Show jude A mexicans me ricans f V kill F ir k TIM am I 1 a 1 f hn 1 1 an t mag mm 0 I 1 A A 4 4 gen I 1 acarter samuel ceeil by ELMO SCOTT WATSON mr websters large book 0 of words and their definitions and there jou will find one characterized thus unique a being without a like or equal single in kind or excellence sole despite this explicit unique Is a 7 much misused word consider now the careers of three americans ana ani see whether or not the characterization of unique Is aptly applied to them one of them was the only man who ever held the rank of rear admiral in the united states navy and the rank ranis of brigadier general in the united states army another was a man who although nut not a native of america held a position in ili the highest legislative body of oue one Awe american rican go eminent and then held successively three important offices in the executive department of another american government even more remarkable Is the record of 0 the third not a native of america lie hertl several important state offices in two tio states was elected united states slates senator from three different states commanded american troops in two wars and was governor of an american Ameri catri territory I 1 tennes tennessee tennesee ee gave to the notion its only admiral general samuel pow hatan haenn carter was wag tits ills name and he was born in ell babet i town catter carter county august 6 asio lie ile became n H midshipman in tile the navy in six years later lie was promoted to tile the grade of passed midshipman and assigned to tile the U S S ohio from 1851 to 1853 lie was assistant instructor of infantry tactics at the naval academy and was made a lieutenant in 1855 1835 the next year lie he served in one of uncle sums sams forgotten wars the expedition to china calra on july 11 carter was temporarily transferred to the war department for the lie special duty of organizing troops in his native land eastern tennessee carter soon proved to be as able a military as lie he had been a naval of officer licer ile he was appointed first colonel of the second tennessee volunteers then acting brigadier general of volun volunteers and on liny 1 1802 1862 he received lii Is i full commission commis ilon ns As commander of a brigade As a cavelry leader carter distinguished himself particularly on oil august 28 1801 lie defeated that match less confederate horseman lio gen cen john 11 morgan and the next day repeated his success against general smith ile he was present at the siege of knoxville in december of that 3 jear ear and later ister commanded a division under gen john schofield Scho fidd in the north carolina Caroll ni campaign of 1805 ou on march 13 carter was brevet ted major general gen enil and was wall mustered out of the army I 1 in january lie ile immediately returned to tilt th navy bading by this time been pro to the rank of commander ile he served as commandant at the naval academy from 1809 to 1872 having been promoted to tile the rank of captain cantal in 1870 lie he was a member of the lighthouse board from 1870 to IM and d AV was as promoted to commodore in 1078 in 1881 he be was as honored by promotion to the rank of rear admiral on the retired list tills this reward coming as a fitting climax to hla bits extraordinary career in both branches of the united states service sen ice in 1891 admiral general genci ail curler carter truly it tily a unique american died in ili tile the capital of the country be had bad served so well during his retime cume of seventy one years in the year ma 11 a ship attempted to ascend tile the mississippi river to new Orle orleans aus but finding that port blockaded by a bilash leet fleet it sailed away to the west indies among its pas who landed on the wand of st croli was an english jew named benjamin and ills his wife on august 11 a son boll was born to mrs benjamin end and glien given the name of judah although judah P benjamin was denied the right of being born on amerlean american soil he be was destined to become an important figure in american history benjamins boyhood was wa spent in wilmington A C until 1826 1825 when I 1 4 1 T q q LY IN ILE g r I 1 NO A P benj arnari photographs of cart and shields courtesy 14 P army information demice he entered yale after three years jj he left that hint institution without getting eba a degree and went to new orleans benjames 1 E shields where studied law in a ol 01 aice ile he was waa admitted to the bar in 1832 and spent the next few years practicing that profession with a short interim of school teaching politics was next to engage tits his attention and he be allied himself to the whig party in 1815 he was a member of the lie convention which met to revise the constitution of louisiana and it Is noteworthy that this foreign born citizen of louisiana was responsible for placing in the new code a provision that the governor gov einor of that state be a citizen born in the united states in 1848 1843 louisiana elected benjamin as presidential elector at large and aai four years later sent alia to tile the united states senate returning him there in 1857 1837 ile he took a prominent part in the slavery dispute of those times and during one of the exciting debates in ID the senate a dl dispute with jefferson davis the senator front