’ TH E a or tb e tt 'g is folded 'f ba le s din ,
Tb e r o tru t tb e ' o u c y f mpe , and bla e f g n ,
Tb e tb und er ous r usb o u r f sq ad ons closing in ,
Tb e t r tb e tr i um b sb out r s 'i ed g oan , p , a e done . fi P w itb nd eace is come , passionless , mild eyes ,
’ ’ of m otb er s m otb er s t r eyes , a ende ness .
C b r tou cb tb e r t almed y be wea y na ion lies ,
’ r ea tb u d nd feels be dewy br pon bis face . ' But T t a v w i tb r ime canno ail, all bis yea s ,
S cb asm s u r r v b ear ts t ll ome in o i en o fi ,
Wb ence t r r t br eab t r mis y memo ies ise o in ea s ,
fi nd b osts o ur bo es tb at u t u t g f b ied p ba n s s ill,
'e t r b o o — tb e tru t b ing a ind f j y , solemn s
r r tb an u u t t u t Tb at fo m is mo e ns bs an ial d s .
'' r u r t r r /9 gene o s pa en age o b eeding big ,
Or tb at ne tr w b er e ov t t fi s ain l e and wi , a one ,
’ P ut t r ea cb otb er s sis e ly jewels on ,
Or tr utb or t ur t 'awless , spo less p i y ,
Or u t r r r t 't bea y , we e an a mo agains a e '
Tb en tbou br i bt r o , g blended g ace f man and boy ,
S t r u t k r t o wee memo y wo lds wal , a p esen j y ,
Wi t/7 u tb e u o t / s , s nny slope f life , ela e
‘ D ar -bou bt r u or tb e t / e , blood g land, bow p ecio s f cos
'r tr i um b t r v t ai p , perfec ed by p i a e pain
Br igbt m a nbood tried and prov ed beyond compare /
War wins an awful glory from tb at los t
N t w bi cb t u v obili y , was no yo ng in ain '
But P t r r r eace w ines cyp ess in be golden bai .
U I 'NE' 'ITZH GH B .
ITZH U GH BI 'NE'was the
u . yo ngest son of Jam es G Bi rn ey , u ' the disting ished ent uckian , who ,
e bo rn and b red a slaveholder , eman i
1 8 pated his slaves in 35 , and , in the
’ distrib u tion of his father s estate, took the neg roes for his portion , that h e might set them also free . When a you ng man he had been Attor ney
Gene ral of Alaba ma . His talents , ' fi i rt ue, an d sac ri ces made him the candidate of the Liberty Pa rty fo r the
1 8 . Presiden cy , in 44 By a first m a rriage with a relative of I O
M c D o w e ll . General , M r B irn ey had
fiv e . 1 8 1 sons and on e da ughter I n 4 , h e m a rried Elizabeth P . Fitzh ugh , a daughte r of the N ew York branch of f an old Maryland amily . Fitzh ugh
Birn ey was born at Saginaw , Michigan , f Jan uary 9 , The ollowi ng April his parents removed to Bay City , n ear the m outh of the sluggish Saginaw
River .
1 8 2 of I n 4 , th e site the town had been clea red of pine forests 'b u t the only b uildings yet e rected were the
th e warehouse , the hotel , and ban k .
I n the hotel M r . Birney and his family m te porarily lodged . I n the ban k he ffi had an o ce and a Sunday school . The settlem en t was m u ch visited by
t he Ojibway I ndians , with whom the
fi w boy becam e a favorite . Th e rst o rds I he learned to spea k were i n the I ndian tongue . Fitzh ugh was an at hletic an d ad v e n
n t uro s child . H e co uld n ot rem ember
n when h e bega to swim . O nce , before
fiv e h e was yea rs old , having pushed o u t on the river i n a sail -boat with two little companions, he was discovered at the hel m , assu ring them that th ere was no dange r , an d p rom ising to take the m ' ' asho re if they wo uld stop c rying .
At seven , he skated alon e by moonlight
o f from Saginaw to Bay City , a distance twelve m iles .
At fou r he had lea r ned to read well . From fiv e to eight he was taugh t by an excellent N ew E nglan d teacher , M iss
Be rry of Belfast , Main e . I n September ,
1 8 1 5 , he was placed i n Theodore D .
