The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1879-09-25
GEN. JOSEPH LANE.
An Autobiography: al Sketch Of the Veteran
Soldier and Senator

oVANVi NhU StuHtOFs
The following letter from Gen. Joseph
Lane appears in the Charlotte, N. c., o.
server. It,s dated ut Rosenberg, Oregon,
July II, 1870, and is addressed to lady
friend and relative at Charlotte.
DEAR MADAM-Your letter of the 2lst
ult. has been received. l thank you for
1t, and would have answered ere this but
for press Of business that could not be
delayed.
l AN the grandson Of Jesse Lane, one
Of the three brothers mentioned in your
letter, who lived where Raleigh now
stands. The three brothers were born
near where they lived away back in colo
NAL times; were clever, intelligent, old
style gentlemen, and did good service in
the war Of the Revolution. NV father,
John Lane, entered the army while quite
young, just in time to be in the battle
NJ Kings Mountain, and remained in the
army until the surrender Of CORVALLIS at
Yorktown. He voted for George Wash
ington the second term, North Carolina
having adopted the constitution after his
first election; he then voted for John Ad-
ANS, first and only term, then for Jeffer-
son, two terms, then for Madison, for
Monroe, Jackson, etc.
Ny father and uncle, Charles Lane, set
tied in Buncombe in 1906, where they
spent money, time and much labor in an
effort to establish iron works near where
Asheville now stands, but failed to &C.
comPlish their object.
In 1903 my father, then about 40
years old, married my mother, Elizabeth
Street. l am the second son, and was
born in Buncombc, wi thin four miles Of
Asheville, on the 14th of December, 1901,
In 1904 my father left Buncombe for
Henderson county, KY, where was rails
ed. I married young, raised ten children
six sons aud four daughters-all now
living but one, son, who died of cholera
in New Orleans, IN December, 1848. The
Others are living in this state, all married
but one, to-wit: Col. John Lane, a grad.
uste Of West Point, who resigned at the
commencement Of the late civil war.
io,ned the Southern army, came out at
the end of the war badly whipped, and
returned to Oregon.
My life has been an eventful one. I
was elected to the legislature OF Indiana
in 1898 from the counties of Vanderb burg
and Warwick, where I had settled some
years before, and continued to serve in
the State Legislature of and on until
40, when resigned seat in the Senate
and entered the army then being organ
lied for the war with Mexico: soon
raised from the position OF private to that
Ut birgadier, and came out Of service at the
close Of the war major-general. My first
battle, Buena With, was under Taylor, then
transferred to SCOTS line, and saw and
helped to fight as many, if not more, bat
ties than any officer of that war. Very
soon after peace was made with Mexico
| was appointed by Mr.. Polk, then
President, governor of Oregon ter
ritory and ex-oficio superintendent of In
= dian affairs. The trip to reach nv post
OF duty had to be made across the plains
il the winter. feat that had not before
! then been accomplished. But I had at
= the request of Mr.. Polk undertaken the
journey, and with hurried preparations an
escort Of twenty men, under Lieut.. Haw-
klns, lett Fort Lcavenworth on tho 10th
DAY OF September, 1849, and after a hard
struggle arrived at Oregon City on the I'd
OF March, 1840, and on that day issued q
proclamation making known that the
laws OF the United States, by act of Con-
gress, had been extended over the terri
tory Of Oregon that I had been duly el-
ected governor, had taken the oath Of Of
nee and had entered upon the duties
thereof. Well, continued in Office. at
tended to the interests of the good people.
and also to the Indian affairs, brought
the murderers of our people, Chief Tito
kite and four of his braves. to tr;a,
and the gallows. had several fights with
different tribes, came near being killed,
was very badly wounded, placed rela.
tons on good footing with all the
tribes, and in 1851 was elected delegate
to Congress-; was four times elected dele
gate, and then elected one of Oregon's
trst United States Senators; retired from
the Senate in 1851. In 1870, on the 10Th
81 August, my good and beloved wife
died. Since then lived alone on nv
ranch IN the mountains, twelve miles
from this place, until now. have lust
finished neat little home, where think
shall spend my days unto the end. /
am in quiet part of ouY town near some
OF my children, with whom shall take
my meals, and still live alone IN NV
pleasant little home. My son LAFAYETTE.
who represented this state in the Forty.
fourth Congress, lives near my house; he
10 the youngest Of my ten children. a
good lawyer and kind son.
~ Ana now, returning to the old family:
visited in 1850, North Carolina, and nv
fathers birth plsce, the old home Of nv
grandfather, four miles from Ra1e;oh
In Raleigh I visited the house in which
Joel Lane lived at the time he decided as