Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1874-10-06
ff"!h the hlchhlohu Enquirer.
GEN, WILLIAM TiEIshY


The Conservatives of the Ninth Dis
trict of Virginia, composed of Bland,
Buchanan, Craig, Giles, Lee, Mont
gomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Russell
Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington,
Wise and Wythe counties, have placed
| i'll nomination as their candidate t.
represent them in the next Congress,
Gen. William Terry, of Wytheville.-
Gen. Terry was born in Amherst coun-
ty, Va, on the l4lh day of August,
1874. and il therefore just fifty wears
of aye. When he arrived at the age
To attend school, heavy pecuniary dis
aster disabled his father to give him
those advantages usual with boys of
his class and condition, aud he was
compelled to devote his time mainly
to the assistance OF lis father in busi-
ness. But undaunttd by Discourage
ments, he made the best of every OBJ
p0rtuhlty To improve his mind. and at
the aye of eighteen, with fair English
education, he took charge of county
school. While thus engaged he ac-
quired rudimcntary knowledge of
the Latin and Greek languages, and
afterwards attended classical school,
where he prepared himself for the
University of Virginia. At this insti-
tulion he was an earnest student, and
graduated with high credit in several
schools. After leaving the Universi-
ty he taught school for several years,
and read law at the same time. by
this means, having laid by some
money and acquired suitable knOwI-
edge of his profession, he obtained a
license to practice, and in the fall of
1901 located in the beautiful town of
WythevIlle. Thus il appears that
General Terry, like many of our pro-
mlnent and most distinguished men,
commenced life as q teacher, and a
lesson may be drawn from his career
that, perhaps, the very struggles and
enharrassments of his early life taught
him that self reliance and independ-
ence OF spirit, which have given him
his high position of honor and useful
ness.
For the first year or so of his resi-
dence at Wytheville' to his profession
he united teaching, and also was en-
gagged as one of the editors of the
Wytheville Telegraph. At law he
met with marked success and rose
rapidly TO the head of the bar.
His hrst military experience was in
the John Brown" war, in which he
participated as a member of the
Wythe Grays." Atthe breaking out
OF the war between the States" he
entered the service as Lieutenant of a
nmpany, and was soon promoted to
The captaincy. His company was
part OF the old StOnewall Jackson COM
nland. In 1852 he was made Major Of
the Fourth Virginia Regiment, and in
February, 1864 he was promoted to
the CoiOnency. In May of the same
year, while lying in hospital prostra-
Ieu from WOUNDS, he received his COM
mission as Brigadier General. With
out military education. he entered the
army with the lowest official rank,
and by bis gallantry and skill rose to
Oe general officer, and i'll that posi-
ton enjoyed i'll peculiar degree the
CONFIDENCE of his superiors in COM
mand, among them Gems. Stonewall
ia kson, X. ). Ewell, and Edward
10 'nson' AT the end of the war Gen.
Terry rusumed the practice of law at
Wy.herIllc. In 1865 he was unaui-
mously nominated for Congress, and
stumped his district in opposition to
the Underwood Constitution, the fail
ure 10 adopt which OH the part of the
people would have lost him his seat if
elected. In 1869, when the Committee
OF Nine movement was accepted by
Virginia, being disfranchised, he with
drew his name as candidate, and the
Hon. J. K. Gibson was nominated and
elected. in 1870 he was again nomi-
mated for Congress, and was elected,
his competitors being Hoa. Fayette
McMullin, Independent. and Col. X.
w. Hughes, Radical. Gen: Terry's
majority over bO.h combined was
about :, 500. and his may majority over
the highest of the two about q, 900. He
served mis- district aud Virginia with
fidelity, ability, and marked useful>
ness in the forty-secOnd Congress. In
the convention which made the uomi-
ration of candidate 10 represent the
district in the forty-third Congress he
was defeated for the nomination hy
D.rDiiar combination of circumstances