trustees by this Act appointed, or a majority of them, and their
successors, shall meet annually on the first Friday of March in each
and every year, or at any other time they may find more convenient,
and elect a proper person out of their own body to preside for the
term of one year, who may convene the trustees at any time he may find
it necessary. Provided always that he shall give ten days previous
notice of such meeting and that the President and Treasurer shall be
chosen on the said first Friday of March unless in cases of
unavoidable accidents.
5. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that the
treasurer of the said Board of Trustees shall enter into bond with
sufficient security to the trustees, conditioned for the faithful
discharge of the trust reposed in him by this Act, and that all monies
and chattels that shall be in his hands, at the expiration of his
office, shall be immediately paid into the hands of the succeeding
treasurer; and every treasurer shall receive all monies, donations,
gifts, bequests and charities that may belong or accrue to said
Academy during his office, and at the expiration thereof shall account
with the trustees or a majority of them for the same, and on refusal
or neglect to pay and deliver as aforesaid, the same mode of
recovering may be had against him as is or may be provided for the
recovery of money from sheriffs or other public officers.
In his sketch of the Dickson Family the author says: Simon Dickson was
born in England about the year 1607, or 1608. He was a stern English
Puritan, an ardent adherent of Oliver Cromwell, and served faithfully as
an officer in the Parliamentary army during that fierce struggle between
Parliament and the King; his official rank, however, is unknown to us.
After the Revolution was over, as a reward for his services, he received
a grant of four hundred acres of valuable land within two miles of
Dromore, in the county of Down, Ireland. Here he settled and had a
numerous offspring, but the exact number of his children is unknown. At
the restoration of Charles II, the land grants of the Cromwellian
administration were annulled, and Simon Dickson became a tenant on the
same land he had previously owned.
“Simon Dickson was the father of Joseph the first, who was the father of
Joseph the second, who was the father of Michael, who was the father of
John.” Joseph the second lived to be ninety-four years old, and Michael
passed his eighty-fourth year.
John Dickson was born in Ireland about the year 1704 and died in Duplin
County, North Carolina, on the 25th day of December, 1774, just at the
beginning of the American Revolution. He emigrated from Ireland to the
State of Pennsylvania in the year 1738 and settled in Chester County,
where he resided several years and had two sons born to him, Michael and
William. He then moved to Maryland, where he remained only a short
while, and leaving there he came to Duplin County between 1740 and 1745.
Upon his death in Duplin, in 1774, he left surviving him seven sons and
one daughter, whose names are given in order of their age, as follows:
Michael, William, Robert, Joseph, Alexander, Edward, James and Mary.
Michael Dickson moved to Georgia just before or after the Revolution,
where it is said he has many descendants, though no definite information
about them can be obtained.
William Dickson, the second son of John Dickson, and the writer of the
Dickson Letters, was born in Pennsylvania about the year 1740, and came
to Duplin County with his father when quite a small boy. Upon arriving
at manhood he took an active part in public affairs and during
Revolutionary times he was the foremost man in his county as a leader in
civil affairs, while his compatriot, Colonel James Kenan, was at the
head of all military operations. It is probable, almost certain, that he
entered the army as a regular militiaman under Colonel Kenan, and served
through the entire war. His educational advantages were very limited,
and a family tradition tells us that his school days were comprised
within a space of three months. Notwithstanding this, he was a man of
broad ideas, mature judgment, and profound wisdom; and he discussed
political affairs with an intuitive knowledge and foresight that were
remarkable. His comments on the American form of government (then an
untried theory) in his letter of 1790, his reasons why North Carolina
adopted the federal constitution, his prediction that “the southern
states will not receive equal benefit in the government with the
northern states” and that the North would eventually demand the
emancipation of slavery (and this written seventy years before the Civil
War)—all these are ideas worthy of a statesman and found conception in
no ordinary mind.
