Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 3.djvu/1299

Rh having in charge the arrangements for the centennial celebration of the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown. He removed to the capital city in 1879, and has since resided there, engaged in the practice of the legal profession. During Cleveland's first administration he held the position of principal examiner of land claims and contests in the general land office at Washington. Irwin Tucker, son of the foregoing, was born at Norfolk, Va., September 13, 1869. He accompanied his father to Washington in 1879 and at the age of seventeen years was engaged for a year in the office of a Washington correspondent. During the next five years he was city editor of the Norfolk Virginian. In 1890 he made his home at Newport News, and embarked in the real estate and insurance business, in which he has been quite successful. For four years, from 1893, he served as postmaster of the city. He is a young man of broad acquirements, great energy and brilliant talent.

Rudolph S. Turk, editor of the "Spectator-Vindicator," at Staunton, Va., was born in Augusta county in 1849. He was educated in the schools of Staunton and at Roanoke college. When fifteen years old he enlisted, in the summer of 1864, in a company commanded by Capt. John Opie, of Staunton. He served with that command throughout the summer and until the company was disbanded, participating in the battles of Piedmont and Lynchburg, and other skirmishes such as the one at New London. When the armed contest had ceased he entered the university of Virginia and pursued the study of the law. In 1875 he made his home in Pocahontas county and resided there until 1888, engaged in the practice of his profession. After the latter date he spent a year and a half at Wichita, Kan., returning then to Staunton, where he practiced law until 1895. He then purchased the "Spectator" newspaper, with which he subsequently consolidated the "Vindicator," and has successfully managed this publication while still continuing his professional practice. Mr. Turk is descended from an old Virginia family, of Scotch-Irish descent. His father, Rudolph Turk, was born in Augusta county in 1817, and died in 1890. He served for two terms as sheriff of Augusta county, before the war, and at the outbreak of that struggle, notwithstanding his advanced age, entered the service as major of the Fifth Virginia cavalry, with which he served at Harper's Ferry, but was subsequently replaced, with others, by West Point officers. Nevertheless he patriotically continued in the service as ordnance officer, and was stationed at Philippi, W. Va., until the capture of that place by McClellan. Then being assigned to the position of quartermaster with the rank of captain at Staunton, he remained there until the surrender, having charge of the manufacture and repair of wagons, caissons, ambulances, etc. Another son of the latter, James Alexander Turk, born in Augusta county in November, 1847, at the age of seventeen years left Washington college, where he was then a student, to serve with the Reserves. After participating in the battle of Piedmont, where his horse was shot under him, he enlisted in Company E of the First Virginia cavalry, with which he served, except when disabled by wounds, in all the fights of Wickham's brigade. At the battle of Cedar Creek he was severely wounded, and subsequently disabled for two months. During the fighting on the retreat he was again