Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/134

 ROBERTS

ROBERTSON

demic of yellow fever in 1793. lost his own life; and a descendant of Iliigli Roberts (born in Wales in 104.")). who arrived in Philadelphia with William Penn in IOS'2. He was a pupil of the first school founded by the Franklin Institute; wiis chairman on the Union canal surveys in 1825; superintendent of a division of the L-ehigh canal, l!^'J":KJO; resident engineer of the Union railroad and the Union canal feeder, 1830-31; chief engi- neer of the Alleghany M.nintains Portage railroad, 1831-.'U, and constructed the first combined rail- road and passenger bridge in the United States at Harrislmrg, over the Susquehanna river. Pa., in l*v!6. Between the years 1835-57, he was chief engineer of the Harrisburg and Lancaster rail- road; the Cumberland Valley railroad; the Pitts- burg and Connellsville railroad, 18-17-56; the Bellefontaine and Indiana railroad; the Alle- ghany Valley railroad; the Iron ^lountain railroad of Missouri; the Keokuk, Des Moines and Min- nesota railroad, and the Keokuk, Mt. Pleasant and Muscatine railroad. He engineered the con. struct ion of the Monongahela river slack water navigation, 1838-40; the Pennsylvania state canal, the Erie canal, the "Welland canal enlargement and of the Sandy and Beaver canal. Oliio. He was employed on the construction of the Dom Pedro II railroad in Brazil, 1857-65; was asso- ciated with James B. Eads in the construction of the bridge across the Missouri river at St. Louis, Mo., 1868-70; was chief engineer of the North- ern Pacific railroad, 1870-74; was a commis- sioner under appointment of President Grant to report on the proposed improvements of the mouth of the Mississippi; and was cliief of the commis- sion to examine the harbors and rivers of Brazil, and report upon their improvement. 1879-81. He married, Jan. 5, 1837, Anna Barbara, daughter of Chief-Justice John Bannister Gibson of Carlisle, Pa. He was president of the American Society of Civil Engineers; fellow of the American Geographical society, and a member of the Eng- lish Institute of Engineers. He died in Brazil, S. A.. July 14, 1882.

ROBERTS, William Randall, diplomatist, was born in county C.<rk. Ireland, Feb. 6, 1830. He received a classical education and came to the United States in 1849. engaging in the dry gfxxls business in New York city, 1849-59, and afterwards devoting Iiimself to the study of the social and political condition of his fellow coun- trjinen in In land. He became president of the Fenian BrotherlKKxJ in 18G5, and in 1866 actively promoted the raid into Canada led by O'Neil. for wliich he was impri.soned by the U.S. govern- ment. He was a Democratic representative from New York city in the 42d and 43d congresses, 1871-75; was a member of the New York board of aldermen in 1S77, and was the defeated candi-

date for sheriff in 1879. lie was appointed U.S. minister to Chili by President Cleveland in 1885, and in May, 1888, he was stricken by paralysis, was brought back to New York in 1S89. and re- mained a helpless invalid until his death, which ■*^ occurred in New York city. Aug. 9. 1897.

ROBERTSON, Beverly Holcombe, soldier, was born in Amelia county, Va., June 5, 1827; son of Dr. William Henry and Martha Maria (Hol- combe) Robertson, and grandson of James and Anne (Archer) Robertson and of Philemon and Martha (Hardaway) Holcombe. He was gradu- ated from the U.S. Military academy and bre- vetted 2d lieutenant, 2d dragoons, July 1, 1849, serving at the Cavalry School for Practice, Car- lisle, Pa., 1849-50. He was promoted 2d lieuten- ant, July 25, 1850; served on frontier and scout- ing duty in New Mexico and Texas, 1850-53; in Kansas, 1854-56; was promoted 1st lieutenant, March 3, 1855, and engaged during the Sioux expedition in the action at Blue Water, Neb., Sept. 3, 1855. He was married, March 26, 1855, to Virginia Neville, daughter of Julius D. and Neville (Christie) Johnston of St. Louis, Mo., who died, Sept. 23, 1869. He participated in the Pawnee expedition, 1859; served at Fort Critten- den, Utah, as adjutant, 2d dragoons, from Aug. 20, 1860 to March 3, 1861; was promoted captain, March 3, 1801, and on Aug. 8, 1861, was dismissed from the U.S. service and entered the Confeder- ate States army. He was promoted brigadier- general, June 3, 1862, and on June 17, 1862. wlien General Jackson moved his troops from Shenan- doah valley, after the battle of Port Rej)ublic, Va.. ^vas left in command of the cavalry. In the second battle of Bull Run, he commanded a bri- gade in Gen. James E. B. Stuart's cavalry divi- sion, co-operating with General Jackson. On Dec. 16, 1862, with about 3300 men he engaged 15,000 men under Gen. John G. Foster at White Hall, near Goldsboro, N.C., and after a fight of four hours Foster was forced back with heavy loss, Robertson's loss being 54 men. At Gettys- burg, July 1-3. 1863, he was ordered bj' General Stuart to hold " Ashley's and Snicker's'' gaps to prevent Hooker from interrupting the march of Lee's army. He intercepted the Federal advance at Fairfield, and captured Major Samuel H. Starr in command of the 6th U.S. Cavalry, who was wounded, and also several of the staff. Ai ter this action Robertson was detailed to cover the wagon trains of Lee's army, his brigade being the last to cross the Potomac on its return to Virginia. In the autumn of 1863 he assumed command of the coast line between Charleston and Savannah. On the morning of June 9. 1864, he attacked, in their entrenchments on John's Island, three brigades of Federals, who retreated to their gunboats. For this fight both branches