Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/437

 BRISBANE.

BRISTED.

archgeology in the University of Pennsylvania in 1886. He was elected president of the numismatic and antiquarian society of Philadelphia; was the first American to receive the medal of the ' ' Society Americaine in France " ; revised a treatise by Professor Gerland, of Strasburg. on ethno- graphy, and was made a member of the American society for the advancement of science. Among his works are : " The Floridian Peninsula " (1859) ; " The Myths of the New World " (1868) ; " Essays of An Americanist" (1870); "American Hero Myths" (1882); "The American Race" (1892); ' ' Library of Aboriginal American Literature. He died at Atlantic City, N.J., July 31, 1899.

BRISBANE, Abbott Hall, military engineer, was born in South Carolina. He was graduated at West Point in 1825, with the rank of 2d Lieu- tenant of artillery, and served on topographical duty from December, 1825, until his resignation, Jan. 1, 1828. In 1835-'36 he engaged in the Florida war as colonel of South Carolina volunteers. In 1836 he was assistant engineer of a projected railroad from Charleston to Cincinnati, and in that same year was made brigadier-general of the South CaroUna militia. He was chief engineer of Georgia for the examination of mountain passes for the location of the Western and Atlantic rail- road, and from 1840 to 1844 was chief engineer of the Ocmulgee and Flint railroad in that state. In 1847-48 he superintended the engineering of the artesian well which furnished the water for Charleston, S. C. In 1848 he was made professor of belles lettres and ethics in the state military academy, and held the position for five years. He died Sept. 28, 1861.

BRISBIN, James S., soldier, was born at Boalsburg, Pa., May 23, 1837. He received a classical education, was editor of the Centre Dem- ocrat, Belief onte. Pa., studied law, and was ad- mitted to the bar. At the outbreak of the civil war, he enlisted in the army as a private, and soon afterwards received a commission as 2d Lieu- tenant. In the battle of Bull Run, July, 1861, he was severely wounded, and in August, 1861, was promoted captain in the 6th U. S. cavalry. In May, 1862, he was with the army of the Potomac, serving bravely at Malvern HiU and the other battles of the Peninsular campaign, and also in the Blue Ridge expedition. For action at Beverly Ford, Va., June 9, 1863, he was promoted brevet major U. S. A. In July, at Gettysburg, he com- manded the Pennsylvania state cavalry, and joined Banks's Red river expedition as chief of cavalry on the staff of Gen. A. L. Lee. He was wounded at Sabine cross roads, April 8, 1864, returned north and was chief of staff to General S. G. Burbridge in his operations in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was made brigadier - gen- eral of volunteers for gallantry at Marion, Tenn.,

and shortly afterward commanded the depart- ment of Kentucky. In 1865 he operated against Jeff Thompson in Arkansas as commander of a brigade of cavalry. In 1866 he was mustered out of the volunteer service with the rank of major- general of volunteers, and rejoined the 6th U. S. cavalry as captain. In January, 1868, he was promoted to the rank of major of the 2d cavalry, in 1885 to that of lieutenant -colonel of the 9th cavalry, and on Aug. 20, 1889, to that of colonel of 1st cavalry. On April 22, 1891, he was transferred to the 8th cavalry. He contributed letters and articles on topics relating to the far west to many leading periodicals. He died at Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 14, 1892.

BRISTED, Charles Astor, author, was born iu New York city, Oct. 6, 1820, son of John Bristed, clergyman. His mother was a daughter of John Jacob Astor, 2d. After his graduation from Yale college with honors in 1839, he entered Trinity college, Cambridge, England, in 1840, and was graduated a foundation scholar of the college in 1845. He spent several years in European travel, and became a contributor to various journals under the pseudonym " Carl Benson." When the Astor library was founded he was ajjpointed a trustee, retaining the position dur- ing the remainder of his life. Mr. Bristed moved in society of the highest culture both in Europe and America, and aside from his literary talent he was a conversationalist of rare bril- liancy. His American home was in Washington. Among his published works are : ' ' Letters to Horace Mann" (1850); "The Upper Ten Thou- sand " (1852) ; " Five Years in an English Univer- sity" (1852); "Interference Theory of Govern- ment" (1867); and "Pieces of a Broken-Down Critic" (1874). He died in Washington, D. C, Jan. 15, 1874.

BRISTED, John, clergyman, was born at Dor- setshire, England, in 1778. He was educated at Winchester college, and first studied for the med- ical profession, but abandoned this for the law, practising in New York city, whither he had removed in 1806. He became an able and weU- known lawyer. In 1807 he conducted the Monthly Magazine, a liigh-class Uterary monthly. Not long after his marriage, in 1820, to a daughter of John Jacob Astor, he began to study divinity, and was ordained to the Episcopal ministry in 1828. The following year he was made rector of St. Michael's church in Bristol, R. I., where he preached for nearly fifteen years. Among his published writings are : "A Pedestrian Tour through part of the Highlands Ln Scotland in. 1801 " (2 vols., 1804) ; "The Adviser, or the Moral and Literary Tribunal " (4 vols., 1802) ; "Critical and Philosophical Essays" (1804); "The System of the Society of Friends Examined" (1805);