WILLIAM SMITH CLARK. 521 



A born leader of men, he was quickly promoted to be Lieutenant- 

 Colonel, February, 1862; Colonel, May, 18G2; and was recommended 

 by General Burnside " for a well-deserved promotion " as Brigadier- 

 General, in September of the same year. He participated in the 

 battles of Roanoke Island, Newbern, Camden, N. C, the second 

 battle of Manassas, Chantilly, the Antietam, and Fredericksburg. It 

 was at the battle of Chantilly that, losing his way and becoming sep- 

 arated from the regiment, accompanied by only a handful of men, he 

 was surrounded by the rebels and ordered to surrender. Preferring 

 to run every risk rather than encounter the horrors of Andersonville 

 or Libby, a desperate effort was made to escape, but all were shot 

 down except himself. Bulk-ts whistled through his cap and clothing, 

 but unhurt he reached the cover of the woods, and lay concealed within 

 the enemy's lines for three days, suffering from hunger and exposure, 

 until finally he reached the Union forces in safety, and was welcomed 

 as one returned from the dead, for he had been reported among the 

 fallen. 



His was a busy life, spent in the service of others. Never for 

 a moment did he shrink from the duties of the hour, or hesitate to 

 assume the responsibilities laid upon him. He was a member at large of 

 the Massachusetts State Board of Agriculture from 1859 to 1861, and 

 member ex officio from 1876 to 1879 ; one of a commission of three ap- 

 pointed by Governor Andrew to consider the expediency of establishing 

 a State Military Academy, in 1863; Presidential Elector and Secre- 

 tary of the Electoral College in 1864 ; Representative to the legislature 

 in 1864, 1865, and 1867; and trustee of several academic institutions. 

 While still connected with the Massachusetts Agricultural College, he 

 was invited by the Japanese government to estabhsh and organize the 

 Imperial College of Agriculture, at Sapporo, Japan, and during the 

 two years (1876-77) of his residence there continued to preside over 

 the interests of both colleges. The same success that attended his 

 efforts at home followed him abroad, and he gathered about him a 

 corps of enthusiastic teachers and students which has made the college 

 a most important factor in the educational force of the country. "With 

 his trained eye and keen powers of observation, he was quick to jjcr- 

 ceive, amid the new Flora by which he was surrounded, those plants 

 worthy of being introduced into this country ; and among those he was 

 instrumental in thus introducing may be mentioned the beautiful 

 deciduous shade tree, the Cercidophyllum Japonicum, the vigorous and 

 hardy Actinidia arguta^ and the climbing Schizophrar/ma hydran- 

 goides. In addition to these, he sent home from Northern Japan a 



