Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/372

 POE

POINSETT

" American Men of Letters" (1885). The Balti- more scliool teachers erected a monument toPoe, 1875, ami the actors of the United States placed a memorial in the Metropolitan museum in 1885, Ed- win Bo^)tli and William Winter ofliciating. The Poe Mi-morial association unveiled a bust of Poe by Zolnay at University of Virginia, October, 1899, William Fearing Gill, Hamilton "W. Mabie and Rtjbert Burns Wilson assisting, and a cenotaph erected in his memory was unveiled in Baltimore, Md.. October. 1899. His name received thirty- eigljt votes for a place in the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, New York univei-sity. October, 19nO. He di.-d in Baltimore. Md., Oct. 7, 1849.

POE, Orlando Metcalf, sol.lier, was born in Navarre, Ohio, .March 7, 1S:3'2. He was grad- uated from the U. S. Military academy in 1856 imd was assigned to the corps of topographical engineers. He served on the survey of tiie north- ern lakes, 1856-Gl, and was promoted 2d lieu- tenant. Oct. 7, 18.56, and 1st lieutenant, July 1, 1800. He engaged in organizing volunteers in Ohio, 1861, and was chief topographical engineer, department of tiie Oliio, May 13, to July 15,

1861, taking part in the action of Rich Mountain, Va., July 11, 1861. He was a member of the staff of General McClellan, at Washington, D.C., July- September, 1861; appointed colonel of 2d Michi- gan volunteers, Sept. 16, 1861, and commanded his regiment in the defoncesof Washington, 1861- 62; in the Army of the Potomac, March-June,

1862, being engaged in the siege of Yorktown, and tiie battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks. He was in the Northern Virginia campaign, Aug.- Sept., 1862. commanding the 3d brigade, Kearny's division, Heintzleman's corps, in the battle of Jlanjussas. Aug. 29, 1862; was engaged in the de- fences of Washington, D.C., Sept.-Oct., 1862; in the Maryland campaign, Oct.-Nov., 1862; was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers, Nov. 29, 1862; commamled tiie 1st brigade, 1st division, 9th cf>rps. in the Rappaliannock campaign, taking part in the battle of Fredericksburg. Va., Dec. 13, 1^62. and he commanded his division, Feb.- April, iy63. He was promoted captain, U.S.A., March 3, 1>^63. and was chief engineer of the cen- tral district of Kentucky, April-June, 1863; cliief engineer of the 23rd army corps, June-Sept., 1863, and ciiif-f engineer of t iie Army of the Oiiio, Sei)t.- Dec. 1863. He was assistant engineer of tiie mili- tary division of the Mississippi, Dec, 1863-April, 1864. and chief engineer of Siie rman's army, April, 1861-June, 1865. He was brevetted major, July 6. 1>J64. for service-s at the sifge of Knoxvillc; lieutenant -colonel. S«-pt. 1. 1864, for gallantry at the capture of Atlanta; colonel, Dec. 21, 1H64, for services in the capture of Savannali. brigadier- general. March 13. 18<>5, for services in the Caro- lina campaign. After the war he was engineer

secretary of the W.D. lighthouse board, 1865-70; was commissioned major, March 7, 1867, and con- structed the ligiit house on Spectacle reef, Lake Huron in 1870-73. He was aide-de-camp to Gen. "William S. Sherman, 1873-84, and had cliarge of the river and harbor works from Lake Erie to Lake Superior. He was promoted lieutenant- colonel in 1882 and colonel in 1888. He was chief engineer of the Northwest district and was in- specting the great lock at Sault de Ste. Marie, where ke was fatally injured. He died at Detroit, Midi., Oct. 2. 1895.

POINDEXTER, George, senator, was born in Louisa county, Va., in 1779. His parents, who were of Huguenot descent, died in his early youth and he was educated for the law. He practised in Milton, Va., 1800-02, and in 1802 re- moved to Mississippi Territory, where he contin- ued in the practice of the law and became a popular politician of the Jeffersonian school. In 1803, as attorney-general of the territory, he was called upon to prosecute Aaron Burr, who was arrested by the U.S. authorities in the terri- tory. This led to a challenge from and duel with Abijah Hunt, a friend of Burr, Poindexter killing his adversary. He was a member of the territorial legislature, 1805-07; a delegate to the 10th, 11th, and 12th congresses, 1807-13, and U.S. judge for the district of Mississippi, 1813-19. He served as a volunteer-aide to General Jack- son at the battle of New Orleans, was a member of the Mississippi constitutional convention of 1817, and was chairman of the committee ap- pointed to draft a constitution for the newly ad- mitted state. He was the first representative from the state in the 15th congress, 1817-19, where he defended the military and political course of General Jackson. He was governor of Miss- issippi, 1819-21; continued his law practice in Jackson, Miss., 1821-30, and in 1830 was ap- jiointed U.S. senator to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Robert H. Adams, and when the legislature met he was elected to fill out the term expiring March 3, 1835. In the sen- ate he transferred his allegiance from Jackson to Calhoun and voted for Henry Clay's resolu- tion of censure of Presiilent Jackson. In 1835, failing to receive political favor in Mississippi, he removed to Louisville, Ky. He was com- missioned by President Tyler to investigate frauds in the New York Custom house. He is the author of Revifted Code of the Laics of Mis- sissippi f1S24). He (lied in .Jackson, Sept. 5, 18.53.

POINSETT, Joel Roberts, cabinet officer, was born in Charleston, S.C, March 2, 1779. He attended school at Charleston; Greenfield, Conn., and in liOndon, England: studied medi- cine at Edinburgh: entered the Military school at Woolwich, England, and in 1800 returned to