Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/381

 MERRITT

MERRITT

and I Will Give You Rest. Of her many portraits the more important include : General Dix(1870); Lady Dufferin (1877); James Russell Lowell (1883); Miss Marion I^a, her sister (1885); General the Earl of Dundonald and Countess Dundonald (1886). Mrs. Merritt is the author of several magazine articles on gardening, and of a book, illustrated by herself, entitled : A Hamlet in Old Hampshire {\^Q\).

MERRITT, Edwin Atkins, U.S. consul-gen- eral, was born in Sudbury, Vt.. Feb. 26, 1828 ; son of Noadiah and Relief (Parker) Merritt ; grand- son of Noah and Eunice (Metcalf) Merritt and of Jeremiah and Relief (Rogers) Parker, and a de- scendant in the eighth generation from Henry Merritt. born in Kent. England, 1590, who came to Scituate, Mass., before 1628 ; and maternally from John Rogers, burned at the stake at Smithfield, 1554. He removed to St. Lawrence county, N.Y., in 1841, and engaged in busine.ss as a civil engineer and surveyor. He was a member of the state assembly, 1859-61, and in 1861 was appointed quar- termaster of the 60th New York volunteers. He served with the Army of the Potomac and in the Georgia campaign under General Sherman ; was appointed captain and commissary of subsistence, U.S. volunteers, and was quartermaster-general of the state of New York, 1865-69. He was superin- tendent of the Soldiers' home and established free agencies for collection of Iwunties, back pay and pensions due soldiers from New York state. He was a delegate to the New York constitutional convention of 1867-68 : was naval officer of the port of New York, 1869-70 ; unsuccessful candi- date for state treasurer in 1875. He was surveyor of the port of New York in 1877 ; collector of the the port, 1878-81 ; U.S. consul-general in London, 1881-85, and resided in Potsdam, N. Y., in 1902.

MERRITT, Wesley, soldier, was born in New York city, June 16, 1836 ; son of John Willis Merritt, a lawyer, who abandoned that profession for agriculture and removed his family to Illinois in 1840. Wesley attended the school of the Christian Brothers ; studied law with Judge Haynie in Salem, III., and was graduated at the U.S. Military academy and brevetted 2d lieuten- ant of dragoons, July 1, 1860. He was promoted 2d lieutenant, Jan. 28, 1861 ; 1st lieutenant, May 13, 1861, and was transferred to the 2d cavalry, Aug. 3.1861. He served successively as assistant adjutant-general of the Utah forces, adjutant of the 2d U.S. cavalry, and in the defence of Wash- ington. 1861-62 ; was aide-de-camp to Gen. John Cook, 1862-63 ; to Gen. George Stoneman in 18G:j, and participated in the raids toward Richmond, April 13 to May 2. 1863. He commanded the re- serve brigade, 1st division, Pleasonton's cavalry corps, at (Gettysburg ; was promoted captain April 5, 1862 ; brigadier-general of volunteers June 29,

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1863, and was brevetted major, U.S.A., July 1, 1863. for Gettysburg. He served in Torbert's division, Sheridan's cavalry corps, in the various engage- ments in Virginia, 1863-64, including Sheridan's Richmond raid, the battle of Cold Harbor, and the Trevilian raid, and, -

was brevetted lieu- tenant • colonel, U.S. A., May 11, 1864, for the battle of Yellow Tavern, Va., and colonel, U.S.A., May 28, 1864, for the battle of Hawe's Shop, Va. He commanded the 1st division of Tor- bert's cavalry in the Shenandoah and Rich- mond campaigns, 1864-65 ; was brevett- a

ed major-general of //^T^/y^^rJ^ volunteers, Oct. 19, ^^ ^ ^ Oi^/^/^ ^

1864, for Winchester and Fisher's Hill. Va. ; brig- adier-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for Five Forks, Va. ; major-general, U.S.A.. March 13,

1865, for services during the campaign ending with the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. He was commissioned major-general of volunteers, April 1, 1865, " for gallant service." He was present at the surrender of Lee at Appo- mattox ; was successively with the military divis- ion of the Southwest, the department of Texas, and the military division of the Gulf. 1865 ; was mustered out of the volunteer service Feb. 1, 1866 ; was promoted lieutenant-colonel in the regular army and transferred to the 9th cavalry, July 28,

1866, and served principally on frontier duty in Texas, Dakota, and Wyoming, 1866-82. He was inspector of cavalry, division of the Missouri, 1875-76 ; was promoted colonel and transferred to the 5th cavalry, July 1, 1876, and served as a mem- ber of the court of inquiry at Chicago, III., in 1879. He was superintendent of the U.S. Military acadamy from Sept. 1, 1882, to June 30. 1887 ; was promoted brigadier-general. U.S.A.. April 16, 1887, and commanded the Department of the Missouri, 1887-91 and 1895-97 ; the Department of Dakota, 1891-95, and the Department of the East, with headquarters at Governor's Island, New York harbor, 1897-98. He was promoted major- general, U.S.A., April 25, 1895, and was appointed to the command of the forces in the Philippines as military governor in May, 1898. He was a del- egate to the U.S. peace commission at Paris in October, 1898, was retired by operation of law, June 16, 1900. He was married in Europe, in 1871, to Caroline Warren of Cincinnati, Ohio, and secondly, in London, Oct. 24, 1898, to Laura, daughter of Norman Williams of Chicago, 111.