USA > Minnesota > Meeker County > Album of history and biography of Meeker County, Minnesota > Part 9
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Major-General in the regular army, and in October following he was placed in com- mand of the Division of the Mississippi. The same month he went to Chattanooga and saved the Army of the Cumberland from starvation, and drove Bragg from that part of the country. This victory over- threw the last important hostile force west of the Alleghanies and opened the way for the National armies into Georgia and Sher- man's march to the sea.
The remarkable series of successes which Grant had now achieved pointed him out as the appropriate leader of the National armies, and accordingly, in February, 1864, the rank of Lieutenant-General was created for him by Congress, and on March 17 he assumed command of the armies of the United States. Planning the grand final campaign, he sent Sherman into Georgia, Sigel into the valley of Virginia, and Butler to capture Richmond, while he fought his own way from the Rapidan to the James. The costly but victorious battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna and Cold Harbor were fought, more for the purpose of annihilating Lee than to capture any particular point. In June, 1864, the siege of Richmond was begun. Sherman, meanwhile, was marching and fighting daily in Georgia and steadily advancing toward Atlanta; but Sigel had been defeated in the valley of Virginia, and was superseded by Hunter. Lee sent Early to threaten the Na- tional capital; whereupon Grant gathered up a force which he placed under Sheridan, and that commander rapidly drove Early, in a succession of battles, through the valley of Virginia and destroyed his army as an organized force. The siege of Richmond went on, and Grant made numerous attacks, but was only partially successful. The people of the North grew impatient, and even the Government advised him to abandon the attempt to take Richmond or crush the Confederacy in that way; but he
never wavered. He resolved to "fight it out on that line, if it took all summer."
By September Sherman had made his way to Atlanta, and Grant then sent him on his famous " march to the sea," a route which the chief had designed six months before. He made Sherman's success possi- ble, not only by holding Lee in front of Richmond, but also by sending reinforce- ments to Thomas, who then drew off and defeated the only army which could have confronted Sherman. Thus the latter was left unopposed, and, with Thomas and Sheri- dan, was used in the furtherance of Grant's plans. Each executed his part in the great design and contributed his share to the re- sult at which Grant was aiming. Sherman finally reached Savannah, Schofield beat the enemy at Franklin, Thomas at Nash- ville, and Sheridan wherever he met him ; and all this while General Grant was hold- ing Lee, with the principal Confederate army, near Richmond, as it were chained and helpless. Then Schofield was brought from the West, and Fort Fisher and Wil- mington were captured on the sea-coast, so as to afford him a foothold ; from here he was sent into the interior of North Caro- lina, and Sherman was ordered to move northward to join him. When all this was effected, and Sheridan could find no one else to fight in the Shenandoah Valley, Grant brought the cavalry leader to the front of Richmond, and, making a last effort, drove Lee from his entrenchments and captured Richmond.
At the beginning of the final campaign Lee had collected 73,000 fighting men in the lines at Richmond, besides the local militia and the gunboat crews, amounting to 5,000 more. Including Sheridan's force Grant had 110,000 men in the works before Petersburg and Richmond. Petersburg fell on the 2d of April, and Richmond on the 3d, and Lee fled in the direction of Lynch- burg. Grant pursued with remorseless
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energy, only stopping to strike fresh blows, and Lee at last found himself not only out- fought but also out-marched and out-gen- eraled. Being completely surrounded, he surrendered on the 9th of April, 1865, at Appomattox Court-House, in the open field, with 27,000 men, all that remained of his army. This act virtually ended the war. Thus, in ten days Grant had captured Petersburg and Richmond, fought, by his subordinates, the battles of Five Forks and Sailor's Creek, besides numerous smaller ones, captured 20,000 men in actual battle, and received the surrender of 27,000 more at Appomattox, absolutely annihilating an army of 70,000 soldiers.
General Grant returned at once to Wash- ington to superintend the disbandment of the armies, but this pleasurable work was scarcely begun when President Lincoln was assassinated. It had doubtless been in- tended to inflict the same fate upon Grant ; but he, fortunately, on account of leaving Washington early in the evening, declined an invitation to accompany the President to the theater where the murder was com- mitted. This event made Andrew Johnson President, but left Grant by far the most conspicuous figure in the public life of the country. He became the object of an en- thusiasm greater than had ever been known in America. Every possible honor was heaped upon him; the grade of General was created for him by Congress; houses were presented to him by citizens; towns were illuminated on his entrance into them ; and, to cap the climax, when he made his tour around the world, "all nations did him honor" as they had never before honored a foreigner.
