The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-10-21
Maior.Gen. W. w. BeIknap,
the New Secretary of War.

m0JOxe00As W. We O0AAA0k
the New Secretary OF Wal
General William Worth Belknal
whom the President has called to b
Cabinet, as Secretary of War, come
Of military family.
| His father, General VIM. q. Be
KNAPP, was for many years distir
guished and useful officer Of the reg
ular army. He entered the servic
| in 1913, as I'd Lieutenant of the 81
regiment Of Infantry, and died il
1851, rs Lieut.. Colonel Of the 9Th In
fantry.
He served with marked gallantry
through the Florida and Mexican
wars, for which he received frcquen
brevets He was the intimate frient
of Scott, Taylor and Worth, for tht
latter of who n he named his frs
son, the subject of this sketch, anc
who was born at Newburg, New
York, on the 22d of Sept, 1929; he is
consequently just turned of forty.
He graduated from the College ol
New Jersey, at Princeton, in the
class of 1s48. He was cotempo
rary Of Heister Clymer, Of Pennsyl.
vania, and of George NJ. Robson.
the present Secretary of the Navy,
and was classmate of the Rev. W,
E. Cattell, President Of Lafayette
College, and of Col. G. W. ToIles
Sheridan's Quartermaster.
He studied law with II. Caperton
Esq, at Georgetown, D. c., and, as
the partner Of the Hor. Ralph p
Lowe, afterwards Governor of this
State and Judge of the Supreme
Court practiced his profession sue
cessfully in Keokuk, Iowa, where he
located in 1851. He was elected TO-
and served one tcrm-that of 1873
in the Iowa Legislature, as Dem.
ocrat, during which time he made
the acquaintance OF James +. Will.
son, then q member of the same
body. Being unwilling to give ooun.
tenance to the Lecompton swindle,
he separated from the radical wing
of his party and was known as a
Douglas Democrat up to the out
break OF the rebellion.
He entered the army as Major OF
the 18th Iowa Infantry, commanded
by Colonel afterwards General
Hugh T. Reid; served with his regi-
ment in the Army Of the Tennessee,
rising through the various grades and
participating in the battle of Shiloh,
seige of Corinth, campaign and seige
of vicksburg, Campaign and seige OF
Atlanta, and battles of Atlanta July
21st, ed and 2Sth. After the capture
of that place he marched with Sher-
man to the Sea, and finally to Wash.
ington; taking prominent part in
all the actions of those brilliant cam
paigns. He was promoted to the
rank Of Brigadier General for special
gallantry in the memorable battle Of
July 22d, near Atlanta, in which his
regiment fought from either side of
the same line of fbreastworks.
He wass breve.ted Maj. Gen'i. on
the 18th Of March, and at the date of
his muster out on tho Gath Of August,
1865, was regarded by Gen'l. Sherman
and his companions as one of the
most accomplished and promising
officers of the army.
Shortly afterwards he was appoin-
ted Collector of Internal Revenue for
the First District of Iowa-receiving
his confirmation at the special in
stance Of Senator Grimes, and tho
Hon. James r. Wilson.
1t is hardly necessary to say TO the
citizens of this community that he
has discharged his duties as Collcc-
tor, honestly, fearlessly and faithfully.
1t is sufficient to point to the fact,
that at the date of his accession to
this Office, there were more distillerics
and tobacco factories in this District
than in all the rest of the State, and
now there is but one of either OF these
establishments, having suspended op-
erations as much on account OF the
rigid enforcement Of the revenue
laws, as for anything else.
Though not an extreme partisan,
he has been identified with the Re-
publican party since the battle OF
Shiloh, having voted for Mr.. Lin
coins reelection, ard given all the
support in his power towards secu-
ring the election Of Grant.
He has been twice married. His
first wife was the sister of Mr. Hugh
7. Reid; the second, the accomplish
cd Miss Tomlinson, of this city.
The General is in the very prime
of his life and health is over six feet
in height, weighs Two hundred
pounds, has fair hair and blue eyes,
and is periest type of Saxon-Amer-
ican manhood His mental endow-
ments are no less generous than his
physical. He is large-brained, clear,
headed sensible, judicious and well
educated; good lawyer and an hon
est man. He brings to the discharge
of the duties OF the high place to
which he is called the military, intel
lcctual and business qualifications
that will make his administration OF
that Office honorable. able and sue
cessiu. He has no friends to reward
no enemies TO punish; is free from al
"rings." combinations and cliques
and will 30 into office uncmbarrnssec
by political orpersonal pledges. Th.
President nay depend upon his tidel
ity, and the people upon his undevl
ating attention to the public cinterests
| We wish him success, and bespeal
for him u generous reception at tn
hands Of our brethren OF the pres
throughout the country. - keoEu
Gate City.