Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/445

 GRIFFIS

GRIFFIS

army. Upon the recommendation of Grant and Buruside he was for his action iu tliis battle made brigadier general of volunteers. He com- manded a brigade at North Anna, Tolopotomy, Bethesda Church and Cold Harbor, and com- manded two brigades in the assault on the enemy's works in front of Petersburg, June 16, 1804, seizing one mile of intrenchments and cap- turing a stand of colors, four field pieces, 1500 stand of arms, a quantity of ammmiition and one thousand prisoners. On not receiving support he was obliged to fall back. He then engaged in the battle of the Mine, the battle on the Wilder- ness road at Poplar Springs church, and tliat at Hatcher's Run. He commanded the line near the Jerusalem Pike, AprU 1, 1865, and under orders attacked the enemy's picket line and swept it for a mile, capturing eight officers and 241 men, when he received orders to witlidraw his troops and he joined in the attack on the main works a mile distant. This difficult feat -was accomplished and with Hartranft on his right and Curtin on his left he led the charge over the abatis and the parapets, seized the works, cap- tured the guns and hundreds of prisoners, and held the town. The news of this assault deter- mined President Davis to evacuate Richmond and for this action General Griffin was brevetted major general of volunteers. With his division he followed the fleeing Confederates and was a part of the military cordon that encompassed Lee's army and compelled its surrender. He was mustered out of the volunteer service, Aug. 24, 1865. He was never wounded and never lost a daj''s duty from sickness, although he had seven bullet holes in his clothing, had two horses killed and five wounded imder him in action, had half his men killed or wounded at second Bull Run, one-thJrd at Fredericksburg, and one-fifth at Antietam. He declined an appointment in the regular service ; was a representative in the New Hampshire legislatm-e, 1867-69; speaker of the house, 1868-69; and was chairman of the Republican state convention of 1868. In 1887 and 1888 he was commander of the Massachusetts commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. He became exten- sively interested in land and railroad enterprises in Texas and devoted much time to historical literary work. He died in Keene, N.H., Jan. 14, 1902.

GRIFFIS, William Elliot, author, was born in Pliiladelpliia, Pa., Sept. 17. 1843; son of Capt. John L. and Anna Maria (Hess) Griffis; grandson of Captain Griffis, a lifelong navigator; and a descendant maternally from Quaker ancestors who settled in America previous to the Revolu- tion, became "Free Quakers." and were officers in the Continental army. His father was a sea

captain and later in life a coal merchant. Ha attended the public schools of Philadelphia, 1849- 59, and engaged in business, 18.59-65. In 1863 ha served three months as color corporal in company A, 44th Pennsylvania militia, during Lee's in- vasion. He was graduated from Rutgers college in 1869 and after a year of travel in Eu- rope he studied theol- ogy in the Seminary of the Reformed church. New Bruns- wick, and in Septem- ber, 1870, he was appointed b}- the gov- ernment of Japan to proceed to the prov- ince of Echizen and organize there an American system of education. He lived -, -. ^ — ^ during 1871 in the city /J»^ cCCc-o^Jr^ff^^ of Fukui, in Echizen,

observing the feudal system of Jaiian in operation and making a study of that subject for the pur- pose of treating Japanese feudalism in a volume. On the abolition of feudalism by the Mikado's edict, he made a winter's journey across Japan and in 1873-74 taught chemistry and physics in the Imperial university in Tokio. After his return to the United States in 1874 he lectured for several years on Japan and the Japanese. In 1875 he entered Union theological seminary and was graduated in June, 1877. He was domine or pastor of the First Reformed church, Schenec- tady, N.Y., 1877-86, and pastor of the Shawmut Congregational church, Boston, Mass., 1886-93. He taught mental science at Union college in 1883. He was married to Katliarine Lyra, daughter of Prof. Irving Staunton of Union, and in 1891 with his wife attended the International Congregational council in London as delegate. He became pastor of the First Congregational Church of Christ, Ithaca, N.Y., in 1893. He received the honorary degree of D.D. froni Union in 1884 and that of L.H.D. from Rutgers in 1899. He was elected one of the four American mem- bers of the Netherlandish society of letters of Leyden. He visited Europe in 1869, 1891, 1893, 1895 and 1898, in the latter year witnessing the coronation of Wilhelmina, Queen of the Nether- lands. His published writings include : The New Japan Series of Bfadiiif/ and Spelling Books (5 vols., 1873); The. Yokohama Guide: The Tokio Guide: Map of Tokio, with Notes Historical and Explanatory (1874); The Mikado's Empire (1876, 6th ed., 1898); Japanese Fairy World (1880); Asiatic History (1881); Corea, the Hermit Nation (1883, 3d ed., 1898); Corea, Without and Within (1885, 2d ed.,