Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 1).djvu/395

Rh took part in the attacks on New Orleans and Vicksburg in 1862. Promoted lieutenant-commander, on 16 July, 1862, at the time of the establishment of that grade, he joined Porter's Mississippi squadron in October, 1862, took command of the flag-ship "Black Hawk," and participated in the important operations in the Mississippi and the Red river. When Admiral Porter was placed in command of the North Atlantic blockading squadron in September, 1864, he selected Breese as his fleet-captain, in which capacity he served until hostilities came to an end in May, 1865. He was engaged at the Fort Fisher fights and in the attack on Fort Anderson; and in the naval assault on Fort Fisher, on 15 Jan., 1865, he commanded the storming party, which gained the parapet, but was unable to maintain the position, owing to lack of support from the marines. He was recommended for promotion tor services on that occasion, promoted commander 25 July, 1866, and captain, 9 Aug., 1874, After the war he was employed in the testing of breech-loading arms, and in other ordnance duties, and commanded the "Plymouth," of the European squadron, and afterward the "Pensacola."

BREESE, Samuel Livingston, naval officer, b. in Utica, N. Y., in 1794; d. at Mount Airy, Pa., 17 Dec, 1870. He was appointed a midshipman, 10 Sept., 1810, and was present at the battle of Lake Champlain, received his commission as lieutenant, 27 April, 1816, as captain, 8 Sept., 1841, and commanded the frigate "Cumberland," of the Mediterranean squadron, in 1845. He was in the Pacific during the Mexican war, and was present at the capture of Tuspan and Tobasco, and of Vera Cruz. In 1853-'5 he was commandant of the Norfolk navy -yard, in 1856-'8 commanded the Mediterranean squadron, and in 1859-'61 the Brooklyn navy-yard. On 16 July, 1862, he was commissioned as commodore and placed on the retired list, and on 3 Sept., 1862, was made a rear-admiral on the retired list. He served in 1862 as light-house inspector, and in 1869 was port-admiral at Philadelphia.

BREESE, Sidney, jurist, b. in Whitesboro, N. Y., 15 July, 1800; d. in Pinckneyville, Ill., 27 June, 1878. He was graduated at Union in 1818, removed to Illinois, and in 1821 was admitted to the bar. He became assistant secretary of state, and was state attorney from 1822 till 1827, when he was appointed U. S. attorney for Illinois. In 1829 he published the first volume of supreme court reports in that state. He served in the Black Hawk war as a lieutenant-colonel of volunteers. In 1835 he was elected a circuit judge, and in 1841 to the supreme court. From 1843 to 1849 he was a senator of the United States, having been elected as a democrat to succeed Richard M. Young. He was a regent of the Smithsonian institution during the administration of President Polk, and served as chairman of the senate committee on public lands, in which capacity he made a report in favor of a transcontinental railroad to the Pacific. In 1850 he was speaker of the Illinois house of representatives. He was one of the originators of the Illinois central railroad. He again became a circuit judge in 1855, and was made chief of the court. In 1857 he was elected a justice of the supreme court, and in 1873 he became chief justice, in which office he continued till the time of his death. In 1869 he published a work on Illinois and one treating of the "Origin and History of the Pacific Railroad."

BREIDENBAUGH, Edward Swoyer, chemist, b. in Newville, Cumberland co., Pa., 13 Jan., 1849. He was educated at Pennsylvania college, graduating in 1868, and studied chemistry at Sheffield scientific school from 1871 till 1873, being instructor in chemistry during the latter year. From 1873 till 1874 he was professor of natural sciences at Carthage college. 111., but in 1874 he was elected professor of chemistry and mineralogy in Pennsylvania college, where he has since remained. During the years 1880-4 he was mineralogist of the Pennsylvania state board of agriculture. Prof. Breidenbaugh has written numerous papers on scientific subjects, of which the more important are "Analysis of Connecticut Tobacco Ash" (1872); "The Minerals of the Tilly Foster Mine" (1873); "Fermentation and Germ Theory " (1877); "Concerning Certain Misconceptions In Considering the Relations between Science and Religion" (1880); "The Nitrogenous Element of Plant Food" (1880); and "Mineralogy on the Farm" (1881). He is also the author of "Lecture Notes on Inorganic Chemistry" (Gettysburg, 1876) and "Pennsylvania College Book" (Philadelphia, 1882).

BRENAN, Joseph, poet, b. in the north of Ireland in 1829; d. in New Orleans, La., in May, 1857. He joined the young Ireland party in 1848, and was one of the editors of the "Irish Felon." He was imprisoned for nine months for political offences, and after his release edited the "Irishman." In October, 1849, he was implicated in a revolutionary movement in Tipperary, and fled to the United States. For several years he was on the editorial staff of the New Orleans "Delta." His best-known poem is "The Exile to his Wife."

BRENDON, Saint, b. in Ireland in the middle of the 5th century. Among the legendary events of his life was his voyage to Hy Brassail, in company with some holy people. This story was very popular in the middle ages, and undoubtedly kept alive the notion of a western continent. It is said that he sailed from a harbor in Kerry, and after a long voyage reached a shore where he found a charming climate and beautiful birds. He travelled into the interior for fifteen days, but when about to cross a great river he was warned back by an angel, who told him he had gone far enough and that it was reserved for other persons and other times to Christianize the land. On maps made prior to Columbus, St. Brendon's country is placed to the south of the island of Antilia and west of the Cape Verde islands. St. Brendon's manuscript is mentioned in Dicuil's collection "De mensura Orbis." It is in the Burgundian library in Brussels, and has not vet been translated.

BRENEMAN, Abram Adam, chemist, b. in Lancaster, Pa., 28 April, 1847. He was graduated at the Pennsylvania state college in 1866, and was during 1867-'8 instructor in chemistry at that institution, and full* professor from 1869 till 1872. In 1875 he was appointed assistant professor and lecturer on chemistry at Cornell, where from 1879 till 1882 he was professor of industrial chemistry. Since then he has resided in New York, where he has been actively engaged in professional work as a writer, an analyst, and a chemical expert. Prof. Breneman has published papers on chemical and sanitary subjects for the scientific and daily papers, devoting his attention largely to the subject of water and its contaminations. He has also written on the chemistry of ceramic manufactures and delivered a course of lectures on that subject in New York. With Prof. G. C. Caldwell he has published "A Manual of Introductory Laboratory Practice " (Ithaca, 1875).

BRENT, Henry Johnson, author, b. in Washington, D. C., in 1811; d. in New York city, 3