The Newberry herald. (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, July 07, 1880, SUPPLEMENT, Image 5
StUPPLEMENT
WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK.
Winfield Scott Hancock is a soldier in
deed as well as in name, and the more
his record is searched the more of credit
will be divulged. His immediate an
cestors were stalwart early settlers in
Pennsylvania. Benjamin Frankn
Hancock, his father, was of mixed Eng
lish, Scotch and Irish blood. His pro
genitors were of excellent Revolution
aryrenown. His mother was of Penn
sylvania descent, too. The general
hinself may 'have inherited desirable
Quaker, Episcopal and Baptist quali
ties, for those religious faiths were rep
resented in his grandfathers and grand
mothers. He was born in what has
been the familY residence of the Hot~
cocks for a eentury; in Hatfield town.
ship,. Mountgomery county, Pa., in a
picturesque old house, with 1764 carved
as an age mark on its newest half; a. 'i
the more ancient tracings of time on - >
other, a building onr which the cuts of
Indian tomahawks had recorded an at
tack in the early French-Indian wars.
A grandfather on the father's side,
during the Revolution, was captured at
sea, claimed as a British subject, and
taken to England for imprisonment. A
g.eat.grandfather on the mother's side
died from exposure on the field. His
mother's father received a special pen
sion for gallantry in the Continental
army. The general's father became a
soldier in 1812, though only sixteen
years old, and returned to the feld five
times by re-enlistment. Heroica blood
was thus bequeathed to the man who is
to-be the President of the United States
of America.
The rearing place of the Democratic
candidate was Norristown, Pa., where
as a boy he daily saw the - scene of
Washington's gallant crossing of the
Schuylkill, in the crucial campaign of
V lley Forge. Incentives to patriotism
were not wasted on his boyhood. He was
bornin 1824(hence is now fifty-six years
oldk, and in 1839 he was chosen to read
the Deciaration of Independence at a
county celebration of the Fourth of
July. In the following year, when he
was sixteen, he entered the United
States military academy at West
Point, his spirit and ability having re
commended him for that preferment.
Among his cadet companions were the
lads that subsequently became Generals
Longstreet, Burnside, Hill, McClellan,
Grant, Jackson and Reynolds. Nature
had balanced his mental and physical
qualities well, and he became, without
special effort, a recognized leader of his
comrades. He was graduated in 1814,
and was at once assigned to the Sixth
infantry. He was yet hardly more than
a boy, being only twenty; but he had
no chance to_figure as a soldier on par
lor carpets, being dispatched at once to
the Western frontier to fight Indians
His hardening-service in the Indian
Territory lasted several years and
earned him a promotion to a second
]ieutenancy.
The war with Mexico gave young Lieu
tenant Hancock a chance to distinguish
himself. He went to Mexico with his
regiment, and fought at San Antonio,
Cherubusco, Molino del Rey, and the
city of Mexico. Throughout the cam
paign he was brave and useful enough
to be awarded at the close of the war,
the brevet of first lieutenant " for gal
lant and meritorious conduct " on cer
tain specified occasions. At Contreras
and Cherubuseo he " behaved in the
handsomest manner," to use the lan
guage of an official report. He served
a while as adjutant, and was in 1855
made assistant adjutant-general of the
Department of the West. While filling
that position at St. Louis; he married a
daughter of Mr. Samhiel Russel, a lead
ing merchant. At about the same time
he was promoted to-a ca3ptaincy. ThisI
was a distinguished honor for a man
only thirty-one years old. He scrved in
Southern Florids during-the Indian war
of 1856-7,2and then went to Kansas for'
del-icate as;well as active duty. His next
service w as in the military expedition
to Utah, under Harney, and afterward
he rode overland to California, where
he was stationed for the next few years.
At the outbreak of the civil war
Captain Hjancock was -on duty at Los
Angeles, Cal. He at once took a deter
mined.stand as a Union man,doing much
by private influence and public speeches
to stay the tide of secession feeling on the
Pacfiic coast. It is thought that to his
infiuence, more than to anything else,
was due the salvation of that State from
rebellion. His public speeches were
many and potent. But he wa.s not con
tent with words. On learning cf the first
shot at Sumter he wrote to Governor
Curtin, of Pennsylvania, for a commis
sion of troops raised in his native State;
but, not receiving a speedy answer, he
jmpatiently addressed a letter to Gener
'il Scott, at Wasington, who was then
general-in-chief, demanding active ser
vice. General Scott had learned his
meri. i e, xic,and ordered him im
iatly t theEast Upo arrvali
shntnh w7 r. ete orpr
leealMCela, twos nsac
miatsgely to the ast.Uon ofrGeneal
ith in the Army of the Potomac.
efour regiments of his brigade were
wel offcered, of excellent material,
dtheir new commander, after a
eiod of tuition, felt that he could rely
un them in any emergency. General
acock served with distinction in all
ebattles of the Peninsula, but it was
aWilliamsburg that his splendid
geralship made itself most conspicu
eneral McClellan, in his dispatch to
tPresident, said: " Hancock was su
eb !" and his name was echoed from
tAtlantic to the Pacific..
