McPHERSON, JAMES B. 



McPHERSOX, JAMES BIRDSEYE, a major- 

 general of United States volunteers, born in 

 Sandusky County, Ohio, November 14th, 1828, 

 killed near Atlanta, Ga., July 22d, 1864. He 

 entered West Point from Ohio, in 1849, and at 

 the end of that year ranked second in his class. 

 The two years following he stood first, graduat- 

 ing at the head of his class June 30th, 1853, 

 and was at once appointed brevet second lieuten- 

 ant of engineers and assistant instructor of 

 practical engineering at the Academy, a compli- 

 ment never before awarded to so young an offi- 

 cer. He was next appointed assistant engineer 

 on the defences of Xew York harbor, and on 

 the improvement of the navigation of the Hud- 

 son River, having previously been made full 

 .second lieutenant of engineers. In January, 

 1857, he was placed in charge of the construc- 

 tion of Fort Delaware, and subsequently of the 

 erection of fortifications on Alcatras Island, San 

 Francisco Bay, California, and was also con- 

 nected with the survey of the Pacific coast. In 

 December, 1858, he was promoted to first lieu- 

 tenant, and in 1861 was ordered from the Paci- 

 fic coast to take charge of the fortifications of 

 Boston harbor. The same year he was made 

 captain, and upon the appointment of Maj. -Gen. 

 Halleck to the command of the Department of 

 the "West in November, he was chosen aide-de- 

 camp to that general, and at the same time was 

 promoted as lieutenant-colonel. In the expedi- 

 tions against Forts Henry and Donelson he was 

 chief engineer of the Army of the Tennessee, 

 and subsequently was at Shiloh and as colonel 

 on Gen. Halleck's staff held the chief engineer- 

 ing charge of the approaches to Corinth which 

 ended in its evacuation. On the loth of May, 



1862, he was made brigadier-general of volun- 

 teers, and appointed general superintendent of 

 military railroads in the district of West Ten- 

 nessee the following June. In September, 1862, 

 Gen. McPherson held a position on the staff of 

 Gen. Grant; and for his gallantry at Corinth was 

 promoted to be major-general, dating from Oc- 

 tober 8th, rising to that position in the short 

 space of nine years, and by merit alone. From 

 that time till the close of the siege of Yicksburg, 

 during which he commanded the centre of our 

 army, his career was one course of triumph. Gen. 

 Grant wrote of him : " He i? one of the ablest 

 engineers and most skilful generals. I would 

 respectfully, but urgently, recommend his pro- 

 motion to the position of brigadier-general hi 

 the regular army." 



Upon this recommendation Gen. McPherson 

 was immediately confirmed a brigadier-general 

 in the regular army, dating from August 1st, 



1863, and soon after conducted a column into 

 Mississippi and. repulsed the enemy at Canton. 

 Subsequently Gen. McPherson's department 

 was extended so as to embrace all the region 

 bordering the Mississippi River, from Helena, 

 Arkansas, to the mouth of the Red River, with 

 headquarters at Yicksburg. In the memorable 

 expedition to Meridian he was second in com- 

 mand to Gen. Sherman, and during the first 



MERE WETHER, FRANCIS. 511 



Atlanta campaign his command was the De- 

 partment of the Tennessee, including the entire 

 15th, 16th, and 17th corps. He distinguished 

 himself at Rcsaca. Dallas, Allatoona, Kulp House, 

 and Kenesaw. In the battles before Atlanta, 

 Gen. McPherson's grand division held the left 

 of the line. In superintending the advance of 

 his skirmish line he had ridden from left to 

 right, and was returning when he was suddenly 

 confronted by a party of the enemy in ambush, 

 and received a shot in the breast causing almost 

 instant death. Gen. McPherson was a man of 

 indefatigable energy, tireless industry, and a 

 l.'i-avery -which almost amounted to recklessness. 

 He always reconnoitred in person. 



MERE WETHER, Rev. FRANCIS, an author 

 and clergyman of the Church of England, born in 

 England, in 1784, died at Cole Orton Rectory, 

 July 21st, 1864. He studied at Eton, graduated 

 at Christ Church College, Oxford, and took the 

 degree of M. A. at St. John's College, Cambridge. 

 In 1816 he was presented with the rectory of 

 Cole Orton, and two years later was appointed 

 by the Crown to the adjoining parish of Whit- 

 wick, which preferments he held for nearly fifty 

 years. About the time of his entering upon 

 these incumbencies the parish of Whitwick be- 

 gan to increase rapidly in population, owing to 

 the discovery and working of coal mines ; and 

 having in other places interested himself in the 

 establishment of schools, he at once entered 

 vigorously upon similar works in his new field 

 of labor. With the assistance and cooperation 

 of his intimate friends Sir George and Lady 

 Beaumont, he erected schools, churches, and 

 parsonages in the neighboring districts, and 

 established at Whitwick national and infant 

 schools. In 1862 the church known as St. 

 Andrews, Thringstone, was completed under 

 his auspices, and remains as a fitting memorial 

 of his incumbency. In his diocese and neigh- 

 borhood his activity in all that concerned reli- 

 gion was conspicuous. The Leicester anniver- 

 sary meeting of the Christian Knowledge and 

 the Gospel Propagation Societies, was originated 

 by him. He was warmly interested in every 

 movement having for its object the welfare of his 

 country, and was one of the founders of the first 

 Leicestershire Agricultural Society, which was 

 followed by similar institutions throughout the 

 land. His labors were almost uninterrupted, 

 and three days previous to his death he per- 

 formed his ordinary Sabbath duties, closing 

 without pain a life of constant usefulness and 

 love to both church and country. 



Mr. Merewether was the author of several 

 sermons and letters, among which are : "A De- 

 fence of Moderation in Religious Doctrine, Prac- 

 tice, and Opinion, applied to the Present Tunes" 

 (1812, 1813) ; " Cooperation in Promoting the 

 Charitable Institutions of the Church of Eng- 

 land " (London, 1822) ; " The Rational Creature, 

 the Moral Instrument of his Creator " (London, 

 1824) ; u The Case between the Church and the 

 Dissenters impart : ally and practically consid- 

 ered" (London, 1827). A letter to the Editor 



