Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/254

228 istration took different views, some maintaining that the necessities of the case justified the meas- ure, while others deprecated the action of Gen. Burnside and the military commission. Not liking his reception by the leaders of the Confederacy — to whom he had given the assurance that they would succeed if their armies could only hold out till an- other election, when the Democrats would sweep the Republican administration out of power, and make peace — Mr. Vallandigham made his way to Bermuda, and thence to Canada, where he re- mained for some time. While thus in exile, he was nominated for governor by the Democratic party in Ohio, but was defeated, his rival, John Brough, having a majority of more than 100,000. The gov- ernment made no objection to Mr. Vallandigham's return to Ohio, and he was a member of the Demo- cratic national convention at Chicago in 1864, and brought about the nomination of George B. McClel- lan and George H. Pendleton. He was also a dele- gate to the National Democratic convention in 1868. His death was caused by the accidental discharge of a pistol in his own hand, in the court-room, with which he was illustrating his theory of the manner in which a homicide had taken place.

VALLE, Leandro del (val'-yay), Mexican sol- dier, b. in the city of Mexico, 27 Feb., 1833 ; d. in Monte de las Cruces, 23 June, 1861. He was a son of one of the soldiers of the war of independence, entered the military college at the age of eleven years, and in 1847 was promoted sub-lieutenant by Gomez Farias for bravery in subduing the mutiny of La Profesa. He served in the war against the United States, entered college again in 1850 to finish his studies, and in 1853 was appointed lieutenant of engineers. He was pro- moted captain by Santa-Anna, but resigned in con- sequence of the arrest of his father, and took part in the revolution of Ayutla in 1854. His conduct in the siege of Puebla, in 1856, was rewarded by Com- onfort with permission to travel in Europe ; but the scanty resources that were provided only en- abled him to visit the military colleges of France and Prussia, without completing his technical studies, and he returned in 1857. In 1858 he took arms against the reactionary governments of Zulo- aga and Miramon, served with credit in the cap- ture of Guadalajara, and in May, 1859, was pro- moted brigadier. He served during the whole campaign till the final battle of Calpulalpam, 24 Dec, 1860, and after the Liberal triumph was elected to congress, resigning the place as military gover- nor of the Federal district. When the reactionary revolution under Leonardo Marquez and other guerilla chiefs began, Valle, notwithstanding his recent betrothal, left his seat in congress to avenge the assassination of Santos Degollado, and took the field as chief of operations in the valley of Mexico. In trying to surprise the guerilla force of Galvez, he was himself surprised by superior numbers under the sanguinary Marquez, and by the latter was ordered to be shot.

VALVERDE, Vicente (vahl-vair'-day), Spanish R. C. bishop, b. in Segovia about 1490; d. in Oro- pesa, Peru, in 1543. He was a Dominican friar, and went to Peru about 1530, although it is not certain whether he accompanied Francisco Pizarro from Spain or arrived at San Miguel de Piura in 1531 with re-enforcements from Panama. Ac- companying the army on its march to the south, he was "sent by Pizarro, after the occupation of Cajamarca, to receive the advancing inca, Ata- huallpa, whom he saluted by means of an interpre- ter, and, handing him a missal, explained that he had come in the name of the Spanish monarch to convert the inca to the true religion. The latter threw the book, which he did not understand, to the ground, and Valverde on his return incited the Spaniards to vengeance for the sacrilege, as it is alleged, causing the slaughter of more than 2,000 Indians and the capture of Atahuallpa, 17 Nov.. 1532. When the latter was condemned to death by a court that had been instituted for the purpose by Pizarro, Valverde, to whom the sentence was submitted for consultation, approved it, but, by his offer to substitute strangulation for burning at the stake, obtained from the unhappy prince his nominal conversion and baptism a few hours before his death, 29 Aug., 1533. Valverde assisted in the entry into Cuzco on 15 Nov. of the same year, and on 23 March, 1534, consecrated the site of the new church, which was later to be his cathedral. Pizarro gave him also a large Indian commandery, where he showed great cruelty to- ward the natives. About the close of 1534 he went to Spain to assist Pizarro's brother, Hernando, in his negotiations at court, and while there he was named by the empress-regent in 1535 first bishop of Cuzco and Peru, as the original appointee, Fer- nando de Luque, had died. In 1536 Valverde was also named protector of the Indians and inquisitor, and, being confirmed by the pope, he repaired to Peru in the beginning of 1538, taking possession of his see after the execution of Diego de Almagro, which he had vainly tried to prevent. But, instead of preaching the gospel, he oppressed the Indians, whom he forced to work for the church. He was appointed by Pizarro on the commission to appor- tion lands and Indians to the royal officers, and the licentiate, Antonio de Gama, whom Pizarro had appointed supreme judge of Cuzco, charged Val- verde in a letter to the emperor, dated 10 March, 1539, with arbitrary acts and insisted that instead of protecting the natives, he only sought to confis- cate their lands, and always gave the greater part to himself and his assistant. On 11 March, 1540, he officiated at the consecration of the new cathe- dral of Lima. During the occupation of Cuzco by the younger Almagro, Valverde retired to one of his commanderies at Oropesa, and was murdered there in a rising of the oppressed Indians. While in Spain he presented to the emperor, by order of Pizarro, a memorial about the conquest under the title of " Relacion de la Conquista de los Reynos de Peru," in which he claimed that the Indians could scarcely be considered as human beings, as they had no souls.

VAN ARSDALE, John, soldier of the Revolution, b. in Goshen. Orange co., N. Y., 5 Jan., 1756; d. in New York city, 14 Aug., 1836. Van Arsdale is well known in Revolutionary annals by his feat of climbing the flag-staff on the Battery after the evacuation of the city by the British and pulling down the English colors, which in defiance they had nailed to the staff. They had also greased the pole to prevent any one reaching the nag. Van Arsdale had served throughout the war, first as sergeant and then as captain. He suffered unusual privation and hardship in the expedition against Quebec under Benedict Arnold, was wounded and taken prisoner at the capture of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton, languished many months in the Sugar-house prison and in the hold of a British prison-ship, and subsequently experienced the perils of Indian warfare in several campaigns against the savages. — His son, John, died in New York city, 14 Nov., 1883, aged eighty-seven years, on the eve of the celebration of the centennial of Evacuation-day, in which it was expected he would take a prominent part.