586 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (SHERWOOD SKERRETT.) 



several battles, but was severely wounded at Chicka- 

 mauga and was not in active service afterward. 

 Soon after the war he went to Louisiana, where lie 

 identified himself with the leaders of the Repub- 

 lican party, became active in the reconstruction 

 movement, and was appointed Adjutant General of 

 the State. In 1872 he was elected to Congress as 

 representative at large ; but ex-Gov. Pinckback 

 contested the election, and the seat was not awarded 

 to Gen. Sheridan till the closing hours of the last 

 day of the last session. He was wont to declare 

 that his fame as a congressman was immortal in 

 one respect that he received more money for less 

 actual service than any other man who had ever 

 served his country in the same capacity, receiving 

 in all about $14,000 for a few minutes' actual serv- 

 ice. For many years Gen. Sheridan was a noted 

 political speaker as well as a brilliant orator. He 

 served a term as recorder of deeds of the District 

 of Columbia, but for several years passed the greater 

 part of his time at the National Soldiers' Home, 

 where he died. He was not related to Gen. Philip 

 H. Sheridan. 



Sherwood, Sarah Lounslwry, philanthropist, 

 born in Ridgefield, Conn., in 1831; died in Ocean 

 Grove, N. J., Oct. 1, 1896. She was a sister of ex- 

 Gov. Phineas Lounsbury, of Connecticut ; was left 

 a widow soon after her marriage, and iiad since ap- 

 plied her income to works of charity in New York 

 city. After working among the poor colored peo- 

 ple of the Third Ward for five years, she volunteered 

 her services to the Jerry McAuley Mission on Wa- 

 ter Street in 1883. In this field she wrought many 

 changes for the better in the lives and dwellings of 

 the poor, aided released prisoners who had nowhere 

 to go after leaving jail, and watched over the wel- 

 fare of destitute women and children. She contin- 

 ued this work till within two months of her death. 



Shoup, Francis Asbury, clergyman, born in 

 Laurel, Ind. ; died at Columbia, Tenn., Sept. 1, 

 1896. He was graduated at the United States Mili- 

 tary Academy at West Point in 1852, and served 

 for seven years in the artillery. At the outbreak 

 of the civil war he entered the Confederate service. 

 He rose to the rank of brigadier general, and served 

 under Gen. Joseph E. Johnston in the Georgia 

 campaign. After the war he became Professor of 

 Mathematics in the University of Mississippi, and 

 was called thence to a similar chair in the Univer- 

 sity of the South. He then took orders in the 

 Protestant Episcopal Church, and from 1875 to 

 1883 held rectorships successively in Waterford, 

 N. Y., Nashville, Jackson, Miss., and New Or- 

 leans. In the latter year he returned to the Uni- 

 versity of the South, at Sewannee, Tenn., as Pro- 

 fessor of Metaphysics, and occupied that chair at 

 the time of his death. His writings include "In- 

 fantry Tactics " (Little Rock, 1862) ; " Artillery Di- 

 vision Drill " (Atlanta, 1864) ; " Elements of Alge- 

 bra" (New York, 1874); "Mechanism and Person- 

 ality" (Boston, 1889). 



Shiirtleff. William Steele, jurist, born in New- 

 bury, Vt., Feb. 17, 1830; died in Longmeadow, 

 Mass., Jan. 14, 1896. He studied two years in Yale 

 College, then studied at the Harvard Law School, 

 and was admitted to the bar in 1856. In 1862 he 

 was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the 46th 

 Massachusetts Volunteers; on Feb. 8, 1863, was 

 promoted colonel ; and in July following was mus- 

 tered out with his regiment. Almost immediately 

 on his return Gov. Andrew appointed him judge of 

 the Court of Probate and Insolvency, which ofBce 

 he held till his death. 



