General Jackson to make a ride of one hundred and three miles, in order that Gen- eral Ewell might be at once brouglit to join Jack- son, thus forming the combination that resulted in the defeat of Milroy at McDowell, and im- mediately thereafter driving Banks out of Vir- ginia. Of this ride, now celebrated in history, a detailed account has been given in the "Cosmo- politan," in an article by Capt. Charles King on "Long Distance Rides." The ride was begun1 a little before sundown, and horses were changed five times during the journey, all of which was made through rain and mud, and in the midst of an intense darkness. He started from Mount Jackson Valley, passed south to Massanutton, and from there on the Elkton road south over the Blue Ridge Mountains to Stanardsville, thence to Orange Courthouse, from there to Elizabeth City and Culpeper Courthouse, and at the latter point took a northeasterly direction to Brandy Station, and then to General Ewell's head- quarters two miles beyond.
On his return from this ride he was made aide- de-camp and inspector-general by General Jack- son, with whom he served in every battle until that famnous general fell at Chancellorsville. In the same engagement General Douglas was wounded, however, but slightly. He was after- ward adjutant-general and chief of staff to Maj .- Gen. Edward Johnson, Maj .- Gen. Jolin B. Gor- don, Lieut .- Gen. Jubal Early, and Generals Ramseur, Pegram and Walker. At Gettysburg he was seriously wounded, and was confined in hospital in prison on Johnson's Island, Lake Erie, for nine montlis. In February, 1864, he was moved from the Island to Point Lookout, in Maryland, and in March was taken out of that prison at night by order of Maj .- Gen. Benja- min F. Butler, then commander of Fortress Monroe, and United States Commissioner of Ex- change, and sent through the lines to Richmond.
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He was not acquainted with General Butler, nor had ever had any connection with him in any way, so was at a loss to understand the reason for the general's extraordinary kindness. How- ever, years afterward he met General Butler (then governor of Massachusetts) on his yacht at Bar Harbor, and the general then told him the reason for his action. Thereby hangs a tale of romance.
On the consolidation of the Thirteenth and Forty-ninth Virginia regiments, he was appointed their colonel, and in February, 1865, he was ap- pointed to command the light brigade, formerly commanded by Early, A. P. Hill, "Extra" Billy Smith and James A. Walker. With this brigade he led the assault on Fort Steadman, but the general assault was repulsed by Gen. John F. Hartranft, afterward governor of Pennsylvania, then commander of the Third Pennsylvania Divi- sion. The two commanders met after the fight between lines, for the purpose of exchanging their wounded, and at that time, under circum- stances somewhat strange, began a friendship that continued uninterruptedly until the death of Governor Hartranft. In recognition of this friendship and its beginning, General Douglas was invited to deliver the oration at one of the annual meetings of Governor Hartranft's old division.
After the battle of Fort Steadman, Petersburg was evacuated, and by order of Lieutenant-General Gordon, General Douglas commanded the rear guard of his brigade during the first two days of its fatal march to the Appomattox. He was twice wounded in that retreat. On the morning of the surrender of General Lee he was sent with his brigade to the extreme right of the army, perhaps two miles from the main body, and was engaged in skirmishing with the enemy for one- half hour after the surrender of Lee, not knowing that his commander had surrendered. He could not understand the reason of the enemy's retreat before his advance until he heard that Lee had surrendered. Maj. Robert W. Hunter, of Gen- eral Gordon's staff, who was sent to stop tlie skirmishing, remarked facetiously that General Lee and the whole army had surrendered, but if
he (Douglas) felt disposed to fight General Grant with his little brigade, he might go in and try his luck. This brigade was the last to surrender, and in doing so was greeted with three cheers from the Union army of thousands of soldiers, cheers that might have been heard at Washing- ton.
