Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 10.djvu/469

 WISE

WISE

vention of 1850, and was also a delegate to the Democratic state and national conventions of 1852. He was three times married ; first, Oct. 8, 1828, to Ann, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Obad- iah Jennings of Washington, Pa., secondly, in November, 1840, to Sarah, daughter of John Ser- geant of Philadelphia, Pa., and thirdh-, Nov. 1, 1855, to Mary Elizabeth Lyons of Richmond, Va. He was prominently mentioned for the Presi- dency in 1856 and 1860 ; was governor of Vir- ginia, 1866-60, and in that capacity effected the capture of Jolin Brown (q.v.), whose execution took place, Dec. 2, 1859. In 1859, Governor Wise purchased '* Rolleston," an estate in Prince Anne count}', Va. ; was a member of the state secession convention of 1861, serving on the committee on Federal relations ; entered the Confederate army as brigadier-general of the '"Wise Legion"; was commissioned, June 5, 1861, his brigade numbering 4000. He established his headquar- ters at Charleston, Kanawha, whence, after a slight engagement at Ripley, he retired to Gau- ley River, where he fought an indecisive engage- ment with forces under General Cox. Owing to controversies between himself and General Floyd, he was ordered to Riclimond, and as- signed to the command of the Chowan district, Jan. 7, 1862, but on the day of tlie battle of Roanoke Island. Feb. 8, he was prostrated with a severe attack of pleurisy at Nag's Head, and the Confederate troops on the field commanded by Col. H. M. Shaw were defeated by General Burnside. His eldest son, Capt. Obadiah Jen- nings Wise of the Richmond Blues, was mortally wounded, and captured while his men were en- deavoring to escape with him to Nag's Head ; and died on the day following. The " Wise Le- gion " was reorganized into a brigade in May, 1862, consisting of his former 46th and 59th regi- ments and the 26th and 84th Virginia regiments. During the seven days' battles around Richmond his brigade manned the batteries at ChaflSn's Bluff, a part of it under General Wise joining General Holmes's division on June 30. General Wise subsequently retin-ned to Chaffin's Bluff, whei'e he was stationed until September, 1863, when he was transferred to the department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, where he remained until May, 1864, when he was ordered to join Lee's army in Virginia. His brigade was attached to Johnson's division, Anderson's corps, and aided in the defence of Drewry's Bluff under Whiting. At Petersburg AVise assumed com- mand of the lines from Batteries 14 to 23 in- clusive, his brigade being commanded by Col- onel Goode, and upon Wise devolved the defence of the city. June 9 and 15, which he conducted with great courage against heavy odds. He re- sumed command of his brigade in November, X. — 29

1864 ; marched from Burgess's Mills to the re- lief of Lee at Five Forks, April 1, 1865 ; took part in the retreat to Appomattox and in the action of Appomattox Station, Va., April 8,

1865 ; was paroled April 12. 1865, and with Gen- eral Gibbons of the Federal army had charge of paroling the Confederate army. He resumed the practice of law in Richmond, Va., and sub- sequently served as commissioner to determine the boundary line between Virginia and Maryland. The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by William and Mary college in 1869. He is the author of : Seven Decades of the Union : Memoir of John Tyler (1872). See the following articles in " Battles and Leaders of the Civil War " : " Jackson at Harper's Ferry in 1861," by John D. Imboden, Brig.-Gen., C.S.A. (Vol.1.) ; "Characteristics of General Wise" in "Anec- dotes of the Peninsular Campaign," by J. H. L. (Vol. II.), and " Repelling of the First Assault of Petersburg " by R.E. Colston, Brig, Gen., C.S.A. , (Vol. IV.) ; also " The Life of Henry A. Wise" by his grandsons. Barton H. Wise (1899). Gen- eral Wise died in Richmond, Va., Sept. 12, 1876.

WISE, William Clinton, naval officer, was born in Lewisburg, Va.. Nov. 8, 1842; son of James and Virginia (Caldwell) Wise ; grandson

of John and (Armstrong) Wise, and of Dr.

Joseph and Ann (Tyler) Caldwell. He was ap- pointed to the U.S. Naval academy from Ken- tucky, Sept. 29, 1860 ; promoted acting ensign, Oct. 1, 1863, and attached to the Neic Iroiisides, 1863-64, serving on picket duty off Charleston, S.C, and taking part in the expeditions against Cliarleston and Jacksonville. He was trans- ferred to the steam frigate Minnesota in 1864, and served during the attacks on Fort Fislier ; was given command of the flagship Malvern on the Cape Fear and James rivers, and with Presi- dent Lincoln on board, was the first to reach Richmond, Va., after the surrender. He was recommended for promotion for war services by the board of admirals, of which Admiral Farra- gut was the head, in 1865. He was married. May 18, 1875, to Nellie, daughter of Hany and Ellen (von Baxtadt) Humphre3's of New York city. He was promoted master. May 10, 1866 ; lieu- tenant, Feb. 21, 1867; lieutenant-commander, March 12, 1868 ; commander, Feb. 24, 1881, and captain, Nov. 11, 1894. He commanded the auxiliary cruiser Yale during the Spanish-Amer- ican war of 1898, and transported Gen. Nelson A. Miles and staff and 1500 troops to Porto Rico. Besides transporting the troops, the Yale also did scouting duty, looking for Cervera's fleet, and was one of the ships to discover him in Santiago. Captain Wise was assigned to the receiving-siiip Franklin at the U.S. navy yard. Norfolk. Va., in 1898 ; was on dutv as a member of the Navv