’ Weld s fa mily school at Belleville , New 1 2
J ersey , where he remained u n t il , in
1 8 5 4, M r . W eld removed to Eagl es wood , Perth Amboy . Hither Mr . h B i rney came , an d ere he lived until
1 8 his death in the fall of 5 7 . D urin g these i nvalid years Fitzh ugh was a n u rse to him , as t ender an d gen tle as a girl . Fi tzh ugh Birney was a t ho rough and ambi t ious st uden t He u n co nsciously exerted over his mates a powe rful per ' sonal in uence , which they were glad t o feel and acknowledge . If o t hers rivalled him in so me feats of the play gro u nd and gymnasium , none excelled in so many , n on e threw over all sports
f n such a asci ation as he . I n his seven t e e nth year he had t he happiness to save the life of a school - girl too ad ven tu ro us i n learning to swim . She 1 3 had sun k once 'th e tide was run ning
o ff rapidly to the sea . Witho ut taking hat , coat , o r shoes , Fitzhugh , who had
f u watched her rom the pier , pl nged in , seized her as sh e rose, and sup
e ’ ported her till help cam . Am ong his companions at t his school was one afterwards known as Gen eral
Llewellyn F . Haskell , whose rapid p ro m otion was th e reward of equal tal ent , valo r , and good fo rtu n e . Another
i ak e r was that brave Q , Captain Hal
o f lock Man n , whose gallant rescu e ' General ilpat rick at Aldie Gap , Vir ginia , was one of the m em orable deeds ' of the wa r . ilpat rick was i n th e hands of the en emy . Man n , seeing his
men hesitate , shouted , A re yo u h e roes ' o r cowards 'Follow m e 'Charge ' d and , without looking back , ashed into 1 4
fi the mellay . H is troop , red by the example , rallied , dispersed the Confed c rates , and carried him , severely woun d l f m fi . ed , with the Genera , ro the eld Captain Man n was killed in a sub se qu ent bat tle .
1 8 I n the spring of 5 9 , a w restling match with his young friend Mann b ro ught on bleedin g at the lungs , which obliged Fitzh ugh to abandon his
c pu rpose of en tering ollege that year . The followi ng J uly h e sailed fo r Eu rope , arriving t here sho rtly after th e peace of Villafranca . The Continen t was in a fer ment 'an d he was suffi c i e ntly well infor m ed to take an e x c i t
i n ed in terest the questions of the ti me .
Fro m a balcony on th e Bo ulevard , looking down the Rue de la Paix , he saw the t riu mphal en t ry in to Paris of 1 5
t he Empe ro r an d the a r my of Italy . ' I suppose war is a great evil , he ' s o said , b u t it is splendid that I am half sorry we can never have one at ' ho m e .
A w eek later he was in C hamou ni .
O n th e Mer de Glace , his party cam e to a place where two large masses of
b e ice , sloping towa r ds each other , left
a tween th em dangerous c revasse . A n n English man , n am ed H askin , we t from the upper edge o f on e of these i ncli ned
plan es , inten ding to cross it obliqu ely — an d j oin his friends on an ice mou nd
at the end of the opening . H e was begin ning to slide h elplessly towards
destru ction , when Fitzh ugh ran upon hi m from the elevation with an impet us suffi cient to carry both along the edge of the abyss to a place of safety beyon d 1 6
Of it . cou rse the story was told in
C ha mo u ni . Prin ce H u mbe rt of Italy , a youth of abo ut the same age, then visiting the Valley , sent an aid with his complim ents 'an d d u ring his stay Fitz h ugh was an noyed by the curiosity o f travellers . He was in Berlin at the time of
’ ’ Joh n B rown s attack on Harper s Fer r y . He was fascinated by th e gener o sit o f y the deed , b ut shocked by the fatal m iscalculation which seem ed al m ost to clothe it wit h the attrib utes ' of c rim e . Yo u condem n , then , the ' enterp rise, my son , said the Am erican ' Ministe r to him , while you j ustify
Joh n Brown . I n the third year of ' the wa r he wrote , I have passed over
’ the scene of John Brown s adventurous f raid . H e was ou r leader , a ter all . 1 7
fi We shall nish his work , and tha t
m a pert u rbed spirit y rest in peace .
