Show A merican M icam F adventurers adventurers d BI by elmo elm scott watson fightlin Figh tin irishman ean PEARLY ARLY in the nineteenth century an irish lad named jimmy shields ran away from his home in county tyrone the ship on which he set out for america was wrecked off the coast of scotland and he be was one of only three survivors undaunted by this experience the boy set out again an atlantic gale drove this ship upon a reef off the carolina coast and shields who had been aloft was thrown to the deck with both legs broken the boat was wrecked but by an almost miraculous chance he was rescued by a passing vessel after recovering from his injuries he enlisted in the army and fought in the first seminole indian war in florida after which he headed for the new state of illinois there he made a living for a time by teaching french in the french village of Kaskas kial then he studied law soon passed the bar examinations and within a few years was successively elected representative in the legislature state auditor and justice of the illinois supreme court at the ou outbreak V of the mexican war he raised a regiment and fell desperately wounded at the battle of cerro gordo chosen united states senator from illinois he served tor for six years was defeated tor for reelection election re and moved to minnesota where he was again sent to the senate at the outbreak of the civil war he was made a brigadier general and was again desperately wounded in battle but tie ne survived and was again elected to the united states senate this time from missouri when he be died in 1879 shields had the distinction of being the only man in american history who had served as sen ator ft from arh three different states patriot and painter G GEN EN GEORGE washington besieging the british in boston wanted accurate drawings of the positions so a young connecticut yankee volunteered to get them he crept close to the british lines and made sketches which pleased the commander so mu h that he made the young fellow a colonel and his second aide de camp the young colonel next served as adjutant general to general gates and in 1778 accompanied general sullivan as a volunteer against the british in rhode island when this expedition proved unsuccessful he resolved to give up soldiering he went to london to study under benjamin west and soon became the favorite pupil of that great painter when maj john andre the british adjutant general in america was caught and hanged as a spy the young painter seemed to the british the logical man to be used tor for reprisal so they put him in prison instead of protesting the truculent young yankee boasted that he had been an aide to that arch rebel george washington and was proud of it only the intervention of his painter friends west and copley saved him from hanging lucky for america that they didt otherwise john trumbull might never have lived to paint such great historical cical works as the battle of bunker hill and the signing of the declaration la of independence 0 western newspaper union |