728 



WOOL, JOHN E. 



Ms leisure hours to antiquarian studies, and, 

 being brought under deep religious influences 

 (his family were Independents), he resolved to 

 devote himself to the work of the ministry. 

 For this purpose he withdrew from the bank- 

 ing-house, and entered Highbury College, an 

 Independent theological school, and passed 

 his examinations and graduated at the Uni- 

 versity of London. He was settled for some 

 years over an Independent congregation at 

 Harbston, near Bungay, and was, while re- 

 siding there, consulted and employed by the 

 Messrs. Ohilds, printers and publishers of 

 Bungay. For them, among other works, he 

 revised and reedited, with large additions, 

 "Barclay's Universal English Dictionary." In 

 the year 1850 he removed to London, in order 

 to devote himself to literary pursuits. Here he 

 prepared a "History of Wales;" completed 

 W. II. Bartlett's " History of America," in three 

 volumes, two of them being wholly from his 

 pen; began a "History of Hampshire," etc., 

 etc. In 1860 Mr. Woodward was appointed to 

 the responsible position of Librarian in Ordi- 

 nary to the Queen, and Keeper of the Collection 

 of Prints and Drawings at Windsor Castle, and 

 rendered important services to the queen, and 

 the late prince-consort, both of whom frequent- 

 ly sought his counsel in matters pertaining to 

 art and literature. All who were brought in 

 contact with him were favorably impressed by 

 his genial manners, and the wide extent of his 

 literary and artistic culture. He was here, as 

 everywhere else, constantly occupied with in- 

 tellectual labors. He founded, and edited, from 

 1863 to 1867, the Fine Arts Review ; was a 

 frequent contributor to the Eclectic Review, and 

 the Gentleman's Magazine ; had prepared and 

 published five elementary school-books, on 

 Astronomy, Geography, Natural History, His- 

 tory, and Evidences of Christianity ; edited 

 " Maunder's Treasury of Knowledge," prefixing 

 a compendious English Grammar to it; and 

 had prepared, for immediate publication, an 

 elaborate illustrated "Life of Leonardo da 

 Yinci ; " a " Cyclopaedia of History and Chro- 

 nology ; " a translation of the "La Terre," of 

 Elise Riches ; " Specimens of the Drawings of 

 Ten Masters," with photograph illustrations; 

 and a "Monograph of Windsor Castle," illus- 

 trated by photographs. 



WOOL, Major-General JOHN ELLIS, U. S. A., 

 a brave and gallant officer of the Regular 

 Army, born in Newburgh, N. Y., in 1789; 

 died in Troy, N. Y., November 20, 1869. He 

 was of Revolutionary stock, his father, his 

 grandfather, and four of his uncles, having been 

 engaged in the War of the Revolution, and 

 some of them falling in that struggle. General 

 Wool received a good academical education, 

 and removed to Troy, in his youth, where he 

 was proprietor of a book-store before he came 

 of age. Having lost his stock by fire, he de- 

 termined in the beginning of 1812 to study 

 law. While pursuing his legal studies, the War 

 of 1812 commenced, and Mr. Wool applied for 



and obtained,, through the good offices of 

 Governor De Witt Clinton, a commission as 

 captain in the Thirteenth Infantry. He first 

 distinguished himself at the storming of Queens- 

 town Heights, where he was shot through both 

 thighs, and he was soon after promoted to be 

 major in the Twenty-ninth Infantry. For gal- 

 lantry in the battle of Plattsburg, he was 

 brevetted lieutenant-colonel. At the close of 

 the war he was appointed Inspector-General 

 of the Northern Division ; in 1818 lieutenant- 

 colonel ; in 1821 inspector-general of the 

 whole army, and in 1826 brevet brigadier- 

 general for ten years' faithful service. In 1832 

 the Government sent him to Europe to exam- 

 ine the military system of some of the prin- 

 cipal nations, and he was present at the siege 

 of Antwerp. For a year or two after his re- 

 turn he was engaged in inspecting all the coast 

 defences, from Maine to the delta of the Mis- 

 sissippi. In 1836 he was charged with remov- 

 ing the Indians to Arkansas, and in 1838, dur- 

 ing the Canadian difficulties, made a reconnois- 

 sance through the wilds of Northern Maine, 

 with a view to the defence of the frontier. He 

 obtained the full rank of brigadier-general, 

 June 25, 1841. At the commencement of the 

 Mexican War he was ordered to the West to 

 organize the volunteers (May 30, 1846), and in 

 less than six weeks had dispatched to the seat 

 of war no less than 12,000 troops fully armed 

 and equipped. He then collected 3,000 troops 

 at San Antonio de Bexar, under his personal 

 command, crossed the Rio Grande October 8th, 

 and reached Saltillo after a march of 900 miles, 

 having lost hardly a man, and preserving such 

 admirable discipline in his army as to gain the 

 general good- will of the inhabitants. He se- 

 lected the ground on which was fought the 

 battle of Buena Yista (February 23, 1847), 

 made the preliminary dispositions, and com- 

 manded in the earlier part of the action until 

 the arrival of General Taylor, who, in his of- 

 ficial report of the victory, attributes a large 

 share of the success " to General Wool's vigi- 

 lance and arduous services before the action, 

 and his gallantry and activity on the field." 

 For his conduct on this occasion, General Wool 

 was brevetted a major-general in 1848. He 

 remained in command at Saltillo until No- 

 vember 25, 1847, when, on the return of Gen- 

 eral Taylor to the United States, he succeeded 

 to the command of the Army of Occupation, 

 and retained it until the conclusion of the war, 

 his headquarters being at Monterey. In this 

 capacity, civil and military duty devolved upon 

 him, and he speedily cleared the country of 

 robbers and guerrillas. According to an eye- 

 witness in Monterey, he enforced more perfect 

 order than was to be found in the United 

 States. After his return home in July, 1848, 

 he commanded the Eastern Military Division, 

 with his headquarters at Troy, until the re- 

 organization of the commands in October, 1853, 

 when he was placed at the head of the De- 

 partment of the East, with his headquarters 