After the surrender General Douglas returned to Shepherdstown, W. Va., but was not permitted to cross the Potomac. Two weeks afterward he was arrested and put in prison, his offense being that he had his photograph, in Confederate uni- form, taken with a lady. He was put in close confinement at Martinsburg, in the basement of a church, and for the taking of the picture in uniform was tried by the military commission and sentenced to confinement in prison at Fort Delaware for three months. On his road to Fort Delaware he was taken out of the hands of his guards, conveyed to Washington and put in the penitentiary with the assassins through whom the murder of Lincoln was affected. A man on the witness stand (one who had deserted from the Union to the Confederate army, then back to the Union) testified that he had seen him (Gen. Douglas) in connection with John Wilkes Booth. At this time he again fell into the hands of General Hartranft, then the military governor of the District of Columbia, who treated him- with the same courtesy and manliness that distin- guished his life. He and General Hancock soon satisfied themselves that Von Steinecke (the deserter) was a fraud and a perjurer, and took steps to have him arrested, but he had disap- peared, and was never heard of afterward. After some weeks in prison, during which time he was treated with great kindness by General Hart- ranft and staff, and being meanwhile examined before the military commission, General Douglas was released. Living on the border, it was his fate to be six times arrested after the war, and finally he served out his three months in Fort Delaware, being released from there in September, IS65.
After having practiced law for a time in Vir- ginia, in November, 1867, General Douglas came to Hagerstown, where he has since resided. He
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has always been fond of military life, for which, indeed, he has displayed exceptional ability. He has been captain of the Hagerstown Light Infantry, now called the Douglas Guards, also lieutenant-colonel of the First Battalion of Mary- land, colonel of the First Maryland Infantry, and was made general field officer of the day by General Hancock at the centennial celebration of the surrender of Yorktown, Va., which was par. ticipated in by German, French and English troops. He has been adjutant-general of Mary- land and commander of Maryland troops, with the rank of major-general, and commander of the Western Maryland department and all the Mary- land troops in the strikes of 1877 and 1894. Soon after the beginning of the war with Spain he was appointed and commissioned assistant adjutant- general in the United States army, which he de- clined.
In ISSS General Douglas was a candidate for congress on the ticket with Grover Cleveland, but was defeated by Louis E. McComas. He was appointed by Governor Brown judge of the fourth judicial circuit of Maryland in 1891, and served the balance of Judge Syester's term. A fluent writer, his knowledge of the details of the war and military tactics led to his selection for addresses to be delivered both in the north and south, and for articles to be written for prominent magazines. He contributed a number of articles to the Century war papers. He delivered one of twelve lectures on the war, given before the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston; also in Harvard University; and spoke at the Grant Memorial banquets in New York City, in 1889- 1891. On the occasion of the unveiling of the Confederate monument in Chicago, in 1895, a monument built over the remains of the unknown Confederate dead who died during the war in the prison at Chicago, he delivered the address; also on the same trip spoke before the Chamber of Cominerce of Cincinnati. On every decoration day since the war he has delivered addresses before some Confederate association, and has the distinction of having made more speeches before the Grand Army of the Republic than any other Confederate soldier, except General Gordon.
During the war he served on the staff of six Confederate generals, and since then lias served on the staff of six Union generals. His own staff, as commander of the First Maryland Reg- iment, is composed of three Confederate and three Union soldiers. He was a witness before the imilitary commission which reviewed the case of Fitz John Porter, and at that time he made a map of the battlefield of the second engagement at Manassah, which was approved by that tribunal, Generals Schofield, Terry and Getty, as correct, and was published in the proceedings as the H. Kyd Douglas map. By force of his ability he won his way from private to brigade commander, at the close of the war being the youngest com- mander of brigade in the world. He is said to be the only surviving member of Stonewall Jack- son's original staff, except Dr. Hunter McGuire, the others having passed away. Personally he is a man of fine physique and decidedly military bearing; one who would be recognized in any as- sembly, and to whom every honor would be shown in the highest and most cultured circles of society, whether north or south.