He remained at Berli n th ree months , stu dying Ger man and m usic . His h ealth seemed r e - established 'he was th e best skater on the ponds of t he
Thiergarten . O nce , after he had per formed an evol ution of peculiar grace
- a nd dexte ri ty , the crown p rincess , Vic toria of P russia , witnessing th e spor t fro m her carriage , gave with her own
o f hands the signal applause . He was at Ro me d u ring the Car nival 'i n Paris , at Easter He landed at Boston in
1 86 0 and fe w J uly , , a days afterwards entered Harvard College withou t con
i i o ns d t .
Few all usions to public affairs occu r in his letters from Cambridge du ring fi th e rst term . Two days aft er the at 1 8
' ' tack o n Fort Su m t er , h e wrote If e t he South is i n earn st , I shall be i n fi ' th e gh t . But he was ill , tired
of being sick every sp ring with a cold . His let ters to his mother are now de
voted , by alm ost alter nate sen tences , t o
his heal t h an d t he war . ff A ve ry lit tle s t udy a ects my head .
n Boston is sple didly excited . What a — horrible war , fathers against sons , '' b rothers agai nst b roth ers Yet t he
grass in the College yard is green , and
t he buds are coming o ut . ' 0 April 2 . We have nine ty signa tures to a petition to the Facul ty for a
- drill club i n our Class . If t he Faculty f re use , we shall appeal t o t he Gov c r u or l
2 6 fo r April . Than k you the U n ion badge an d the viole ts . All the 1 9 st udents may belong to t he Club by
t and gett ing permission of heir paren ts , signing an ag reemen t to obey all th e rules . My cough hangs on as coughs will . ' April 2 8 . Last evening Governor An dre w sent a message to Presiden t
hav i n no Felton , tha t , g company ready to guard t he A rsenal here , he wished the st uden ts to take charge of i t . Th e boating fever has abated 'everything is
anni v fight now . Y esterday was the e r sary of the day wh en Washington first d re w his sword as co m man der o f the m American Arm y . A n i mense war m eet ing was hel d u nder the Wash
o n i ngt elm . Governo r Banks spoke ' a band played 'a regim en t which goes o ff Tuesday paraded . I shall probably pay you a shor t visit till I am bet
t er . 2 0
He was quite feeble d uring the m ost o f - i n t he su m m er , bu t August grew
1 o f A u rapidly s t ronger . O n the 7 th
at u o f gust , t he ho se his uncle , Gerrit
Smi th , in Pet erboro ugh , N ew York , he . received a letter from his brother Da ' a m o f vid , who said , I now colon el ’ Z ’ t he regi men t called Birn ey s ouaves .
’ If yo u can get you r mo ther s permis
li e u te n sion , you may go wi t h m e as ant . O n th e envelope is written in pen cil , Would you give m e leave to ' ' i f I ' ' go , were i n tent on it Yes ,
’ ' o if is the answer in his m ther s hand , you w ere well .
At t he end of August , Fitzhugh , now a Sophom ore , rej oined his Class . ' 2 th : October 7 , he wro te I have
ar - f fi t he w ever again . That gh t at ’ ' Edward s Ferry in i t six from Har
2 2
Pennsylvania Vol un t eers , Colonel Da vid B . Birney . H e was soon detached from the regi ' m en t for signal du ty. O n the bat tle fi ' eld , h e wrote , our position is da n
e r o u s g . But the greater t he dan ger , th e ' better the service . H e acted on t he signal corps seven months , an d was ' considered one of its th ree most abl e ffi an d accurate o cers . A friend onc e found hi m o n t he
Chickahominy , wi t h two atten dants , U f far from any nion o rce . I n this f position , very dangerous , bu t avorable
’ fo r watching the en emy s movemen ts , he had been several days . A hostile scou ti ng party m igh t have com e upon hi m at any t i me 'bu t the advantages , h e th o u ht g , overbalanced th e risk , and he stayed . I n Februa ry h e had an attack of cough and feve r , durin g which h e ' wrote : I do n ot li ke to thin k of the cou ntry . Its si tuation saddens m e .
o f The war is t he price slavery . I hope it will prove t o be the price of liberty . He ret u rned t o du ty towards the middle of March , but shortly fell sick again , an d was n ursed by his m othe r till n ear the en d of April . O n the ' 1 2 th of May he was on the steam
o f er City Richm ond , at Yorktown , ' ' bou n d fo r West Point (Virgin ia) an d
M c Cl e ll an 2 1 8t Gen eral . O n t he of ' May he wrote : Eight miles from
' - Richm ond in shir t sleeves , trying to catch the breeze 'tan ned q uite brown n o t now the pale , thin , sick boy you nu rsed so tenderly . General Stoneman 2 4 a nd I have see n Rich mond fro m the ' 2 d : — balloo n . May 3 To day , at th e crossing of the C hickaho miny , at last
fir e I was u nder , an d do no t thin k I showed fear .