The General, as Commander-in-Chief, was placed in an embarrassing position by the opposition of President Johnson to the measures of Congress ; but he directly man- ifested his characteristic loyalty by obeying Congress rather than the disaffected Presi-
dent, although for a short time he had served in his cabinet as Secretary of War.
Of course, everybody thought of General Grant as the next President of the United States, and he was accordingly elected as such in 1868 " by a large majority," and four years later re-elected by a much larger majority - the most overwhelming ever given by the people of this country. His first administration was distinguished by a ces- sation of the strifes which sprang from the war, by a large reduction of the National debt, and by a settlement of the difficulties with England which had grown out of the depredations committed by privateers fit- ted out in England during the war. This last settlement was made by the famous "Geneva arbitration," which saved to this Government $15,000,000, but, more than all, prevented a war with England. "Let us have peace," was Grant's motto. And this is the most appropriate place to remark that above all Presidents whom this Gov- ernment has ever had, General Grant was the most non-partisan. He regarded the Executive office as purely and exclusively executive of the laws of Congress, irrespect- ive of "politics." But every great man has jealous, bitter enemies, a fact Grant was well aware of.
After the close of his Presidency, our General made his famous tour around the world, already referred to, and soon after- ward, in company with Ferdinand Ward, of New York City, he engaged in banking and stock brokerage, which business was made disastrous to Grant, as well as to him- self, by his rascality. By this time an in- curable cancer of the tongue developed itself in the person of the afflicted ex- President, which ended his unrequited life July 23, 1885. Thus passed away from earth's turmoils the man, the General, who was as truly the " father of this regenerated country" as was Washington the father of the infant nation.
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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES.
RUTHERFORD B. HAYES.
UTHERFORD BIRCH- ARD HAYES, the nine- teenth President of the United States, 1877-'81, was born in Delaware, Ohio, Oc- tober 4, 1822. His ancestry can be traced as far back as 1280, when Hayes and Rutherford were two Scottish chieftains fighting side by side with Baliol, William Wallace and Robert Bruce. Both fami- lies belonged to the nobility, owned extensive estates and had a large following. The Hayes family had, for a coat of-arms, a shield, barred and surmounted by a flying cagle. There was a circle of stars about the eagle and above the shield, while on a scroll underneath the shield was inscribed the motto, "Recte." Misfortune overtaking the family, George Hayes left Scotland in 1680, and settled in Windsor, Connecticut. He was an industrious worker in wood and iron, having a mechanical genius and a cul- tivated mind. His son George was born in Windsor and remained there during his life.
Daniel Hayes, son of the latter, married Sarah Lee, and lived in Simsbury, Con-
necticut. Ezekiel, son of Daniel, was born in 1724, and was a manufacturer of scythes at Bradford, Connecticut. Rutherford Hayes, son of Ezekiel and grandfather of President Hayes, was born in New Haven, in August, 1756. He was a famous black- smith and tavern-keeper. He immigrated to Vermont at an unknown date, settling in Brattleboro where he established a hotel. Here his son Rutherford, father of Presi- dent Hayes, was born. In September, 1813, he married Sophia Birchard, of Wilming- ton, Vermont, whose ancestry on the male side is traced back to 1635, to John Birch- ard, one of the principal founders of Nor- wich. Both of her grandfathers were soldiers in the Revolutionary war.
The father of President Hayes was of a mechanical turn, and could mend a plow, knit a stocking, or do almost anything that he might undertake. He was prosperous in business, a member of the church and active in all the benevolent enterprises of the town. After the close of the war of 1812 he immigrated to Ohio, and purchased a farm near the present town of Delaware. His family then consisted of his wife and two children, and an orphan girl whom he had adopted.
It was in 1817 that the family arrived at Delaware. Instead of settling upon his
Sincerely .
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RUTHERFORD B. HAYES.
farm, Mr. Hayes concluded to enter into business in the village. He purchased an interest in a distillery, a business then as re- spectable as it was profitable. His capital and recognized ability assured him the highest social position in the community. He died July 22, 1822, less than three months before the birth of the son that was destined to fill the office of President of the United States.
