Page:Men of Mark in America vol 2.djvu/485

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
JAMES HARRISON WILSON
407

Forrest at Monte ville and Plantersville, capturing the strongly-fortified cities of Selma, Alabama; Columbus, West Point and Macon, Georgia; and received the surrender of Montgomery, the first capital of the Southern Confederacy, April 16, and of Macon, Georgia, April 20, 1865. For his services at Selma, where he captured numerous stores and prisoners, he was brevetted major-general, United States army. He was appointed major-general of volunteers, April 20, 1865. Detachments of his corps pursued and intercepted President Davis in his flight with his family and members of his cabinet, at Irwinsville, Georgia, May 10, 1865.

He was placed in command of the newly-organized Department of Georgia and of the District of Columbus, in 1865, and at his own request was mustered out of the volunteer service, January 8, 1866. On July 28, 1866, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, United States army and assigned to the 25th infantry, but was detached on engineering duty in charge of river and harbor improvements. He resigned from the army December 31, 1870, for the purpose of building and operating railroads. He became vice-president and receiver of the St. Louis and Southeastern Railroad and managed the same, 1872-75. He was vice-president, general manager and president of the New York and New England Railroad, 1877-83; chief engineer and general manager of the New York Elevated Railroads, and receiver of the Louisville, Evansville and St. Louis Railroad, 1892-95. He made extensive travels and investigations in China, Japan and Formosa in 1885-86, an account of which he published in a book which has passed through three editions.

He was first (and one of four civilians) to receive the commission of major-general of volunteers on the outbreak of war with Spain in 1898; and he was assigned to the command of the 6th corps, but as this corps was never organized, at his own request he was assigned to the command of the 1st division 1st corps and with it took part in the expedition against Porto Rico, defeating and capturing a detachment of Spanish troops in an affair at Caomo. On October 20, 1898, he succeeded Major-General Joseph C. Breckinridge in the command of the 1st army corps at Lexington, Kentucky. In January, 1899, he transferred that army corps to Cuba where he commanded the Department of Matanzas and Santa Clara, 1899-1900.

On the outbreak of the Boxer rebellion in China in 1900 he took part in the relief expedition sent by the United States, and com-