308 



GEARY, JOHN W. 



GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATIONS. 



tinned to hold the offices until the new consti- 

 tution abolished them. In May, 1850, he was 

 chosen the first Mayor of San Francisco, and 

 controlled the dangerous element of that day 

 with marked ability. He took a leading part 

 in the formation of the new constitution for 

 California, and, being chairman of the Terri- 

 torial Democratic Committee, aided materially 

 in the election of John Bigler, the first Gov- 

 ernor of California. He returned home in 

 1869, and did not take any public part in the 

 affairs of the country until 1H56, when, after 

 declining the governorship of Utah, he was ap- 

 pointed Territorial Governor of Kansas. One 

 of Governor Geary's first acts was to interpose 

 a force of United States troops against tliree 

 Missouri regiments, well armed and supported 

 by artillery. He prevailed upon them to re- 

 tire, a conflict was prevented, and in a few 

 months he was able to report to Washington 

 that order had been completely reestablished. 

 The murder of Hayoes, almost in the presence 

 of Governor Geary, and the action of Judge 

 Lecompte in turning tho murderer loose, 

 brought about the resignation of Governor 

 Geary. In June, 1861, he raised the Twenty- 

 eighth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. 

 His first laurels were won at Bolivar Heights, 

 where he received his first wound. His next 

 achievement was the routing of General Hill, 

 at Leesbnrg. On the 25th of April, 1862, 

 Colonel Geary was commissioned a brigadier- 

 general. At the battle of Cedar Mountain, on 

 tho 9th of August following, ho was wounded 

 in tho foot and arm, and was compelled to re- 

 tiro from tho field. In consequence of these 

 wounds he did not participate in the battle of 

 Antiotam, but returned on the 25th of Sep- 

 tember with his arm still in a sling, and was 

 enthusiastically received. Tho command of 

 the Second Divi-ion of the Second Corps de- 

 volved on General Geary soon after, and the 

 conspicuous part which he acted in the battle 

 of Ohancellorsvillo, in May following, earned 

 for him the highest commendations. At tin- 

 memorable battle of Gettysburg, in July. 

 General Geary again di-tin :ui~i. -d himself. 

 Single-handed his division fought Kwell'soorps 

 at great disadvantage but with signal success. 

 Two hundred prisoners and four thousand 

 small-arms were captured by the Second Di- 

 vision, and twelve hundred lay dead in front of 

 his lines. In September, 1863, the corps to 

 which General Geary's division waa attached 

 was ordered to join the Army of the Cumber- 

 land, under (f.'inT.il Hooker, to aid in repair- 

 ing the fearful disaster at Chickamauga. The 

 battle of Wauhatchie was tho first consider- 

 able engagement in which General Geary took 

 part in the West. This victory was highly 

 important, as tho subsistence of the army at 

 Chattanooga depended upon it. Generals 

 (inmt. Honker. Thomas, and others, rode upon 

 the field after the battle, and personally con- 

 jrnituliitt"! ' ;!! -rill (leary upon his achieve- 

 ment. In the following month, Geary's divi- 



sion was selected to storm the enemy's strong- 

 hold on Lookout Mountain, which, after 

 rible struggle, was snccc^ful. It war- 

 that his son, a most promising youni: man of 

 eighteen, who hud left his class in .letter-on 

 College to enter the service of his country, a 

 lieutenant in Knapp's battery, fell while sight- 

 ing his gun. Then followed the batt! 

 Mission Ridge, Pine Knob, Pine Hill, l.>-t 

 Mountain, and Peach-Tree Creek, terminal in:: 

 with tho triumphant entry into Atlanta, 

 tember 2, 1864. General Geary, in hisotlicial 

 report, gives a striking summary of the " hun- 

 dred days' fight" of this eventful campaign, 

 terminating so brilliantly for tho Federal 

 forces. Tho part which General Geary en- 

 acted in Sherman's famous "march to the 

 sea" was equally creditable. His command 

 was the first to enter Savannah, after its 

 evacuation; and, in consideration of t!i, 

 vices of his division in the capture of Fort 

 Jackson, he was appointed Military (iovernor 

 of Savannah. In January, 18(i.5, having 

 promoted to be major-general, lie started upon 

 the "march through the C'arolinas," encounter- 

 ing and overcoming innumerable dith'ci. 

 until he reached lialeitrh, in April, at which 

 time General Lee had surrendered, and the 

 civil war had come to an end. Peace soon 

 followed, and the troops of the Twentieth 

 Corps, to which Geary's division was then 

 attached, were marched, through Richmond, 

 to Washington, and disbanded. It was im- 

 possible for one who had taken so prominent 

 a part in public affairs, and who had gained so 

 wide a reputation, to remain long in private 

 life. Toward the close of Governor Curtin's 

 term, General Geary was widely spoken of as 

 his successor. His great popularity among 

 the soldiers, and his general acceptability, 

 rendered his nomination almost certain. 

 was elected in 1866, by a large majority, and 

 was refilected in 1869. He had retired from 

 the gubernatorial office only two weeks previ- 

 ous to his death. In person Governor Geary 

 was tall, erect, and finely proportioned ; in 

 ti. aimers genial, courteous, and easily a 

 sibla ; possessed groat powers of application, 

 force of will, clearness of perception, and 

 soundness of judgment ; and lie was as exem- 

 plary in his moral and religious character as he 

 was energetic in action ami linn in jndirmcnt. 

 GEOGRAPHICAL EXPLORATIONS AND 

 DISCOVERIES IN 1873. Another year has 

 passed, and though great and important <li-- 

 coveries have been made, yet the two ques- 

 tion* which for years past have occupied tho 

 minds of all those who are interested in 

 graphical research remain not wholly $. 

 Of all tho expeditions to the arctic re^ioi.s, 

 not one has been able to reach a latitude which 

 qualified them to assert positively the existence 

 or non-cxi^tenco of an open olrcumpaltr 

 Our gallant but unfortunate fellow-citizen 

 Captain C. F. Hall attained the hitrhe-t latitude 

 yet made by any modern explorer, and, had ho 



