The life and public services of Winfield Scott Hancock, major-general, U. S. A.

Front matter

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Preface

To tell the story of the life of a successful general is to recite a romance. Hard and cruel as the work of war may be in reahty, it is only while it is doing that its hardships and its roughnesses are seen. "When it is done, the glory of the result smooths the crudenesses, and gilds the dark places, and rounds the whole into a picturesque completeness. The love of conflict is as much a part of human nature as the love of peace ; and delight in tales of war lies deep down in man's heart. Stories of heroes and of saints, of warfare temporal and spiritual, fonu the earliest literature of mankind.

But when to this is added the element of patriotism, and the successful warrior is one who fights not alone for glory or for the love of fighting, but for the love of country, a new zest is given the chronicle of his deeds. And when, still further, this love of country is the love of a free, popular government, — when the struggle is for the sake of liberty and for maintaining the will of the people, — the soldier in such a cause becomes a hero, whether successful or not.

The subject of this sketch is such a hero, and a most successful one. But, great as is his glory in war, the impartial historian will accord him at least equal honor for the display of rare administrative talent in civil aflairs, — most rare, indeed, in connection vrith such superlative military genius as he has shown.

8 / PREFACE.

In writing the life of this patriot, soldier, and statesman, the only embarrassment is that of a superabundance of material. His life has been one long romance of duty well performed, filled with adventure, with great deeds, and with noble actions. To select from the history of the American RepubUc during the past forty years such facts as may show the part which General Hancock has taken in the work of making and saving our country is the purpose of the writer of this volume. Much has to be left untold in the limits of a work of this sort. It is sought simply to show the man as he appears in the history of his country.

In collecting facts for this work, especial care has been taken to secure absolute authenticit}' ; and the author acknowledges his indebtedness to the courtesy of Hon. B. E. Chain and Hon. B. M. Boj-er, of Norristown, Penn., intimate companions of the boy Winfield and trusted friends of the General ; to Gen. William B. Franklin, Gen. St. Clair A. MuUiolland, Gen. George H. Gordon, Hon. George L. Thorndike, and others of his companions in arms ; to Townsend Ward, Esq., Secretary of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and to many others. The story of General Hancock's public services is chiefly taken from the official reports and documents of Congress and the War Department ; and, among unofficial sources, from Moore's " Record of the RebeUion," Greeley's "American Conflict," and Swinton's "Army of the Potomac" and "Twelve Great Battles."

F. E. G.

Independence Square, Boston, July 15, 1880

COISrTEl!TTS.

Page. pRErACE, lilt > . . 7

Fart I. — Boy and Man.

Chapter I. — The Hancock Family. — Its Services in the War of the Revolution. — Marriage of Benjamin F. Hancock and Settlement in Norristown, Penn. — Early Struggles of the Young Couple. — School-Teaching and Law. — Education of the Twins, Winheld and Hilary, 21

Chapter II. — Birth and Boyhood. — His Name, and its Influence upon his Career. — The School-boys' Train-band — Captain Winfield. — The Champion of the Weak. — Anecdotes of his School-days, 28

Chapter III. — One of Winfield Hancock's Chums. — His Home Life. — A Student in Norristown Academy. — The Baptist Sunday-School. — A Cadet at West Point. — How he was appointed. — His Classmates, 34

Part II.— The Soldter.

Chapter I. — Lieutenant Hancock enters the Sixth Infantry. — Protectiug the Advance Guard of White Settlers. — The Outbreak of the Mexican War. — Hancock's Request to be ordered to the Front. — He is sent to Mexico. — He begins to make a Record, 45

Chapter II. — Battle of Churubusco. — The Advance upon the City of Mexico. — General Worth's Brigade ordered to carry the Fortification. — Lieutenant Hancock's Company Leads the Charge. — The Repulse. — Lieutenant Hancock wins his first Brevet for Gallantry in Action, 53

Chapter HI. — Molino del Rey. — Situation of Scott's Army before the City of Mexico — Lieutenant Hancock again foremost in the Post of Danger. — He leads his Compauy against the Battery at Molino del Roy. — Hancock saved amid the Carnage, . . 5i)

Chapter IV. — Chapultepec. — Hancock describes his Feelings while confined to the House by Fever. — The Entry into the City of Mexico. — Lieutenant Hancock's Letters Home. — End of the War, 65

Chapter V. — Lieutenant Hancock Returns to the Department of tlie West. — He becomes Regimental Quartermaster, and then Adjutant. — His Marriage at St Louis. — The Seminole War. — Brigham Young's Declaration of Independence. — Hancock Ordered to California, 70

10 CONTENTS.

Part III. — The Patriot.

