Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/447

 SMITH

SMITH

3, 1853 ; was principal assistant professor of mathematics at the U.S. Military academy, 1855- 56 ; was connected with the lighthouse service and was engineer-secretary of the lighthouse board, 1859-61. He was promoted captain, July 1, 1859. He served on mustering duty in New York city, April-May, 1861 ; was commissioned colonel, 3d Vermont volunteers, July 16, 1861, and served in the defence of AVashington. He was promoted brigadier-general U.S. v., Aug. 13, 1861, and com- manded the 2d division, 6th army corps, Army of the Potomac in the Virginia Peninsular campaign, taking part in the siege of Yorktown, the battles of Lee's Mills, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, Savage Station, Glendale and Malvern Hill, and was bre- vetted lieutenant-colonel, June 28, 1862, for gallan- try at White Oak Swamp, Va. He was promoted major-general, U.S.V., July 4, 1862 ; commanded the 2d division, 6th army corps, Army of the Potomac in the Maryland campaign, and was brevetted colonel, Sept. 17, 1862, for gallant con- duct at the battle of Antietam, Md. He com- manded the 6th army corps, Army of the Poto- mac, at the battle of Fredericksburg, and com- manded for a short time the 9th army corps in 1863. He was promoted major of the corps of engineers, March 3, 1863 ; was commissioned brigadier-general U.S.V., March 4, 1863; was in command under General Couch, of the forces near Harrisburg, Pa., stationed south of the Sus- quehanna, and with an irregular organization defended the town of Carlisle from Lee's attack. He was chief engineer of the department of the Cumberland, October-November, 1863, with lieadquarters at Chattanooga. When the Con- federate forces seized the heights overlooking Chattanooga, and threatened the Federal army with starvation. General Smith conceived and executed the plan of bridging the Tennessee river, at Bi'own's Ferry, so as to enable Hooker's troops to connect with the Army of the Cumber- land. This plan was approved by General Thomas, and on Oct. 27, 1863, the Confederates were surprised at Brown's Ferry, while Hooker entered Lookout valley, and a short line of com- munication was seemed. General Thomas in his report said : " To Brigadier-General W. F. Smith should be accorded great praise for the ingenuity wliich conceived, and the abilit}- which executed the movement at Brown's Ferry." He was sug- gested by Secretary Stanton, Assistant-Secre- tary Dana, General Grant and General Hallock, for commander of the Army of the Potomac ; was promoted major-general, U.S.V., March 9, 1864 ; commanded the 18th army corps. Army of the James under General Butler at Drewry's Bluff ; was transferred with his corps to the Army of the Potomac, and took part in the as- sault on Lees position at Cold Harbor, and in the IX. — 28

attack on the works at Petersburg. Va., where he captured seventeen pieces of artillery, and in- flicted a severe loss on the Confederate army. It has been stated tliat General Grant criticised Smith for not following up this advantage, but all trustworthy records go to show tliat Grant had nothing but praise for this exploit and this feeling was shown by his promptly putting Smith in command of the Army of the James in the field. He was subsequently assigned to special duty by President Lincoln, and was so employed when the war closed. He was brevet- ted brigadier-general U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services in the battle of Chattanooga, Tenn., and major-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for gallant services in the field. He resigned his commission in the volunteer ser- vice, Nov. 4, 1865, and that of major of engineers in March, 1867. He was president of the In- ternational Ocean Telegraph company, 1866-71 : a member of the board of police commissioners of New York in 1875, and served as president of the board, 1877-79. He was married, April 24, 1861, to Sarah Ward, daughter of Samuel Ed- ward and Katherine (Ward) Lyon of New York city, and had two children, Clara Farrar Smith, and Stuart Farrar Smith, who was grad- uated from the U.S. Naval academy with honors in 1895. General Smith was re-appointed major of engineers, U.S.A., Feb. 27, 1889; was retired March 1, 1889, and was engaged in business as an engineer in Wilmington, Del., from 1884. He is the author of : From Chattanooga to Peters- burg, under Generals Grant and Butler, and also of a number of military pamphlets and papers. He died in Philadelphia. Pa., Feb. 28, 1903.

SMITH, William Henry, journalist and autlior, was born in Austerlitz, N.Y., Dec. 1,

1833 ; son of William De Forest and (Gott)

Smith, and grandson of Lieut. Story Gott, who served in the Revolutionary war, and subse- quently retired to a farm in New York state. William H. Smith removed with his parents to Homer, Union county, Ohio, 1835-36 ; taught school ; contributed to the Cincinnati Times, a weekly journal, and was its editor, 1855, also editing the monthly publication Casket and Re- view, and became a staff writer on the Cincinnati Gazette in 1861, through whose columns he in- dustriously promoted the Union cause. He was active in raising troops and forwarding supplies for the army ; served as private secretary to Gov. John Brough, and was secretary of state. 1865-68, serving also as fund commissioner and founding a department of archives for which he recovered many valuable historical papers. In 1868 he es- tablished the Cincinnati Evening Chronicle, (merged with the Times in 1869), and was gen- eral manager of the Western Associated Press,