The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-09-23
= DEAD PRESIDENT.
HIS EARLY 5TFE.

d York, but, Like his mother, was of Nes England
zstock. James was the youngest of four chill
sdren The father died in 1888, leaving bis
family dependent upon small farm and the
sexertions of the mother. There was nothing
{ about the elder Garfield to distinguish
him from the other plodding farms
! ers of the rather sterile township Of Orange
No one could discern any qualities in him,
which. transmitted to the next generation,
might help to make statesman, unless it was
Industry but his wife, who is still living at an
advanced age. was always fond Of reading when
1 she could getleisure from her hard household
duties, and was a thoroughly capable woman,
Sof strong will, stern principles, and more
! than average force of character OF the chill
{ dren no one beside James made the slight
! est mark IN the world. The older brofheYl
7 is farmer in Michigan. and the two
SISTERS are farmers wives. James had al
hard time of it as boy. He toiled hard ouI
the farm early and late in summer. and
worked at the carpenters bench in winter.
The best of it was that he liked work. He had
an absorbing ambition to get an education. and
the only road open to this end seemed that of
manual labor. Ready money was hard to getI
/ in those days The Ohio canal ran not far
from where he lived, and, finding that the
boatmen got their pay in cash and earned bet
\ ter wages than he could make at farming or|
scarpentry, he hired out as q driver onI
the towpath and soon got up to|
the dignity of holding the helm oil
boat. Then he determined to ship as al
sailor on the lakes, but an attack of fever and
sague interfered with his plans He was illI
three months, and when he recovered he de-
scided to go to school called Geauga Academy.
in an adjoining county. His mother had
him. together with few cooking utensils andE
"a stock of provisions. He hired a small room
and cooked his own food to make his
Hexpenses as light as possible. Hell
spaid his own way after that, never
acalling on his mother for any more assistance.
By working at the carpenters bench mornings
land evenings and vacation times, and teaching /
country schools during the winter, he managed
Ito attend the academy during the spring and
fall terms and to save q little money toward go
hing to college. He had excellent health, a ro-
bust frame, and q capital memory. and the at /
Tempt to combine mental and physical work.
(which has broken down many farmer boys am
lbitious to get an education. did not hurt him.
GARFIELD AT COLLEGE.
When he was % years of age he concluded he
had got about all there was to be had IN the
Obscure crossroads academy. Hs calculated
The had saved about half enough money to get
Through college, provided he could begin, as
lhe hoped, with the Junior year. He got life
insurance policy, and assigned it to a gentle
man as security for loan to make up the
amount he lacked In the fall of 1854 he en-
tered the Junior class of Williams College,
Massachusetts, and graduated in 1856 with
the metaphysical honors of his class. A L
daguerreotype of him, taken about this time,
represents rather awkward youth, with
shock of light hair standing straight up from
big forehead and frank, thoughtful face. of I
very marked German type.
Before he went to college Garfield had con-
nected himself with the Disciples a sect having
Il numerous membership in Eastern ana I
Southern Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky,
where its founder, Alexander Campbell, had
travelled and preached. The principal pecul-
arities of the denomination are their 70
fusal to formulate their beliefs into "a i
sreed, the independence of each congregation,
The hospitality and fraternal feeling of the
members, and the lack of o regular ministry
When Garfield returned to Ohio it was natural 4
hat he should soon gravitate to the struggling
little college OF the young sect at Hiram, Port
age county, near his boyhOod's home. He be-
3ame Professor of Latin and Greek, and threw
himself with the energy and industry which
gere leading traits of his character into the
work of building up the institution. Before he
lad been two years in his professOrship he was
appointed President of the college.
The young President taught, lectured and
preached, and all the time studied as diligently
IS any acolyte in the temple of knowledge.
Ie frequently spoke on Sundays in the church 1
IS of the towns i'll the vicinity to create an in
crest in the college Among the Disciples any
me can preach Who has mind to- no ordina-
ion being required. From these Sunday dis
klana Ar hat ,s,Il
me was a minister. He never considered him
elf as such, and never had any intention of
inding a career in the pulpit. His ambition, 4
t he had any outside of the school, lay in the E
Erection of law and politics.
HIS MARRIAGE. .-.
During his professorship Garfield married
Hiss Lucreta Rudolph, daughter of farmer
d the neighborhood, whose acquaintance he \
lad made While at the academy, where she was
sleo pupil. She was quiet, thoughtful girl,
Il singularly sweet and refined disposition,
ond Of study and reading, possessing
warm heart and @ mind with tho D
sapacity of steady growth. The marriage
was love affair on both sides, and has been q B
thoroughly happy one. Much of Gen. Gar
itld's suUseqlellt success IN life may be at y
ributed to the never-failing sympathy and in
ellectual companionship OF his wife and the Z
timulus of loving home circle. The young
ouple bought neat little cottage fronting on &
he college campus, and began their welded 4
tfe poor and in debt, but with brave hearts,
In 1859 the college President was elected to 4
he State Senate from the counties of Portage
nd Summit. He did not resign his Presidency,
because he looked upon g few months in the u
Legislature as an episode not likely to changess
the course of his life. But the war came to y
alter his plans. During the winter of
1861 he was active in the passage osg
measures for arming the State militia,
and his eloquence and energy made himA
conspicuous leader of the Union party D
Early III the summer of 1851 he was eIectedS
Colonel of an infantry regiment the Forty-g
second) raised in Northern Ohio, many of theE
soldiers of which had been students at Hiram. 4
He took the field in Eastern Kentucky, was soonS
put in command of q brigade, and by makingE
one OF the hardest marches ever made by reg
cruits surprised and routed the rebel forces d
under Humphrey Marshall, at Piketon. &
From Eastern Kentucky Gen. Garfield was
transferred to Louisville, and from that placeN
FASTENED 10 join the army of Gen. Buell., whicbN
he reached with his brigade in time to partici- "
pate in the second days fighting at PittsburghEs
Landing. He took part in the siege of Corintha
Charleston railroad. In January, 1862 heH
was appointed Chief of Staff of t1e#
Army of the Cumberland and bore promo
inent share in all the campaigns in MIDI
die Tennessee in the spring and summer Il
If that year. His last conspicuous mill
taEy service was at the battle of Disadvantages. q
For his conduct inthat battle he was promoted4
to a Major Generalship 1t is said that hen
wrote all the orders given to the army that day
and submitted them to Gen. Rosecrans for ap-s
pToTal, save one The one he did not write8
was the fatal order to Gen. Wood, which was e
20 worded as not to correctly convey the mean "a
ing of the commanding General and which,
caused the destruction Of the right wing of thekl
army. b
ELECTED TO CONGRESS. 81
The Congressional district in which Garfield
lived was the one long made famous by
Joshua r. Giddings. The old anti-slavery &
champion grew careless of the arts of POLITICS.
toward the end Of his career, and came toHI
look upon a nomination and reelection asS
a matter of course. His oYerconfidence was&
taken advantage Of in 1858 by an ambitious Il
lawyer named Hutchins to carry conyen- i
ton against him. The friends of Giddings 81
never forgave Hutehins, and cast about for a IS
means of defeating him. The old man himself Il
was comfortably quartered in his Consulate at N
Montreal and did not care to make fight too;
get back to Congress. So his supporters nadess
use of the popularity of Garfield and nomina q
ted him while he was in the field without ask s.
ing his consent. That was in 1862. When heEI
heard of the nomination, Garfield reflected q
1.14 L ~ IL