He was a man of wonderful native ability; but was modest to a fault, and
seldom in his letters to his cousin in Ireland does he even refer to the
services he rendered in the Revolution. Tradition has it that he was for
forty-four successive years clerk of the court in Duplin County; but the
writer has not examined the records for a verification of this tradition
further than to find that he served in this capacity for quite a long
time. He was a delegate to the first provincial congress, held at
Newbern on the 25th of August, 1774; to the second provincial congress,
held at Halifax on the 3rd of April, 1775; to the third provincial
congress, held at Hillsboro on the 21st day of August, 1775; and to the
fourth provincial congress, held at Halifax on the 12th of November,
1776, which framed North Carolina’s first constitution. He also
represented Duplin in the House of Commons in 1795. It is told of him
that when Cornwallis’ army marched through the county on its way from
Wilmington to Virginia he concealed the records of the county in an iron
pot in Goshen Swamp to prevent their destruction by the British. He died
in 1820, an honored and highly respected citizen.
Robert Dickson, the third son of John Dickson, moved to Virginia at the
close of the Revolution, but returned to Duplin about 1784, where he
made his permanent home. He has many descendants in North Carolina,
chiefly in Cumberland County. He was a justice of the peace for Duplin
for a number of years, and served as a member of the House of Commons in
1777, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1787 and 1788.
Joseph Dickson, the fourth son of John Dickson, emigrated west about the
close of the Revolution; but, being dissatisfied, soon returned to his
native county, where he reared a large family consisting of one
daughter, Anne, and eight sons. He served in the capacity of Register of
Deeds and also as county surveyor of Duplin, and represented his county
in the House of Commons in 1780 and 1797. Anne Dickson, his oldest child
and only daughter, married James Pearsall, many of the descendants of
whom now reside in Duplin and adjoining counties. Later in life Joseph
took his entire family of eight grown sons, together with other Dickson
relatives, and moved to Tennessee in quest of large landed estates, a
desire for which had become common in the family. Dickson County,
Tennessee, takes its name from a member of the Duplin family.
Alexander Dickson, the fifth son of John Dickson, following the dreams
of his brothers, and searching for fortunes elsewhere, emigrated to
Virginia about 1781, and afterwards to Maryland; but returned in 1784
and took up his permanent abode in Duplin, where he accumulated
considerable wealth. He died leaving no family, and bequeathed his
property, as an educational fund, to the poor children of his county.
This fund has commonly been known as the “Dickson Charity Fund”; but,
through years of mismanagement and ill-directed investments, it has
almost come to naught, and like most bequests of this kind has not
served the high purpose for which it was intended.
Edward Dickson, the sixth son of John Dickson, had no ambition for
political honors, but was one of the foremost and most prosperous
citizens of Duplin. He married and reared a family in Duplin, and there
was no man more highly esteemed and respected. His oldest daughter,
Rebecca, married Rev. Jacob Williams, by whom she had a daughter, Ann,
who married Dr. Stephen Graham, a noted physician of Duplin County in
his day. Sarah Rebecca Graham, daughter of Dr. Stephen Graham and Ann
Graham, and sister of the late Stephen Graham of Kenansville, married
Owen R. Kenan, and, as a result of this union, left the following
children: Thomas S. Kenan, of Raleigh; William R. Kenan, of Wilmington;
James G. Kenan, and Annie Dickson Kenan, of Kenansville.
James Dickson, the youngest son of John Dickson, spent his entire life
in Duplin County. He married twice and had fifteen children, eight boys
and seven girls. We are told that as a reward for military services he
received large grants of land in Tennessee from the United States
Government; but we have no information as to what services he performed,
and William Dickson in one of his letters says none of the brothers
except himself actually took up arms and joined the army. He may have
rendered some services in the war of 1812, but we have no direct
information on this point. However, James Dickson owned large estates in
Tennessee and his three oldest sons, Edward, William and Alexander,
emigrated there in the early part of this century and took possession of
them. Robert Dickson, the youngest son of James, married Mary Catherine
Sloan, and was the grandfather of the writer.
