The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1876-04-13

- Aaafa.sa ftt#tatf tttl Ntaf ri
kn0sn a. 'Ch1pIaiu French. proml.
ucut Methodist minister aud a widely
kuowu friend 81 the oo.orrd rAcr. bscd At
be pastoral charge, reafsals, l.. I...ph
Wednesday morning thc Iiih ug,. aged
sixty six YEAR, Ar French had .peut
varied, Aellye and highly usffu fife. he
Was born Al Manchester. w, Feb 4itt.
1910. The youth o. The deceased preach
eF vas spent 90 bis fathers farm apd At
the ben noted Bennington SEMINARY.
where be made excellent progress iB
classics aud mAihemAt3cs
Daring his theological studies and affair
their completion be founded the semi.
nary which soon became Marietta Col
iege, WAS principal 81 Citcleylila Female
seminary, Asd founded the Granville
seminary Ia 1882 be married Miss
AusgA NJ. Winebell, cousin Of pr
Alexander Winebeii, the eminent seoio-
gist. In the year 1916 be i0ined lbe
Methodist Episcopal church aud entered
her itinerant ministry 10 the North Ohio
Conference. Mr.. French was fcrveul
and remarkably successful pastor for
several years. hundreds being brought
into the church through bis labofs.
Here also, BY church appointment, be
served as President Of Nenla Fema. e Co..
lsge and as agent for the Ohio Wesleyan
University, aud then for WiIbertorce
University. Soon after the capture OF
Hilton Head aud the South Carolina
coast by the Sherman naval expedition,
AZ the urgent solicitation Of Lewis Tap
pan aud Others, be went 10 Washington
aud laid before the President his views of
the nations duty toward the "contraband
slaves OF that department He was then
given pass and commission to visit all
forts etc, In the South occupied by
Northern forces. Soon after be came
North aud organized the great Cooper
Institute meeting Of Feb goth, 1862. The
result OF this meeting was the organiza.
ton Of the National Freedman's Relief
Association. On the Sd of March be sail
ed for Port Royal, with large corps OF
teachers. These were the first teachers
furnished by the North 10 the late slaves,
the forerunners of q great host TO follow
them. lie next secured for the black
man the eight to fight under the flag OF
his country. But the struggle for il was
a hard one. Mr.. French labored with
the authorities necessarily for three DAYS
to obtain it. When the order was grant
ed IL was under the most strict inlunc-
tons that it's contents should not be d.
vulged In the North. Mr.. Stanton's own
words TO Mr.. French were :-"For
heavens sake don't let the NEW YORK
HERALD get hold of thism
The first result of this authority was
the expedition with the steamer Darling
fnn hnun hn Of nj
double purpose of destroying extensive
salt works, invaluable to the rebel cause,
and Of enlisting colored troops. This
expedition was formally In charge OF the
military officers, but actually command
cd by Mr.. French (who was under fire
in the action, and it was completely
successful In both its main objects He
wrote the enlistment roll himself, and on
the return of the vessel to Port ROYAL he
turned over TO white officers the 6Firet
South Carolina Volunteers" nearly 200
strong Thus the black man gained one
more step toward the recognition of his
rights as an American citizen. This lat
ter work was performed by Mr.. French,
under commission as chaplain in the
United States Army, He held this com
mission only twenty-seven DAYS less than
six years, aud upon it., under various
official designations, be executed all the
remainder of his work in the national
service. His private papers for this
period contain the original draft of the
act OF Cngress organizing the Freedman's
Bureau, which was his original concep.
ton After sherman's great raid had
made emancipation operative in the In
erior OF South Carolina and Georgia, he
was commissioned by Gen. Gilmore
June "a, 1860, to proceed through those
states and instruct the planters, freed |
men and other inhabitants OF the country |
generally in their Individual and relative |
iuties under the new order Of things de- /
seloped by the war.
II was during this tour that Mr.. |
French gave an example OF poetica relri- I
button upon the great rebel leader, /
Robert Toombs. Toombs had boosted 4
On the floor of the United States Senate /.
hat he expected to call the roll of his 4
slaves under the shadow of Bunker Hin
Monument" and on July 18th, 1865, Mr.. /
French called the roll of freedom for /
hose same slaves at Mr.. Toombs' own
house, while the owner was skulkipy i'm 1
.hS hp'hhpOithS swamp, ululHg away !
rom United States soldiers. In The DO /
itical canvass of 1868, letter signed bv |
Messrs. Harlan, Wilson, Wade, Colfax, /
Delano, Thayer and others was address
ID to Mr.. French, urgently requesting
nm to consent to his nomination for the 4
irst United States Seuatorsbip from the
newly reconstructed State of South Caro-
ina, but, being more Of philanthropist
han politician, he withdrew from the
canvass which his friends had begun in
lie behalf, preferring to work in the line
u duty which better suited his couyjc-
ions and his training. AT tie close of
ne sbors for the freedmen, he returned
o New York and resumed the regular
work of the ministry in the New York
Cast Conference, where be spent five
ears OF pastoral labor, rewarded by nn-
nerous conversions and The love of a
cry wide circle of friends. He survived
be oblivion of all the aspersions mali.
ious partisans cast upon bin during the
var, aud passed away in the confidence