Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1873-02-15

| lieutenant4colonel, and the regiment ioin-
ing General Scott's army at Vera Cruz.
distinguished itself in the battles of La
Hoya, Cerro Gordo, Chepultepec and Ger
ita de Belina. When the defences before
the City OF Mexico were stormed, the
Twenty-tilst lost its colonel (lobertsl, and
Colonel Geary succeeded to the chief COM
mand, receiving his commission soon after
the triumphal entry of Scott into the Capt.
tai of Mexico. '- er.,e.
| {. As soon as peace was declared, Colonel
Geary returned to his native State, intend
lug to resume his profession of engineering
lie was, however, induced in 1S49 to
abandon it, and accept from President
| Folk the appointment of postmaster a the
newly established city OF San Francisco.
and entered upon tho duties of his position
in April Of that year. In the month of
August following, he was unanimously
elected First Alcalde II San francisco. and
at the close of the year WIS reelected to
the position by q vote of z, 106 to IL. In
| 1850, when the preponderance of the Amer
icsn element led to change in the form of
local government, Alcaldt Geaiy became
the first Mayor of San francisco, and made
! himself famous by thoroughly organizing
an efficient volunteer fire department, be.
ing himself the chief engineer. Hejalso
joined IN the movement for securing to Cal
| lfornia Free State Constitution. In 1852
| he left California, reaching his home in
| April, where he remained in private life
| until lSJ6, when he was appointed Cover
nor of Kansas by President Pierce. the
nomination being promptly confirmed by
the Senate. On reaching Tire Territory,
Governor Geary found himself opposed by
the Border Rutlians, but he maintained his
authority despite their efforts to overthrow
his power. In 1854, it became apparent
that the Pierce administration had deter
mined to force a slave Constitution upon
the people Of Kansas, aud finding that Blu.
chanan, the Democratic nominee for the
| Presidency. had also avowed himselfin IA
vor of the same policy, Governor Geary
decided to resign his Governership and
again return to Pennsylvania. In Aprk
| 1861, when Fort Sumptcr was fired upon,
his military instincts led him to protier his
! services to the Government and President
Lincoln accepted them by giving him n
commission as colonel, with orders to raise
a regiment.
! Sixty-six companies applied for permits
! sion to join his command, n fact that led
| to his being authorized to accept eighteen
companies of infantry and Knapp's battery
OF artillery. With this miniature brigade
Colonel Gcary was ordered to Harper's
Ferry, where he was assigned to the dc.
fence OF Maryland Heights and the river
front of thirty miles. On October 10th,
| 1861, the Coulederatns under command of
Generals Ashby and Evans. atts ckcd Col.
! Geary's forces or the Heights of Bolivar,
but they were Iepulscd despite that the
! Union forces were opposed to five times
their number. Col. Geary was wounded
in the knee at this engagement, but he was
again in the saddle in the spring of 1862,
and, being placed in the Shenandoah Val
Iey,captured the city Of Lecsburg and drove
the rebels from the possession of Suckers,
| Ashby'S, Manassas, Chester's and Thorn
toms Gaps, in the Blue Ridge ard Bull
I Run Mountains. This service was duly
rewarded by the Government in the pro-
motion of Col. Geary to the rank of briga-
dier general (April %, 1862. AT the first
battle of Cedar Mountain, June 20, 1862,
General Geary took part and was slightly
wounded during he action in the left foot,
though he refused to leave the field. Just
at the close of the battle he was again Sc
verely wounded in his sword arm. This
necessiated his temporary retirement from
the field, but he again resumed active ope-
rations in the fall of 1862. and in December
of that year captured Winchester. When
Hooker reCrganiZeC the Army of the Poto-
mac, in the spring Of 1863, General Geary
was assigned to the "Whitc Star, " or "a
Division of the 10Th Army Corps At the
battle Of Charlottesville, May, 1863 Gen
cral Geary's division distinguished itself by
capturing five battle flags from the enemy.
At the battle Of Gettysburg, under General
Meade, July, 1863, General Geary's. divi-
sion was assigned to position on Cups
Hill, where il suffered heavily. In the
month Of October, 1868, General Hooker
was ordered TO Join Rosecrans, in the West,
with the llth and 18th Cops. This rein
| forcement was rendered necessary by the
defeat of the Union forces at Chickamauga
The Army Of the Cumberland was then re-
organized, and placed under the command
ofGcneral Grant During the series ofen-
gagements resulting in the defeat of the
Confederates and the close of the fall cam
paign Of 1868, General Geary's division was
actively engaged, participating in the battle
of Wauhatchie, and also in the celebrated
| battle above the clouds" on Lookout
Mountain. At the battle of Wauhatchie
the General sustained the loss of his eldest
son, Capt. Edward r. Geary. who pierced
through the forehead by bullet, fell dead
by his fathers side.
When Sherman began organizing his
forces for the spring campaign of 1864,
Grant having been appointed Lieutenant
General. the 2Oth Corps was kept in the
Army Of the Cumberland. and participated
in the battles of Suake Gap, Mill Greek
Resaca, New Hope Church. Pine Hill,
Muddy Creek. Noses Creek Kolh's Farm,
Kenesaw. Marietta, Peach Tree Creek and
the siege of Atlanta the whole constituting
a continuous battle of one hundred days.
General Geary also took part in the great
march to the sea, and after the fall of Fort
McAllister he led the advance upon Savau-
nah. and received the surrender of the city
IN person, fact that led to his being ap-
pointed by Gen. Sherman to the position
Of military governor of ofSavannah. In Jan,
uary. 1865, he was promoted to the rank
{ of maiOr-general, and accompanied Sher-
man on his march through the Carolinas
, participating in the battles of SandsbOro
| Davlsboro, Salkahatchie, North and South
Edisto, Red Bank, Cougaree, Black river
, and Bentonville. He was also present
with his command at the surrender o.
; Johnston, having participated in siSty-foul
) battles, being four times wounded, and
having fought the enemy in nine different
States, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia
, West Nir0inia North Carolina Georoi n