Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/62

40 the bar, and engaged in practice in Philadelphia. Hi' hail served in the Pennsylvania militia, holding the rank of brigade-major in 1833, and becoming colonel in 1835, and he was wounded during the conflict with armed rioters in Southwark, Pa., on 7 July, 1844. During the political disturbances in Harrisburg, Pa., in 1838-'9, he was assistant adjutant-general and paymaster-general of the state. On 10 May, 1801. he was appointed brigadier-general of Pennsylvania militia, and charged with the organization and subsequent command during the civil war of a home-guard of 10,000 men, including cavalry, artillery, and infantry, for the defence of Philadelphia. In 1839-'40 he was president of the Harrisburg, Portsmouth. Mountjoy, and Lancaster railroad company. He had devoted -his leisure to the cultivation of a farm near Philadelphia, where, as early as 1861, he began to experiment on the action of different colored rays upon vegetable and animal life. He claimed to have demonstrated that the blue rays of the sun were especially stimulating to vegetation. His experiments were subsequently applied to animals, and afterward to in- valids, and wonderful cures were said to have been wrought. The public became interested in his experiments, and for a time a so-called " blue-glass craze" prevailed, culminating in 1877-'8. Gen. Pleasonton published many papers in advocacy of his theories, and a book entitled "Influence of the Blue Ray of the Sunlight and of the Blue Color of the Sky in Developing Animal and Vegetable Life, in Arresting Disease" (Philadelphia, 1876). His brother, Alfred, soldier, b. in Washington, 7 June, 1824 ; d. 17 Feb., 1897, was graduated at the U. S. military academy, served in the Mexican war, and was brevetted 1st lieuten- ant for " gallant and meritorious conduct in the bat- tles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma." II<- -ul>- sequently was on frontier duty with his company, and was commissioned 1st lieutenant in 1849. and captain in 1855. He was acting assistant ad- jutant- general to Gen. William S. Harney during the Sioux expedition, and his adjutant-general I'mm 1856 till 1800 in the campaign against the Seminoles in Florida, and the operations in Kansas, Oregon, and Washington territory. He commandt'd lii- regiment in its march from Utah to Washington in the autumn of 1861, was commissioned major of the 3d cavalry in February, 1863, served through the Virginia peninsular campaign, became briga- dier-general of volunteers in July of that year, and commanded the division of cavalry nf the Army of the Potomac that followed Lee's invading army inTo Maryland. He was engaged at Boonesborough, Smith Mountain, Antietam, and the subsequent pursuit. ens:aued the enemy frequently at Freder- icksbtirg, mid staved the further advance of tin 1 enemy at Chancellorsville. (in '1 May. when .lark son's Confederate corps was comingdown up-n thi right flank of Hooker's army, and hud already routed Howard's corps. Gen. Pleasonton, by his quick and skilful action. saed thr army I'mm a serious disaster. Ordering the 8th Pennsylvania cavalry to charge boldly into the woods in the face of the advancing host (see KEKNAN, PETER), he de- layed Jackson's progress a few minutes just long enough to throw into position all the artillery that H.-IS H-thin reach. He ordered the guns loaded with grape and canister, and depressed enough to make the shot strike the ground half way between their line and the edge of the woods. When the Confederate column emerged, it met such a storm of iron as no troops could pass through. About this time Jackson fell, and before any new manoeu- vres could be undertaken darkness put an end to the day's work. He received the brevet of lieu- tenant-colonel for Antietam in 1863, was promoted major-general of volunteers in June, 1863. partici- pated in the numerous actions that preceded the battle of Gettysburg, was commander-in-chief of cavalry in that action, and was brevetted colonel, 2 July. 1863. He was transferred to Missouri in 1864, drove the forces under Gen. Sterling Price from the state, and .in March. 1865, was brevctted brigadier-general in the U.S. army for gallant .md meritorious conduce in that campaign, and major- general for services throughout the civil war. lie resigned in 1868, was V. S. collector of revenue for several years, and subsequently president of the Terre Haute and Cincinnati railroad. In May. 18SS, he was placed on the retired list, with the rank of colonel. U. S. A. He died in Washington.

PLÉE, Auguste, French botanist, b. in Pointe à Pitre, Guadeloupe, in 1787; d. in Fort Royal, Martinique, 17 Aug., 1825. He occupied a high official post, but was devoted to natural history. and embarked in 1819 for South America, charged by the government with the mission of exploring the continent as a botanist. After travelling extensively, and forming numerous collections of plants, he fell sick and returned to Martinique. His principal works are &ldquo;Le jeune botaniste, ou entretiens d'un père avec son fils sur la botanique et la physiologie végétale, etc.&rdquo; (2 vols., Paris, 1812); and a &ldquo;Journal de voyage du botaniste Auguste Plée, à travers les Antilles, les Guyanes et le Brésil&rdquo; (2 vols., Paris, 1828). The administration of the Paris museum published in 1830 a catalogue of Plée's collection in 3 vols.

'''PLESSIS. Francis Xavier,''' Canadian clergyman, b. in Quebec. 15 Jan., 1694. He became a member of the Society of Jesus, and was engaged on the Indian missions. He wrote "Avis et pratiques pour profiler de la mission et en conscrverle fruit à l'usage des missions du Pere du Plessis de la Compagnie de Jesus" (3 vols.. Paris, 1742) and "Lettre au sujet des calomnie- publiees par l'auteur des nouvelles ecclesiasliques" (1745).

'''PLESSIS. Joseph Octave'''. Canadian Q. C. bishop, b. near Montreal. Canada, in 1702: d. in (Quebec. 4 I lee., 1S'J.">. He st lulled classics in the College of Montreal, but refused to continue his education, and his father, who was a blacksmith, set him to work at the forge. After a short experience at manual labor, he enn-eiiied to enter the Petit seminaire of Quebec in 17S(i. (in finishing his course he taught belles-lettres and rhetoric in the College of Montreal, and. notwithstanding his voHlh. became secretary to Bishop Hriand. lie was ordained priest on 2! I Nov.. 1 7SI>. Shortly alter his ordination he was made secretary to Bishop Hubert. and he exercised so nmeh influence over this prelate that he really tilled the functions of coadjnlor hi-hop. In 17112 he wa- appointed cure of (Quebec. Bishop IlcnaiiH named him his grand vicar in 1797. and at the same time announced his intention of choosing him for coadjutor. The popularity of Plessis with the French Canadians exi-ited th