’ I n t he midst of the seven days ba t i tle at Rich m ond , L eutenant Bi r ney fou nd ti me t o w ri te t o his mother The n earest sho t t o me passed unde r my arm , cutting the body and sleeve of my coat and shirt . I was i n t he ho t
fir e test of t he a t Mechanicsville . The I f fight is still going o n . any t hing happens to m e , let it console you t hat I am doing my du ty i n a j ust cause .
You will not be t he only sad one . Gen eral W illiam Birn ey gives a pic t ure ' of him in this battle : I n the after
’ noon o f the disastrous affair o f Gaines s
H ill , as my regim ent was marching 2 5
fi h t I ‘ in to t he g , m et Fitzhugh . Ah ,
’ ‘ w e b rother Will , he cried , . have the ' Rebels this tim e Wha t makes you t hin k so P said I '‘ i t looks t h e o th er
’ ‘ way to m e . They say so a t head
’ ‘ h e quarters , answered , and I kn ow t hey are i n high spirits abou t it . Th ey
’ say we shall bag at leas t t en tho usan d . I n a few hours t h e Rebels had bagged many of us , myself am ong the n um ber .
Colonel David B . Bi rney having
- become Brigadier General , Lieu t enan t ' Birney wrote I hope soon to be
’ I 6 . 1 8 2 brot her s Aid A ugust , , he ' was com missioned as Assistan t Adj u
u — o f ta t General of the Secon d B rigade ,
’ ' o f earney s division , wit h t h e ran k
Cap tain . H e added to t he du ties of fi t his position t hose of Aid in the eld . 2 6
His delivery o f o rders u nder fir e was ' clear , concise , an d co rrec t .
I n t he second bat tle of B ull Run ,
’ Cap tain Birn ey s collar - bone was bro
o f ken by the falling his horse . This was t he only hur t he received i n two e yea rs an d a half of dangerous servic , duri ng which he part icipated in m o re
than twenty engagem en ts . Aft er the bat tle o f F redericksb u rg ' he wrote : You at home m ust s uffer more fro m an xiety t han we do from . cold , exposure , and battle I t was hard for you t o know t hat so fierce a figh t
was raging , and t ha t we t hree were in
h o w I t he ho ttest of it . Yo u ask m e f el t . Th ere is in tense exci temen t as I f t he tide of b attle ebbs and 'ows .
’ one s own party a re advancing , t here is
o f i f a glow exul tation ' retrea ting , a 2 7
’ T passion to turn the enem y back . was
’ so t he o ther day wh en Meade s Pen n
n sylva ia Reserves , to which we were
m a nifi support , advanced i n a long , g if cent lin e of battle , as on parade . All was quiet whe n they started , bu t i n an instan t the roar o f can non an d the
o f n n rattle m usketry were deafe i g .
w T en ty minu t es it las ted . Then fro m t he woods directly in fron t of us came o u t a shattered mass o f troops in per fe c t disorder . It seems to m e that I could have died a h undred deaths t o t u rn th e scale O n e o f our colo n els well describ es our posit ion t hat day , The Rebels were i n t he boxes
’ and we i n the pit . I t was a Roman amphithea tre , and we were the poor beasts exposed on t he arena . 6 ' 2 8 1 8 . April , 3 We expect a 2 8
great bat tle all aroun d Fredericksb urg .
