Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/471

Rh Wessells held with a garrison of 1,600 men, was attacked by Gen. Robert F. Hoke with about 7,000 Confederates, assisted by the iron-clad ram " Albe- marle." After a fight of four days, in which the enemy was driven back repeatedly, and one refusal to capitulate, Gen. Wessells finally surrendered, with 1,600 troops, 25 cannon, and 2,000 small-arms, besides valuable stores. After the destruction of the "Albemarle" the town fell again into the hands of the National troops. After confinement at Richmond, Danville, Macon, and Charleston, where he was placed under the fire of the National batteries on Morris island, Gen. Wessells was ex- changed on 3 Aug., and from 11 Nov., 1864, till 31 Jan., 1865, was commissary of prisoners. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel, 16 Feb., 1865, and re- ceived the brevet of colonel, 20 April, 1864, for "gallant and meritorious services during the rebel attack on Plymouth, N. C," and that of brigadier- general, U. S. army, 13 March, 1865, for services during the war. Gen. Wessells then served on the northwestern frontier till his retirement, 1 Jan., 1871, since which time he has resided in his native glace. He has two sons in the army, one of whom, [enry Walton, a captain in the 3d cavalry, has attained note as an Indian fighter. — Gen. Wessells's brother, Leverett Ward, who was colonel of the 19th Connecticut regiment in 1862 and a provost- marshal in 1863, has served as sheriff, and in 1879-'80 was quartermaster-general of Connecticut.

WEST, Benjamin, astronomer, b. in Rehoboth, Mass., in March, 1730 ; d. in Providence, R. L, 13 Aug., 1813. He settled in Providence in 1753, and became a book-seller, which occupation, he followed until the beginning of the Revolution. His at- tention was then directed to the manufacture of clothing for the Continental army. Meanwhile he diligently prosecuted scientific studies, especially that of astronomy. In 1784 he was called upon to teach mathematics in the Protestant Episcopal seminary in Philadelphia, and in 1786 he returned to Providence, accepting the chair of mathematics and natural philosophy in Brown university, which he held until 1799. In 1812— '13 he was postmaster of Providence. The degree of A. M. was conferred on him by Brown and Harvard in 1770 and by Dartmouth in 1782, and that of LL. D. was given him by Brown in 1792. He was elected a fellow of the American academy of arts and sciences in 1781, and published an " Account of the Observation of Venus upon the Sun, June 3, 1769 " (Providence, 1769). From 1763 till 1793 he issued almanacs, in- cluding " The Ninth American Calendar."

WEST, Benjamin, artist, b. near Springfield, Chester co.. Pa.. 10 Oct., 1738 ; d. in London, Eng- land, 11 March, 1820. It is said that before the age of seven he made a pen-and-ink sketch of his sister sleeping in a cradle, and his first attempts in color were made with the red and yellow earths that were given him by friendly Indians, and the blue of his mother's indigo-pot, with brushes of his own manufacture. A friend, whose attention had been attracted by the boy's attempts, sent him a box of paints and several engravings. These were the first implements or works of art the boy had seen. Soon afterward he received some aid and instruc- tion from William Williams, a painter in Philadel- phia. At Lancaster he made his first attempts in portraiture, and even tried his hand at painting a picture of the death of Socrates for William Henry, a gunsmith. He established himself as a portrait- painter in Philadelphia in 1756, and two years later went to New York. In 1760 he visited Rome, Italy, furnished with letters to Cardinal Albani and other persons. He soon became the lion of the day, was well received by Pompcio Battoni and Antonio Raffaele Mengs, and studied in Italy until 1763. There he painted his pictures of " Cimon and Iphi- genia," and " Angelica and Medora." From Italy he went to London, where he opened a studio, and where, two years later, he married Elizabeth Shewell. At the time of his arrival there, Eng- land had no historical painter of note, and his works soon attracted attention. But there were at first no purchasers, as it was not fashionable to buy any but " old masters." He painted at this time "The Parting of Hector and Andro- mache " and " Return of the Prodigal Son." " Agrippina landing with the Ashes of Germani- cus " was painted for Dr. Drummond, archbishop of York, who presented the artist to King George III. His majesty, well pleased with the painting, ordered another, " The Departure of Regulus from Rome." These paintings won for West royal pat- ronage and favor, which he long enjoyed. Among the paintings that he subsequently executed by order of the king were " The Death of General Wolfe," " Death of Epaminondas," and " Death of Chevalier Bayard" (1771); "Cyrus liberating the Family of the King of Armenia " ; "Segestes and his Daughter brought before Germanicus " ; " Edward III. embracing his Son on the Field of Battle at Cressy " ; " The Installation of the Order of the Garter " ; " The Black Prince receiving the King of France and his Son Prisoners at Poictiers"; " St. George vanquishing the Dragon " ; " Queen Philippa defeating David of Scotland in the Battle of Neville's Cross " ; " Queen Philippa interceding with Edward for the Burgesses of Calais " ; " King Edward forcing the Passage of the Somme " ; and " King Edward crowning Sir Eustace de Ribau- mont at Calais." He was one of the founders, in 1768, of the Royal academy, and in 1792 succeeded Sir Joshua Reynolds as president of that institu- tion, which post he held almost uninterruptedly till 1815. In his painting of the death of Wolfe, West had the courage to repudiate the traditions of the classical school, in abandoning classic cos- tume, and clothing his characters in the dress of their time. It is said that on the completion of the picture, Reynolds, who before had attempted to dissuade him from his purpose, acknowledged his success, and said to the archbishop of York : " West has conquered ; he has treated his subject as it ought to be treated ; I retract my objections. I foresee that this pic- ture will not only become one of the most popular, but will occasion a revo- lution in art." The work was purchased by Lord Grosvenor. West projected in 1780 a series of pic- tures on the prog- ress of revealed re- ligion, divided into four dispensations — the Antediluvian, the Patriarchal, the Mosaical, and the Prophetical. Twenty-eight of the proposed thirty-six subjects were executed, but the mental disease that fell upon the king gave West's enemies an opportunity, and he was ordered to suspend work on the series, and ceased to be painter to