THE NEW AMERICAN PREMIER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 222, 10 November 1880, Page 4

THE NEW AMERICAN PREMIER

The Fost gives the following parilculara of the eventful career oi General James Abraoa Garfield, the newly elected President of the United States t— General Garfield was born in No vember, 1831, in a small village called Orange, in the Dorth-eafltem psrt oi Cuyahoga b ,unty, Ohio, a village a that time of but a few Bcore inhabitants. His parents were io too humble a position of Ufa to provide him with anything more than a rudimentary educa tion, and at an early age he commenced the battle of life (or himself in the lxvly position of a day laborer. After f blowing this occupation for some time he became a driver and then a boatman on the Pennsylvania and Ohio canal, aid in 1849, with tbe object of improving his education, he attended an aodemy and studied with such euccesß that the following winter he undertook the teaching of a district school. Seven peara later, having in the meantime made much progress, Jhe waa appointed teacher, cf hnguages in the Eclectic Institute, at Hirhtn, Ohio, the following year teoming Preiidient ol that Institution, whieh office be bei till 1861. In the meantime, in 1859, he had been elected a member of tbe Senate of his native State, and in 1860 was admitted to tbe bor. An ardent supporter of the Union, after tbe war of secession had commenced, he raised, in the {au umn of 1861, the 42nd regiment of Ohio volunteers, of wbich he was made Colonel, and despatched to Eastern Kentucky, where, with his own regiment, in conjunction with the 40th Ohio regiment, he defeated Humphrey Marshall. On llth January, 1862, the date of hia victory at Presionburgb, he waa made a Briga-dier-general of Volunteers, and in the March following attacked the enemy at Pound Gop, destroying their camp, and iofllcting severe loss upon them % At the battle of Shilob, otherwise known as Pittsburg, in Ttnats-ep, fought en Sunday, 6th April, between the Federals under Grant and Prenties,. and the Confederates, under Albert Sydney Johnston and Beauregard, he commanded the 20th Brigade, and wbh soon after made chief of the staff to General Rosencranz. He was thus acting when the Con'ederate General Bragg, aided by Lringstreet, attacked and totally defeated the Federals under Rosencranz, at Chickamanga, Georgia, gaining a bloody but useless victory. For his conduct on tbis occasion he was created a Major-general "for gallam and meritorious aervices in the battle," nnd with this rank bis military career shortly afterwards came to an end. Iu October, 1862, Mr Garfield was elected to Congress from tbe 19th district of Ohio, which he has continued to represent to the present time, though at the recent election be was returned as d senator elect for his native State. He was one of the delegates to the Chicago convention from Ohio, leading the sup. porters of Mr Sherman for the Presidental nomination.