The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-07-20
MAJOR JOHN ". DE FOREST
DISTINGUISHED AUTHOR AND
 CIVIL WAR OFFICER.

to His Many Literary Productions.
 All that was mortal of Major John William DeForest, the novelist and SOL dier, was laid at rest yesterday after noon in the Grove street cemetery. The home, the residence of his son, Dr. L. s, DeForest, 335 Orange street, attended by many of our prominent and influen- tial residents, gathered to do honor to the memory of a brave officer and prominent literary man. The services were conducted by Rev. MT. Scoville, of Trinity P. E. church, and there was choir of the church, Lead Kindly Light" and one other. David Daggett |ofticiated as master of ceremonies The honorary bearers were eX-Mayor A. c. Hendrick, who was a brother officer in the Twelfth Connecticut Volunteers and the only surviving officer of the com mand in this section of the state; Pro- lessor Charles s. Baldwin, of Yale; Pro- lessor William G. Mixter, of Yale; Oli- yer s. White, S. c. Pease and Charles IS. DeForest. Major Clark, of Hartford, also formerly of the Twelfth c. ", was among those present.
 Major DeForest had been an invalid for several years, and his death at the ripe age of eighty years was the cul- imitation of series of physical ail- ments which have practically rendered him helpless, although his mental vigor remained unimpaired. To many of the present generation his name will be un- familiar, but during the civil war and for years afterward he was known everywhere, not only for his brilliant military record, but also as an author of distinguished merit. It was in rec ognition of his literary ability that Am herst college gave him the degree of A. M. in 1859
 Major DeForest was born in Sey- mour, Conn, or, more particularly, in HumphreysviIle, on March S1, 1926, and was of French ancestry. His earlier years were passed in travel and study, and at the early age of twenty three he published his first book, "A History of the Indians of Connecticut" This was 1 in 1S53 and the book at once gave him standing as an author and is to-day | the standard work upon the subject. Previous to this he had written maga- zine and newspaper articles on various subjects, and his productions were al- ways in demand. He was for many lyears a regular controbutor to Har- lper's Monthly Magazine. With de- cided taste for languages, he was espe- cially fond of French and Italian, both of which he spoke and wrote fluently, and during his travels upon the con- | tinent of Europe he was constantly writing short stories, sketches and mat ter related to the locality in which he was interested. Prior to the break l ing out of the civil war he had pub- lished the history of the Indians above referred to, and followed this in 1856 1 by Oriental Acquaintances" and three years later by European Acquaint- ances."
 The outbreak of the war aroused his uatriotism, and unaided he recruited @ company which was attached to the Twelfth Connecticut Volunteers and of which he was captain, serving in the capacity until 1865 and taking part in many of the famous battles of the war. Even during this busy period he wrote constantly, and the papers and maga- zines of that time bear witness to his descriptions of localities in which he
 was statoined, and of army life. After the close of the war his ability was rec Iognized by an appointment as adjutant- general of the Veteran Reserve Army corps, post which he held until 1868,
 when he was appointed chief of an Important district under the Freed
 mans bureau, All of these positions
 were filled with singular industry and l fidelity.
 One of the most noted literary friends of the deceased, William D. Howells, has expressed on various occasions his Iadmiration of Major DeForest's work as an author, and spoke or him also as a pioneer in realistic novel writing.
 Major DeForest, when in the Sheridan lcampaign in the Senandoah Valley, was in all sixty-hve days under fire. and, I though in the thickest of the many flights, escaped without a scratch.
 l Major DeForest was remarkable en-
 tertainer, few equalling him as con- lversationalist.
 Major DeForest married Harriet s. Shepard. the daughter of Prof Charles lU. Shepard of Charleston, s. c. Mrs. IDeForest died some years ago; their Ionly child, Dr. Louis s. DeForest of this city, survives his parents. He was the last of four brothers, the others
 were Rev. Dc. DeForest, a Yale grad
 uate, who founded college at Beirut,
 Syria, and spent his life as a medical
 missionary in tha teountry; George F, IDeForest, who was for years president of a western bank, and Andrew w. De- Forest, who was for many years pres
 ident of the New Haven Gas company
 Of the deceased the New York Even
 ing Post remarks:
 Nearly sixty years have elapsed
 since the mace of John William DeFor-
 est, who died yesterday in the house
 of his son In New Haven, Conn, first
 became known to the public as an au.
 thor During that period his pen has
 been busy on many subjects. He has
 written many popular novels, books on | travel, biographical and antiquarisf notes, volumes of poems, etc., as vel
 as much descriptive correspondence
 and his productiveness continued up tC