Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/230

202 Taste and Smell,&rdquo; being the result of physiological researches in which he was the first to distinguish in the sense of taste those perceptions which properly belong to the tongue the savors of sweet, bitter, salt, sour, and alkaline from the flavors which are perceived in the same manner as odors, through the nose. Later he published an &ldquo;Exposition of Natural Series in the Vegetable Kingdom&rdquo; (1858), which he followed with &ldquo;Phyllotaxis: its Numeric and Divergential Law, Explicable under a Simple Organological Idea&rdquo; (1859), explaining the cause of the observed order of development of leaves. His health failing, the result of an accident, he occupied himself with the microscopic study of the beginnings of organic life. His published papers on the subject were the fruits of many years' patient experiment and observation. Finally compelled to abandon the practice of medicine, he gave part of his time to observations of terrestrial magnetism, under the direction of his brother Julius. He then settled in New York, and the remaining years of his life were occupied in this work. His papers are published in the proceedings of the American association for the advancement of science, and in those of the St. Louis academy of science. &mdash; Another son, Eugene Woldemar, chemist, b. in Zweibrücken, Bavaria, 5 Jan., 1833, came to the United States with his parents and settled in Belleville, Ill., where his early life was spent. He went to Germany for his education, and studied at the Royal mining-school, Freiberg, and at the Universities of Zurich and Heidelberg, receiving the degree of Ph. D. at the latter institution in 1853. On his return to the United States in 1855, he became assistant state geologist of Mississippi, which place he held until March, 1857, when he was appointed chemist in charge of the laboratory of the Smithsonian institution, also filling the chair of chemistry in the National medical college in Washington. He returned to Mississippi in 1858 as state geologist, which office he held until 1866, and was professor of chemistry in the University of Mississippi till 1871, where for the following two years he held the combined appointment of state geologist and professor of agricultural chemistry. He was called in 1873 to the chair of geology and natural history in the University of Michigan, and in 1875 accepted the professorship of agricultural chemistry and botany in the University of California, where he has since remained. During 1881-'3 he had charge of the agricultural division of the northern transcontinental survey. He is a member of scientific societies, and in 1872 was elected to the National academy of sciences. In 1887 he received the degree of LL. D. from Columbia. Prof. Hilgard has made a specialty of the study of soils in their relation to geology, to their chemical and physical composition, to their native flora, and to their agricultural qualities. In this connection he has examined the soils of the southwestern states and of the Pacific slope. He has contributed many papers on these and geological subjects to the scientific journals, and has published &ldquo;Report on the Agriculture and Geology of Mississippi&rdquo; (Jackson, 1860); &ldquo;On the Geology of Louisiana and the Rock-Salt Deposit of Petit Anse Island&rdquo; (Washington, 1869); &ldquo;Reports on the Experimental Work of the College of Agriculture, University of California&rdquo; (Sacramento, 1877-'86); &ldquo;Report on the Arid Regions of the Pacific Coast&rdquo; (1887) for the U. S. department of agriculture, and has edited vols. v. and vi. on &ldquo;Cotton Production,&rdquo; of the &ldquo;U. S. Census Reports for 1880,&rdquo; to which he contributed the monographs on Mississippi, Louisiana, and California.

HILL, Ambrose Powell, soldier, b. in Cul- peper county, Va., 9 Nov., 1825 ; d. near Peters- burg, Va„ 2 April, 1865. His father, Maj. Thomas Hill, was a politician and merchant for many yean. The son was graduated at the U. S. military acade- my in 1847, and, entering the 1st artillery, was made a 2d lieutenant, 22 Aug., 1847. He served in Mexico during the war, and was engaged in Florida against the Seminoles in 1849- '50. On 4 Sept., 1851, he was promoted to 1st lieu- tenant of the 1st ar- tillery, and afterward to a captaincy. In November, 1855, he was made an assistant on the coast survey, and was stationed in Washington until 1 March, 1861, when he resigned. When Vir- ginia seceded he was appointed colonel of the 13th regiment of Virginia volunteers, and was ordered to Harper's Ferry. At the first battle of Bull Run he arrived with his regiment among those of Gen. Johnston's com- mand, in time to share in the last of the fight. He was promoted to brigadier-general, and fought at the battle of Williamsburg in May, 1862, with such spirit and determination that he was made a major-general. On 25 June, 1862, he was one of the council of war held in Richmond, at which were present Gens. Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, D. H. Hill, and others. In the seven days' battles around Richmond he opened the series of engagements by driving McClellan's forces from Meadow bridge, thus clearing a way for Longstreet and D. H. Hill to advance. He occupied the centre of Lee's army in the attacks against McClellan, and gained a reputation for bravery and skill in the handling of his troops. He was active in the succeeding campaign against Gen. Pope, and at the second battle of Bull Run, 29 and 30 July, 1862. He received the surrender of the National troops at Harper's Ferry on 17 Sept., 1862, and, making a forced march, arrived at Antietam in time to enable Gen. Lee to maintain his ground. At the battle of Fredericksburg, 13 Dec, 1862, his division formed the right of Jackson's corps ; at Chancellorsville, 5 and 6 May, 1863, it formed the centre, and participated in the flank movement that crushed Hooker's right. In the assault he was severely wounded, and had to retire from the field. For his gallantry in this battle he was promoted, 20 May, 1863, to lieutenant-general, and given command of one of the three grand corps into which the army was divided. He led his corps at Gettysburg, and in the affair at Bristow Station, October, 1863, while in command of two brigades, was repelled with severe loss. On 22 June, 1864, his corps, with Longstreet's, repelled the attack on the Weldon railroad. A few weeks before the final attack on the Southside railroad and the defences of Petersburg, Gen. Hill was taken ill and granted leave of absence, but he returned before his leave expired, 31 March. On Sunday morning, 2 April, 1865, in the struggle for the possession of the works in front of Petersburg, he attempted, contrary to the wishes of Gen. Lee, to reach Heth's division, and was shot from his horse by stragglers from the National army. By Gen. Lee's orders a charge