Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/367

 PLATT

PLEASANTON

He resided in the missionary jurisdiction of Olympia after 1893. He received the degree D.b. in 1878, and LL.D. later, from the College of William and Mary. He is the author of : Ai't Culture (1873) ; Influence of Religion in the De- veloj)ment of Jurisprudence (1877) ; After Death, what? (1878) ; Unity of Laio or Legal Morality (1879) ; Ood out and Man in, a reply to Robert G. Ingersoll (1883). He died in Petersburg, Va., Dec. 18, 1898.

PLATT, Zephaniah, delegate, was born in Duchess county, N.Y., in 1740. He was ad- mitted to the bar; practised in liis native county; was a delegate from New York to the Continental congress, 1784-86 ; judge of the circuit court of New York for several years ; an originator of the Erie canal, and the founder of Plattsburg, N.Y., where he died, Sept. 12, 1807.

PLATT, Zephaniah, jurist, was born in Platts- burg, N.Y., in 1796 ; son of Judge Zephaniah Piatt (q.v.) He removed to Michigan territory, where he pi-actised law and was U.S. attorney to settle claims on the Pacific coast. He was attorney-general of Michigan, 1841-43, and sub- sequently attained high rank at the bar. He removed to Aiken, S.C., in 1866, and served as judge of the 2d circuit, 1868-71. He died in Aiken, S.C, April 20, 1871.

PLEASANTON, Alfred, soldier, was born ill Washington, D.C., June 7, 1824. He was gradu- ated from the U.S. Military academy in 1844, and assigned to the 1st dragoons. He served on frontier duty, 1844-46 ; was promoted 2d lieu- tenant of 2d dragoons, Nov. 3, 1845 ; served in the war with Mexico, 1846-48 ; was brevetted 1st lieutenant. May 9, 1846, for gallantry at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and was on frontier duty in New Mexico, 1848-52. He was promoted 1st lieutenant, Sept. 30, 1849 ; was engaged in scouting and Indian skirmishes in New Mexico and Texas, 1852-56 ; was promoted captain, March 3, 1855 ; was acting assistant adjutant-general of the department of Florida, 1855-57 ; was en- gaged in quelling the Kansas disturbances, 1857- 58, and was acting assistant adjutant-general of the department of Oregon, 1858-60. He com- manded a regiment in the department of Utah, June-Aug., 1861, which he marched to Washing- ton, and was transferred to the 2d cavalry, Aug. 3, 1861, and was engaged in the defences of Washington, D.C. He was promoted major, Feb. 15, 1862, and served in the siege of York- town and in the seven days' battle before Rich- mond. He was commissioned brigadier-general, U.S. volunteers, July 16, 1862, and commanded the advance cavalry division of the Army of the Potomac in tiie Maryland campaign, Sept. 8 to Nov. 18, 1862. He was brevetted lieutenant- colonel, U.S.A., Sept. 17, 1862, for services at

Antietam ; was in the Rappahannock cam- paign, Dec, 1862-June, 1863; commanded the cavalry corps. Army of the Potomac, in the Pennsylvania campaign, June-July, 1863 ; was engaged in the battles at Culpeper C.H. and Brandy Station, Va., and was transferred to the department of Missouri, March 23, 1864, where he was engaged in the defence of Jefferson City, Oct. 8, 1864, and in command of cavalry in pur- suit of Gen. Sterling Price, routing him near the Marais des Cygnes river, Kan., Oct. 25, 1864. He was promoted major-general, U.S. volunteers, June 22, 1863, and brevetted colonel, U.S.A., July 2, 1863, for services at Gettysburg ; brigadier- general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, " for gallant and meritorious services during the campaign against the Confederate forces under General Price in Missouri," and major-general, March 13, 1865, for services in the field. The 37th congress recom- mended him through a committee for the com- mand of the Army of the Potomac. He was mustered out of volunteer service, Jan. 15, 1866, after having been engaged in 105 battles and skirmishes, and he resigned his commission in the regular army in 1868. He was U.S. collector of internal revenue in New York city for several years ; president of the Teri-e Haute and Cincin- nati railroad, and in May, 1888, was placed on the retired list with the rank of colonel. He died in Washington, D.C, Feb. 17, 1897.

PLEASANTON, Augustus James, soldier, was born in Washington, D.C, Aug. 18, 1808. He was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1826, assigned to the 6th infantry, and pro- ^noted 2d lieutenant in 3d artillery, July 1, 1826, being transferred to the 1st artillery, Oct. 24, 1826. He served at the artillery school for prac- tice at Fort Monroe, Va., 1826-27 ; on topographi- cal duty, 1827-30 ; resigned his commission in the army, June 30, 1830, and was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1832, where he practised law, 1832-94. He was brigade-major of Penn- sylvania militia, 1833-35, and colonel, 1835-45. and was severely wounded, July 7, 1844, while com- manding his regiment in a desperate conflict with armed rioters in Southwark, Philadelphia county. Pa. He was assistant adjutant-general and pay master- general of the state of Pennsyl- vania, 1838-39. On May 16, 1861, he was ap- pointed brigadier-general of Pennsylvania militia, and organized and commanded a Home guard of 10,000 men, 1861-65. He devoted his leisure time to farming and to scientific research, and held that the blue light from the sky had an important effect on the growth of living organisms. He produced this light artificially by means of tinted glass, and obtained a patent on "an improve- ment in accelerating the growth of plants and animalb " in 1871. In May, 1871, he lectured on