EORGE JOHNSON, M. D., one of the rep- resentative citizens of Frederick, and for several decades numbered among the most efficient and active physicians of this county, is now living retired in the enjoyment of rest that he has truly earned and richly deserves. His whole career, replete with useful service to his fellow-men, has been within the limits of this county, and no one has been more deeply con- cerned in all things affecting the general welfare than he.
The doctor's father, Worthington Johnson, was born in Frederick, November 21, ISO1, and at- tended Princeton College. He studied law, but, on account of ill health, devoted himself to the management of his extensive estates and numer- ous slaves. He was, in fact, what is known as a country gentleman of the old school, high bred,
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polislied, courteous to all, of a genial disposition, · that readily won friends, and one whose generous impulses were a matter of comment among those who knew him. The poor and deserving always found in him that sympathy and material assist- ance they desired, and his name and praises were sung in many a humble home. He was the pres- ident of the first agricultural society ever organ- ized in this county, and took deep interest in all public improvements in his community. He died in 1864, and was placed to rest in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
The grandparents of our subject were Colonel Baker and Catherine Johnson. The former was one of the leading lawyers of western Maryland, and was a life-long resident of Frederick. He patronized many of the leading industries of this place, and had large investments in numerous local concerns. He died in this city and was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery. He was a brother of that Thomas Johnson who was the first governor of Maryland after the Declaration of Independence had been promulgated, he being of English ancestry. The wife of Worthington Johnson was Mary J. F. Potts, daughter of Judge Richard Potts. Their family comprised six chil- dren, of whom Worthington Ross is a magistrate and resident of Frederick; Richard P., who died in 1894, was surgeon all through the late war in the southern army; Ross, who died in Baltimore, Md., in 1883, was a lawyer whose practice had been in Frederick and Baltimore; Edward died at the age of ten years, and a sister died in in- Fancy.
Dr. George Johnson, the youngest son in his father's family, was born on the old farm, Homewood, near Frederick, July 26, 1832. After completing the elementary branchies of edu- cation, he entered the old Frederick Academy, since risen to the dignity of "college," and sub- sequently graduated from Princeton College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1851. Three years later he also had bestowed upon him the additional degree of Master of Arts by the same institution. Going to Philadelphia, the young mian pursued his medical studies there, and took the degree of M. D., at the University of Pensyl-
vania in 1854, and obtained practical instruction in the public dispensary of that city, on Fifth street. Returning to Frederick, he established himself here in practice, and continued actively occupied in his chosen profession until 1891, when he retired, owing to ill health. In his palmy days, it was said that his practice was the most extensive of any physician in this county, and certain it is, that he was in great demand far and near.
In 1855 the doctor married Emily Crawford, of Philadelphia. Her ancestors were old and prom- inent citizens of Delaware, where they located after coming to America from England, but her father was a native of Somerset County, Md., and passed nearly his whole life there. The eldest son of the doctor and wife is William C., born in Frederick in 1856. He was a student in the city academy, and graduated from Princeton College in 1875, and from the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania three years later, since which time he has been practicing in Fred- erick. In ISS2 he married in Washington, D. C., Ruth Monroe, daughter of Samuel Gouverneur, who was a grandson of President James Monroe, and who edited a newspaper during the Greeley campaign, and was United States consul in Fou- Chow, China, in 1860. He died in Washington in 1880. Dr. William Johnson and his accomplished and charming wife have three children, Marian C., Emily Crawford and William Monroe. The second son of our subject, Baker, an attorney, is represented elsewhere in this work. George Potts, the next son, is superintendent of the car service on the Sea-board Air Line at Portsmouth, Va. He married Isabel H. Maunsell, of Chicago, Ill., October 17, 1888, and they are the parents of two children, George and Isabel. Emily died in infancy, and Nannie Marshall, the younger daughter, now at home, is a graduate of the Woman's College of Frederick.
In 1854 Dr. George Jolinson became a meniber of Columbia Lodge No. 58, A. F. & A. M., of which he is past master. Since becoming a voter he has used his franchise on behalf of the Demi- ocracy. For many years he has been a vestry- man in the Episcopal Church, to which both hie
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and his wife belonged, and to which his father and grandfather before him also belonged. For over thirty years the doctor lived in a handsome home on East Third street, but now resides in the Central National Bank building.