Mrs. Hayes at this period was very weak, and the subject of this sketch was so feeble at birth that he was not expected to live beyond a month or two at most. As the months went by he grew weaker and weaker so that the neighbors were in the habit of inquiring from time to time "if Mrs. Hayes's baby died last night." On one oc- casion a neighbor, who was on friendly terms with the family, after alluding to the boy's big head and the mother's assiduous care of him, said to her, in a bantering way, " That's right! Stick to him. You have got him along so far, and I shouldn't won- der if he would really come to something yet." "You need not laugh," said Mrs. Hayes, " you wait and see. You can't tell but I shall make him President of the United States yet."
The boy lived, in spite of the universal predictions of his speedy death; and when, in 1825, his elder brother was drowned, he became, if possible, still dearer to his mother. He was seven years old before he was placed in school. His education, however, was not neglected. His sports were almost wholly within doors, his playmates being his sister and her associates. These circum- stances tended, no doubt, to foster that gentleness of disposition and that delicate consideration for the feelings of others which are marked traits of his character. At school he was ardently devoted to his studies, obedient to the teacher, and care- ful to avoid the quarrels in which many of his schoolmates were involved. He was
always waiting at the school-house door when it opened in the morning, and never late in returning to his seat at recess. His sister Fannie was his constant companion, and their affection for each other excited the admiration of their friends.
In 1838 young Hayes entered Kenyon College and graduated in 1842. He then began the study of law in the office of Thomas Sparrow at Columbus. His health was now well established, his figure robust, his mind vigorous and alert. In a short time he determined to enter the law school at Cambridge, Massachusetts, where for two years he pursued his studies with great diligence.
In 1845 he was admitted to the bar at Marietta, Ohio, and shortly afterward went into practice as an attorney-at-law with Ralph P. Buckland, of Fremont. Here he remained three years, acquiring but limited practice, and apparently unambitious of distinction in his profession. His bachelor uncle, Sardis Birchard, who had always manifested great interest in his nephew and rendered him assistance in boyhood, was now a wealthy banker, and it was under- stood that the young man would be his heir. It is possible that this expectation may have made Mr. Hayes more indifferent to the attainment of wealth than he would otherwise have been, but he was led into no extravagance or vices on this account.
In 1849 he removed to Cincinnati where his ambition found new stimulus. Two events occurring at this period had a pow- erful influence upon his subsequent life. One of them was his marriage to Miss Lucy Ware Webb, daughter of Dr. James Webb, of Cincinnati; the other was his introduction to the Cincinnati Literary Club, a body embracing such men as Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, General John Pope and Governor Edward F. Noyes. The marriage was a fortunate one as every- body knows. Not one of all the wives of
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our Presidents was more universally ad- mired, reverenced and beloved than is Mrs. Hayes, and no one has done more than she to reflect honor upon American woman- hood.
In 1856 Mr. Hayes was nominated to the office of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, but declined to accept the nomina- tion. Two years later he was chosen to the office of City Solicitor.
In 1861, when the Rebellion broke out, he was eager to take up arms in the defense of his country. His military life was bright and illustrious. June 7, 1861, he was appointed Major of the Twenty-third Ohio Infantry. In July the regiment was sent to Virginia. October 15, 186r, he was made Lieutenant-Colonel of his regiment, and in August, 1862, was promoted Colonel of the Seventy-ninth Ohio Regiment, but refused to leave his old comrades. He was wounded at the battle of South Mountain, and suffered severely, being unable to enter upon active duty for several weeks. No- vember 30, 1862, he rejoined his regiment as its Colonel, having been promoted Octo- ber 15.
December 25, 1862, he was placed in com- mand of the Kanawha division, and for meritorious service in several battles was promoted Brigadier-General. He wasalso brevetted Major-General for distinguished
services in 1864. He was wounded four times, and five horses were shot from under him.
Mr. Hayes was first a Whig in politics, and was among the first to unite with the . Free-Soil and Republican parties. In 1864 he was elected to Congress from the Sec- ond Ohio District, which had always been Democratic, receiving a majority of 3,098. In 1866 he was renominated for Congress and was a second time elected. In 1867 he was elected Governor over Allen G. Thur- man, the Democratic candidate, and re- elected in 1869. In 1874 Sardis Birchard died, leaving his large estate to General Hayes.
