The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-01-03
A SKETCH.

a NhETCH.
Hon. Edwin X. Martin was born at
Millersville. Lancaster county, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1874, and is now in tho prime of
life. His father, B. b. Martin, was one
of the founders of the celebrated State
Normal at that place, where his son re-
celved his earlier education.
In 1861, Mr.. Martin was attending
Philips Academy, Andover, Mass, when
the firing on Fort Sumpter awoke new
echoes in the hearts of youth and age.
Al the age of sixteen, mere school boy,
he left behind him home of affiuence,
where only tenderest influence entered,
put under his feet the opportunities for
completing thorough education, which
had been his own and his fathers am BIZ
ton, and staked his fortunes in the ranks
with the boys in blue of ''the first three
hundred thousand"
His regiment was promptly assigned
TO duty in Kentucky and afterwards be-
came celebrated in the Cumberland as
the gallant Seventy-ninth Penns ylvania
veteran Volunteer Infantry. 1t participa-
ted in over twenty battles and engage
nents, sustained as great losses and en-
dured as hard continuous service as any
other of the Southwestern army. At
Perryville, in its first engagement, il lost
thrirty-three per cent in a few hours of
the most desperate fighting of the war
at Chickamauga it stood in the famous
horseshoe line which, under Thomas,
saved the fragments of Rosecrans' army
Stone river, Chattanooga, the severe
hghting around Atlanta, the march with
Sherman through Georgia and Carolina.
are all inscribed on the tattered flags. In
the engagements at Resaca, in 1864. the
colonel of the regiment was wounded
and being unwilling to leave the field,
Gen. Thomas ordered the regiment to do
depot duty. Up to this time Young
Martin had been in the ranks, and
though very young he had performed,
for three years, all the severe duties of
those terrible campaigns which had
broken down thousands of the most ro
bust constitutions, took temporary
charge of this work until Col: Kelly ar
rived, By this accident private soldier
was placed in charge of the entire mails
OF Sherman's army, and under Col. Kel-
~, and subsequently under Col. March
land, of Gen. Grants headquarter, Mr.,
Martin remained in charge of that SER
vice to the end of the war. In it ne in
augurated many important changes. and
on the Louisville d Nashville Railroad
introduced a railway mail distribution
which was probably the first of its kind
IN TINS country, and for all we know the
beginning of the present extended sys-
TEN, which has revolutionized the trans
portation of mails in this country. His
ialleu corps OF enlisted men did their
work not only on the railway cars, but
on steamboats,, in -ambulances, by the
biYouac and under the fire of battle,
Immediately after leaving the army he
began TO make preparations to resume
his college education which he had drop
ped when he enlisted nearly four years
before and after two years more of prep
aration at Philips academy, Massachu-
selts, he entered first Princeton and then
Amherst college, from which latter insti-
tuition he graduated with honor in 1871,
Tie then engaged with his father in the
lumber business in Central Pennsylva-
ma, and for four years was connected
with extensive sawmills and timber
operations in the counties of Clinton.
Centre and Cambria. In 1876 he read
law, and in the winter of 1877 attended a
course of law lectures at Columbia Col =
lege Law School, New York city, in the
same class with U. S. Grant, Jr. He
was subsequently admitted TO the bar
and soon afterward took up the practice
of his profession in his native county.
where he has held a front rank ever
since. AS professional man he has
been connected with some of the most
important cases, both civil and criminal,
that have been tried at the Lancaster bar
His business is large and lucrative, and
he commands the confidence and respect
OF a numerous and ever increasing ellen
tage,