Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-12-17

Ahkn0Wn iB those Tar on DAYS.
Nine children blessed there nlarriag
Five OF their sons became fghtiae
men.
The Kings had been Yea rasasims
Perhaps the adventurous bl.saI u
the young Thompsons Wa fired by
the stirring tales of the tisre< told
in their fathers tavern Whalsy :
the dreams Of these young men may
have bsen, it is certain that their
realities helped 70 make history.
Y0Use MARYLAND HERO.
In the annals of the men who
gave their lives for the young re-
public, no more heroic death Is re-
corded than that Of the young mid
shipman. Ben Thompson, at The
age of 81. In the report of the
victorious capture of the British
fort ut York, Canada, BY the men
of the American feet. April 81,
1913. Commander Chauncey re-
grets the death of the young Mary
lander. As the men Of the Madison
were being taken ashore in open
boats TO the attack. an unwise order
was given to stand. The British
soldiers on the shore could hardly
have found more ready marks thah
the standing sailors in their opea
boats, and the greater number of the
men refused thus to hazard their
lives. Young Thompson, trained
in the Scotch principles OF strici
obedience to orders, did not ques-
tien for a moment the call of duty.
He stood at once and fell MORALLY
wounded in the arms of his friend,
Lieutenant Forrest, of ST. Mary's
county.
OF Barzillai Thompson, the eldest
Of the brothers, little is known ex-
cept the government record of his
service as private in the Twelft1
Regiment during the War of 1912.
Capt. John White Thompson
served in the same regiment with
his brother William Thompson, in
this War. In an engagement with
the British they were taken captives
and imprisoned in the fortress at
Quebec. One day an unusual COM
motion outside the prison walls
alarmed the Americans. Fearing
it might mean execution, they pre-
pared for the worst. A jovial
priest, entering at the time, Gained
their fears, telling them that the
sounds were caused by the celebra-
ton of King Georges birthday,
June Ath. Learning that this was
also the birthday of Jack Thomp-
son he secured the release of all the
men for one day. They were al
lowed to enjoy the festive occasion
on parole. After the war, Capt.
Jack Thompson continued in the
service of the army, being made
of ordnance at Rome,
-. Y, and also at Pikesville, Nd.
SOLDIER AND SCHOLAR.
Lieut.. james Thompson author of
the Military Manuel, was born in
1900. He took the name of his
foster father, Henry St. James
Linden, a wealthy gentleman of
Philadelphia. There were several
men in the army who bore the name
of James Thompson, and the change
was made mainly to avoid confusion
in matters of mail and orders.
Lieut.. Linden, as he was known,
was not mp in the usual statute of
the men of his. family, being barely
the height required at West Point
Academy, of which he was gradu-
ate. In mental attainments he sur
passed his brothers, speaking flu
emily several languages; he was also |
a poet and scholar of distinction.
His fine mind made him the congo
NAL associate of the leading men of |
his day. At the time of his death |
Lieutenant Linden is said to have
been engaged to marry daughter
of William Writ, the Attorney Gen
eral of Monroe's cabinet. A letter
from John Calhoun, expressive of |
warm friendship is still in existence. |
Lieutenant Linden served in the
war of the Florida Peninsula and |
also in the Western campaign against |
the Indians. He was about to re-
ceive the coveted captains commits
sion when his death occurred in
1886. The regor of camp life in
the West brought on a spell of |
which proved fatal. His
letters give vivid pictures of the |
scenes and incidents of frontier war
fare. The untimely end to the high |
hopes and ambitions of this gifted |