Evening star., 1897-01-26

no had over six months leave of absence
He will be sixty-four years of age July l
next. and would be subject 10 compulsory
retirement on Ihat date by operation of
law Another s.atute. however. provides
fo- the retirement of officers who have
served forty years. on their own appIica-
ton, and it is this privilege of which Gen.
Craishill has taken advantage. He was
eligible to its benefits nearly four Years
ago. but until now has deferred action.
Good for Many Years Work.
OF robust health and unimpaired mental
vigor he does not care to be relegated to
life Of enforced idleness, and he has strong
prejudices against being retired for age"
which would certainly have been mis- ex-
perience in short period of time but for
the course he has adopted TO forestan it.
10 MS friends he has said that he is good
for several years more hard work and his
chances of securing il, he thought might
be impaired should his record show that he
was retired for age He has accordingly
notified The President and the Secretary of
war OF his desire TO be relieved from fur
ther duty IN the army en- the 1st proxImo
IN order that he may look elsewhere for
more permanent employment. AS already
stated, the matter is entirely in his own
hands. and is in wise subject TO the ac-
tion OF his official superiors
zen CraIghll Is a most efficient officer
and stands at the front of his profession in
n
slneer- He was born July /, 1899. at
Charlestown, w Va. Ghen Virginia.. and
entered the Military Academy from that
state July j. 1912. -Four years later he
was graduated No In class of ffty-two
members. Among his classmates were
Generals Sheridan. Schofield Mcpherson
Sooy Smith and Vincent on the Union side
during the civil war. and Generals Hood
ChdmbilSs and Walker Of the confederate
army Appointed a second lieutenant of
tHe corps q Engineers, he has since passed
through all the intermediate grades TO
brlSadier general and chief of engineers to
which last named office he was appointed
by President Cleveland May IT.. 1895 sue
ceedInS Gen Thomas L. Casey, since de-
ceased.
His War Record
During the civil war he received The
hrevets Of lieutenant colonel and colonel
for meritoriOus services AT yarious tir,es
during that struggle he had charge CT the
forthcatlons of Washington, Baltimore
Hampton Roads. Charleston. Savannah
the Dry Tortugas and Delaware river. He
was also on the special beard to arrange
Geienses for San Francisco c.hen the
FTsnch were in Mexico and threatened to
~ .IIdLe taAtornia, and Immediately after
the war ne served on a board 10 revise all
the fOrlncations Of he United States
For Tour years he was assistant professor
OF military AMI civil engineering az tho
Hlted states Military = ,adeinv at WcSt
Point. From 1SJG to 1s..J General C'raiqbiI
was assistant in the eHgancar bureau in ,he
W ar department, Gni again from 1864; to
IHt", ne vas on duty the engineer bu-
Frau.
In connection with river and harbor du,v
General Cralshil has md active charge of
many important public improvements all
over the tEtted states, and mas taken ar
active part III the PROF jec-s for many OF hers
Among harDors may be mentioned those nj
New YORK. Philadelphia, Baltimore Nor
l"Ik. charleston and Savannah. He has
a -
and among the chief may be mertfoued
the Columbia Mississippi Ohio Tennessee
Kentucky, Delaware. patapsco James A.
pomattOxs Kanayh1, Cape Fear Curuher
land and St Johns. Re has been prof.s.
siOnaly employed upon harbOrs of ref;:,-,
at the mouth OF tle Delaware ana on the
coasts of Massachusetts and Southern Cali
fOrnia, and has qIre ,:ai the SURVEYS for
ship canals between tn. Cnesapaak.e ami
Delaware bays, the conncc ton of the At
lantic coast and the mississippi valley ty
way OF the James, HanIwha and Ohio riv-
ers, and lie was one of the board appoInted
TO consider the propoS-i Sturgeon Paw sfin
canal, near Milwaukee
Important Government Missions.
Gen CraiShtH has been twice sent to
Europe on in portant engineering missions
for the government and has five times
visited the Pacific coast on similar service
lie was president Of the board apnotn,ed
10 select and recommend to Congress sites
for manufacturing heavy guns on the Pa
ti.ic ana Sulf coasts; Was a member of the
lighthouse board in Washington f,r sav0
eTal years. and has several times been
rendered the appointment OF superintendent
Of the Military Academy AT West Point
For many years a member of the Ameri
can Society of Civil Engineers he bee me
the president of that organization in 1874
being the only officer OF the army who ba 3
attained that distinction. He is also a
member Of the American Association for
The Advancement of Science. the Historical
Society OF Maryland and The Americas n
Economic Association. In 1861 he COM
Piled The Army Officers Pocket Com
panion." in 1863 he translated and nub-
Hshed Gen. Duponts "Cours de Tactioue !"
and, in connection with Capt. Mendeli he
also translated Gen. Jominfs ''Precis de
Fart de Ia Guerra"
As Chief of Engineers.
His record chief Of engineers has been
most creditable. and was signalized by the