eneral Hancock was again and again
cspicuous in spirited engagements.
fer that of Maivern Hill he was
crted major-general of volunteers, and
rveted successfully major, lieutenant
oonel and colonel in the regular army.
tthe first Fredericksburg fight his
nform was perforated with bullets,
the received only a slight flesh
und. Soon after the battle of Chan
elorsville he was placed in command
ofthe Second corps, on the retirement
f ouch. When the news came of the
pning of the fight at Gettysburg, he*
s with General Meaae at Taneytown,
n was ordered by him to take com
mnd of all the forces on the field there,
ih such others as might arrive. Gen
era Reynolds, who commanded the
Fist corps, had been killed, and that
od, under Doubleday, with the
'Eenth, under Howard, had been
fced to retreat. Hancock knew that
Made intended to fight the battle on
eline of Pipe Creek, but sent him
wrd by his senior aid, Major Mitchell,
ht Gettysburg was topographically tar
mre advantageous. General Meade
Genera Winfie
letcne on. th seod a o- h
le an eusdadeprt tak
>wn itu ihacone hre
th thrdyhesstie a. can
ad ftohusfo 2 us
hor e eraorit Wragmes
heece,e n the senfatry ofge the
btland replsed in despa Aattack,
nthe thdlay he stai pned aBan
"nd Hanro wih Lhis staftf(meno
hell and capts. Bnghamyi, Paren
Br.nson)lo, thopiate gumersl
topece n w thhed inntrhed the
itron himst in Chesars Aand bhe
gn to pthe "ef Sta angel roaed
ner"ad Hancock wthat stff (rtil
1,and o) wierthe adivae ofe Llg
carryinfntry, Second crs'trong, ap-c
pearemaie he a uncre on the
rihetlet of hit heerse aros inanthe
an lieering fromdte ooydsoand the
front to the l.Shtadselrrd
hamdancock knewi tthore a,tfl
ey iws itafenrde to teorlizehiso
men,gn tocoe the ancgsed of hen
stres incantry wild trong, whi,ch
wivin torders mde rattrribA heo
ahe the eemy ofwho, n thi intrn,
beganemelves frown the'avods an dady
boei~thmetr il atiley..
Homntco itory hishorea an,col
led byo his tffhose bt ths caghto
thrlefaglin.a in and erowing aond
iing the igh but he pemaied onthe
receiving orders until trie defatvoc
wihenemycm who,mpleteir Hewas
firetbath oumusketrheandmartille bat
the moetve the vithano Generalck
acie, iiordrfni the defeent ofCoges
n of the nation at large.
In March, 1864 General Hancock re
i l op,wt hc he fog bril
reua army is sceffigta
Boydton Road ~'intefllown coe
iton to tfrm an etran comman of00
soldcp,t which he kyughtde rin
getinfoan the enssany Aug.iers
he was create brgwithtecrgnes n thed
degml ay. Hiisn swithfu haar
yters RoadWinheteandwing tOctoert
westhes lat. tHe Asm odtere toac
inton- the fomatherncowit Genera0
shermng, whicht quikl sueided The
ettn rot amongmethe mnnecesoldier
wAseterm ohe mrerofiresment Lxicoln
an He aettptecssasntion the Sed
leltary adivisinra wihack headqsr
rerd t Wircesdent wohs to prthe
command wit the frces of the aroun:c
Washnto.ther cast wsitGnenerly
tohercoman igthbe deidd hepat
menr oft Leaqter poatt Batreer
Atd bth tmemhenws unnecetdajor
Aterli the rdegr rsiyn Liorgln
slanie wereheptapued assniaio fSc
ontiredivso by Presienemy oIn touly,
cadof the rtento Minsoront
Wagshington arduous apaignes ainstul
wsodrdto the command of the Mdl eat
mentoftGl, with headquarters atmr.
Atewi trlens Hiws reetesor- a
gealdethe lareguar armyrior togthe
civillaw.dI meiros sa ers at sor
sraiae heeh'e ofd cLuisian and
Tentradsion anonfa the .Ii Juy
t6,heitis ould et the cl graes,
and thea, pabnd astabed cmand
ofthe ivilaritent read Miaur,nduilin
asodered terdus thmmn military
wm Ohnrlns is fundcesios ihad
irection. At the same time he declared
that armed insurrection would be sup
ressed by force at once. Governor
Pease, who had been appointed by the
Federal authorities to th:e control of
Texas, took exception to General Han
ock's orders, but the latter was:immov
able in the position he had taken. He
declared that two years after the close
of the war it was time to remember that
Americans ought to be freemen, to tol
rate free popular discussion, and to ex
end forbearance and consideration to
opposing views. The general felt that
his sentiments were not altogether in
dorsed at Washington, and, after six
months of service, he asked to be re
i eyed. He was assigned by President
r ant to the Military division of the
Atlantic, which, with the exception of
hree years' command of the Military
division of Dakota, he has since re
ained, his headquarters being on Gov
rnors Island.