Chapter I. — The Fire upon Sumter.— How the News was received iu Ccalifornia. — Captain Hancock's Etibrts to keep the State in the Union. — He asks to be ordered into Active Service, . . 79

Chapter H, — The Peninsular Campaign. -^ Siege and Capture of Yorktown. — The Battle of Williamsburg. — Hooker Repulsed at Fort Magruder. — Hancock Turns the Enemy's Flank, . . 85

Chapter III. — Hancock again Brevotted for Gallantry. — His Work in the Preliminaries- of the Peninsular Campaign. — Military Discipline. — Eaids upon the Virginia Farms. — Mr. Volliu, . 94

Chapter IV. — The Advance towards Richmond, — Battle of the Chickahominy. — Golding's Farm. — Hancock repulses Toombs' Assault. — He holds the Enemy at Bay at White Oak Swamp, 100

Chapter V. — Pope's Campaign in Northern Virginia. — Hancock joins in the Movement to Centreville. — McClellan's Maryland Campaign against Lee. — Forcing Crampton's Pass. — Autietam. — Hancock takes Command of a Division, 106

Chapter VI. — Fredericksburg. — Opening the Campaign of the Rappahannock. — Hancock receives his Commission as Major-General of Volunteers. — He Commands a Division on the March to Fredericksburg. — Hancock Wounded, 112

Chapter VII. — Chancellorsville. — " Fighting Joe " Hooker in command of the Army of the Potomac. — Hancock again leads his Division across the Rappahannock. — Occupation of Chancellorsville. — Hancock takes Command of the Second Corps, . . 118

Chapter VIII. — The March to Gettysburg. — Lee Resolves upon an Invasion of the North. — Hooker's Resignation. — The Camp on the Rappahannock broken up. — Hancock's Corps the Rear Guard, 1"23

Chapter IX. — Gettysburg. — The First Day. — Meade arrives at Taneytown. — The Advance Guard strikes the Enemy. — "For God's Sake send up Hancock." — Meade puts Hancock in command at the Front. — He Selects the Battle-ground, .... 130

Chapter X. — Gettysburg. — The Second Day. — Hancock in command at the Left Centre. — Sickles's Corps cut up. — Hancock to the Rescue. — The Absolution of the Irish Brigade. — Fight for the Ridge in front of the Wheat-lield, .... 139

ChapterXI. — Gettysburg.— The Tbird Day. — The Storm of Fire.

— Hancock's Wonderful Deed of Valor. — The Final Desperate Assault of the Confederates. — Hancock Beats them Back. — Struck Down in the Moment of Victory, 146

Chapter XII. — After Gettysburg. — General Meade's Report. — Hancock's Fight " Terminated the Battle." — His Opinion of the Battle and its Results. — Hancock's Wound. — The Surgeon's Story. — His Journey Home. — Invalid Soldiers carry him on their Shoulders to his Father's House. — He Returns to Duty, . 154

Chapter XIII. — The Wilderness. — Grant takes Command of all the Arnii(;s. — Hancock Leads the Advance. — The Story of One of the gallant Second Corps. — Hancock leads the Charge, . . 1(J4

CONTENTS. 11

Chapter XIV. — Spottsylvania. — Hancock fislits the Battle of the Po. — General Sedgwick's Death. — The Bloodiest Battle of the War. — Hancock Takes and Holds the Famous " Salient Angle." — Hancock's Ketort, 171

Chaj^teu XV. — Cold Harbor. — The March from Spottsylvania toward Riclimond. — A Race between Two Armies. — Hancock liuds Lee at the North Anna. — He Carries the Bridge, . . 17S

Chapter XVI. — Petersburg. — Hancock Celebrates Bunker-hill Day.