Siegfreid, Joshua K., military officer, born in 

 Orwigsburg, Pa., in 1832 ; died in Pottsville, Pa., 

 July 19, 1896. He entered the National army in 

 1861 as captain in the 6th Pennsylvania Volunteers ; 



was soon afterward commissioned major and colonel 

 of the48th Pennsylvania Infantry; and distinguished 

 himself at Cedar Mountain, South Mountain, Antie- 

 tam, and Fredericksburg. At the battle of Camp- 

 bell's Station he commanded a brigade, and in 1864 

 he took part in the charge after the explosion of 

 the mine at Petersburg. After the war he was com- 

 missioned a major general in the National Guard 

 of Pennsylvania. 



Silliiiian. Justus Mitchell, educator, born in 

 New Canaan, Conn.. Jan. 25, 1842; died in Easton, 

 Pa., April 15, 1896. Hi- received his early educa- 

 tion at the New Canaan Academy ; served three 

 years in the National army, and was wounded at 

 Gettysburg: ami was graduated at the Rensselaer 

 Polytechnic Institute in 1870. Within a few weeks 

 lie was appointed Professor of Mining Engineering 

 and Graphics in Lafayette College, where he re- 

 mained until his death. His special work included 

 various investigations, of which his examination of 

 the Bessemer flame with colored glasses and the 

 spectroscope is the best known. 



Sims, Clifford Stanley, jurist, born near Harris- 

 burg, Pa., in 1839; died in Trenton, N. J., March 3, 

 1896. He was admitted to the bar in 1860 ; removed 

 to Arkansas to pract ice : served in the United States 

 navy in 1862-'64: and was afterward commissioned 

 lieutenant colonel of the 4th Arkansas Infantry, 

 United States Volunteers. In 1867-'68 he was a 

 member of the Arkansas Constitutional Conven- 

 tion ; in 1868, of the Legislature ; and in the last 

 year lie was appointed Judge Advocate General of 

 the State. From 1869 till 1878 he was United 

 States consul at Ottawa, Canada, and was then en- 

 gaged in corporation practice till 1894, when he 

 was appointed a judge of the New Jersey Court of 

 Errors and Appeals. He was author of " The 

 Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames " 

 (1862) ; " The Institution of the Society of the Cin- 

 cinnati in the State of New Jersey " (1866) ; and 

 " Noye's Maxims of the Laws of England " (1870). 



Skerrett, Joseph Salathiel, naval officer, born 

 in Chillicothe, Ohio, Jan. 18, 1833; died in Wash- 

 ington, D. C., Dec. 31, -1896. He was appointed a 

 midshipman in the United States navy Oct. 12, 1848 ; 

 became passed midshipman June 15, 1854 ; master, 

 Sept. 15, 1855 ; lieutenant on the following day ; 

 lieutenant commander, July 16, 1862 ; commander, 

 Jan. 9, 1867; captain, June 5, 1878; commodore, 

 Aug. 4, 1889 ; and rear admiral, April 16, 1894 ; and 

 was retired July 9, 1894. During his naval career 

 he was on sea service for twenty-two years and four 

 months, and on shore or other duty twenty years and 

 eleven months. When the civil war broke out he was 

 on duty on the coast of Africa, engaged in the exter- 

 mination of the slave trade, and was on the United 

 States sloop "Saratoga" when she aided in the cap- 

 ture of the " Nightingale," one of the last of the 

 American slavers, with over 1,000 slaves on board. 

 His principal service during the civil war was on 

 June 27, 1864, when, as commander of the gunboat 

 "Aroostook," of the Western Gulf squadron, he 

 successfully attacked the Confederate fortifications 

 at the mouth of Brazos river, Texas. In 1867- 

 '68 he commanded the apprentice ship " Ports- 

 mouth," and was efficient in building up the ap- 

 prentice system in the navy. During 1868-'72 he 

 was on duty at; the Naval Academy, and commanded 

 the " Macedonian " and the " Saratoga " on prac- 

 tice cruises. He commanded the " Portsmouth " in 

 1872-'75, and made an extensive surveying trip in 

 the Pacific. On this trip he made his entrance in 

 the harbor of Honolulu without the aid of a trained 

 pilot, which surprised other naval officers because 

 of its difficulty. As the result of the presence of 

 the " Portsmouth " when the revolution of 1878 

 was threatening, peace was maintained and the late 



