Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-02
HONORABLE SERVICE
Long and Aetiy o9eer of General
John NJ. Wilson.
BORN IN rHE City Or WASHINGTON
How He Happered 80 Go to West
Point
HIS FUTURE PLANS


The retirement of Brigader General John
NJ. Wilson. chief of engineers. United States
army, from active service In his corps
marks stage Of progress in a most honor
able career. 1t will not be a retirement in
the sense of the ending of useful service,
LOT General Wilson, who has always known
busy life. has already planned to per
FORM work which he has not had time to
a'leho 10 during the more active period of
MS HE. His personal affairs will require
attention. and he proposes writing of the
events in the life of the nation in which
he has either played an active part or of
which he has been an observer. Much of his
work has been for the welfare of this city,
and he looks forward to it's further inn
provement with great interest.
A Native of This City.
General Wilson was born in the District
Of Columbia October s. 1887 and he always
regarded this city with feelings of affec-
tion His birthplace was on G street nearly
opposite the Epiphany Church. His father
was, was also also born here in 1906 on street
near the corner of 18th. His grandfather
on his mothers side came here In 1872
from Philadelphia. Among the papers
cherished by General Wilson is letter
"AiISSA w his HuOlueT July >, IS-f 10 HeE
uncle in Philadelphia, describing the
Fourth OF July celebration in this city on
the previous day. The ties of family and
his own early life here combined to give
him an added interest in the development
and identifying Of the capital.
Gen. Wilson started out to earn his own
living When ne was little more than twelve
years old. he became page on the floor
OF the Senate in December 1S49, and some
of his most pleasant recol1ections are of
the great men whose names are familiar
to every schoolboy and who were then per-
forming the great work of their lives. He
knew Clay, Webster and Calhoun. Thomas
H. Benton. Stephen K. Douglas and Salmon
F. Chase as a popular boy knows such
men. and he recalls some Of their feats OF
oratory and craftsmanship, which he could
appreciate. although little more than a
child himself. He remembers the tragic
scene in which Henry S. Foote of Missis-
Sippt, the colleague OF Jefferson Davis.
drew his pistol on Thomas H. Benton in
the Senate chamber.
Went to California.
Before young Wilson was sixtee years OF
age VIM. NJ. Givin told him he could go to
California with him If he wanted to strike
out for himself, and he made the trip by
way of Aspinwall. going across the Isthmus
of Panama partly on muleback and partly
by the railroad. which was not then COM
pleted. After arriving at San Francisco he
worked his way into Oregon and to Olym-
experience, which was influential in adding
to the sturdy and rugged character of Gen
Wilson. He reached Olympia after a ride
of thirty miles across the country and
lonely journey in a canoe with an Indian
for his guide He was tired and hungry,
and finally secured room. which was di-
rectly over bowling alley, but the din of
the players could not disturb his rest.
Olympia was then town Of $50 whites and
300 Indians. The next morning the young
traveller started out to find something to
49, doc, ho1 had
situation which paid him 1925 a month.
For strange boy in a strange land he was
getting That was in January, 1854 and
in the following December the delegate of
the territory of Washington. Columbus Lam
caster, said he wanted boy for appoint
ment to West Point,
Sent to West Point.
Young Wilson was we'll known to the
governor and other officials Of the terri
tory, and they at once took an interest In
him, with the result that he secured the
West Point appointment. In the spring Of
1850 he went to San Francisco and came
back to the east over the Nicaragua canal
route. He crossed the country on horse
back to the lake. where he took boat,
and, after going over that magnificent body
of water, went down the San Juan river
to Greytown, which then had a fine harbor.
Arriving in this country he entered West
Point, where he remained for five years,
III.
he was graduated and soon the war was
to give him opportunity for hazardous and
honorable service. For one year he served
as assistant ordnance officer at Fort Mon
roe arsenal, Virginia. and at the Washing
ton arsenal in the District of Columbia
He serving in the defense of this city
from April to July, 1861, and in the Ma
nassas campaign of July. He was in the
Virginia peninsular campaign and enga ged
in the siege of Yorktown, April ) to May
4 1862. He was at the battle of Williams
burg, May 40, and at the action at Sla-
tersvlle, May ., 1862. He was also at the
skirmish at Gaines Mill, the action at
Mechanicsviile and the battle of Gaines
Mill.
Rrevetted for Bravery.
At the battle of Malvern Hill, Va, June
80 to July l. 1862, he was brevetted major
for gallant and meritorious services. He
was transferred to the corps of topograph-
ical engineers, July "a, 1862. and to the
corps of engineers March 3, 1863, the lat
ter service opening for him a distinguished
career He was also in the battles of
South Mountain and Antietam the Skin
mish at CharleStOwn, Va, October II, and
made experimenting engineer of the
construction of defenses of Harper's Ferry,
Va from November l, 1862. to March 20
1863 For few months in 1863 he was sta
toned at the Military Academy as assist
ant professor of Spanish, but in the sum-
mer Of the same year was again actively
engaged as an engineer in the construction
of defenses Of Baltimore Mosby was
threatening the city and 1t became neces-
sary to hastily construct works of defense
General Schenck ordered Captain Wilson
to go to Druid Hill Park, cut down the
trees and utilize them in the work of de-
Tense. Proceeding to this duty Wilson
found himself in magnificent grove Of
trees that it would have taken a century
two to duplicate. 1t was too much for
him to destroy these magnificent trees I'M
less the need was imperative, and he went
back to General Schenck and the order
was modified SO that the trees were to
come down when 1t became absolutely nee
essary to use them. That moment never
came and the people of Baltimore still
have Druid Hill Park, with it's splendid
grove of trees, and they have often felt
grateful to the man who saved them
Captain Wilson was later made superin-