414 



FLOYD, JOHN BUCHANAN. 



left college without a degree and went to Lon- 

 don, where he continued his studies mostly in 

 the direction of natural and especially botuni- 

 cal science at the royal gardens at Kew, for 

 three years. Having returned to his native 

 city, he engaged in business, and about 1830 

 entered the Methodist Book Rooms as a clerk. 

 In 1831, he experienced a religious change and 

 united with the Methodist Episcopal Church. 

 He soon interested himself in the instruction 

 of the colored people on the Sabbath, and in 

 February, 1863, commenced preaching, though 

 he was not received as a preacher by the New 

 York Conference till 1835. In 1838, not hav- 

 ing yet been ordained as an elder, he was cen- 

 sured by the conference, and suspended for 

 having attended an anti-slavery convention at 

 Utica ; but the suspension was removed before 

 the close of its session. He soon became emi- 

 nent as a preacher in the church with which 

 he was connected, and filled in succession many 

 of the largest and most influential charges in 

 New York, and in the larger towns and cities 

 of New England. He was also from 1842 to 

 1856 assistant secretary and secretary of his 

 conference, and usually a delegate to the Quad- 

 rennial General Conference of the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church, in which he soon ,took a po- 

 sition as leader of the anti-slavery party. He 

 was appointed in 1848 on a committee to re- 

 vise the Methodist hymn book, and the princi- 

 pal labor of the work, which was in fact the 

 preparation of a new book, came upon him, 

 and was performed with that conscientious 

 care and ability which marked all his public 

 services. In 1856, he was appointed by the 

 General Conference editor of the "National 

 Magazine," and conducted it with extraordi- 

 nary ability and success. He was also through 

 the greater part of his career as a preacher a 

 frequent and valued contributor to the ' ; Meth- 

 odist Quarterly Review," and was one of the 

 Committee on Versions in the American Bible 

 Society. His published works were, besides 

 those already noticed, some Sunday school 

 books, and S. S. question books. He also edit- 

 ed the posthumous works of Rev. Dr. Olin. 



FLOYD, Jon.v BUCHANAN, a general in the 

 Confederate army, born in Montgomery (now 

 Pulaski) county, Va., in 1805, died at Abing- 

 don, Va., August 26th, 1863. He was gradu- 

 ated at the South Carolina College in 1826, 

 subsequently practised law for several years in 

 Virginia, and in 1836 emigrated to Helena, Ar- 

 kansas, whence he returned in 1839 to Virginia. 

 In 1847-'49 ho represented Washington county 

 in the House of Representatives, and from 1850 

 to 1853 he was governor of the State. As a 

 delegate to the democratic presidential conven- 

 tion at Cincinnati in 1856, he exerted his in- 

 fluence in favor of the nomination of Mr. Buch- 

 anan in whose interest he made speeches in many 

 parts of the country during the ensuing canvass, 

 and for whom he cast his vote in the electoral col- 

 lege of Virginia. President Buchanan rewarded 

 his services by appointing him in March, 1857, 



Secretary of War. In that capacity he labored 

 to the best of his ability to promote the rebellion 

 of the Southern States, and to place them on a 

 footing of strength commensurate with the im- 

 portance of the conflict upon which they were 

 about to enter ; and there seems now to be lit- 

 tle doubt that for several years previous to the 

 election of Mr. Lincoln he was privy to the plot 

 for overthrowing the Government. During 

 1860, in accordance with his orders, the army 

 had been dispersed in the remotest part of the 

 country, considerable portions being on the 

 western frontier, in California, and Southern 

 Texas, whence they could not readily be con- 

 veyed to the Atlantic seaboard ; and in the same 

 year an extensive transfer of arms from north- 

 ern to southern arsenals was made. 115,000 

 muskets having been transferred by one order, 

 and great quantities of cannon and ammunition 

 by other orders. 



No sooner had the secession of South Caro- 

 lina paved the way for concentrated action on 

 the part of the conspirators, than he began to 

 avow openly his sympathy with the movement ; 

 and during the stormy discussions in the cab- 

 inet on the subject of reenforcing the forts in 

 Charleston harbor, he was the most strenuous 

 opponent of that measure, threatening to resign 

 if it were consummated. On December 26th 

 Major Anderson unexpectedly removed his gar- 

 rison from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter, and 

 upon the refusal of the President to order the 

 entire withdrawal of the U. S. troops from 

 Charleston harbor, Mr. Floyd tendered his res- 

 ignation, and was succeeded by Mr. Holt. Soon 

 afterward he was indicted by the grand jury 

 of the District of Columbia as being privy to the 

 abstraction of bonds to the amount of $870,000 

 from the Department of the Interior in the lat- 

 ter part of 1860. He had, however, been per- 

 mitted to retire from "Washington, and was 

 never subsequently brought to trial. 



As a reward for his eminent services to the 

 cause of secession, he was appointed soon after 

 the commencement of hostilities, a brigadier- 

 general in the Confederate army, and in the 

 summer and autumn of 1861 commanded, with 

 Gens. Wise and Henningsen, inWesternVirginia. 

 The campaign was conducted by him with lit- 

 tle skill or energy, and his retreat from Gauley 

 Bridge, September 10th, after his defeat by 

 Gen. Cox, with loss of baggage, camp equip- 

 age, and ammunition, was characterized by tho 

 Virginia papers of that period as the most dis- 

 graceful rout of the war. He was subsequent!}' 

 ordered to Kentucky, and commanded a bri- 

 gade at Fort Donelson when that place was be- 

 sieged by Gen. Grant, in February, 1802. From 

 apprehensions that, if captured, he might b<> 

 subjected to the felon's doom, which public 

 opinion in the loyal States had pronounced 

 against him, he retired, on tjio night previous 

 to the surrender of the fort, with Gen. Pillovr 

 and 5,000 men of the garrison, and made good 

 his escape into Southern Tennessee and Ala- 

 bama. Thenceforth he held no important com- 



