Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/415

Rh the son of William Augustine Washington, the son of George Washington's brother, John Augus- tine. His mother, Jane, was the daughter of Au- gustine, the elder half-brother of the general. George Corbin was educated at Harvard and studied law, but devoted himself to agricultural pursuits, which he followed at his plantation in Maryland, but resided for the most part on Dum- barton heights, Georgetown, D. C. He represent- ed the Rockville district, Md., in congress in 1827-'33, having been chosen as a Whig, and was again a member of that body in 1835-'7. He was subsequently president of the Chesapeake and Ohio canal company, and commissioner of Indian affairs. He was widely spoken of as a candidate for the vice-presidency when Gen. Winfield Scott was nominated for the presidency. At the time of his death he was the oldest and nearest surviv- ing male relative of his grand-uncle, George Wash- ington. — George Corbin's son, Lewis William, b. in Georgetown, D. C, about 1825 ; d. at Harper's Ferry, W. Va., 1 Oct., 1871, was carefully educated, became a planter, and settled in Jefferson county, Va. He was conspicuously connected with the in- cidents of the John Brown raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859, serving at that time as aide on the staff of Gov. Henry A. Wise. Brown captured and held him as one of his hostages. Mr. Washington took no active part in the civil war, passing most of that time in Europe, but his estate was confiscated, although the government subsequently released it. He possessed a valuable collection of Gen. Wash- ington's relics, including the sword that was sent him by Frederick the Great, on which was in- scribed " From the oldest general in the world to the greatest." — Lewis William's son, William d'Hertburne, engineer, b. in Hanover county, Va., 29 June, 1863, was educated at Charlestown, W. Va., and at Maryland college, became a civil engi- neer, and in 1886 was appointed consul at London, England. — John Augustine, soldier, great-great- grandson of Gen. Washington's brother, John Au- gustine, b. in Blakely, Jefferson co., Va., 3 May, 1821 ; d. near Rich Mountain, Va., 13 Sept., 1861, was the son of John A. Washington, and on his mother's side the grandson of Gen. Richard Henry Lee. He was graduated at the University of Vir- ginia in 1840. He served as aide-de-camp, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel, on the staff of Gen. Robert E. Lee, and was killed with a reconnoitring Sarty near Rich Mountain, Va. He inherited the lount Vernon property, but, being unable to keep it in proper preservation, he sold it to the associa- tion of ladies that now has possession of it.

WASHINGTON, John Marshall, soldier, b. in Virginia in October, 1797 ; d. at sea, 24 Dec, 1853. He was graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1814, and promoted 3d lieutenant of artillery, 17 July, 1817, 2d lieutenant, 20 March, 1818, and 1st lieutenant, 23 May, 1820. On the reorganization of the army in 1821 he was transferred to the 4th regiment of artillery, and during 1824-'5 he served as instructor of mathematics in the artillery-school of practice at Fort Monroe. On 23 May, 1830, he received the brevet of captain for faithful service for ten years in one grade, and on 30 May, 1832, he was promoted to the full rank. In 1833-'4 and in 1836 he was engaged in operations in the Creek nation, in 1836-8 and 1839 in the Florida war against the Seminole Indians, and on the northern frontier during the Canada troubles of 1839-'40. In the summer of 1846 Capt. Washington, then in command of a light battery of eight guns, joined Gen. John E. Wool's division, and, after a most ardu- ous march through a barren country, took part with it in the battle of Buena Vista. On the first day of the battle he was placed by Gen. Wool to guard the pass of La Angostura, near the right of the line, the loss of which would have brought inevita- ble defeat, and he held it against the most vigorous attacks of overwhelming numbers. On the second day, when three regiments of Illinois and Ken- tucky troops were overpowered by a greatly supe- rior force, he repelled the enemy, and by judicious management covered the retreat of these confused masses, thereby saving the lives of hundreds who would inevitably have been cut to pieces. Holding as he did the key-point of the American position during the entire action, his battery was the con- stant object of attack from the enemy, and each of these attacks was repelled with promptness and gallantry. On 16 Feb., just six days before the battle, Capt. Washington had been promoted major of the 3d regiment of artillery, and he was subse- quently brevetted lieutenant-colonel for " gallant and meritorious conduct in the battle of Buena Vista." He was acting governor of Saltillo, Mexi- co, from 24 June till 14 Dec, 1847, chief of artil- lery of Gen. Wool's division from 12 March till 9 Dec, 1847, and of the Army of Occupation from 9 Dec, 1847, till 30 May, 1848, and in command of an expedition to Santa Fe, N. M., in 1848. From October, 1848, till October, 1849, Col. Washington was in command of the 9th military department and civil and military governor of New Mexico. He was with his regiment, the 3d artillery, on board the steamer " San Francisco " when she was wrecked off the Capes of the Delaware in Decem- ber, 1853. With numerous other officers and 180 soldiers he was drowned.

WASSON, David Atwood, author, b. in West Brooksville, Me., 14 May, 1823 ; d. in West Med- ford, Mass., 21 Jan., 1887. He entered Bowdoin in 1845, but remained only one year, owing to feeble health. He then went to sea and afterward studied law, but in 1849 entered Bangor theological semi- nary. In 1851 he settled in Groveland, Mass., as a pastor ; but his liberal opinions led to a rupture in the society. An independent church was then established, to which Mr. Wasson ministered for several years, but retired in 1857. owing to impaired health. In 1865-'6 he was minister of the society that had been formed by Theodore Parker. Sub- sequently he served in the custom-house of Boston, resided in Germany, and then retired to West Med- ford, where he devoted himself to literary work. He was a contributor to various periodicals. His poems include " Bugle Notes," " Seen and Unseen," and " Ideals." — His son, George Savary, artist, b. in Groveland, Mass., 27 Aug., 1855, was educated in Boston and in Stuttgart. His works are " Great Misery Island " (1880) ; " The Constitution and the Guerriere" (1881); "A Wreck at Isle au Haut" (1885); "Moore's Head, Isle au Haut" (1886); " Going to Pieces " (1887) ; and " Running for a Harbor " (1888).

WATERBURY, David, soldier, b. in Stamford, Conn., 12 Feb., 1722 : d. there, 29 June, 1801. He took part in the French and Indian war, served under Sir William Johnson at the battle of Lake George in 1755, and was present at Gen. James Abercrombie's attack on Ticonderoga in 1758. He was also with Gen. Richard Montgomery in his campaign against Quebec in 1775 as lieutenant-colonel of the 9th Connecticut regiment, and at the siege of St. John's and the surrender of Montreal. On 3 June, 1776, he was appointed by the general assembly of Connecticut a brigadier for the northern department, and assigned to the command of the post at Skeensborough (now Whitehall, N. Y.), where a