Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/74

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boats, which he drove back. At midiiiglit a second attack was made, and after a hand to hand figlit, the British were repulsed with great slaughter, and retreated in their boats. In fort}' minutes, the British loss amounted to over 120 killedand 130 wounded. On Sept. 27, the Carna- tion weighed anchor and stood close in for the General Armstrnnrj, opening a heavy fire. Tiiis fire was returned with wonderful effect, the maintopmast of the Carnation going by the board, the hull and rigging being much cut up, and the vessel forced to retire. The British fieet then determined to use its entire force against the Armstrong, and finding further resistance futile, Captain Reid set a fuse to his magazine and with his. crew went ashore. Captain Lloyd perceiving the desertion of the Armstrong sent two armed boats to seize lier just as slie blew up. In the three engagements, the British loss was 210 killed and 140 wounded, while the American loss was but two killed and seven wounded. When Captain Lloyd demanded the American crow from the governor of Fayal as prisoners of war, Reid took refuge in a deserted convent, about half a mile in the interior, fortified it, ran up tiie American flag and the British fleet soon left for New Orleans. The news of the battle reached the United States in November, 1814, and was received with great demonstrations. Tlie battle undoubtedly saved the newly acquired territory of Louisiana from falling into the hands of the British, for at this time the balance of the British naval force was waiting at Jamaica for the arrival of Lloyd's squadron to attack New Orleans, but the delay caused b}- the encounter with Captain Reid enabled General Jackson to prepare the city for defence, and resulted in the victory of Jan. 8, 1815. The battle of Faj'al was the last naval engagement of the war of 1812, and on Nov. 15, 1814, Captain Reid with his officers and crew were landed at St. Mary, Fla. He received ovations at every city through which he passed from Savannah to New York, state legislatures passing resolutions of thanks for gloriously maintaining the honor of the Ameri- can flag. New York state voted him a gold sword, which was presented, Nov. 25, 1816, by Governor Tompkins, and the citizens of New York city presented him with a silver service. He declined promotion to past captain in the navy, but accepted tiie position of harl)or master of New York. He invented and erected the first marine telegraph between the highlands of the Navesink, N.J., and the Battery, New York city; re-organized and perfected regulations for governing the pilots of New York, designating the pilot boats by numerals; published a national code of signals for all vessels belonging to the United States, and established the lightship oflf

Sandy Hook. In 1826 he invented a new system of land telegraphs by means of which he satis- factorily demonstrated that a message could be sent from Washington to New Orleans in two hours. A bill was before congress for its adop- tion, wiien it was superseded by Morse's inven- tion. Captain Reid also designed the United Stales Hag with thirteen stripes to represent the thirteen original states, providing that the re- spective states be represented by a star in the union of blue, and suggested that the stars be formetl' into one grand star symbolizing the national motto " E Pluribus Unum." The design was accepted in a bill which became a law by the signature of President Monroe, April 4, 1818. The fir.st flag, as designed by Captain Reid, was made in silk by Mrs. Reid and her young friends, each of whom embroidered her name in the centre of a star, and on April 13, 1818, it was hoisted on the flag-staff of the National House of Representatives. Captain Reid re-entered the U.S. navy in 1842, and was retired in 1856. His son was Sam Chester Reid (q.v.). One daughter, IMary Isabel, married Count Luigi Palma di Ces- nola (q.v.), and another, Louise Gouverneur, married John Savage, the journalist (q.v.). He died in New York city. Jan. 28, 1801, his last words being " Soon I shall solve the great mystery of life."

REID, Whitelaw, editor, was born near Xenia, Oliio, Oct. 27, 1837; son of Robert Charl- ton and Marian (Ronalds) Reid, and a grandson of James Reid, a Scotch covenanter, who emi- grated to America in 1783, and after residence till 1800 in Western Pennsylvania and Fayette county, Ken- tucky, became a foun- der of the town of Xenia, Ohio. White- law Reid was gradu- ated at Miami uni- versity, A.B., 1856, A.M., 1859; taught school, 185&-58; ed- ited the Xenia News, 1858-59; was cor- respondent for the Cinciimati Gazette and Cleveland Herald in Columbus, Ohio;

city editor of the Cincinnati Gazette in 1861; war correspondent, 1801-62; served as aide- de-camp on the staffs of Thomas A. Morris and W. S. Rosecrans in the two Western Vir- ginia campaigns, and was with Grant at the battle of Shiloh. He was Washington and war correspondent of the Gazette, 1862-68. and finally one of its proprietors and editors; served as