Mary Dickson, the only daughter and youngest child of John Dickson,
married William McGowan at the age of eighteen, and she has many
descendants in this and other states. She was the great grandmother of
Benjamin F. Hall of Wilmington.
The first three letters, which are made a part of the publication, and
the fourth, which is an extract taken from an old copy of the
_Fayetteville Examiner_, were written by William Dickson to his cousin,
Rev. Robert Dickson, a Presbyterian clergyman, at Narrow Water, near
Newry, Ireland; and are printed for their historical and literary value.
The fifth letter was written by William Dickson to Linda Dickson, his
niece, who was at the time visiting her older sister, Mrs. Elizabeth
Johnson, of Charleston, S. C., and is printed to show the character of
the writer in his domestic relations.
The originals of the first three letters are still in existence and bear
on them the marks of having served their mission as a messenger of good
news to a far-away cousin. Years after they were written, two young men,
the sons of Rev. Robert Dickson, we think, came to this country, and in
order to identify themselves brought the original letters with them. One
of the young men was drowned, the other returned to Ireland, and the
letters fell into the hands of John Dickson, of Cumberland County; and
the family of the late Robert K. Bryan, Sr., of Scott’s Hill, N. C., and
the Evans family of Cumberland County, who are descendants of the
Dicksons, have carefully preserved them.
The fourth letter, or rather extract, is taken from an old copy of the
_Fayetteville Examiner_, and the original cannot be produced, but there
is conclusive evidence that it is genuine.
John Dickson, the father of William Dickson, had a brother by the name
of William Dickson, who moved from Pennsylvania and settled in the
Western part of the State, where he died on the first day of January,
1775. We have no record of his family, but it is reasonable to suppose
that he was the father of General Joseph Dickson, of Lincoln County, who
rendered valuable service in the Revolution, and was Congressman about
1800.
In editing these letters the writer has preserved intact the wording and
phraseology of the original manuscript, but has made some slight changes
in regard to capitalization, spelling and punctuation, and this has been
done only for the purpose of making them conform to our modern usage in
this respect, and where the change would in no way impair the sense or
expression of the originals.
GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS, HERO OF THE MEXICAN AND CIVIL WARS AND UNITED
STATES SENATOR FROM THREE STATES.—THE FRENCH-IRISH BRIGADES IN THE WAR
OF INDEPENDENCE.—BISHOP BERKELEY AND HIS PLANS FOR A GREAT AMERICAN
UNIVERSITY.
BY HON. WILLIAM J. ONAHAN OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.
[Three very interesting articles on widely differing historical
subjects.]
GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS, HERO OF THE MEXICAN AND THE CIVIL WARS; U. S.
SENATOR FROM THREE STATES.
In the Statuary Hall of the National Capitol, Washington, may be seen
statues of the distinguished men of the different states of the Union,
placed there under authority of a resolution or act of Congress, which
provided that each state could place there two figures of its choice.
The State of Illinois, by an act of the General Assembly, determined
that the statue of General James Shields should be one of those selected
to represent Illinois. An appropriation was accordingly made for the
statue of the soldier statesman, and it now stands in the “Hall of Fame”
at the Capitol, where it was formally installed with befitting and
notable public ceremonies.
Certainly, by this act the State of Illinois gave to the nation and to
the world unequivocal testimony of the respect and esteem in which the
soldier statesman is held by the people of the state where he first won
recognition, and which he served in so many and so various public
capacities with fidelity and renown.
A most interesting and unique figure in the history of Illinois is that
presented by the career and character of James Shields. Member of the
state legislature in early days, he became subsequently auditor, judge
of the Supreme Court, general in command of a brigade of Illinois
volunteers in the war with Mexico, and finally United States senator.
These various offices and distinctions came to him from Illinois; and
these, it might reasonably be supposed, would have sufficed to crown and
complete the public career of a man so favored by political fortune. But
this was not the end.
Failing of re-election to the United States Senate at the expiration of
his term, because of changed political conditions, Shields removed to
Minnesota, then a territory, and on its subsequent admission as a state
he was elected one of the senators, the other being Henry M. Rice.
