The biographical encyclopœdia of Ohio of the nineteenth century:

BIOGRAPIICAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA.
mietic for Teachers," published in I876. In addition to his
many important and valuable labors as a writer and educator,
he has for many years past, through his exertions and laudalble actions in other public fields, stood prominently before
the community not alone of Ohio, but also of many of the
environing States, which esteem and admire him as a publicspirited, enterprising and useful citizen, while his sound
scholarly attainments have won for him the respect of all
interested in the literary development of the United States.
Ile has a high reputation as a public speaker, and is one of
the most popular institute instLructors in the country. He was
married, July 26th, I853, to Mary Ann Sabin, of Hudson,
Ohio, by whom he has had five children-three sons and
two daughters.
up by hard study his deficiencies as a cadet. His military
qualifications were very high, and i n appearance he was
every inch a soldier. These brought himn to the notice of
General Wool, who a ppointed him an Aid e-de-camp on his
personal staff, a position reserved for the most promising- of
the younger officers. He continued duty as a staff-officer
a lmost withou t interruption until the o utbreak of the iebellion, and had become a strict disc iplin arian, d evoted to his
professionnd, and a thorough student of the art of war. For
,, gallant and m-.eritoi-ious conduct " at Buenla Vista he was
brevetted Captain. After serving in various capacities (luring the Mexican w a r, General Scot t appointed him to his
staff. He s eldom visite d his old home, and in the army he
was known as a remarkably abstemious man, never dissipatiMig with brother officers, never tasting win e, and never playing cards. So careful was he in avoiding stimulants that lie
abstained fikiom tea and coffee. When the war b roke ou t he
was a Breve t Major on duty in the'Wa r D epartment.
Through Salmon P. Chase, who h ad k n own him i i Columbus, he was sought out and consu lte d as to the military organization of the republic. His advi c e in military matters
was found of great service in the then demoralized condition
of affairs. Governod Dennison proposed t6 nmale hi m co mmander of the Ohio contingent, but changed his mi nd in
favor of Captain (General) McClellan. McClellan -was not
then in the service, and he was only appointe d after much
influeence had been brought to bear on the Governor. Governor Dennison wrote Maior McDowell explaining his conduct, and he replied in the most generous spirit, fully indorsing the appointment. Later, partly on his recommendatioAt, McCl ellan was appointed to a w lnijoi-Generalship.s
Governttent officerse urged his appointment to a like hposition, but he modestly held b a ck. Bu t the same bulletin th at
announced McClellani' s adv ancement announced hi s owni
to that of Brigadier-General. General Scott opposed this
latter promotion, as he wanted it for another officer. The
old chieftain opposed himn in many ways. When the campaign in Virginia was decided upon, he was assigned to the
leadership of the army. As his personal testimony proves,
he had his misgivings, not as to his competency to perform
the task, bult as to the obstacles that were being throw,in in
his way at head-quarters in Washington. The history of the
disaster at Bull Run is too well known to be repeated here.
The press of the country heaped censure upon the gallant
officer in command of the Union forces, and the more radical portion of it even accused him of treason. He was also
accused of drunkenness, although he never tasted liquor.
It is the opinion of many military men and dispassionate
writers that he was defeated as much by influences in the
real (Washinlgtonl) as he was bry the army opposed to him at
the front. It is conceded that the plan of the battle was
structions, turned the tide of the day at the very moment
when the Unli'on officers were congratullatinlg themselves onl
. CDOWELI,, MAJOR-GENERAL IRVIN, -"as
][!l] born in the village of F'anklinton, near Columbus,
Ohio, October I5th, I8I8. His ancestry were
~-. Scotch-Irish, and took refuge from religious per secutioni in the north of Ireland. After the siege
of Londonderry, in which the McDowells took
part, they came to this country, settling first in the valley of
Virginia. Some of them, including the branch from which
the General sprang, removed thence to Kentucky. Abram
McDowell, the father of Irvin, after, the war of I812, in
which he served in his uncle's regiment, removed to Ohio i
and settled near Columbus. His wife, Eliza Lord, was a
member of the Starling family, one of the most respectable
and influential in that section. Abram McDowell is descrihed by old citizens of Columbus as being a noble specimen of the old-school Kenituckiani, and an intense aristocrat.
Ile kept haughtily aloof from the masses, and prided himself on his social position, his refinement and general culture. But wealth was never his, and money had nothing to
do with this pride of position. His son Irvin was given a
liberal education at home and abroad. His old schoolmates at Columbus remember him as a genial, warm-hearted
companion, but his residence abroad changed this to a habit
of dignity and reserve. On his return from Europe his
father had procured him an. appointment to West Poinlt.
Here he was associated witlh the future military chieftains of
both sides in the American civil war. At the academy he
ranked socially very high, bult in his classes he ",as far from
being foremost. He was graduated in the same class with
Beauregard, Barry, Hardee, and R. S. Granger, and ranked
as low down as twenty-three, Beauregard being second.
After his graduation he was assigned to the artillery arm of
the service and sent to the Niagara frontier. He served in
different parts of the frontier, and was for a short time on
recruiting duty. In I841 he was returned to West Point as
Assistant Inlstructor in Infantry Tactics, and served one year
illi that capacity, and three year., as Adjutant of the Academy.
During these years of military duty he had become a man of
the world-reserved, formal and polished-and had made
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