The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-04-21

Saddening was the message the wirc
brought from Florala, Ala, early yes
terday forenoon when the news was
received that the soul of the distin-
guished Samuel Gibbs French had
been claimed by its Maker. The dis
tinguished Confederate soldier died at
the home of his son at F1orala, Ala,
yesterday morning at S:45 o'clock, at
the ripe old age of nearly 80 years.
He was born in Gloucester county, II.
J., on November %, 1918.
The remains will be brought to Pen
sacola on train No. at 11:05 o'clock
this morning, and the body will be
conveyed to Christ church at O'Clock,
where the funeral services will be
held: Immediately thereafter the
cortege will move to st. Johns Gene
terry. where the interment will take
place.
Confederate veterans, survivors of
the fast thinning membership Of Camp
Ward No. 10, will assemble at the
depot and form an escort for the body
to the church, the distance of two
blocks. The pallbearers will be:
Messrs. w. L. Witch, r. J. Brent,
Capt. Dixon B. Reed, w. K. Hyer. Jr..
Geoffrey Lamar and r. NJ. Bushnell.
HIS LIFE HISTORY.
Gen. French's life was one of bril-
lance. His history is one continued
story of interest. Born in Gloucester
county, n. J.. in November, 1918. he
traces his descent through a long line
of distinguished ancestry. OF him it
may be written that he was the oldest
survivor, of the graduates OF West
Point and the Oldest maior-g general Of
the Confederacy.
His father was Samuel French, ana
the founder of the family in this coun-
try was Thomas French, a descendant
of one of the Oldest and most honor
able, as writer records; of English
families. He came to this country in
1860 with a wife and nine children and
landed at Burlington, in west New
Jersey. He was one Of the land pro-
Drietors Of western New Jersey and
became the progenitor of an extensive
connection, whose descendants have
ramified through the country and num-
bered in their list many of the strong
men of the nation.
Gen. Samuel G. French was educated
mainly at the Burlington, N. J., acad-
emy, and in 1889 entered the United
States military academy at West
J Point, in which institution he was
graduated in 1S43. In October of that
year he joined his regiment, Third
United artillery, at Fort Macon, N. c.
In August, 1S45, he sailed from Balti-
more with Major S. Ringgold's battery
of horse artillery for Aransas Pass,
| Tex, to Join the army Of occupation
under Gen. Zachary Taylor. He was
with Taylor at the battles of Palo Alto,
Resaca de la Palma, and Monterey.
| Afterward he participated in the battle
| of Buena Vista, where he was danger
ously wounded. On his return from
Mexico in 1847 he was presented with
| two swords, one by the people of the
state of New Jersey and another by
| vote of the legislature, in recognition
of his gallant services. During subse-
quent years he was yariously engaged
/ in different kinds of military duties
and expeditions in various parts of the
country. In 1856 he resigned from the
army and retired to his plantation at
Greenville, Miss, and in 1857 he. visit
ed Europe and remained there for
some time. When Mississippi seeded
from the union General French was
appointed lieutenant-colonel and chief
of ordnance in the army of his state,
/ and uDon the organization Of the Con-
federacy he was appointed a major Of
artillery in the regular army of the
Confederate States. This was fol-
lowed in due time by commissions as
rigadier-general and majorgeneral In
the regular army. General French ar
rived in Richmond in November, 1851,
and his first service was TO command
the batteries and troops at Evansport,
near the mouth of the Quantico, which
blockaded the city of Washington. In
March. 1862. ne was ordered to North
Carolina, where he rendered import
ant military service at Wilmington
and built Fort Fisher and the batteries
/ (contInued on PAGE EIGHTY