Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-03-31
General WE. smith.

: SNhs " hhiANii1 ASNNH'r /
promoted to the rank of Major General
in the regular army, is native Of ST. |
Adams Vermont, and is now about for |
ty years Of age, The late Hon. John
Smith Of st. Adams, father Of the Gov
ernor, was his uncle, we believe, and il
was through his influence that aOld |
Badly as Gen Smith is now popularity
known among army officers, received
his appointment 10 the Military Acade-
my at West Point, where nc graduated
in 1916, ranking fourth in his class
He was assigned to the corps of topo-
graphical engineers, in which he became
I'd Lieutenant in lS49, LIST Lieutenant in
1853, and Captain in 1859 He was Act
ing Assistant Professor Of Mathematics
at West Point from 1916 to ls4S, and As
sistant Professor in 1855, and was at
various times employed on the surveys
of the Lake Superior region, of the Rio
Grande, Texas, of the Military Road TO
California, and was on the Mexican
Boundary Commission. When the re-
bellion broke out he was Secretary OF
the Light House Board at Washington,
and rendered his services to the Gov
ernor of his native State in any capaci-
ty he might be made useful. BY per-
mission OF the War Department he was
allowed to accept the Cslonelcy of the
Sd Vermont Volunteers, offered him by
he Ire Uovernor of this State in 1861. On
the 18th Of August in the same year,
he was commissioned Brigadier General.
At the siege of Yorktown Gen. Smith
commanded division Of Gen. keyes'
corps, which division included the list
Vermont Brigade. 1t was here that the
attempt was made by the Vermont boys
to cross the Warwick rSf-er and storm
the Confederate works and here the
story that Gen. Smith was intoxicated
originated from his being thrown from
a spirited horse while leaping a fence in
70 n,ougbad ,aa.,A in the heat Of the
fight a story which gained cons..'sell"
| BILE currency at the time, but only to be
| fully contradicted and retracted as soon
as the facts were inquired into. Gen,
| Smith was among the foremost in the
battle of Williamsburgh, and through
| out the Peninsular campaign earned
great credit for courage and for ski
and ability as Division Commander
He was also engaged in the battles o.
South Mountain and Antietam, the op,
nortune arrival of his division during
the latter battle it is said saving the
day on the right of our line. After
wards, as commander of the Sixth Army
Corps, he participated in the battle O.
Fredericksburg, under Burnside, anc
subsequently commanded for shor
time Burnside's old army corps, Tho
Ninth The Senate not confirming hi
nomination as Major General of Volun
teers, he next came into general notic'
as Chief of the Engineer Corps OF tn,
Army Of the Cumberland, and to hin
Is dttlluuGcN tliS p4ah ouSSN9HAaii1 SA'
cuted by Gen. Hooker, whereby tn
blockade Of the Tennessee river nea
Chattanooga was raised and the arm.
relieved from a critical embarrassment
Since then Gen. Smith has served a
Chief Of Engineers on Gen. Grant
staff, and it is doubtless at the latter
request that he was recently nominated
for promotion, preliminary, as is conjec
tured. to some important command
The officers and soldiers who know hiT
best unite in their testimony as to hi
personal bravery, his practical juds
ment and his eminent strategica
ability.
native Of Vermont, vermonters wi
watch his career with especial interes
ScHooL MEETINGS. - At the meetin
held in District No. 20, Moses Hawke
was chosen Moderator, Francis Fen
Clerk, Gershom Cheney Collector, G..
Cheney Treasurer, VIM. H. b. Owen Al
t ditor, N. s. stearns, N. Q. Davis, samu'
Terrill, Prudential Committee. Tax !
cents on a dollar.
t In District No. l8 (Nebraska) R. Hew
was chosen Moderator, John Slater
9 Clerk, Pat Toohey Treasurer, j. Slater
I'd, Auditor, Pat Toohey Collector Wn
Douglas, H. Morgan and James o. She,
Prudential Committee s,s.
In West Rutland, District No. Z, j.
Gilmore was chosen Moderator, Samu,
Boardman Clerk, Rev. Tho Lynch, J. ]
Harmon and s. Jones Committee, J. ]
Gilmore Treasurer, II. A. Smith Collec
or, w. Gilmore Auditor. Adjourned I
! It'll Of April for purpose of completin
business of the meeting.
f --------
, FIRST DTsTRIcT AHEAD.-Provost MAJ
shall General Fry reports the followin
number of men deficient in New Englan
under all calls for troops, March IA. !
Maine, goal; New Hampshire, 2,42s
. | Vermont 170. Massachusetts Oh ZOO