The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-06-13

General Sweeney---A Brief Sketch
of his Life.


General Sweeney is in every sense of
the word a true Irish gentleman. a
native of the Green Isle, his heart still
fondly turns toward her shores. He
was born at Dunmanwsy, in the county
Of Cork, Ireland, in 1922, his family
having been located in that vicinity
for at least couple of centuries. His
father, William Sweeney, was possessed
of a very great force of character, q
quality which the son inherits, and
was always known as an "honest man"
that noblest work Of God He died in
1927, leaving a widow with several chill
dren, of whom Thomas was the young
est. The widow and children emigrated
to the United States, and at an early
age the present General was appren-
ticed to the printing business. In
1916, when the war broke out between
the United States and Mexico, he was
one of the first to volunteer, having
joined Col. Ward B Burnett's First Re.
giment Of Volunteers, in company A,
Of which he was coon elected Second
Lieutenant.
The First New YORK Volunteers
were assigned to the brigade of Gen.
James Shields. He participated in
nearly all the engagements of the cam
paign under the late lamented Scott,
whose obsequies we reported few days
ago, from the siege of Vera Cruz to the
storming of Cberubusco, which pre-
coded the capture of the City of Mexi-
co. In ttSe action of Cerra Gordo he
receiyedH lance wound in the face,
the mark of which he bears to this day.
lie was severely wounded in the right
arm at Cherubusco, 80 severely that
modification ensued and rendered ams
putation necessary.
He returned to New York in 1848, and
was entertained at a grand reception
ball given in his honor at Castle Gar
den by the printers of the city. Short
ly after he was married to the daugh-
ter of the late John Clark, ESQ. His
wife is now desd, and of four children,
the issue of the marriage, one has died.
As a recognition of his services, Lieut.
Sweeney received a commission of
Second Lieutenant in the Second Regi-
ment of United States infantry, and
was ordered to California. In the dis
charge of his duties there he elected
the warm approval of his superiors in
command
Subsequently he was sent to Fort
Pierre, in Northern Nebraska, where
he acted as aid TO Gen. Harvey. Next
we find him in New York, and while
there receiving promotion to q cap
taincy in his regiment At the out.
break of the rebellion, he was ordered
to Newport Barracks, and was subse-
quentIy intrusted with the command
OF the St Louis arsenal, which Ia n id
until the arrival of Gen. Lyon lie
was second in command at the surren-
DER of the State forces at Camp jack
son, and conducted the negotiations
of the surrender. He was mainly in
strumental in the organization of the
Missouri three-months volunteers, of
which he was appointed Briadier Gen
eral
He did good service in the brief
campaign under Lyon, and in the
council of war previous to the battle
of Wilson's Creek, while nearly all the
other officers urged a retreat, General
Sweeney opposed it, and declared it
more likely to result in disaster than
fight against superior numbers and
so impressed was Lyon with the cor
rectness of his views that he deter
mined to act on them. In the battle
which followed, Gen. Sweeney received
bullet in the leg, which still remains
in the wound In the engagement the
gallant Lyon fell, and Stdrges, who as
sumed command, determined 10 re-
treat Sweeney still opposed, and Of
fered to lead his own brigade in pur
suit of the enemy, as an earnest of his
confidence. The plan was not adopted,
and defeat, according to SWeeney's
predictions, was the result
After the disarmament of the Volun-
teers he was offered and accepted the
command of the Forty Second regi-
ment of Illinois Volunteers, and after
the capture Of Fort Henry was placed
in command of that place, He was
again wounded in the battle of Pitts
burg Landing, receiving two bullets in
the remaining arm, and another in his
leg. On the 29th of September, 1862,
the commission of full Brigadier Gen
eral was issued to him, and he WAS also
raised to the rank of Major in the reg
ular army, receiving two brevets ofCol-
onel and Lieutenant Colonel lie was
soon afterwards placed in command of
a division, and during the campaigns
under Grant, Thomas and Sherman,
discharged the duties of acting Major
General in q manner that elected very
warm approval from his superiors in
command.
At the close of the war he was bre-
vetted Major General of Volunteers
for distinguished conduct in the field.