— He Leads Successful Movements. — His Old "Wound Reopens. — The Explosion of the Petersburg Mine, 184

Chapter XVII. — About Petersburg. — Hancock Commands at Deep Bottom. — Promotion. — His Horse shot under him at Reams' Station. — Battle of the Boydtou Plank Road. — Reci'uiting a Veteran Corps. — Brevet Major-Greneral for Gallantry at Spottsylvania. — In command of the Middle Military Division when Lee Surrenders, 190

Chapter XVIII. — Hancock as a Commander. — The, Love and Admiration of his Soldiers for their General. — General Walker describes his Character and Habits. — Custer Sketches him at Williamsburg. — The Secret of Hancock's Genius, . . 195

Part IV. — The Statesman.

Chapter I. — Hancock's Character. — How it Developed under the Iiiflueiico of liis Career. — A Man of the People. — His Strong Purpose iii I^ife. — The Discipline of Army Service. — His Admiuistrativo Ability. — A Well-rounded Character, .... 206

Chapter II. — Assassination of President Lincoln. — Arrest and Trial of the Conspirators. — Execution of Mrs. Surratt. — Charges oi Cruelty against General Hancock. — Mrs. Surratt's Counsel makes a Statement. — Also her Spiritual Adviser. — General Hancock's Tenderness toward the Unfortunate Woman and her Daughter.

— He posts Couriers to Carry a Pardon, 214

Ch.^pter III. — Hancock again at the West. — He is Called back to

take Command of the Fifth Military District. — Sketch of the Progress of Reconstruction. — The Quarrel between the Executive and Congress. — The South Divided up into Satrapies. — Sheridan Removed, and Hancock Called to take his Place, .... 231

Chapter IV. — Hancock takes Command of the Fifth Military District. — His Reception at Washington. — The vast Powers placed in his Hands. — His Opening Proclamation. — The Famous " Order No. 40."— Judge Black's Letter, 24C

Chapter V. — Reception of "General Order No. 40." — Civil Government Resumes its Sway. — The Laws to be Sustained by the Military Arm. — The Qualifications of Jurors. — Disposition of Property by the Coni'ts. — Registration of Voters, . . . 249

Chapter VI. — General Hancock and the Carpet-Baggers. — He reada Governor Pease ii Lecture on Constitutional Government. — His Refusal to Su[)plant the Courts by Military Commissions. — Riparian Rights not to be Adjudicated upon by Courts-Martial, . 264

12 CONTENTS.

Chapter VII. — Troops at the Polls. — Hancock's Famous Order. — Hancock Declines to use his Troops for the Collection of Taxes. — He Instructs Governor Pease in the Art of Law and of Civil Government. — Hancock's Letter to General Howard, . . . 274

Chapter VIII. — The Carpet-Baggers protest against Civil Government. — Governor Pease's Open Letter. — General Hancock's Reply. — Congress attempts to get rid of Hancock. — Grant revokes Hancock's Orders. — Hancock's Resignation, 233

Chapter IX. — Hancock's Consistent and Patriotic Democracy. — His California Speech in 1861. — His Acts in 1868.— The Democratic Convention of 1888. — Hancock the Loading Candidate. — The Couventiou of 1876. — Ho Again Receives a Large Vote, . . 302

Chapter X. — The Cincinnati Couventiou of 1880. — Dauiel Dougherty of Philadelphia nominates General Hancock. — Speech of Governor Hubbard of Texas, Seconding the Nomination. — Hancock nominated ou the Second Ballot. — Speeches, . . . 315

SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND PUBLIC CAREER OF mi H. ENGLISH.

Chapter I. — Parentage of William H. English. — Sound Democratic Stock. — Admitted to Practice in the United States Supreme Court at the Age of Twenty-three. — He enters Politics in the Polk Campaign. — Elected to the Legislature. — Chosen Speaker of the House, 329

Chapter II. — Election to Congress. — The Famous Kansas-Nebraska Bill and Mr. English's action Thereon. — The "Popular Soverei"-utv" Idea. — Congress. — Labor against Know-Nothingism. — The ''English Bill," 333

Chapter HI. — Letter from President Buchanan. — The Shadow of the Civil War. — Mr. English's Position. — Retirement from Public Life. — Founder of the First National Bank of Indianapolis. — Views ou the Money Question, 350

Chapter IV. — The Democratic National Convention of 1880. — The Nomination of Hancock for President is followed by that of English for Vice-President. — Speech of Acceptance, . . . 3G3

Appendix

General Hancock's Letter of Acceptance, Mr. English's Letter of Acceptance,

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Steel Portrait of Major-General Hancock, Steel Portrait of Hon. William H. English, Hancock's Early Home at Norristowu, Pa., .