Having drawn lots for the respective terms, Shields drew the short term,
which terminated in 1860, and, having again failed of re-election from
the same cause that defeated him in Illinois—the growing ascendency of
the Republican party—he once more removed to another and more distant
state, California, where he was settled at the outbreak of the Civil
War. His sympathies and his military experience led him to offer his
services to President Lincoln, who promptly commissioned Shields as
brigadier general, and he was assigned to service in General Banks’
corps, then operating in West Virginia.
* * * * *
While in detached command he won the celebrated victory over the
hitherto invincible Stonewall Jackson. Shortly after this he was
nominated by the President as major general, but the Senate refused to
confirm the nomination, being influenced partly, no doubt, by political
considerations—Democrats were not at the time in great favor—and partly,
also, no doubt, from misrepresentations regarding General Shields’
conduct in relation to a defeat suffered by a portion of his command at
Port Republic. This defeat, as was demonstrated later, was due to the
disregard of Shields’ orders; at all events, the hostile action of the
Senate caused his withdrawal from the army. He resigned his commission
and returned to California.
Shortly again his restless spirit stirred him to another change, and
this time he sought a home in Missouri, acquiring a farm near Carrollton
in that state. Here in 1877 political fortune once more opened to him
the doors of the United States Senate. He was elected to fill an
unexpired term, so that he now had the unique distinction of having been
chosen to represent three different states of the Union—at, of course,
different periods of time. This fact, unexampled, I believe, in his
history of the Senate, excited wondering comment at the time, and may
justify an inquiry into the circumstances and character of the man who
was able to win for himself this remarkable degree of public favor from
so many different states.
* * * * *
Born in the County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1806, James Shields came of a
fighting stock. His progenitors had fought at the Boyne and Aughrim for
the Stuart king and several had followed Sarsfield after the surrender
of Limerick, to serve under the banners of King Louis on the continent.
So it was that young Shields inherited the warlike tastes and the
“rebel” sympathies common to his countrymen. The story of his boyhood
shows that he early manifested a taste for military pursuits. He was the
drill-master of his boyish companions at school, and headed them in many
juvenile skirmishes and exploits.
He never gained the opportunity and advantages of a college or
university education, but he made up for this by the industrious and
persevering use of his opportunities in later life, so that he came to
be recognized as an excellent classical scholar and even linguist.
His youthful attention was early drawn toward America—as indeed, is the
case with nearly all Irish boys. In the instance of young Shields he was
spurred to emigrate by the counsels of an uncle who had seen service in
the revolutionary war, and who had written to the mother telling her
that if James did not leave the country he would surely be shot or hung
as a rebel! In 1823, when 17 years of age, James Shields set out for
America. He first landed at Quebec. The uncle who had counseled his
leaving Ireland and from whom he naturally expected aid and counsel, was
dead, and he was thus left to his own scanty resources. He made his way
to the States, and pushed westward to Illinois, until he reached
Kaskaskia, then the capital of the state, and it was there he commenced
his career, first as a school teacher, employing his leisure hours in
reading law. That he made good use of his time, and had the knack of
making friends, may be judged by his early election as a member of the
legislature.
Shields had been admitted to the bar in 1832 and was elected to the
legislature in 1836. In 1841 he was elected auditor and in 1843 he was
elected judge of the Supreme Court of Illinois—pretty rapid promotion
for the young Irishman.
He quickly entered the arena of national renown. President Polk in 1845
appointed Shields commissioner of the general land office in Washington,
and when the war with Mexico was declared Shields offered his services
and was appointed brigadier general of volunteers—this in 1846. His
military career in the campaign in Mexico I scarcely need recall. It is
to be found in the history of that war and in the official reports of
the chiefs of the army. His dash and bravery as well as his signal
military capacity were shown in every engagement from Cerro Gordo to
Chapultepec and the City of Mexico.
