Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-02
GEN, W. F. SMITH DEAD
ONE OF THE FAMOUS CIVIL WAR
CoMMANDERS.
Passed Away at His Home in Phlla-
delphia at the Age OF
Eighty Years.

A dispatch from Philadelphia yesterday
says: Major General William Farrar Smith,
of whom General Grant said, Baby
Smith is the only man competent to sue
coed me In the command of the army, dled
at his home in this city late last night.
Although in his eightieth year, General
Smith had continued in the active perform
ance Of his duties as government engineer
in charge of the river and harbor work for
Maryland and Delaware until year ago.
The cold which finally resulted in his death
was contracted last November.
For the last ten years OF his life General
Smith was before the public as the prin-
cipal figure in the long controversy over the
question whether he or General Rosecrans 8
originated the plan by which the Army OF
the Cumberland was relieved in october,
1863 by the opening of the river line from
Chattanooga to Bridgeport by way OF
Browns Ferry. This movement saved me
Union forces from starvation and capture.
Nearly thirty years after the Browns Fer
ry expedition. General Rosecrans IN
magazine article, claimed the credit Tor the
move. General Smith replied IN an articie;
in which he declared that he had organized
the expedition. The controversy was not
settled until two years ago, when BOARD
of army officers, for whose appointment
General Smith had asked, decided that the
credit was due to Rosecrans, and that Cen
era! Smith had no share in the maneuVers.
General Smith replied in long review OF
the boards findings, winding up with the
declaration that. while every scrap OF EVIL
dence In his favor had been rejected, all IN
favor of Rosecrans had been accepted.
In 1857 after twenty-five years OF active
service, General Smith resigned from the
army He had married Miss Sarah Lyon
of New York in 1860, and after the war he
went to that city to live. He was made
president of the board Of police commission
ers in 1876 a position subsequently filled by
President Roosevelt.
General Smith was native Of st. Adams,
VT He was appointed to the Military Acad-
envy at West Point in 1871, and at gradua-
ton was fourth in the class OF 40. In the
same class were Fitz John Porter and Cor
don Granger. He was commissioned sec
nnd lielrte nant in the geographical engi-
neers. and from November, 1916, to August,
1913, he was acting as assistant professor
of mathematics at the West Point Acade-
my. Afterward he was engaged In the sur
yey of the Lake Superior region. and of the
military road to California, and served on
the Mexican boundary commission. He had
risen to the rank of captain, and was serV-
ing as secretary of the lighthouse board at
Washington when the war of the rebellion
broke out When the President called for
volunteers Captain Smith obtained leave OF
absence and was given by the state author1-
ties of Vermont command of the Sd Yer
mont Regiment. He was with that regl-
mert in the first battle OF Bull Run, and
afterward assisted in reorganizing the de-
feated Union army. He was promoted to be
brigadser general of volunteers in August,
1851, and was soon afterWard assigned 70
the command of a division.
He assisted General Mcclellan In organic
ing the Army Of the Potomac. When tnat
army started on the Peninsula campaign
General Smith commanded a division In the
corps of General Keyes. afterward known
as the Fourth Corps. but just before the
army moved from Yorktown up the PENN
sula General Smiths division was trans
ferred to the Sixth Corps, commanded by
Gen. William B. Franklin. General Smith
participated in all the principal engage
ments during that campaign, and afterward
was at Antietam. At the battle of Freder-
icksburg he commanded the Sixth Corps.
He was then detached from the Army OF
the Potomac and served as chief engineer
on the staff of some of the commandments
OF departments In the west. He served in
this capacity with General Rosecrans at the
battle of Chickamauga.
When General Grant assumed the direc-
ton OF military movements in the east to
General Smith was given command of the
Eighteenth Corps, then serving with the
Army Of the James. The corps was trans