Foraging Party,

Antietani,

Crossing the Rapidan,

Cavalry Charge,

Geu. Hancock's Residence at Governor's Island,

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Frontispiece

Facing p age

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IE"TEODUOTION.

No history of the great civil war can be "wi'itten without reciting the brilliant military record of Major- General Winfield Scott Hancock. Educated in the military ai-t at West Point, trained in the application of military principles to practice in the Mexican war, where he was brevetted for gallant and meritorious conduct, he had attained the age and the experience which make an accomplished soldier, at the commencement of what proved to be the greatest and most terrible war of ancient or modern times.

His gallantry and skill were shown on many of the hardest fought battle-fields, — at Williamsburg, Frazer's Farm, South INIountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania Court House, North Anna, the second battle of Cold Harbor, and the operations around Petersburg. It may be said that he took a prominent part in every important battle fought in the East, and thus largel}' contributed to the success of our arms and the restoration of the Union of the States.

The fame of this distinguished commander is secure. It is recognized not only l)y liis grateful countrymen, but in all lands where military talent and genius are appreciated, and courage, fortitude, and the martial virtues recognized and honored. There is, and can be, no question of his rank as a great soldier. Xone challenge it. His title is clear, cei-tain, and indisputable. Time, which levels so much and qualifies so often and so largely the claims of the great men of history, will never disturb his right to the niche in the temple of fame accorded to him by his contemporaries. His military services have been so recently rendered, that their mention is not necessary for the information of his countrymen, for they know them by heart. But there is a part of his life and history not shown in his public record, nor in his achievements on the battle-field, which the people must now desire to know ; as the great Democratic party — the party which the eloquent Choate declared, "bore the national flag and kept step to the music of the Union" — has, through its representatives, unanimously nominated him as its candidate for the Presidency. They know him as the brave, brilliant, and successful soldier ; but they have had no opportunities to learn the other sides of his character, nor those many qualities of head and heart which largely led to his nomination, and which eminently fit him for the discharge of the duties of the great office to which he will undoul^tcdl}^ be elected in November next. To supply fhe popular demand for such information, it has been proposed to give, in the pages which follow, a brief sketch of the private us well as public life of this distinguished citizen.

It will bo generally conceded that there is a growing objection in the public mind to military candidates for the Presidency. This feeling doubtless comes from fear of the repetition of the cases, with which history bristles, of usurpation by successful soldiers of the executive power to the overthrow of constitutional government. Nor i§ it surprising that these usurpations occur. In war, the laws arc silent ; and the soldier, substituting his will as authority, recognizes no instrument for the attainment of his objects but force. When war ceases, ho naturally submits with reluctance to a return to the methods of the civil power for administering government, and if his army is devoted to him, the temptation to seize upon power is often too great for resistance. Whether in this age of popular intelligence, and with a people possessed of ample means for combination and resistance to a coup d'clat, all such apprehension is to be deemed groundless, it will not be necessary now to consider. In the case of General Hancock, the objection that he is a soldier must dissipate, for his honest and patriotic conduct after the surrender of Lee and the termination of the war, in recogrnizino- the rights of our citizens under the Consliiution, showed most conclusively that he had nO disposition, if he had the power, to act the rule of the conqueror : that Washington, the Father of his Country, and not Napoleon, was his inspiration and guide. There is nothing nobler or more sublime in history than the conduct of this hero of a hundred battles, on the occasion referred to. His letter to Governor Pease, of Texas, in 1868, when commanding the Fifth Military District, wherein he completely subordinates the military to the civil power in time of peace, will alone render his name illustrious and forever dear to all who love civil liberty. When the judgment of mankind shall be elevated and refined by a higher civilization, so that it shall the more truly adjust the claims of its benefactors to the rewards of heroic conduct, this patriotic surrender of the great soldier to the supremacy of the civil law will add more to his fame than all his great military achievements.

Let it be remembered that the action of General Hancock was in opposition to his official superiors at Washington, who for political and partisan purposes wished to keep the South under military control, with no rights that a Republican was bound to respect. Let it be remembered that he imperilled his official and professional life by this sacred respect for right and patriotic regard for law, and our admiration augments, and we feel that whatever fear of detriment to the Republic might obtain, should any other of oar successful generals become President, there could be no danger in placing him in the chair once occupied by Washington, who had shown himself possessed of equal moderation, and equal respect for the Constitution and the laws of the country.