f e Should I all , rememb r the cause I am figh ting for and forget your grie f
r in consoling o t hers . God will p otec t f ' m e . Your beau ti ul owers will be in my pocke t . ' I n fi May 5 . t he eld , Chancellors ville . I am safe . My horse Prince was
‘ o ff shot in the leg . He t hrew me , van i sh e d — i n the war clo ud , and I have no t seen him sin ce . ' So you wondered wha t the sam e moon shone on t ha t n igh t by t he Rap
ah anno c k p . O n t he Third Army Corps ,
o ff f cut rom the rest of t he army ,
th e fi o f m assed on eld , i ts lines bat tle f f aci ng bot h ways , to t he ron t and to
fo r the rear 'pickets all around us , we knew no t whence the at tack migh t
’ com e 'our br i gade l y i ng b e hi nd t he
30
h e avenged , had no blan ke ts . I got him on e , and we lay down toget her
fo r and slep t . I t was pleasan t us bo th t o be th ere un har m ed . The next day
I was si t ting by his side on horseback , when a shell exploded close to us . A piece passing u nder my ar m struck him a severe blow on the belt .
th f J uly 5 , he w ro t e rom Gettys ' burg : Yest erday our band played t he na t ional airs amid the shouts of a vic torious a r my . The promo tion of his b rot her David t o the ran k o f Maj or - General was fol lowed by t he pro motion o f Captain
. Birn ey His com m ission as Assistant.
— o f Adj u tan t General , wi t h the ran k 6 1 1 8 . Maj or , is dated Sept ember 5 , 3
‘ l Novem ber 3o th , he sent a penci led no te from Mine Run We assault the 31
’ M w A . . en emy s orks a t eigh t , We are to charge up an open slope half a mile
d : long . D ecember 3 Back a t
B randy S tation . No defeat , but dis graceful failu re .
- 1 86 O n Chris t mas day , 3, Maj or Bi r
ney married Laura , you ngest daugh ter o f S tr attan P hil ad e l t he lat e Jacob , of phia , a lady with whom he becam e acquain ted when bo t h were pupils a t
E a l e sw o o d g . I t is harder fo r him now to be away from ho me than i t
ever has been before , but he will ' stay till t he good work is done . I n April he says Si nce my marri age life seems t o m e doubly pre c i o us and doubly uncertain I n eed m ore than ever true Ch ristian resigna t ion to bear w it h composu re what ever
lo t I gl o r y in bei ng th e soldier o f a 32
’ n oble cause . If i t is God s will t ha t I f all , well , I do n ot complain .
th From C hancellorsville , May 4 , he ' writes : Wi th wha t h um ilia t ion we left t his place a yea r ago to - day The graves are very many . Viole ts do what t hey can to cheer t he desola tio n . Through t he spring of 1 86 4 he suf fe r e d fro m cold and cough 'towards t he end o f M ay i t beca me eviden t that he was breaking down . The Gener
’ al s con fidence in him invi t ed constan t over - exert ion 'an d h e w as too sensi tive t o accept the pro ffered assistance o f his f f riends . H e positively re used t o go on ' - t he sick list , when so many able bodied m en were shirking t heir duty H e deter mined to stay with the old ' red diamon d (t he division badge) 33
e t ill it reach d Rich mon d , or die o n
o f t he road . Th e last two days May
f o f he su fered severely from want sleep , coughing violently whenever h e lay U down . nwillingly h e allowed his ten t - mate to hold hi m i n his arms that he m ight rest . All t his tim e , studi o u sly concealing his condition as fa r as f m ffi possible , he per or ed his o cial la
2 d w : bors . J un e , he rot e t o his wife
u I shall , perhaps , have to give p duty fo r a day or t wo . No t hing b u t a spas ' m odic cough . I t was pn eum onia .
