The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-06-09
A Brave Son OF Cornwall.

Inc ioI )wing noiice of a Cornwall
soldier is from notes made for n coIIecl
non OF biographies of The military men
OF the class OF 1856, OF Williams col
lege, by Henry Root, of Whitehall. N.
y, who wishes fnr.her intormation
concerning Mr.. Baxter. which we
uust some of our readers can supplv
HIM.
William Rive Baxter was born
1913, at Cornwall, VI. lie fitted for
collage at Norwich military school and
at loultnev, Vt. lie entered Williams
college in 1852, and was prominent as a
speaker, genial com panion aud a
working student. lie was elected to
several oratorical exhibitions; was
elected by his classm ites to be all edi-
tor of the Williams Quarterly Maya
zine with Garfield, Knox, Tatlock and
Smith.
After graduating he removed to Wis
consin, and studied law. lie was adj
mitted to the bar and removed to Con-
yer, Minnesota, in 1853. During that
| year he married Miss Jennie King. of
Kingsbury, N. y, whom he had met
at Poultney, in his school DAYS. He
was elected to tho lower house of the
Minnesota legislature for the sessions
of 1SS0-G1. He was no minated for The
Senate in 1861, but declined in order
to engage in raising men for the army.
tie was sent through the state by the
governor for that purpose.
lie was mustered into tho United
States service as Captain of Co. H., 9th
Minnesota volunteers, and was order
Ell win his company to protect the
frontier ~ I'M Indians. Nis.Io IT, cum
nahu oi Fort Glencue, aud drilling his
men In the open air, hc was seized with
pulmonary heinUrrhage and the conse-
quent weakness prevented his doing
ulouliie duty ever after. As Sam ma
paroled men could be sent TO relieve
the troops that had enlisted to pre.
serve the Union and were dissatisfied
with frontier service, he was ordered to
duty III the south. While his men
were CHARTERED for one night in No
vember, at Fort Smelling, he went to
st. raul to be for short time with his
wife and little daughter Effle. lie was
again seized with a hemorrhage that
imperied his life. IL was stopped by
throwing open the doors and exposing
him to the rigor of Minnesota win.
ter's cold. lie was not allowed to
speak for twenty-four hours. His
faithful wife attended him unremit-
tingly and in few days he started ac-
companied by her and their little girl
to rejoin his command in St. Louis.
From that point he went to Arkansas,
to Tennessee, and to Mississippi, where
he was killed ON Jan. 16, 1864. His wife
remained with him till II few months
RI a "fG aito IIs hsaf her To- Chi.
cago on her journey east. A southern
soldier being in company with him and
nearing his determined expressions of
patriotism declared that the south
could never conquer an army made up
oi such men. 1t was Oh u raid in force
from Memphis that he lost his life at
Guntown, Mississippi. Overwhelming
numbers of the enemy had nearly de-
stroyed his command. Those who
could retre1ted. Baxter's delicate
constitution prevented his saving his
life that way, and he parted with his
men with brave words. General For.
rest killed him and showed his revol.
YER and money to inquiring comrads in
evidence Of the fact. Only three men
OF his company of one hundred and ten
lived to reach their homes. On the
soldiers monument at Cornwall, VT,
and on one other at Casover, Minnesota,
stands the name of the brave Baxter.
1t is eloquent to coming generations as
ne was eloquent to his generation.
His na~e. too. stsqedoras 81" WAniamss
college, in which TIE beloved Garfield
will forever stand. Both loved and
honored their class, their college and
their country. Addison county, Yer.
mont, has honored herself by honor
ing them.