Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-21
BENJAMIN S. EWELL.
DEATH or THE PRESIDENT EMERITUS
OF WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE.
Professor. Civil Engineer, and Soldier
Ills Numerous Houors and Distinguish
ed seryiccs-Dcvotion TO w. and d.

| ciai. b-Colonei BcpJan"" -
fessor. president, and president e''.,''e
OF the College Of William ana mary
died M his home. near Eweli station
about three miles above town. ias' ."s",,
| Colonel Eweil was taken suode"'y
Monday morning. and when the pbys'ciaii
arrived 1t was found that he hso SUM
a stroke OF paralysis on MS ''' 49,.
and continued to grow worse u"'''
| end. at 1880 O'Clock last night
| ,rolonel Eygell had been in feeble hea''n
for some time. but drove into town Vne
dav last week and chttted pleasantly
with n number OF his friends VINO gain
cred around his carriage. lie V's''e'
! eral stores and did considerable sh"Pp'"s
before returning home. inns 49,,
| FIRST visit here since Christmas 60 49,,
a week passed that the Ioiorcl -.
visited by some OF our cr'%e"s ,,,,,teroa
| sons from a distance lie '.'..,.s
Among his friends and acqualhtdn0.s
most Of the leading men Of the past .'in
| century and their appre citation TOT n'l'
| was manifested by the nlmberless ~ ~,
munications which he received dut'"s n''
illness from people all over the 'ou"Ss
| Deceased would never tel his age D"'
would the date OF his birth, June w. io'"
Flags are al half mast here out Oh
snact 10 his memory and appropriate
action viii be taken by the college
SKETCH or HIS LIFE.
tIe wax horn I'm Georgetown. ID. G., on
June 10 1910. His father was Dt l"o'i'aS
EweIl. of the United states navy a.
his mother was Elizabeth Stodnett' w
was the daughter of BENJAMIN S'o ,,o
the first Secretary OF thc Navy % ~.
United States under the nrst Aoa'"'' ,,n,
was appointed TO the Unit ad s'a'es ,,'.
tary Academy at West POINT from -
gnia in 1898, and grldua'vu .
in his class in ISL lie "3S
hrovet second lieutenant Fourth
limited states Artillery July J. ~.
second lieutenant. July !, lN@; assistant
proressor Mathematics West Point Acaue
my 1925: assistant professor Nat"i"' "''t
tsxnor,nnentaf Philosophy, iS'5-'b' reslshou
from United states army Ia le5b' was ON
of the principal assistant engineers va
more and Susquehanna r.difoau' A'
profesor OF Mathematics hahpuen-''"
nov College in virginia; professor or
Mathematics Washington College VT
pinfa tS,6-'9; professor Mathematics anu
acting president Of William and Mary
ColIec,. in Virginia I'm lSis-iNi; elected
presil.nt Of same 1854; entered the con-
federota states army Nav y, lSol' az
colonel OF the Thlrty-secund Regiment vi
Virginia Infantry, December T. 49, com
mis.lorod colonel and assistant adlutsnt-
general on the stan Of General Joseph H.
Johnston, serving through the war
AGAIN ELECTED.
In 1915 he was again eject a president OF
William and Mary College hliing inc
office and that of professor or Naturdl
Philosophy until his resignation IN 49,
was elected emeritus president OF VII
liam and Mary in 1883. ard held same
until death; received honorary degree OF
Doctor of Laws from Hobart College,
Geneva n. Y, in 1874. was member al
the Virginia Historical Society ana non
orable member of the Royal Historical
Society of Great Britain. colonel Ewell
was descended from a lire OF patriots anu
soldiers His maternal great -grandfather.
Captain Thomas Stoddert, IF Maryland
was killed at Braddocks defeat, and ms
maternal grandfather. MAJOR benjamin
Stoddert, was wounded az he battle or
Brandv,vine. Four OF his ENell relatives
were officers In the Revolutionary war
one, Ma ior Charles Ewcil, as captain N
the First Virginia Regiment. and at one
time served on the star IF Lafayette
either az adjutant or aide. His brother |
commanded a corps In the Army OF
Northern Virginia, and another brothes
was killed in the Mexican war. While |
teacher AT West Point he instructed |
Beaureglrd and many others VINO became |
distinguish soldiers on both sides IN |
the late war Colonel Eweu rendered |
valuable assistance TO General Magruder |
In the location of the dcfences on the |
Peninsula prior to the advance of Cen |
ia
intimate knowledge of'the country. united |
with his military training and engineer
ing skill did good part. While Colonel |
Ewell served honorably and with credit |
as a soldier he was opposed to secession |
and the rupture of the Union and only |
went into the war TO defend his State |
and people.
A MAN OF PEACE.
1t is not as a soldier or man Of war
on which the memory or fame ~ Colonel /
Ewel VIII rest. He was essentially a |
man OF peace for no one 80 fully loved |
his feloW-man, no matter how humble. |
as he did. He never lost an opportunity |
10 do good To others whenever he could, |
and often TO his own personal loss. He |
was essentially the friend OF the poor. lie |
was devoted to william and Mary COR
lege; indeed he and II were 80 indissou-
bly, connected that no one who knew both !
can think OF them apart. He fought hard 1
against every effort made 10 remove the /
college from Williamsburg after the war,
and but for him 1t would never have
been rebuilt IT was his idol. His labors !
TO get Congress 70 reimburse the college
for its losses during the war were inde-
fatigable. lie ii was VINO procured from
Generals Grant and Meade the certih-
Gates and letters declaring the burning
or the college TO have been "a useless
act Of war" and but for these letters
the appropriation would never have been
gotten. Colonel Ewell desery es all the
credit. Again. In 1855 the Influence he
brought to bear caused the Virginia Leg
islature to make It normal school and
TO give II substantial appropriation.
a MEMORIAL
lie will lie buried in the COLLEGE grounds
and every living alumnus Of william and
Mary should subscribe 10 place an APP
propriate memorial over his grave. They
Will not have to be urged to do so, for
every boy who came 70 OH William and
Mary loved "Old Buck" and viii be only
too glad 10 honor his memory. He was
the kind friend 20 all students, entered
fully into their Joys and sorroHs and
elevated them in their own minds by
the way lie appealed 70 their manhood
and better nature In nothing he ever
did was there an element OF selhshness
and on his death bed his thoughts and
utterances 10 the last were Of others. not
OF himself. He was a perfect mine OF
Information On all subjects fun OF anec-
dotes and "reminiscences of all sorts. No
one could listen to his converse ton with
out being entertained and Instructed lie
was always fresh In his feelings. never
Imposed his age upon others, and was
as much the companion OF the young as
OF the more mature age. This Was one of
the most charming of his characteristics.
HE had been a member OF the Protestant
Episcopal Church for years, in the COM
munlon OF which he died at 10 o'clock
L. NJ, on June 49, 1894 az his residence,
in James city county. Va, just nine das
after his sith birthday.
His funeral Will take place on Thursday
next.
THE FUNERAL
The remains will be brought here to-
morrow morning on the 1910 train. when
they will be escorted TO the COLLEGE chapel.
where the funeral services will be con.
Quoted by Rev. w. T. Roberts. II Bruton
Episcopal church, assisted by Rev. Moses
ID. Hose, Of Richmond. an intimate friend
OF the deceased for many years
The burial will be made In tho ColIega
burying ground. west OF the cole ge hufId-