It is a curious fact that, notwithstanding the supposed popular distrust of military men for Presidents, so large a number should have been elected to this high office : Washington, Monroe, Jackson, Harrison, Taylor, Pierce, Grant, and Hayes were all soldiers, and were mostly selected as candidates because of their military record. When we consider the functions and duties of the executive, it would seem that a soldier, accomplished in his art, would l)e eminently fitted for the discharge of these duties ; and, but for the popular apprehension before alluded to, the military qualities, instead of being an objection, would be regarded as a quaUfication in a supreme magistrate.

There is this advantage in favor of selecting Presidents from the military profession. They are not as likely to be committed to any partisanship touching political questions, beyond a general endorsement of the principles of the party to which they adhere. Their professional position keeps them outside of party feuds and dissensions, and enables them to take broader and, as it were, more judicial views of political questions and measures than those laymen who, to become sufficiently prominent to be candidates for tlie high office, must make politics a profession.

In applying this observation to General Hancock, we might observe that, while he endorses the platform of principles adopted by the Cincinnati Convention and approves the general policy of the Democratic party in respect to the important issues of the campaign, in doing so he is not called to modify previous opinions inconsistent with these principles, nor explain any former action antagonistic thereto. He vrill enter upon the discharge of the great trust which the people will commit to him in March, free of all ol)ligations, and relieved of every influence which might embarrass or fetter him. He has been always noted for his energy, industry, perseverance, fortitude, and patience. His intelligence, good judgment and sagacity are well-known. His knowledge of men has been conspicuously shown in the selection of his staff officers, as he has always surrounded himself with able assistants who well understood the work wanted from them. We are warranted in believing from his action in this respect that, should he become President, he will call to his aid cabinet advisers who will know their duty and be competent to discharge it. Right men will be put in the right places. The public interests will not suffer through official appointments made for political service only, nor will the country be longer

INTEODUCTION. 19

disgraced by the swarms of bummers who for years have infested every department of the government.

In looking through the life of General Hancock, we find, from the time he left West Point Academy, during all his military career, in war and in peace, he has exhibited peculiar aptitude for the duties of an executive officer. Possessing in an eminent degree what is termed "character," his official conduct seems to have been always guided by fixed principles. He first seeks to find what duty requires in the matter before him, and, this ascertained, he enters at once upon the performance of the requisition. Without doubt, the nature of the military profession fosters and develops this habit of mind. We may say that he is eminently a man of convictions, with the courage of his convictions ; but not obstinate in temper, nor unyielding, if good reasons be shown for a change of opinion. He is in every respect a most available candidate. There is nothing in his record which we are called to defend. We can abandon our shields in this contest, for we have no use for them. He is popular with all sections. His nomination satisfies equally the North and the South. He has united into a compact body a divided Democracy, and so acceptable is he to large numbers of our political opponents that we find Independent Eepublican Hancock organizations springing up in nearly all the States.

We have spoken of him as certain to be elected, not only because this seems to be the general conviction, but because we feel that since such happy results would follow his election, it must occur that the fitness of things may be maintained. With General Hancock as President of the United States, all the hideous past would be buried forever. Demao;oo:ues would cease their devilish work of keeping the sections hostile by rekindling sectional animosities. Amity and fraternal regard would make us again one people. The era of good feeling would return, and the issue settled by war, "an indestructible union of indestructible States," everywhere recognized.

FREDEEICK O. PEINCE.

Boston, July 12, 1880.

WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK.

:f> j^ I^ T I

BOY a:n"d mak

CIL^TER I.

The Hancock Family. — Its Services in the War of tlie Eevolution. — Marriage of Benjamin F. Hancock and Settlement in Norristown, Penn. — Early Struggles of the Young Couple. — School- Teaching and Law. — Education of the Twins, Winfield and Hilary. — Character and Public Services of the Father of General Hancock.

Early in the year 1828, a little family moved into the village of Norristown, Penn., from the farming country near by, and set up their modest household. This family consisted of Benjamin F. Hancock, his wife Elizabeth, and their twin sons. The boys, Winfield Scott Hancock and Hilary B. Hancock, were at that time four years old.

