Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 4).djvu/342

306 York city, practising there until his death. He wrote chiefly on yellow fever, scurvy, epidemic diseases, mercury, and internal use of chloroform.

MERRILL, Daniel, clergyman, b. in Rowley, Essex CO., Mass., 18 March. 1765 ; d. in Sedgwick, Hancock co.. Me.. 3 June, 1833. After serving three years in the Revolutionary army he entered Dartmouth, where he was graduated in 1789. He then studied theology and was licensed to preach in 1791. His first sermon, in Sedgwick. Me., pro- duced a revival in which nearly 100 persons were converted. After laboring there nearly six months he visited other places with similar results. In 1793 he returned to Sedgwick and became pastor of a newly organized Congregational church, which in 1805 attained to the largest membership of any religious body in Maine, numbering 189 communicants. Afterward Mr. Merrill, having changed his theological views, organized a Baptist church with a majority of his former congrega- tion, of which he was pastor till his death, with the exception of the years 1814-'31, when he held a charge at Nottingham, Me. He was a founder and efficient friend of Waterville college, serving as trustee for twelve years after its organization. He was also elected to the legislature and was subsequently a member of the governor's council, accepting that office in order to serve more effi- ciently the cause of education. He published "Eight Letters on Open Communion " (1805) ; "Letters Occasioned by the Rev. Samuel Worces- ter's Two Discourses " (1807) ; " Mode and Sub- jects of Baptism Examined, with a Miniature His- tory of Baptism " (1812) ; " Balaam Disappointed, a Thanksgiving Sermon at Nottingham West " (1815): and other occasional discourses.

MERRILL, David, clergvman. b. in Peacham, Caledonia co., Vt., 8 Sept., 1798; d. there, 21 July, 1850. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1821 and at Andover theological seminary in 1825. After his ordination in April, 1828, he was called to the Presbyterian church at Urbana, Ohio, where he was assistant pastor from 1827 till 1835, and pastor from 1835 till 1841. He then returned to Peacham, where he remained until his death. Mr. Merrill contributed to several periodicals and pub- lished three occasional discourses. A volume of his sermons, with a sketch of his life, was issued by Thomas S. Pearson (Windsor, 1855).

MERRILL, Moses Emery, soldier, b. in Bruns- wick, Me., 3 Sept., 1803; d. near Molino del Rey, Mexico, 8 Sept., 1847. He was graduated at the U. S. military academy, 1 July, 1826. assigned to the 5th infantry, and was on frontier duty till 1845. He had been promoted 1st lieutenant in 1833 and captain in 1837. Capt. Merrill took part in the military occupation of Texas in 1845-'6 and in the Mexican war, being engaged at Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, Monterey, the siege of Vera Cruz, and the capture of San Antonio. He was killed at Molino del Rey while leading the assault- ing column in its attack on the enemy's works. — His son, William Emery, soldier, b. in Fort How- ard, Wis.. 11 Oct., 1837; d. in Edgefield, 111.. 14 Dec, 1891. He was graduated at tlie U. S. military academy and assigned to the engineer corps. He served for nearly a year at the U. S. military acade- my as assistant professor of engineering, acted as assistant engineer in the Army of the Potomac in March and April, 1862, and was chief engineer of the Army of Kentucky from 12 Oct., 1862, till 25 May. 1863, and of the Army of the Cumberland from 22 Aug. to 17 Sept. of the latter year. He took part in all the more important engagements of those armies till the close of the war. "He was brevetted captain for gallantry in an engagement before Yorktown, Va., promoted captain, 3 March, 1863, and made colonel of the veteran volunteer engineers, 2 July, 1864, which corps he had organ- ized and with which he had been engaged in forti- fying important points on the lines of military railroads in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. He was brevetted major, lieutenant-colonel, and colonel for " faithful and meritorious services " at the bat- tles of Chickamauga, Lookout Mountain, and Resa- ca, respectivelv. He was promoted major, 7 March, 1867, and lieutenant-colonel. 20 Feb., 1883. After the close of the war he had served as chief engineer on the staff of Lieut.-Gen. Sherman-and on im- portant duty with his corps in the improvement of rivers and in surveys in the west. In 1878 he was ordered to visit Europe to obtain information respecting the construction of movable dams, and other professional subjects. He was afterward sta- tioned at Cincinnati in charge of improvements in the Ohio, Alleghany, Monongahela, and Muskin- gum rivers. He has published " Iron-Truss Bridges for Railroads " (New York, 1870) and " Improve- ment of Non-Tidal Rivers" (Washington, 1881).

MERRILL, James, lawyer, b. in Peacham, Vt., 8 May, 1790 ; d. in New Berlin, Pa., 29 Oct., 1841. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1812 and moved to York, Pa., with Thaddeus Stevens and John Blanchard, where he read law, and was ad- mitted to the bar in 1815. He settled in 1816 in New Berlin, Union co., Pa., where he resided until his death. He was for many years one of the most eloquent and popular lawyers in that part of the state. As senatorial delegate he attended the Constitutional convention of 1836, and it is said that to him more than to any other man in the con- vention the people of Pennsylvania are indebted for its wisest provisions. In the debates he was the advocate of the present peculiar judicial sys- tem of Pennsylvania, by which equity is adminis- tered through common law forms, and as the con- servative adherent to those principles in the con- stitution of 1790 for which it was proposed to substitute the rapidly growing doctrines of the pro-slavery thinkers. He also urged the insertion of a provision that would give to colored men the political franchise. — His son, Lewis, soldier, b. in New Berlin, Pa., 28 Oct., 1834 ; d. in Philadelphia, 27 Feb., 1896. He left college to enter the U. S. military academy, where he was graduated in 1855, and was appointed lieutenant to the 1st dragoons. After frontier service he was detached to muster in and organize volunteer troops, and in August, 1861, was made colonel and chief of cavalry on the staff of Gen. John C. Fremont. He organized a regiment of Missouri volunteer cavalry, of which he was appointed colonel, and the regiment was called Merrill's Horse. He led a brigade in the Army of the Southwest to December, 1861, and the following year took the field in operations against the guerillas of western and northern Missouri. He commanded the district of north Missouri in July. 1863, when he was assigned to the command of a brigade of cavalry in the Army of Arkansas. He participated with them and as commander of the cavalry division in the action near Little Rock, Sept., 1863, and in the battle and capture of Lit- tle Rock, and led the pursuit of the enemy, driving them successively in a series of engagements from every position and capturing more than 400 pris- oners. On 10 Sept., 1862, he had been promoted brevet major for "gallant and meritorious service against rebel forces in north Missouri," and on 10 Sept., 1863, he was made brevet lieutenant-colonel for " gallant and meritorious service in the battle