APT. WILLIAM M. CRONISE. Almost the entire life of Captain Cronise has been spent in Sharpsburg, Washington County, of which place he has been a prominent business man for more than half a century. At the begin- ning of the Civil war he left his business in charge of a clerk and enlisted in Company H, First Maryland Potomac Home Brigade, which he had raised in Sharpsburg, and of which he was chosen captain. With his company he marched to Frederick and joined the regiment, after which they stayed in camp until March, 1862, then were ordered to Harper's Ferry and engaged in guard duty in the valley of the Shenandoah River. The captain, while in Frederick, was wounded in a battalion drill, and on account of disability was honorably discharged, from the service at Win- chester.
Born in Sharpsburg in 1823, Captain Cronise is a son of George and Elizabeth ( Beeler ) Cronise, the latter a daughter of Christian Beeler. His father, who was born in Frederick, came to Sharpsburg in early manhood and engaged in farming. During the War of 1812, at which time he was a merchant in Sharpsburg, he enlisted in the American army, but while his regiment was marching to the front, peace was declared, and he then returned home and resumed his business. He continued to reside in this place until his death, which occurred in 1859, at the age of sev- enty-seven. His wife had died the previous year at the age of seventy-three. Of their eleven children, all are dead but the subject of this sketch.
In partnership with his brother, B. F., in 1848 our subject opened a general store at Sharpsburg, and after one year he bought his brother's inter-
est, continuing the business alone. On his return from war in 1862, he resumed the management of the store, but soon removed to Shepards- town, and while there, the Confederates took his goods and carried them to Berryville, where they were held as captured prizes. However, he was equal to the emergency, and securing the aid of a company of cavalry, he went to Berryville, secured the merchandise, which he brought back to his store. After a short stay in Shepardstown he returned to Sharpsburg, where he has carried on business for fifty-two years.
The first vote cast by Captain Cronise was in favor of Henry Clay. He is a Republican in po- litical belief, and a stanch worker for the party. In religion he and his family are identified with the United Brethren Church. In March, 1850, he was united in marriage with Sarah E., daugh- ter of Lewis Watson, of Washington County. They became the parents of three children, Mary Virginia, Noah W. and George Mckendree.
PHRAIM W. KELSO, a representative citi- zen and farmer of the Tenth District of Gar- rett County, was elected on the Republican ticket to the responsible position of county com- missioner in 1897, his term of office to extend until 1901. He is deservedly popular with all who know him, as he is a man of sterling worth, uprightness of word and deed, and higli princi- ples. He owes it to his own persistent efforts, untiring energy and force of character, that he is to-day one whose influence in the community goes without question. Having lost his fatlier during his infancy, he was early thrown upon his own resources, and though he often met with re- verses and discouragements that would have made the spirit of a man less brave quail, he persevered in his laudable struggles to gain a foothold and competence, and won the victory in the end.
Samuel Kelso, the father of our subject, was a native of Fayette County, Pa. About 1844 he
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came to this county, then known as Allegany County, and settled upon a farm near Accident, not far south of the Pennsylvania state line. Here he had just made a good start in the im- provement of his new homestead, when death put an end to his labors. In his early manhood he went to Louisiana and obtained a position as overseer upon a plantation, and remained there in that capacity for seven years. He died in 1848, when but thirty-one years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Susan Peck, was a native of Garrett County, and was the daughter of Henry Peck, a thrifty farmer. Her death oc- curred in Garrett County, within two miles of the abode of our subject, when she had attained her forty-sixth year. Of her two children, Dennis is deceased, and tlius our subject is the only sur- vivor of the family. His grandfather, Rev. James Kelso, was a bishop of the Dunkard Church, and was a life-long resident of Fayette County, Pa. He died at the ripe age of seventy- seven years, loved and honored by all who knew him.