In 1876 he was nominated for the Presi- dency. His letter of acceptance excited the admiration of the whole country. He resigned the office of Governor and retired to his home in Fremont to await the result of the canvass. After a hard, long contest he was inaugurated March 5, 1877. His Presidency was characterized by compro- mises with all parties, in order to please as many as possible. The close of his Presi- dential term in I88I was the close of his public life, and since then he has remained at his home in Fremont, Ohio, in Jefferso- nian retirement from public notice, in strik- ing contrast with most others of the world's notables.
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JAMES A. GARFIELD.
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AMES A. GARFIELD, twentieth President of the United States, 1881, was born November 19, 1831, in the wild woods of Cuyahoga County, Ohio. His parents were Abram and Eliza (Ballou) Garfield, who were of New England ancestry. The senior Garfield was an in- dustrious farmer, as the rapid improvements which appeared on his place at- tested. The residence was the familiar pioneer log cabin, and the household comprised the parents and their children-Mehetable, Thomas, Mary and James A. In May, 1833, the father dicd, and the care of the house- hold consequently devolved upon young Thomas, to whom James was greatly in- debted for the educational and other ad- vantages he enjoyed. He now lives in Michigan, and the two sisters live in Solon, Ohio, near their birthplace.
As the subject of our sketch grew up, he, too, was industrious, both in mental and physical labor. He worked upon the farm, or at carpentering, or chopped wood, or at any other odd job that would aid in support of the family, and in the meantime made the
most of his books. Ever afterward he was never ashamed of his humble origin, nor for- got the friends of his youth. The poorest laborer was sure of his sympathy, and he always exhibited the character of a modest gentleman.
Until he was about sixteen years of age, James's highest ambition was to be a lake captain. To this his mother was strongly opposed, but she finally consented to his going to Cleveland to carry out his long- cherished design, with the understanding, however, that he should try to obtain some other kind of employment. He walked all the way to Cleveland, and this was his first visit to the city. After making many ap- plications for work, including labor on board a lake vessel, but all in vain; he finally engaged as a driver for his cousin, Amos Letcher, on the Ohio & Pennsyl- vania Canal. In a short time, however, he quit this and returned home. He then at- tended the seminary at Chester for about three years, and next he entered Hiram In- stitute, a school started in 1850 by the Disciples of Christ, of which church he was a member. In order to pay his way he assumed the duties of janitor, and at times taught school. He soon completed the cur- riculum there, and then entered Williams College, at which he graduated in 1856, taking one of the highest honors of his class.
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Afterward he returned to Hiram as Presi- dent. In his youthful and therefore zealous piety, he exercised his talents occasionally as a preacher of the Gospel. He was a man of strong moral and religious convic- tions, and as soon as he began to look into politics, he saw innumerable points that could be improved. He also studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1859. November 11, 1858, Mr. Garfield married Miss Lucretia Rudolph, who ever after- ward proved a worthy consort in all the stages of her husband's carecr. They had seven children, five of whom are still living.
It was in 1859 that Garfield made his first political speeches, in Hiram and the neighboring villages, and three years later he began to speak at county mass-meetings, being received everywhere with popular favor. He was elected to the State Senate this year, taking his seat in January, 1860.
On the breaking out of the war of the Rebellion in 1861, Mr. Garfield resolved to fight as he had talked, and accordingly he enlisted to defend the old flag, receiving his commission as Lieutenant-Colonel of the Forty-second Regiment of the Ohio Volun- teer Infantry, August 14, that year. He was immediately thrown into active service, and before he had ever seen a gun fired in action he was placed in command of four regiments of infantry and eight companies of cavalry, charged with the work of driv- ing the Confederates, headed by Humphrey Marshall, from his native State, Kentucky. This task was speedily accomplished, al- though against great odds. On account of his success, President Lincoln commissioned him Brigadier-General, January 11, 1862 ; and, as he had been the youngest man in the Ohio Senate two years before, so now he was the youngest General in the army. He was with General Buell's army at Shi- loh, also in its operations around Corinth and its march through Alabama. Next, he was detailed as a member of the general
court-martial for the trial of General Fitz- John Porter, and then ordered to report to General Rosecrans, when he was assigned to the position of Chief of Staff. His mili- tary history closed with his brilliant ser- vices at Chickamauga, where he won the stars of Major-General.
