Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/252

230 congressional career he retired from public life and removed to Philadelphia, partly influenced by the political differences resulting from his course in the nullification contest. In 18;i9-'40 he was Nicholas Biddle's successor as president of the U. S. bank, and tried to revive it. but retired as soon as he had placed the remaining assets of the bank in the hands of assignees, which he had decided to be the only honest and manly course, though it was unpopular,- — Tliomas Feuwick, son of the second William, b. in South Carolina about 1807; d. in Florence. S. C, 18 Feb., 1891. He was gradu- ated at the U. S. military academy in 1828, and served in garrison in Jefferson barracks. Mo., and Newport, Ky., in 1828-'32, and then on topo- graphical duty, but resigned on 15 Aug., 1836, and became a civil engineer in Charleston, Louis- ville, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio. He was also a jjlanter in St. Luke's parish, S. C, in 1838-'61, was a state senator in 1853-'6, and president of the Charleston and Savannah railroad in 1853-'61. At the beginning of the civil war he entered the Con- federate service, was commissioned brigadier-gen- eral, and commanded the Confederate troops on Hilton Head island at tlie time of the Port Royal expedition, in which his brother, Capt. Percival Drayton, commanded a national vessel. After the war Gen. Di'ayton became a farmer in Georgia^ and in 1878 was made president of the South Carolina immigrant association, and removed to Charlotte, N. C. — His brother, Percival, naval officer, b. in South Carolina, 25 Aug., 1812 ; d. in Washington, D. C, 4 Aug., 1865, entered the navy as a midship- man, 1 Dec, 1827, was promoted to lieutenant, 28 Feb., 1838, and served on the Brazilian, Mediterra- nean, and Pacific squadrons. He was attached to the naval observatory in Washington in 1852, and soon afterward was associated with Commander, afterward Admiral, Farragut in ordnance experi- ments, forming a close intiniacy with that officer that lasted through life. He was made commander, 14 Si'pt., 1855, took part in the Paraguay expedi- tion of 1858, and in 1860 was on ordnance duty at the Philadelphia navy-yard. Though strongly bound by family ties to the seceding states, he rejected all offers of place in the southern confed- eracy, and remained loyal to the national govern- ment. He commanded the " Pocahontas " in the Port Royal expedition, and was afterward trans- ferred to the " Pawnee," in which he made val- uable reconnois- sances of St. He- lena sound and adjacent waters. He was pro- moted to cap- tain on 16 July, 1862, and in the autumn of that year was ordered to the new Er- icsson monitor " Passaic." In this iron-clad he bombarded Fort McAllister, and was in the first attack on Sum- ter under Admi- ral Du Pont, who spoke in the highest terms, in his last report, of Drayton's " capacity and courage." He afterward became fleet-captain of the West Gulf squadron, and commanded Farragut's flag-ship, the " Hartford," in the battle of Mobile Bay, 5 Aug., 1864. In his detailed report of that action Farragut spoke of Drayton's " coolness and ability," and said : " He is the fleet-captain of my squadron, and one of more determined energy, untiring devotion to duty, and zeal for the service, tempered by great calmness, I do not think adorns any navy." Capt. Drayton afterward accompanied Farragut to New York, where a formal reception was given to the two officers on 12 Dec. 1864. On 28 April, 1865, Capt. Drayton was made chief of the bureau of navigation, and died while discharging the duties of that office. He was especially distinguished as a flag-officer, and his refined manners and knowl- edge of languages caused his services in that posi- tion to be sought by every commanding officer with whom he sailed.

DRAYTON, William Henry, statesman, b. in Drayton Hall, on Ashley river, S. C, in September, 1742; d. in Philadelphia in September, 1779. He went to England in 1753, under the care of Chief- Justice Charles Pinckney, in com- pany with the latter's two sons Charles Cotes- worth and Thom- as, where, after studymgat West- minster school, he entered Baliol college, Oxford, in 1761, and re- mained there for three years. Af- ter his return, at his father's call, in 1764, he pur- sued a course of reading in history and international law, was admitted to the bar, and became an active writer on political topics. In 1769 he published letters opposing the patriotic associa- tions in the colonies, which were answered by Christopher Gadsden and John McKenzie. Dray- ton then went to England, republished his letters there, was introduced at court, and on 27 Feb., 1771, received from the king the appointment of privy councillor for the province of South Caro- lina. He took his seat on 3 April, 1772, but as the revolutionary crisis approached he was often in opposition to the crown officers and judges, and aided the passage of laws that would otherwise have been negatived. On 25 Jan., 1774, in spite of the jealousy aroused by his course, he was ap- pointed an assistant judge by his uncle, Lieut.-Gov. Bull. Just before the session of the first Conti- nental congress he published a pamphlet, addressed to that body, in which, nnder the signature of " Freeman." he drew up a bill of rights, and sub- stantially marked out the line of conduct that it afterward pursued. This brought on him an attack from the chief justice, Thomas Knox Gordon, in consequence of which he was suspended from his offices under the crown, but he lost none of his in- fluence in the state. He became a member of the "council of safety" in 1775, and soon afterward its president, and was active in advising the seizure of the provincial arsenals and British mails. He was also president of the provincial congress in 1775, and in March, 1776, after the formation of a temporary constitution, became a privy councillor