OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



pology and Prehistoric Archaeology at Paris. 

 In 1872 he again visited Europe, was one of 

 the United States Commissioners to the Inter- 

 national Prison Congress at London, and at- 

 tended its meetings. He devoted much of his 

 time to literary explorations, especially in the 

 fields of archaeology, philology, and bibliog- 

 raphy, and was the author and compiler of a 

 large number of books and pamphlets. His 

 most prominent works were: "Reminiscences 

 of Albert Gallatin" (1849) ; "Bibliography of 

 Rhode Island" (1864); "Bibliotheca Ameri- 

 cana " (1865-1870) ; " Literature of the Rebel- 

 lion" (1866); "Primeval Man" (1868); and 

 "Dictionary of Americanisms," of which four 

 editions have beec published besides a German 

 translation (Leipsic, 1866) and a Dutch (Am- 

 sterdam, 1885). His books and pamphlets on 

 the history of the colony and the State of 

 Rhode Island, brought down to include the 

 records of Rhode Island men in the army and 

 navy during the civil war, are models of his- 

 torical research and conciseness. 



Baxter, John, an American lawyer, born in 

 North Carolina in 1819; died in Knoxville, 

 Tenn., April 2, 1886. He was educated for 

 the bar, and years ago his abilities as a law- 

 yer gave him a high reputation in the South. 

 He remained in North Carolina until 1857, 

 when he removed to Knoxville. As a Whig 

 he served several terms both as a member of 

 the Legislature and as Speaker of the House of 

 Representatives, and was appointed one of the 

 special Supreme Court judges soon after his 

 removal to Tennessee. During the civil war 

 he was a Union man, and afterward a moder- 

 ate Republican. In 1870 he was chairman of 

 the Judiciary Committee of the State Constitu- 

 tional Convention. Subsequently his appoint- 

 ment to a vacancy on the bench of the United 

 States Supreme Court was strongly urged by 

 prominent Republicans, but without success. 

 In 1877, however. President Hayes appointed 

 him judge of the Sixth Judicial District, which 

 embraces Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Ten- 

 nessee, and he held that office until his death. 



Benjamin, Samuel Nicoll, an American soldier, 

 born in New York city, Jan. 13, 1839 ; died 

 on Governor's Island, New York harbor, May 

 15, 1886. He was graduated at the United 

 States Military Academy in 1861, and at once 

 entered upon active service as second-lieuten- 

 ant of artillery. During the Manassas cam- 

 paign he took part in the action at Blackburn's 

 Ford and in the battle of Bull Run, after which 

 he served in the defenses of Washington. In 

 1862 he was engaged in the Peninsular cam- 

 paign, participated in most of the seven days' 

 battles, and showed great bravery at Antietam. 

 Later he was placed in command of a battery, 

 and did good service in the Yicksburg cam- 

 paign. In August, 1863, he was given charge 

 of the reserve artillery of the Ninth Army 

 Corps, and during the East Tennessee cam- 

 paign was chief of artillery to the corps. In 

 1864 he served during the Richmond cam- 



paign, and was severely wounded at Spottsyl- 

 vania shortly after receiving his commission as 

 captain for distinguished and gallant conduct. 

 After the war he became Assistant Professor of 

 Mathematics at West Point, and was brevetted 

 lieutenant-colonel for gallant services during 

 the rebellion. Later he served successively in 

 San Francisco, Washington, West Point, and 

 Fort Monroe, until 1875, when he was trans- 

 ferred to the staff and made assistant adjutant- 

 general. In this capacity he served in Wash- 

 ington and in Arizona, and in 1885 became 

 assistant adjutant-general of the Division of 

 the Atlantic, with headquarters on Governor's 

 Island. Col. Benjamin was several times se- 

 verely wounded, and was one of the few offi- 

 cers that received the congressional medal for 

 bravery on the field. He married a daughter 

 of Hon. Hamilton Fish. 



Bennett, Nathaniel, an American lawyer, born 

 in 1816; died in San Francisco, Cal., April 20, 

 1886. He settled in California in 1849, was 

 admitted to the bar, and rose rapidly in his 

 profession, achieving a wide reputation for his 

 skill in cases that involved large interests and 

 much litigation. He became a justice of the 

 Supreme Court of California, and was subse- 

 quently engaged as leading counsel in a num- 

 ber of important suits, the most notable of 

 which, probably, was the celebrated case of 

 Dewey against Flood, Mackey, and O'Brien, in 

 which he was successful in effecting a compro- 

 mise that produced $500,000 for his clients, 

 and a fee of $50,000 for himself. Judge Ben- 

 nett was a slow, deliberate, pertinacious man, 

 and was esteemed throughout the State as a 

 fine scholar and a lawyer of unusual acumen. 



Bicker, Walter, an American soldier, born in 

 New York city, Feb. 9, 1796; died in Far 

 Rockaway, L. I., June 3, 1886. He belonged 

 to an old Dutch family that had been promi- 

 nent in the State and country through con- 

 nections with the army and navy, and was 

 himself a captain in the regular army during 

 the War of 1812. About the time of the Mex- 

 ican War he retired from military service and 

 went into business in New York city. He had 

 an excellent memory and fine literary taste. 

 During the last few months of his life he con- 

 tributed a series of articles to a religious publi- 

 cation, giving his reminiscences of New York 

 in the olden time. 



Blake, Eli Whitney, an American inventor, 

 born in Westborough, Mass., Jan. 27, 1795; 

 died in New Haven, Conn., Aug. 18, 1886. 

 He was graduated at Yale in 1816, after which 

 he studied law with Judge Gould in Litchfield, 

 Conn. The practice of this profession he re- 

 linquished at the request of his uncle, Eli 

 Whitney, with whom he became associated in 

 the organization of his arms-factory in Whit- 

 neyville. While so engaged he made impor- 

 tant improvements in the machinery and pro- 

 cesses used in manufacturing arms. In 1825, 

 on the death of Mr. Whitney, he formed a 

 partnership with his brother, Philos Blake, 