He was reported by General Scott in dispatches as fatally wounded at
Cerro Gordo, a ball having passed “clean through” his body. Happily the
skill and dexterity of a Mexican surgeon—a prisoner—saved him. Some
accounts say this surgeon was an Irishman who had seen service in the
French army. This brings to mind an incident in the general’s later
life. During a visit to Chicago on a lecturing tour I introduced the
general to some of the “sights,” among other places to the board of
trade, of which I was then a member. When the fact became whispered
about that General Shields was on the floor the “pits” were quickly
deserted, the operators evidently being eager to testify their respect
or gratify their curiosity. As he stood acknowledging the salutations of
the throng around him, a member of the board shook hands with him,
saying: “General, do you remember me?” The general evidently did not and
said so.
“Don’t you remember the soldier who tore off a piece of his shirt to
stanch the blood from your wound when you lay on the field of Cerro
Gordo?”
Sure enough, it was the very man! He, too, was a veteran of the Mexican
war. I regret that I cannot now recall his name, which I heard at the
time. Of course, there was a cordial reception and hand-shake between
the two old soldiers.
On his return from Mexico at the close of the war, Shields was brevetted
major general, and was nominated by the president governor of the
territory of Oregon. This appointment Shields declined. In 1849 he was
elected United States senator from Illinois, as associate to Senator
Stephen A. Douglas.
There was a question raised in the Senate as to the regularity of
Shields’ election. My impression is—I have not the data before me as I
write—that the irregularity was on the issue of citizenship; at all
events, the legislature cured the defect by electing Shields over again.
According to the record, it was Shields who reported the bill making a
grant of lands to aid in the construction of the Illinois Central
Railroad, the credit of which is usually given to Senator Douglas who
was no doubt also a warm champion of the measure. It was Shields who
likewise introduced and pressed the passage of a bill granting “bounty
lands” to the soldiers and sailors who had served in the war with
Mexico. When England was threatening with her naval forces the little
republic of San Salvador on some pretext, Senator Shields promptly
introduced a resolution on the subject, invoking the authority of the
Monroe doctrine.
Bills to aid other railroad projects in Illinois were favorably reported
by him. At that time the West was clamoring for railroads, which were
indispensable to its development. In these days the country seems to
forget how much of its progress and prosperity has been due to the much
maligned railroads. Space will not admit of even a summary of the
important public measures that Shields had part in framing. The files of
the Congressional Record bear testimony to his unceasing industry during
his senatorial career. It is worthy of note that Shields was
consistently opposed to the extension of slavery and his record shows
it, although in this regard he was not always in harmony with his party.
* * * * *
The State of Illinois, by vote of the legislature, presented to General
Shields a costly sword in recognition of his gallant services on the
battlefields of Mexico. The State of South Carolina in like manner voted
him a sword, “in testimony of her admiration of his gallantry in the
Mexican war, and as a tribute of gratitude for his parental attention to
the Palmetto regiment.” This regiment was in Shields’ brigade in several
engagements.
At the expiration of his term in the Senate he failed to secure a
re-election, Lyman Trumbull being chosen to succeed him. This result was
due to dissensions in the party ranks in consequence of the slavery
issue, and to the growing power of the incipient Republican party.
Shortly after this Shields removed to Minnesota, gathering about his new
home the nucleus of an Irish colony which has since become the populous
and prosperous settlement known as “Shieldsville.” In fact, this was the
beginning of the colonization movement in that state to which Archbishop
Ireland afterward lent his powerful aid.
It was during Shields’ sojourn in Minnesota that the overture was made
to him to take the command of the papal army. This was at the time when
the revolutionary movement in Italy threatened the invasion and
integrity of the papal states during the reign of Pius IX. Shields
declined to accept. I had the details of the overture from the general’s
own lips at a late period of his life.
When Minnesota was admitted as a state in 1858 Shields was chosen one of
the two senators, his colleague being Henry M. Rice. Lots being drawn to
determine the respective terms, the short one—two years—fell to Shields.
At the end, as in Illinois, and from like cause, he failed of
re-election, and soon he was again on the wing—this time for California.
* * * * *