Ephraim W. Kelso was born upon the paren- tal homestead in the northern part of this county, April 23, 1847. He acquired a general educa- tion in the public schools, and had become a practical farmer by the time he had reached his majority. In his twenty-third year he located upon the fine farm near Ryan's Glades, where he has since dwelt, and has devoted his earnest at- tention to the cultivation and improvement of the place with good results. Both as a farmer and as a business man he has met with success, and he is now the owner of four hundred and twenty- seven acres of land in this district, besides being a member of the firm of Dixon & Kelso. of Oak- land, who enjoy a large and lucrative patronage as general merchants. Up to 1893 Mr. Kelso was affiliated with the Democratic party, and in 1892 he was a candidate for the office of county commissioner on the ticket of that party. Owing to his disapproval of some of the leaders and methods of the Democracy, he concluded to trans- fer his allegiance, and has since been an enthusi- astic worker in the Republican ranks.
For several years Mr. Kelso has served the
Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a member as a trustee, and as superintendent of the Sunday-school. In 1870 he married Miss Eliza Wilson, by whom he has four children: Arthur, a lawyer of Morgantown, W. Va .; Nina, wife of D. M. Dixon; Kansa and Alta. Mrs. Kelso is a daughter of James Wilson, one of the leading agriculturists of Garrett County.
HARLES EDWARD HEARD is a member of the firm of Boyer & Heard, who occupy a high position among the business men of. Hagerstown. Seventeen years ago he entered the employ of his present partner, with whom, after five years of clerkship, he formed a partner- ship that has continued ever since. In 1898 they were unfortunate in the loss of their flouring mill, which burned down, but it is their intention to rebuild in a short time, and at this writing they are building a coal elevator in order to facil- itate their business.
Mention of the Heard family is made in the biography of Franklin Heard, which is presented upon another page in this volume. Charles Ed- ward Heard was born August 28, 1858, in the city of Hagerstown, which has been his home throughout life. In boyhood he attended the public schools, where he obtained a fair practical education, thus becoming fitted for the responsi- bilities of life. At the age of eighteen he entered the Hagerstown agricultural works as an ap- prentice and served a term of three years there, after which he was employed as a journeyman for two years. In 1881 he became clerk for Mr. Boyer, and in 1886 the two formed the business connection that has since been continued, to the financial profit of both.
The marriage of Mr. Heard united him with Mary E. Middekauff, of Hagerstown, where they have a pleasant, comfortable home, bright- ened by the presence of three children, Edwin Leroy, Charles Richard and Harold Albert. The affairs of business have engrossed the entire at-
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tention of Mr. Heard and he has consequently had little time, even if he had the inclination, to mingle in the public life of the community. He votes the Republican ticket, but has never ac- cepted nomination for office, preferring to devote himself exclusively to his business affairs.
A NDREW B. PRICE, M. D., one of the most prominent physicians of Allegany County, was born in Charles County, Md., October 5, 1840, and is a son of Dr. John F. and Sarah (Carrington) Price. The Price family are of English extraction, and settled in Charles County, Md., in the early days of the colony. Thomas Price, the great-grandfather of our sub- ject, was an extensive landed proprietor and influential citizen of the county, and during his lifetime was prominently identified with the growth and development of her varied resources. His son, Thomas, Jr., followed in his senior's footsteps, became one of the prominent men of his section and served as sheriff for several years. "His son, John F., the father of our subject, was born on the old homestead, in Charles County. After acquiring the usual education that the time afforded he began the study of medicine, and was graduated from the University of Maryland with the degree of M. D. Sub- sequently he engaged in the general practice of his profession in Charles County, where he remained until his death, in1 1872. He was mar- ried to Saralı (Carnes) Carrington, a daugliter of ex-Sheriff Carrington, of Charles County. To them were born three sons: Thomas C. Price, M. D., who was engaged in practice in Charles County for twenty-five years, later removing to Allegany County, where, ten years later, he was accidentally killed on the railway; John A., a resident of Baltimore; and our subject.
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