th J une 5 he w rote , on board th e ' st eam er : Here I am on my way to yo u , not wou nded . I shall rest a day i n Washington , at D uddington . (D ud
u dingto is the old Carroll mansion , st ill i nhabited by membe rs of th e Car
’ o f roll fam ily , cousins Maj o r Bi rn ey s
C 34
mo ther . ) H e reached D uddington on
th o f t he 6 J un e . Though very sick — an d t ravel worn , he wrote with his own han d the t elegraphic m essages tha t su mmoned his wife an d mo ther t o h is l f side . He bore his physica su ferings
n w i t h cheerful ness and pat ie ce , a n d looked fo rward with resignation to th e end 'but h e showed a soldier ’ s sensi ti v e ne ss o f e a t dying diseas . The day
u h e died , he said to a wo nded cousin , I wish I had tha t bullet t hrough m my body . O nce he asked , usingly , ' ' Who will care fo r m o t her no w ' A n hour a fter his deat h came the i nv i tati o n t o attend the exercises o f his — Class Day a t Cam bridge . It was the
1 o f 1 86 7th J u ne , 4, t h e an n iversary
’ of th e bat tle of Bun ker s H ill . Fi tzhugh Birney was an uncom m only 35
‘ a handsom e m an , tall , a thletic , and p
ar e ntl p y robust , bu t u nable to endure
- a long con tin ued hardship nd exposure . He was an excellen t horseman and a passionat e h unter . H e never got lost ' his knowledge o f place was instinc tive
’ l ik e ‘ an and une rring , In dian s . Cour age , truthfulness , an d generosity , which dist inguished his boyhood , were ye t m ore conspicuous ornamen ts o f his f brie man hood . H e was always help ing others 'but o t hers rarely fou n d i t possible to h elp . h im . The gen tleness of his man ners veiled fro m m ost o b se r v e rs the singular decision of his charac fl t er . H e was lit tle in uenced by the f opinions of oth ers 'but , having o rm ed his own , he adhered to th em without
G n ob t rusion or argum ent . e ial in
m o f te per , fond society and m irt h , he 36
maintained st rictly tempera t e habits . W hen t he circle o f his friends was hi l ar i o u s wit h wi ne a nd revel , this boy with th e beardless chin an d t he steady ,
o f brown eyes , the gayest the com f f pany , was n ever lushed . Gen uine sel respec t and principles deeply implanted kep t h im pure amid th e ext raordinary t emp tations to which his beau ty , kind o n ess , and universal pop ulari ty exp sed him . Of on e t hus richly endowed wi th f b righ t aculties and instinc tive virt ues , which were still fur t her recom m ended
t h e o f fine m by charm de ean or , t he i mpar tial j udgmen t becom es spo nta meous praise .
’ H e was buried by his fat her s side
o f at Hamp ton , t he old homes tead t he
Fitzhughs , near Geneseo , Livingston
Cou n ty , New York . A post h umous
38
1 86 f tober , 4 , an d died eleven days a t er , i n Philadelphia . — Brigadier General William Birn ey , a t
o f the begin ning the war , was residing a t Pert h A mboy , New Jersey . He abandoned a prospero us law prac tice in
New Yo r k Ci ty , and en tered th e ser vice as Captain i n a Ne w Jersey regi m en t H e was wi th the Army o f t he
Poto mac in all i ts early ba t tles , rose to
n su e r i n t he ra k of Colon el , an d , as p tend e n t o f th e organ ization of colored
troops in Maryland and a t Wash ington , sent seven t ho usand in to t he field . He
- 1 86 was m ade Brigadier General in 3, com manded in Flo rida a ft er the disas
u t rous ba ttle of Ol stee , recovered all
t he t erri t ory lost by tha t ba t tle , and was prom oted t o t he co m man d o f the
A u Third D ivision , Tenth Corps , in 39
d 1 86 . gust , 4 This division , afterwar s known as t he Third D ivision o f t he
- fifth Twen ty Corps , h e com manded u n til th e su rrender of Lee . n Lieu te ant D ion Birney , a p ractising physician in Bay County , Michigan , was com m issioned as Fi rst Lieu tenan t in th e Tw e ntv - third Pen nsylvania Vol u nte e r s H e se rved during the winter
1 86 1 of , and th rough t he m ost of the
m 2 Peninsular ca paign of 1 86 . Owing t o i mpaired heal th , h e was obliged t o leave th e ar my 'and he died soon af te r w ar d s n i n Cinci nati .
H on . Jam es Birn ey , the eldest son of
Jam es G . Birn ey , was , at the begin ning o f M t he wa r , a Ci rcuit Judge in ich
. e n igan His son , James G . Bi r ney , listed as p rivate , and rose to the ran k of Captain 4 0
f By his ather , Maj or Fitzh ugh Bir ney was fir st - cousi n o f t he Confedera te Gene ral H u mphrey Ma rshall 'by h is
o f m ot her , a m ore distant rela tive the
Con federate General Fitzhugh Lee .
i inted b Wel c h Bi el ow Co . Cam b r dge : P r y , g ,