Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 5).djvu/713

Rh at the battle of West Point, and commanded the | first expedition to Cumberland and White House to open James river, taking part in the demon- stration against Petersburg and the battle of Mal- vern Hill. On 4 July, 1802, he captured the Confed- erate gun-boat " Teazer." lie was promotrd com- mander on 16 July, and ordered to the iron-clad Monitor," with which he covered the flank of the army on James river and its rear during the with- drawal from the peninsula. In September, while attached to Com. Charles Wilkes's Hying squadron, he captured five prizes, and chased the privateer " Florida" on the Bahama banks. On 7 Oct.. isii 1 . 1 . off St. George, Bermuda, he stopped the steamer " Gladiator," which had the appearance of a block- ade-runner, while she was under the convoy of the British sloop-of-war "Desperate," and both com- manders cleared their decks for action. Early in August, 1863, he assumed command of the iron- < p lad " Patapsco," and in the engagements with the forts in Charleston harbor he performed gallant services. After a severe engagement with the bat- teries on Sullivan's island, he led a boat attack against Fort Sumter. Afterward he commanded the " Oneida," of the Western Gulf blockading squadron, but was temporarily transferred to the iron-clad " Winnebago " for the operations before Mohile in July, 1864, in which he was conspicuous for the handling of his vessel and his personal dar- ing. He commanded the " Oneida" off the coast of Texas in 1865, was commissioned captain on 26 July, 1866, commodore on 20 Nov., 1872, and rear- admiral on 27 Oct., 1879, and, after commanding the Pacific fleet and acting as president of the board of visitors at the U. S. naval academy, he was retired on 27 May, 1881. His son, THOMAS HOLDUP, is a lieutenant in the U. S. navy.

STEVENS, Walter Hasted, soldier, b. in Penn Yan. X. Y., 24 Aug., 1827 ; d. in Vera Cruz, Mexi- co. 12 Nov., 1867. He was graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1848, and commissioned as lieutenant of engineers. He was engaged in con- structing and repairing fortifications at New Or- leans, La., built two forts on the coast of Texas, removed the great Colorado river raft by order of congress, and built the Ship shoal light-house in 1855-'6, and superintended the erection of the cus- tom-house at New Orleans after Maj. Pierre T. G. Beauregard was called away, and also built the custom-house at Galveston, Tex. In May, 1861, having resigned his commission and entered the Confederate service, he accompanied Gen. Beaure- gard to Virginia as his chief engineer. He was made a brigadier-general, and was the chief engi- neer of the Army of Northern Virginia until the autumn of 1862, when he was placed in charge of the fortifications of Richmond. He completed these defences and again became chief engineer of Lee's army, and continued as such to the close of the war. He then sought and obtained employ- ment as an engineer on the Mexican railway be- tween Vera Cruz and the city of Mexico, and at the time of his death was its superintendent and constructing engineer. An English company was building this road, and during the revolution in which Maximilian was dethroned Gen. Stevens re- mained in sole charge of it. and he skilfully pre- served the property through that difficult period.

STEVENS, Walter Le Conte, physicist, li. in rordon county, Ga., 17 June, 1847. He is the nephew of John and Joseph Le Conte. After his graduation at the University of South Carolina in 1868 he spent the year 18 76-' 7 at the University of Virginia, and meanwhile had held thepmlV-- >r- ship of chemistry at Oglethofpe college, Atlanta, Ga., in 1871-'2. and taught physics at Chatham academy, Savannah, Ga., in 1873-'6. Prof. Stevens then settled in New York, and, after teaching sev- eral years, was called in 1882 to the chair of mathe- matics and physics in Packer collegiate institute in Brooklyn. In connection with his class-work he has invented various improved forms of physical apparatus, of which his organ-pipe sonometer and reversible stereoscope are the best known, descrip- tions of which have been published in the " Ameri- can Journal of Science." He is a member of sci- entific societies and secretary of the Brooklyn academy of science and art. The honorary degree of Ph. D. was conferred on him by the University of Georgia in 1882, in recognition of his writings on " Physiological Optics," which were published simultaneously in the "American Journal of Sci- ence " and the London " Philosophical Magazine '' in 1881-'2. Prof. Stevens has written for the " North American Review," the " Popular Science Monthly," and other journals, prepared the parts relating to the physics of the earth's crust, the ocean, and the atmosphere in ' Appletons' Physical Geography " (New York, 1887), and rewrote J. Dor- man Steeles's " Popular Physics" (1888).

STEVENS, William Bacon, P. E. bishop, b. in Bath, Me., 13 July, 1815 ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 1 1 June, 1887. He received his early educa- tion at Phillips Andover academy, but. his health failing, he went abroad and spent two years in trav- el. At the end of that time he returned and pur- sued the study of medicine at Dart- mouth, receiving his degree from this college in 1837, and also one from the Medical college of South Carolina. He went to Savannah, Ga., upon graduating, where he practised his profession for five years. In 1841 he received the appointment of state historian of Georgia, and published several volumes, among which were "The Historical Collections " (Savannah, 1841-'2). About this time his attention was directed toward the ministry of the Protestant Episcopal church, and, relinquishing the profession of medicine, he began a course of study in preparation for orders. He was ordained deacon in Christ church, Savannah, Ga., by Bishop Elliott. 28 Feb., 1843. and organized and took charge of Emmanuel church, Athens, Ga., of which he became rector on his advancement to the priesthood, 7 Jan., 1844. In this year also he was elected professor of belles-lettres, oratory, and moral philosophy in the University of Georgia. In 1847 he was sent as a deputy to the general convention from his diocese. In 1848 he accepted the rectorship of St. Andrew's church, Philadelphia, Pa., and received the degree of D. D. from the University of Pennsylvania. The convention of the diocese having elected him assistant bishop, he was consecrated in St. Andrew's church, 2 Jan., 1862, and Union college conferred upon him the degree of LL. D. Upon the death of Bishop Alonzo Potter in 1865, he became bishop of