General Hancock's name was men
ioned for the presidency on the Demo
ratic ticket both in 1868 and 1872. He
was also tendered a nomination to the
overnoship of Pennsylvania, which he
eclined..
General Hancock has a twin brother,
illary B. Hancock, a lawyer, in Min
eapolis, Minn. A second brother,
ohn, is connected with the Pennsyl
ania Centra[ railroad in Washington.
is father died a few years ago, and his
other last year. He has a son, Rus
ell Hancock, aged twenty-five, who is
oring a plantation near Foyer's Point,
lississippi. His daughter, Ada, died
o typboid fever in thiis city in 1875,
ed eighteen, just after leaving school.
ussell was married in Louisville, Ky.,
eiht years ago to Miss Gwynn, daugh
ter of Nicholas Gwynn, now of 40 West
fty-eighth street, this city, and a
rominent member of the cotton ex
hange.
neral Hancock inclines to the Epis
copalian faith, but is not a member of
any church. His father and mother
were Baptists. He has a pew in Dr.
Bellows' church for his wife, who is a
Unitarian. Her parents are Unitarians,
although she was educated in the con
vent of the Sacred Heart, at St. Louis,
and has on that account been quite
generally supposed to be a Catholic.
Hew York Sun.
WILLIAM H. ENGLISH.
William H. English, of Indiana, is
fifty-seven years old. His dgure is tall,
erect and well proportioned. He has a
high, broad forehead and regular fea
tures. His bearing is dignified and gen
tlemanly, and he would attract atten
tion among other men. He was educated
as a lawyer, and has practiced in the
United States supreme court. He has
been speaker of the Indiana house of
representatives, a member of the Na
tional House of Representatives for four
consecutive terms, and has declined to
accept important offices within the gift
of Presidents. He was president of the
national bank that was first to put its
issue in circulation. After retiring from
the business of banking he sold his
stocks, and it is said that, although a
man of great wealth, he does not own a
dollar's worth of stock in any corpora,
tion. He retired from active business
in 1877.
W ,..m H. English went from the
common schools of the neighborhood
in which he lived to South Hanover
college, where he was for three years a
student. He studied law, and was ad
mitted to practice in the circuit court
before he was nineteen years old. In
his twenty-third year he was admitted
to the supreme court of the United
States. He was for some time assoo
ciated in practice with Joseph G. Mar
shall. Before he had followed his pro
fession long he accepted an appointment
in Washington, and he never afterward
practiced law. He went into politics
early. Before he attained his majority
he was a delegate from Scott county to
the Democratic State convention that
nominated General Tilghman A. How
ard for governor of Indiana, and the
journey of the young delegate to Indian
apolis and back required six days of
horseback riding. He took an active
p art in the campaign, making speeches
in behalf of the Democratic nominees.
President Tyler appointed him post
master at Lexington, and in 1843 he was
chosen principal clerk o1 the Indiana
house of representatives, of which
James ID. Williams, now governor of
Indiana, was the first time a member.
In the National Democratic convention
ox 1848, he met Samuel J. Tilden, a dele
gate from New York. He was clerk of
the Senate committee on claims in 1850,
where he heard the speeches of Clay,
Webster, Calhoun, Benton, and Cass in
the exciting and protracted debates of
that memorable session. He was secre
tary of the Indiana constitutional con
vention to revise the constitution of
1816.
In 1851 Mr. English was elected to re
present his native county in the State
legislature, and, although only twenty
nine years old, he was chosen speaker.
It is said that in the cpurse of a session
covering more than three months no
appeal was taken frbm any of his de
cisions, although the questions discussed
were of the nmost important and excit
ing nature that had come before an In
diana legislature in many years. Just
betore his election as speaker, to fill a
vacancy caused by the resignation of
Speaker Davis, he was appointed on a
committee of five to revise the laws of
the State, but he declined to serve.
At the close of the legislative session
of 1851, Mr. English was nominated for
representative in Congress, and was
elected by a majority of 488 over a
worthy competitor, the late John D.
Ferguson. He gave the administration
of President Pierce his hearty support.
At the opening of tha~t Congress the
Kansas-Nebraska bill was introduced.
Mr. English was a member of the com
mittee on Territories, and he did not
concur with the majority in the expedi
ency of bringing forward the measure
at that time. It is claimed that the
congressional records will show that
Mr. English brought forward the popu
lar sovereignty idea in a minority re
port presented by him.
In the course of Mr. English's second
congressional term Know-nothingism
asserted itself, and it found in him an
able and fearless opponent. He was
elected to Congress for a third time, not
withstanding his request that his con
stituents would select-another candidate.
The Senate passed the bill admitting
~Kansas under the Lecomipton constitu
tion, but the House rejected it. Then
the House passed a substitute bill,which
was rejected by the Senate. A confer
ene committee was appointed by the