Evening star., 1907-11-13

terry. The A. A Reese Commandery.
Veteran Post. No 46, department com
mander and staff. under Col. Frederick c.
Star, and the Sons of Veterans, which he
organized and was life member, will be
represented at the funeral.
Gen. Ross Career.
Gen. Ross was born in Baltimore Feb
ruary 26. 1893, his parents having been
William II. and Francis r. Ross. On his
fathers side he was of Scotch-Irish de-
scent. From 1773 until after the war Of
lS12-1S14 all the male members of the
family at various times held rank In the
British army, one having been major
on the staff of CORVALLIS. His grand
father held a commission in the British
army, but sold it and emigrated to this
country in 1904. settling in Baltimore,
and soon afterWard marrying Miss Mary
Bradenbaugh. 1t was his grandfath her s
peared in the Chesapeake bay in COM
mand of the expedition against Baltimore
and Washington, and who, September L.
was killed at the head of his troops in
the battle of North Point.
Gen. w. f. w. Ross grandfather,
through much prejudice and which be-
came so unpleasant caused him to finally
leave Baltimore and afterward the coun-
try. He later attached himself to Boli-
vars expedition for the South American
Bolivia received a severe wound. which
resulted in the loss of an arm. He was
subsequently made military governor of
QUITO and never returned to this country
Soldier From Boyhood.
Gen. Ross early gave evidence of in
herited taste for a military life, and while
4 Schoolboy became sergeant of the High
School Cadets. He also served as a page
IN he
lin Pierce for President In 1853 he
joined the old Baltimore City Guard. a
crack military organization of Baltimore
and was the drill sergeant of the company
until the war broke out in 1861 He was
also assigned, In the same cancity to
drill the Maryland Guard, battalion
raised shortly prior to the war by Col.
Brush.
When hostilities commenced Young Ross
organized and drilled two regiments of
minute men at the post Office a number
of whom were afterward sent into the
field as officers of Maryland regiments.
After the riots of April 49, 1861 the militia
regiments were disbanded and Gen. Ross
then reorganized the Baltimore Citv
Guard, quite a number of that command
having gone south to join the Confederate q
forces and having four full companies in
January. 1868, was elected major of the
ba ttalion.
In June. 1868 he recruited the battalion
to ten full companies and took the field as
lieutenant colonel of the regiment. He
was passed by the board and recommend- :
ed for colonelcy in the United States
colored troops.
How He Lost His Limb.
1t was in the battle before Petersburg.
on July 80, 1864. in which he displayed
great bravery, that he received the wound
which resulted In the loss of one of his
legs. His regiment led the charge at the
Crater, So called, and while doing so he
was struck by a MIME ball which pa ssed
through the Joint of the left knee An
examination of the wound disclosed that
amputation was necessary, and Col Ross
was honorabiy discharged and sent home.
1t was for gallantry displayed in the above
battle that he was brevetted brigadier gem
eral on the field. a title subsequently con-
firmed bv the War Department
In Sentember, 1864. having sufficiently
recovered to perform such service he was
assigned to duty In Baltimore on court
martial. and afterward was attached to
the staff of Gen Lew Wallace (who after
ward became minister to Turkey and is
well known as the author of Ben Hur",
as chief of the freedmens bureau of
Maryland, under the order of Gen. Stan
ton, Secretary of War.
His Career in Politics.
AT the close of the war, in April 1865,
he was mustered out Of service and an
pointed by the Secretary of War to the
board for awarding compensation to the
owners of enlisted slaves. filing the va
cancy occasioned by the death of Seha--
tian F. Streeter This board was abol
ished in 1866, and Gen. Ross was ap-
pointed a deputy collector of internal
revenue under John V. L. Findlay, and
reappointed by William Prescott Smith.
This Office he resigned to accept the DO
stion of assistant assessor under Wi
liam II. PurnoI. and on the re-establish-
nlent of the board of awards to slave
owners was appointed by Secretary of
War Stanton as secretary of the board
In March. 1867 he resigned the secre-
taryship TO accept the position of assessor
of internal revenue for the third district
of Maryland, rendered him by President
Andrew Johnson.
Upon retiring from this Office he was
for a time engaged with Mr.. Charles E.
Weaver of Washington in prosecuting
internal revenue claims, and then, in
1873. was appointed by Gen Adam E.
King to a clerkshp in the naval office.
and reappointed in 1877 by Naval Officer
Corkran. He resigned his position as
clerk and was appointed assistant post
master under Postmaster Harrison Ad-
reon, which position he he'd for four
years. and since that time has been en-
gagged in private business and the prose
cution of pension claims
Gen. Ross was married three times.