The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-10-23

CHARLES A. DANA.
bers of his family had kept themselves
in constant readiness to go to his bed
side at any moment The cause of Mr..
Dana's death was cirrhosis of the liver.
On June he was at his office, appar-
emily strong and healthy. The next
day he was taken i'll, and he never
afterward visited New York. He was
TS years of age.
Sketch of His Life.
Charles Anderson Dana, journalist, was born
at Hinsdale N H.. August 8. 1919. His Ameri-
can ancestry is traced to Richard Dana. FROM
whom Chief Justice Dana and the two Richard
Henry Danas were descended and who is mem
toned as early as 1870 When quite a boy
Charles was sent to Buffalo. N ". where he
was a clerk in 9.store until he was Is years OF
age. by which time he had fitted himself for
college He entered Harvard in 1889. but q
serious trouble with his sight temporarily dis
abled him and prevented his finishing the uni
versity course
In 1917 he settled In New York. and was q
member OF the editorial stan of the New York
Tribune from that time down to 1881. during
considerable portion OF which he was its man
aging editor and the man most trusted by its
eminent founder Horace Greeley.
Assistant Secretary of War.
On January 20. 1864. he was nominated as as
sistant secretary OF war for one year. He was
renominated January %, 1855 rendering the
principal part OF his service for the war depart
ment under the above commissions and as as
sistant secretary by visiting the army head
quarters OF Rosecrans Sheridan, Sherman and
Grant, advising confidentially with the COM
manding officers, and corresponding freely
with President Lincoln and Secretary Stanton
He resigned as assistant secretary July I, 1855.
In 1885 he had begun to plan, compile and edit.
with George Ripley, the New American
Cyclopedia." The original edition was COM
pleted in 1868, and became the American
Cyclopedia" between 1873 and 1879
Friend of Lincoln and stanton.
For the value OF Mr.. Dana's services to the
union cause during the war OF secession 1t is
but just to award to him the supreme COM
mendation which is his due. With an intense
zeal, equal TO that OF the great war secretary
whose assistant he became, and yet with clear
vision and cool judgment, he gave himself un-
reservedly TO the work for which he had been
selected. He went to the front wherever vital
battles were to be fought; made himself
welcome to every union commander; mas
tered every situation gave helpful ad-
vice on the spot; and wrote letters to
Stanton and Lincoln full OF facts which they
would not otherwise have known and OF
suggestions which were OF the highest impor-
tance. II he had done nothing but his service
in preventing the Abandonment of Chattanooga
by Rosecrans after the battle of Chickamauga
he would deserve the gratitude Of the nation.
His letters undoubtedly caused the super
sedure OF Rosecrans by Thomas and the trans
fer of the command of the operations on the
Tennessee to Grant. the conQueror Of Vicks-
burg. In season to prevent RoSecrans from re-
treating and to make possible the decisive vic
tories around Chattanooga.
The Founding of the Sun.
At the close OF the war he was invited to be-
come the editor OF a new paper in Chicago, the
Republican, an invitation which he accepted
He stayed there only u short time, however, as
the paper in question failed. owing to causes
quite outside OF his connection with it. He re-
turned to New York and organized a company
which purchased the Sun, at that time an old
and moribund property. Its subsequent sue
cess has been continuous and remarkable. Mr..
Dana issued the first number OF the Sun under
his editorial supervision January 2T, 1868 as q
democratic newspaper. and from that time IL
was an important factor in political Journal
ism.
A Free Lance Politically.
The Sun supported Mr.. Tilden for the presl-
dency and was bitter over the manner In which
the election OF 1875 terminated always there
after styling Rutherford b Hayes in its col
ums the Fraud President" In 1880. when
Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock was the candidate
of the democratic party for president Mr. Dana
did not give the candidate his support, most
important contribution TO the literature of that
time being the statement in the columns OF
the Sun that the democratic candidate
for president "a good man and
weighs $50 pounds" In the cam paign of 1884
the Sun was pronounced in its opposition to
Grover Cleveland, the democratic candidate.
lands candidacy, but in ls9, the Sun gave him
an enthusiastic support. When the demo-
cratic national convention in 1898 nominated
Mr.. Bryan on a free silver platform Mr.. Dana
and his paper virtually deserted the democratic