In the fall of 1862, without any effort on his part, he was elected as a Representative to Congress, from that section of Ohio which had been represented for sixty years mainly by two men-Elisha Whittlesey and Joshua R. Giddings. Again, he was the youngest member of that body, and con- tinued there by successive re-elections, as Representative or Senator, until he was elected President in 1880. During his life in Congress he compiled and published by his speeches, there and elsewhere, more information on the issues of the day, espc- cially on one side, than any other member.
June 8, 1880, at the National Republican Convention held in Chicago, General Gar- field was nominated for the Presidency, in preference to the old war-horses, Blaine and Grant; and although many of the Re- publican party felt sore over the failure of their respective heroes to obtain the nomi- nation, General Garfield was elected by a fair popular majority. He was duly in- augurated, but on July 2 following, before he had fairly got started in his administra- tion, he was fatally shot by a half-demented assassin. After very painful and protracted suffering, he died September 19, 1881, la- mented by all the American people. Never before in the history of this country had anything occurred which so nearly froze the blood of the Nation, for the moment, as the awful act of Guiteau, the murderer. Hc was duly tried, convicted and put to death on the gallows.
The lamented Garfield was succeeded by the Vice-President, General Arthur, who seemed to endeavor to carry out the policy inaugurated by his predecessor.
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CHESTER A. ARTHUR.
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CHESTER A. ARTHUR
HESTER ALLEN ARTHUR, the iwen- ty-first Chief Execu- tive of this growing republic, 1881-'5, was born in Franklin County, Vermont, October 5, 1830, the eldest of a family of two sons and five daughters. His father, Rev. Dr. William Arthur, a Baptist clergyman, immigrated to this country from County Antrim, Ireland, in his eighteenth year, and died in 1875, in Newton- ville, near Albany, New York, after serving many years as a successful minister. Chester A. was educated at that old, conservative institution, Union Col- lege, at Schenectady, New York, where he excelled in all his studies. He graduated there, with honor, and then struck out in life for himself by teaching school for about two years in his native State.
At the expiration of that time young Arthur, with $500 in his purse, went to the city of New York and entered the law office of ex-Judge E. D. Culver as a student. In due time he was admitted to the bar, when he formed a partnership with his intimate
friend and old room-mate, Henry D. Gar- diner, with the intention of practicing law at some point in the West ; but after spend- ing about three months in the Wester .. States, in search of an eligible place, they returned to New York City, leased a room, exhibited a sign of their business and al- most immediately enjoyed a paying patron- age.
At this stage of his career Mr. Arthur's business prospects were so encouraging that he concluded to take a wife, and ac- cordingly he married the daughter of Lieu- tenant Herndon, of the United States Navy, who had been lost at sea. To the widow of the latter Congress voted a gold medal, in recognition of the Lieutenant's bravery during the occasion in which he lost his life. Mrs. Artnur died shortly before her husband's nomination to the Vice-Presi- dency, leaving two children.
Mr. Arthur obtained considerable celeb- rity as an attorney in the famous Lemmon suit, which was brought to recover posses- sion of eight slaves, who had been declared free by the Superior Court of New York City. The noted Charles O'Conor, who was nominated by the "Straight Demo- crats" in 1872 for the United States Presi- dency, was retained by Jonathan G. Lem-
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PRESIDENTS OF TIIE UNITED STATES.
mon, of Virginia, to recover the negroes, but he lost the suit. In this case, however, Mr. Arthur was assisted by William M. Evarts, now United States Senator. Soon afterward, in 1856, a respectable colored woman was ejected from a street car in New York City. Mr. Arthur sued the car company in her behalf and recovered $500 damages. Immediately afterward all the car companies in the city issued orders to their employes to admit colored persons upon their cars.
Mr. Arthur's political doctrines, as well as his practice as a lawyer, raised him to prominence in the party of freedom; and accordingly he was sent as a delegate to the first National Republican Convention. Soon afterward he was appointed Judge Advocate for the Second Brigade of the State of New York, and then Engineer-in- Chief on Governor Morgan's staff. In 1861, the first year of the war, he was made In- spector-General, and next, Quartermaster- General, in both which offices he rendered great service to the Government. After the close of Governor Morgan's term he resumed the practice of law, forming first a partnership with Mr. Ransom, and subse- quently adding Mr. Phelps to the firm. Each of these gentlemen were able lawyers.
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