G80 



PORTER, WILLIAM D. 



PRESBYTERIANS. 



from his command arid ordered to Atlanta un- 

 der arrest. He was soon after appointed to 

 command the camp of rebel prisoners paroled 

 at Yicksburg and Port Hudson, and in. the 

 winter and spring of 1864 had temporary 

 charge of the Department of the Mississippi. 

 By skilful dispositions of his troops he pre- 

 vented the junction of the Federal cavalry col- 

 umn under Gen. Smith with Gen. Sherman's 

 army in southern Mississippi, and caused the 

 campaign undertaken by the latter in February 

 to result in no permanent advantage. His 

 prestige being thus restored, he received com- 

 mand of one of the three corps of Gen. John- 

 ston's army, which in the spring of 1864 attempt- 

 ed to withstand the advance of Gen. Sherman 

 to- ward Atlanta. After participating in the 

 chief engagements previous to the middle of 

 June, he was killed by a cannon shot while 

 reconnoitring on Pine Mountain, a few miles 

 north of Marietta. About a year and a half 

 before this he had been commissioned a lieuten- 

 ant-general in the Rebel army. Gen. Polk 

 never resigned his diocese, and, it was said, 

 intended at the close of the war to resume his 

 Episcopal functions. lie had labored zealously 

 in behalf of religious interests previous to the 

 rebellion, and \vas described by his friends as 

 of manly bearing, frank and cordial manners, 

 and impressible and easily kindled tempera- 

 ment. He never held a high rank among the 

 Confederate generals, being more appreciated 

 for his ecclesiastical influence than for his mili- 

 tary talents, and is said not to have been gen- 

 erally popular with his soldiers. 



PORTER, Commodore WILLIAM DAVID, an 

 officer of the United States navy, born in New 

 Orleans, La., in 1810, died of disease of the 

 heart in New York City, May 1st, 1864. He 

 was a son of Commodore David Porter, and 

 elder brother of Adm. David D. Porter. He 

 entered the service from Massachusetts, Jan. 

 1st, 1823, and was connected successively with 

 the Franklin, Brandywine, Natchez, Experi- 

 ment, United States, and Mississippi ; and in 

 1843 was ordered to the home squadron. In 

 1849 he commanded the storeship Erie, and in 

 1851 was made commander of the Waterwitch. 

 He projected and was the founder of the pres- 

 ent light-house system, served through the 

 Mexican war with distinction, and in 1855 was 

 placed on a retired list by a secret Navy Board ; 

 four years later he was restored to his rank as 

 commander by President Buchanan ; was or- 

 dered to the United States sloop St. Mary's, and 

 did important service on the Pacific coast. On 

 the outbreak of the war he was ordered home, 

 and though he had property in Virginia, and 

 several of his family were in the rebel service, 

 he proved faithful to the Government, and, lay- 

 ing aside all personal considerations, tendered 

 to it his aid, and was assigned to the superin- 

 tendence of the building of the iron-clad Essex, 

 at St. Louis, which he named after his father's 

 ship. In the attack on Fort Henry he com- 

 manded the Essex, and during the engagement 



was severely scalded by the steam issuing from 

 the boiler, the thick plates of which had been 

 penetrated by a ball. He also commanded the 

 Essex at the attack on Fort Donelson, and 

 fought his way in the same boat past all the 

 batteries from Cairo to New Orleans. He 

 caused the destruction of the ram Arkansas, 

 above Baton Rouge, in Aug., 1862, and during 

 the following month bombarded Natchez, at- 

 tacked the Vicksburg batteries and Port Hud- 

 son. On the 16th of July, 1862, he was pro- 

 moted from captain to commodore, after which 

 he did but little active service, owing to an en- 

 feebled state of health, which, as already stated, 

 eventually resulted in heart-disease. Commo- 

 dore Porter has two sons in the Confederate 

 service. 



POTTS, Rev. GEOIJGE, D.D., an American 

 Presbyterian clergyman, born at Philadelphia 

 in 1801, died in New York City, September 15. 

 1864. His father was a venerable Presbyterian 

 clergyman of Philadelphia, who emigrated from 

 Ireland to this country not far from the close 

 of the last century. The subject of this sketch 

 was fitted for college under some of the ablest 

 teachers, entered the University of Pennsylvania 

 at the age of fourteen, and graduated in 1819. 

 After his graduation he spent a year in general 

 studies, preparatory to entering upon his theo- 

 logical course. In 1820 he entered the Theolo- 

 gical Seminary at Princeton, where he took tho 

 regular three years' course, and in 1823 became 

 the pastor of a church in Natchez, Miss., whero 

 he remained nearly twelve years. Thence, in 

 consequence of the enervating influence of a 

 Southern climate, he removed to the North, 

 and in May, 1836, became the pastor of the 

 Duane Street Church, New York City. Upon 

 the completion of the new edifice in University 

 Place, he accepted a call from that church and 

 continued its pastor until his death. His name 

 was brought prominently before the publio 

 several years since by a controversy with the 

 Rev. Dr. Wainwright, on the rites and discipline 

 of the Episcopal Church. He was firm in his 

 attachment to the doctrines and to the faith 

 and order of his own Church, and while he pro- 

 moted its own institutions with intelligence and 

 zeal, he was of catholic spirit and ready to 

 acknowledge the followers of Christ in every 

 communion. During his whole ministry he 

 was connected with various literary, religious, 

 and benevolent institutions, in each of which 

 he improved the opportunity of rendering im- 

 portant service to the varied interests of hu- 

 manity, though his distaste for public demon- 

 stration led him to operate for the most part 

 in a quiet way. He was a man of remarkably 

 commanding and stately form, of graceful and 

 dignified manners, and of great oratorical pow- 

 ers. His death was the result of an attack of 

 paralysis. 



PRESBYTERIANS. The General Assembly, 

 known as the Old School Presbyterian, met at 

 Newark, N. J., on May 19th, and organized by 

 electing the Rev. Dr. Wood, President of Han 



