Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-05-13
HAMILTON MONUMENT.
TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF A
DISTINGUISHED Man.
Monument to the Son of Alexander
Hamilton for the City Cemetery
"A Bronze OF the PubIicist.

"a Hltie over year ago the writer pub
lished an article in the RECORD. UNION call
ing attention to the neglected condition O.
the grave of William Steven, the fifth sor
OF Alexander Hamilton, the famous frs
Secretary of the Treasury, and calling fol
correspondence to definitely decide the
date OF his death, and for any interesting
facts pertaining to his residence in Califor.
MIA. The publication was widely cooled
and elected number OF letters which
helped to settle controverted points. The
tombstone indicated that he died October
8, 1850, whereas the family records showed
that his death ACQUIRED on the 18th of
August. George L. Rich, in a valuable
communication, stated that his father.
Samuel Rich, in the spring of 1850 opened
a hotel known as Our Home" No. III, ]
street, between Sixth add Seventh, and
that during the month of July the Colonel
came down from the mountains and re-
| manned at "Our Home" till his death. "As
| the rooms and hunks were full father en-
| gagged room three doors below and got a
cot for him to sleep upon. Soon after he
came he was taken sick. During that time
| brought him his meals and waited upon
aiAh' AAio olChucsS WdS VI SHUT n.
All was done for him that lay in our power,
but he passed away gently, far away from
home and relatives the 9TH day of August,
| and was buried in a lone spot in the City
Cemetery" / briefly sketched his life as
| follows:
He was born in the city of New York, August
Z, 1897, SO that he little past fifty years of
age at The time OF his death. He was not man
of dissoute habits but with a rowing DISPOSE
| ton. He left West Point, which he entered
in lSl4, before his graduation, and drifted to
various points in the then remote Western
country. In his youth he was especially fond
of all forms of mathematics, and on account of
his proficiency was made United States Sur
veyor of Public Lands in Illinois. In 1882 he
served as Colonel OF Illinois Volunteers in the
Black Hawk war, commanding reconnoiter-
ing party under the famous General Atkinson
He ed several positions of Importance and
afterward removed to Wisconsin, thence to Cali
fornia: 8 He was originally buried in tier ?,
grave so, but afterward his body was removed
to lot 90-a neglected spot 5x10-a space I'M
worthy of SO great a name. The plat seems to
| be owned by G. Woodman, and is closely
hemmed in by the grounds now or once owned
by \. Fitzzimmons. e. smith and Hester
Nranken.
IS. d. w from San Francisco, May
10, 1888, added some interesting facts
He served several times in the Terri
torial Legislature of Wisconsin; was a
candidate for delegate to the Convention
that framed the Constitution of Wisconsin
in the fall Of 1647, but was defeated by
three votes. He contested his seat and
| made an argument before the Convention
in his own behalf of which any statesman
might well be proud. 1t was published at
the time in the Madison papers. Mr.
Hamilton was a good surveyor. a good
lawyer and an excellent speaker.
In conclusion, | will say that ne was al
ways honest and conscientious with his
fellow man." Recently returning to your
besutiful city, and finding no move had
been made TO pay tribute to the illusirious
Hamilton through his honored son, | al
dressed letter TO Major. General SCHUYLER
Hamilton of New York, pledgiDg myself
! TO be responsible for the transfer of the re-
mains, plat in the cemetery and the
building of foundation. provided the
Hamilton family would construct worthy
monument.
| am just in receipt of an extended re-
| ply in which a promise is given not only
| to rear monument bat to embellish it
with medallion in bronze of Alexander
Hamilton, which he adds will be "a great
ornament and handsome compliment both
| to father and son. He states it is the best
| likeness eXtant, and that he assisted the
artist to the best authorities for his work
| He spoke of his uncle as rough dia-
mond," and so thinks something rough,
| square and pointed at the top would meet
the case" In harmony with what | know
| to be the spirit of the family, he desires
that there must be nothing mean," but
all plain and substantial" In accordance
| with the suggestion in my article, the Sons
of Veterans, Captain Robinette on the Both
of May, marched to the grave of Colonel
Hamilton and beautifully decorated it.
Their corps of flies played funeral dirge,
their Chaplain offered up fervent prayer
and the grave of the distinguished dead
was buried beneath a wealth of floral
tributes.
The newspaper account adds: 1.-The
Sons of the Veterans of the late war went to
the cemetery expressly for the purpose of
doing honor to the son of one Of the most
distinguished Americans of revolutionary
fame" l propose to ask the Grand Army
of the Republic, in addition to paying
tribute again 10 this grave on Decoration
Day, to assist in the dedication of the
monument early in October rext, for the
reason | stated a year ago: There are
few to whom we owe so much as Alex
ander Hamilton, for amid obstacles which
to all others seemed insurmonntable, he
| contrived to pay the debt OF the country
aud each of the colonies ard laid the
foundations of q financial system which
has never been changed in any important
particular to the present time" feel con-
fident the City Trustees will furnish plat
in the new portion of the cemetery which
ought TO be ten by ten, and that the State
| officers will provide the granite for q
foundation so that this commemoration
shall stand tor all time. The entire sec
| lion should be covered with cement or
granite, so that it will require no care and
Can never fall into decay. | feel confident
that the entire work when completed will
be an honor to the city and model to
many to beautify their places in one Of the
| most unique and picturesque burial spots
in The entire land.
In conclusion, a few words of the donor
will be read with interest. General Schuy-
| Ter Hamilton was one of the great fighters,
both in the Mexican war and the rebellion,
and is now sixty-seven years old. He is
| son of John c., who was Hamilton's fourth
son, and lived to the age of ninety. |
recall the fathers erect figure and finely
chiselled face as he walked along Broad
way in all weathers 10 the last of life, and
| his eloquent little speech when he pre-
scented 10 New York the full length statue
| OF the great statesman, which is one of the
| best works of art iG Central Park. In 1851
| John C.. issued carefully prepared edition
of Hamiton's works. comprising his CORE
| spondence and his political and official
writings. civil and military, in seven vol
umes. He also published u Life of Alex
ander Hamilton e vols, 1S34-i0), and
an elaborate work entitled History of the
| Republic of the United States, as traced in
the writings of Alexander Hamilton and
| his contemporaries tlS50-5S), Schuyler
graduated at West Point in 1871, and ives
breyetted for gallantry at Monterey. aud
| again for his brave conduct in an affair at
| Nil Flores. where he was attacked by SUI
peror force of Mexican lancsrs, and was Sc
vefeiy wounded in adesperate hand to-hand
combat At the beginning of the civil war
he volunteered as private in the Seventh
New York regiment. and a little later was
| on the staff of General Butler, also Gen.
Scott, and presently attained the rank of
Colonel under Henry w. Halleck. II was
| commissioned Brigadier General of Volun-
teers on November II. 1861 and ordered to
command the Department of ST. Louis
| lie participated i'll the important opera
tons of the armies of the Tennessee and of
the Cumberland was the first TO suggest
the cutting of a canal to turn the enemy's
position at Island No. 10. and commanded
q division in the operations against that
island and New Madrid. for which he was
made Major-General on September II,
1862. AT the battle of Pennington he COM
manded the reserve.
have never seen General Hamilton. and
cannot speak of him personally but he is
said TO be a most interesting conversation