The Nome nugget., 1934-09-01

and named Capt John Whistler as commandant.
 Accordingly the fort was built in the summer of 1903, given the name of Fort Dearborn in honor of Gen. Henry Dearborn, then secretary of war; and thus Capt John Whistler became the real father of Chicago" The original draft for the plans of the fort, drawn by Captain Whistler is still in the archives of the War de- partment at Washington-a good solderly job, 1t Is, but revealing none of the artistic qualities which were later to make the name of Whistler so famous.
 For the next nine years John Whistler, as builder of the fort and it's commandant, dom- mated the little community in this lonely out post of civilization. which was to become the second largest city in the United States But the building and the commanding were not the only contributions he made to the history of Fort Dearborn and the beginnings of Chicago. He brought with him a growing family, some of whose members were destined for renown even greater than his.
 His eldest son, William Whistler, accompanied him to Chicago as Q second lieutenant and served there throughout the elder Whistlers term of service. His eldest daughter, Sarah, was married in November, 1804 to James Abbott, a trader of Detroit, thus becoming Chicago's first bride. Another daughter married Lieut.. Joseph Hamilton, who was also a subaltern under Whistler at Fort Dearborn.
 But our chief interest is in toddling child of three who came with his father to Chicago in 1903. His name was George Washington Whist Ter Thus did the ex-British soldier honor the great commander of the ''rebels" against whom he had fought under Burgoyne. Young George Washington Whistler grew up into sturdy boy hood along the marshy banks of the Chicago river and on the sandy shores of Lake Michigan. He was only ten years old when, as the result of garrison feud, the War department thought 1t advisable to scatter the officers at Fort Dear born to various posts in the Middle West and the boy accompanied his father back to Detroit And there, two years later. young George Wash ington Whistler probably witnessed the scene which made his father unique in American-and perhaps in any other-history
 For Capt. John Whistler and his elder son, Lieut. William Whistler were officers in General Hulls army when that fustered American com mander surrendered the fort at Detroit to the British at the outbreak of the War of 1912, and tradition says that the captain was so enraged over the equalization that he broke his sword over his knee rather than surrender it to the enemy. Perhaps it was only the shame of a surrender without firing shot that caused him to do it. Or perhaps 1t might have been his realization that he was destined to go down in history as the only British officer who, having [, became in turn an American officer who surren- dered to a victorious British army.
 In due time John Whistler was exchanged for British prisoner and the choleric old captain remained in the American army only until the close of the war when he was honorably dis. charged. He died September 8. 1929, but he lived long enough to see his son, William win some renown as an officer in the Indian and Mexican wars.
 
 Old Capt. John Whistler also lived long enough to see his youngest son, George Washington Whistler, graduate from West Point at the age of nineteen and assigned to the artillery branch But he was not to have the satisfaction of know ing to what heights his son would rise in another profession, nor to what greater heights this sons son would rise in still another.
 While George Washington Whistler was still a cadet at West Point he once visited, while on leave, the home of . classmate, William Gibbs McNeil. It was a great brick mansion which had been built on plantation near the Cape Fear river in North Carolina before the Revolu. ton by one Donald McNeill. scion of a Scotch family that had emigrated to America from the isle of Skye in 1739. There Cadet Whistler made the acquaintance of Anna Mathilda McNeil the