Both ftither and mother came of the farming families of Montgomery County. Their English ancestors had lived upon the soil in the old country ; their fathers and grandfathers had found more bountiful subsistence in the cultivation of the broad meadows along the Schuylkill and the rich intervales of the new land which they had possessed and made free ; Benjamin F. Hancock was himself a farmer ; Elizabeth Hexworth was a farmer's daughter.

It was a sturdy, patriotic stock, and it flourished in a section crowded with patriotic memories. Germantown, Brandy wine. Valley Forge, Paoli, are names indissolubly associated with the history of our struggle for independence as a Republic ; and it was among the associations clustering about these places that the Hancock family grew up.

These associations, too, were interwoven with their family history. The grandfather of Elizabeth Hancock was one of the patriot farmers of the Revolution. He won and honorably carried a captain's commission in Washington's army, and gave his life for his country, dying of the effect of hardships and privations in the field shortly after he saw the land made free for his children. Her father, Edward Hexworth, although a boy in his teens, also joined the patriot army, and fought by the side of his father, returning to enjoy the fruits of the liberty for which he had given his youthful strength and enthusiasm. He attained great age, dying Jan. 29, 1847, upwards of 90 j^ears old. Benjamin F. Hancock's father, Richard Hancock, was a mariner. He was captured at sea, and, with so many other patriots, was given the choice of service against his country in the British navy, or consignment to the notorious Dartmoor Prison, whose name was a terror. He chose the patriot's part, and did not pass the double barricades of that melancholy enclosure until the close of the war. On his release, he returned to free America. In the war of 1812, when the British advanced their troops as far as Red Bank, and the safety of Philadelphia and all the towns in that section was threatened, Benjamin F. Hancock himself, then a mere lad, made one of the local company that garrisoned Camp Dupont.

This was the family whose youngest members took up their residence in Norristown in 1828. It was good stock, — of the people, of the soil ; it had the traditions of earnest patriotism and honest labor ; with neither crest nor pedigree, it held a place in the peerage of the Republic.

Benjamin F. Hancock, although born in Philadelphia, was brought up as a farmer ; and it was while farming in the country near Montgomeryville that he paid his suit to Elizabeth Hexworth, a farmer's daughter, and won her for his wife. Even at the time of his marriage he had aspirations for a different career, and with quiet earnestness he set himself to accomplish it. lie had no means of his oAvn ; his support, and that of his family, was the income that his own labor brought him. Farmer Hexworth was a man of moderate property, comfortably well off, but not of wealth sufficient to endow his daughter on her marriage. Indeed, such was not the custom among the farmers of Pennsylvania. The man who took vipon himself the responsibilities of marriage was expected to know his ability to provide for his own. So the young couple set out in life dependent upon themselves, confident and brave. The husband, whose education was above the average, turned his talent to account in teaching a country school. The wife attended to domestic duties.

Then the children came ; and, under his increasing responsibilities, the father was impelled to push forward more rapidly in the career which he had marked out for himself. His ambition was not great ; but his purpose was steady : it was to place his children in a better position for starting in life than he had occupied.

26 LITE AND PUBLIO SERVICES OF

This it was that led him to remove to Norristown, where there were oppoi-tunities for advancing himself and for educating his boys.

In Norristown, with their young family, Benjamin Hancock and his wife began their new life in a most modest way. They were "poor ; but they both had confidence in themselves. The husband continued to teach school in Norristown, and meantime studied law in the office of John Friedley, Esq. The wife, who was a true helpmeet, bravely took her share in the work of supporting the family, and opened a milUncr's store in the house ; turning her talent, taste, and dexterity to the best account in aid of her hard-worldng husband. Benjamin F. Hancock was admitted to the Montgomery County bar at Norristown, Aug. 19, 1828 ; and, long after this, the wife continued her occupation as milliner in pleasant rooms on one side of the house, while the husband carried on his law business in his office on the opposite side.

The Hancock family prospered, as they must have prospered with such earnest endeavor. Another son was born. The father was appointed justice of the peace ; and, while yet young, he began to receive proofs of the confidence and respect of his fellow-citizens, which naturally followed from his upright life. He was a quiet, unassuming man, of sterling abilit}^ and great integrity. In his profession he was a counsellor, rather than a barrister ; and he was much sought for such business. Many were the trusts committed to his hands ; his character for uprightness standing high even in a borough whose lawyers have a proverbial