from mississippi sis sippi brought the two men to the verge of a duel due which was averted only when davis apologized although davis da la had disagreed violently with benjamin tn a the senate he recognized recognize the worth of the man and when tho the former was vas chosen as president of the confederate states of america lie he selected benjamin ns As attorney general in his cabinet in an august 1801 benjamin was transferred to the war department where his conduct of the war aroused such bitter hostility even including charges of incompetency and neglect of his duty that ile he resigned but davis to whose stubborn refusal to accept addice some historians ascribe a large share of the responsibility tor for the downfall of the confederacy again lew few in fit the face of public opinion and immediate ly offered benjamin its ills third cabinet position that of secretary of state when richmond fell in 1863 benjamin fled with the rest of the confederate government slaking making his bis way to the coast of florida he escaped in an open boat to the Bith bahamas awas and la in september 1805 1865 readied liverpool after living quietly in retirement for a year in england lie he took up the study of english law and in lie he was admitted to tile the bar in 1883 after ills health had failed benjamin retired from active practice and on june 80 of that year he was guest of honor at a farewell banquet baru luet given to him in the inner temple in london by the highest legal turn luminaries I 1 in fit england he then went to paris to make ills home and there lie he died on oil may 8 1834 1884 it if BenJar benjamins career in america was a remarkable one even more unusual was that of another immigrant boy james 1 K shields born in dungan non county tyrone ireland in 1810 shields came caire to this country at the age of sixteen and went to tile frontier country of illinois where he studied law and began practice at Kask asUa in 1832 1632 honors cattle came rapidly y to him in his home ire he wa was elected to the legislature in 1830 1836 made state auditor in isa 1839 supreme and appointed a judge on the state supreme court bench in ID 1843 two years yeara later he was wag appoint ed commissioner commiss commissioner loner of the general land office but gave care up civil life at the outbreak of the mexican war to accept it commission as brigadier general of the volunteers in 1848 1846 during that conflict shields served under general taylor on the rio graude grande under general wood in a chihuahua and during general scotts campaign ile he was shot through gli the lung at the battle of cerro gordo and brevet tod ted major general after his big recovery he be served in the valley of mexico meli I 1 co as comman commander d C r of a brigade of marines new york and south carolina volunteers only to be wounded severely again at the storming of chagul tepee mustered out of the service on july 20 isis 1848 he was immediately appointed territorial governor of oregon but resigned this office when he was elected senator from illinois as a democrat he served in the senate from froia december 3 1849 to march 3 1855 and then moved to minnesota when the state government was organized gal nihed there lie he was again sent to the united states senate where he remained from may 12 1858 to march 3 1839 ue he next moved to california and at the outbreak of the civil war was acting as superintendent of a mine in mexico hastening to washington the mexican war veteran was commissioned a brigadier generel general of volunteers in august ISM and after the death of gen fred W lander shields was placed tit at the head bead of his hi brigade in he was head bead of a division of gen K N P banks army theu then operating in the shenandoah valloy valley of virginia and opened the earn campaign by inflicting a stinging defeat at winchester upon stonewall jackson who was jut then beginning to make his bid for fume fame as the remark remark able leader of foot cavalry shields was wounded in this battle receiving a 11 broken arm from a fragment of shell on march 23 weakened by the wounds which he had bad suffered la in two wars shields resigned from the army going to california he found that the tha lands granted to him film for its ills military services had been lost by his trusted agent and lie he bought a farra farm near car roll tun mo upon which to spend his declining years although he had decided to retire from public life he e was soon back into politics in IM 1863 he be was democratic candidate for congress and although ills friends declared that he had bad been elected he was not seated six years later they hey elected him to the legislature and upon the expiration of his term the general ag aged ged weakened A and impoverished sought the humble position of doorkeeper of the united states serrate senate in which he had represented two states j hut ut this was denied him and he returned to missouri that state promptly honored liono film by electing him to the senate semite and lie returned again as a member of the body which had denied him eni employment lie ile held this position until his death which took place on june 1 1879 1870 at ottumwa lowa iowa where bere he be lad gone to deliver a lecture on the mexican war for the benetti of a church 10 by unrest |