Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/73

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HALPINE
HALSEY
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May. He was wounded at the assault on Fort Wagner, 18 July, 1863, and given command of his regiment, succeeding Col. Robert G. Shaw, who was killed in that action. At the battle of Olus- tee, in February, 1864, he brought his regiment into action at the crisis, checked the advance of a victorious army, and made it possible for the Na- tional column to retire upon Jacksonville. He was brevetted brigadier-general, 27 July, 1865. HALPINE, Charles Graham, writer, b. in Oldcastle, County Meath, Ireland, 20 Nov., 1829 ; d. in New York city, 3 Aug., 1868. His father, Rev. Nicholas J. Halpine, was for many years edi- tor of the " Evening Mail," the chief Protestant paper of Dublin. The son was graduated at Trin- ity college, Dublin, in 1846. It was his original intention to study medicine, but he preferred the law, meanwhile writing for the press. The sudden death of his father and his own early marriage compelled him to adopt journalism as a profession, and his versatile talents soon gained for him a repu- tation even in England. In 1852 he came to New York city with his family, secured employment on the " Herald," and in a few months had established relations with several periodicals. His remarkable talents made it possible for him to undertake a great variety of literary work, most of which was entirely ephemeral. He had previously resided in Boston, where he was assistant editor of the " Post," and also established with Benjamin P. Shillaber (Mrs. Partington) a humorous journal called the " Carpet Bag," which was unsuccessful. Later he was associate editor of the " New York Times," of which he had been Washington correspondent, and the celebrated Nicaragua correspondence at the time of Walker's expedition was written by him for that journal. He also continued his relations with the Boston " Post," and in 1856 became principal editor and part proprietor of the New York " Lead- er," which under his management rapidly increased in circulation. He also contributed poetry to the New York " Tribune," including his lyric

"Tear down the flaunting lie!
Half-mast the starry flag ! "

which was attributed to Horace Greeley. At the beginning of the civil war he enlisted in the 69th New York infantry, in which he was soon elected a lieutenant and served faithfully during the three months for which he volunteered. When the regi- ment was ordered to return home, he was trans- ferred to Gen. David Hunter's staff as assistant adjutant -general, with the rank of major, and soon afterward accompanied that officer to Mis- souri to relieve Gen. Fremont. Maj. Halpine re- ceived the commendation of officers that had been educated at the (J. S. military academy as one of the best executive officers of his grade in the army. He accompanied Gen. Hunter to Hilton Head, and while there wrote a series of burlesque poems in the assumed character of an Irish private. Several of these were contributed to the New York " Herald " over the pen-name of " Miles O'Reilly," and with additional articles were issued as " Life and Ad- ventures, Songs, Services, and Speeches of Private Miles O'Reilly, 47th Regiment, New York Volun- teers" (New York, 1864), and "Baked Meats of the Funeral : A Collection of Essays, Poems, Speeches, and Banquets, by Private Miles O'Reilly, late of the 47th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, 10th Army Corps. Collected, Revised, and Edited, with the Requisite Corrections of Punctuation, Spelling, and Grammar, by an Ex-Colonel of the Adjutant- General's Department, with whom the Private for- merly served as Lance Corporal of Orderlies " (1866). He was subsequently assistant adjutant-general on Gen. Henry W. Halleck's staff, with the rank of colonel, and accompanied Gen. Hunter on his ex- pedition to the Shenandoah valley in the spring of 1864. This proved unsuccessful, and he returned to Washington, but soon afterward resigned, re- ceiving the brevet of brigadier-general of volun- teers. He then made New York his home, and, re- suming his literary work, became editor and later proprietor of " The Citizen," a newspaper issued by the Citizens' association to advocate reforms in the civil administration of New York city. In 1867 he was elected register of the county by a coalition of Republicans and Democrats. Incessant labor brought on insomnia with the use of opiates, and his death was the result of an undiluted dose of chloroform. Besides the books mentioned above, he was the author of " Lyrics by the Letter H " (New York, 1854) ; and after his death Robert B. Roose- velt collected " The Poetical Works of Charles G. Halpine (Miles O'Keilly)," with a biographical sketch and explanatory notes (New York, 1869).


HALSALL, William Formby, artist, b. in Kirkdale, England, 20 March, 1844. He early set- tled in Boston, where he received his education. Subsequently he went to sea and for seven years followed the life of a sailor. In 1860 he began the study of fresco-painting with William E. Norton, in Boston, but at the beginning of the civil war en- listed in the U. S. navy, and served for two years. He then returned to fresco-work, but soon aban- doned it for marine-painting, which he has since followed in Boston, studying for eight years in the Lowell institute. Among his works are the " Chas- ing a Blockade-Runner in a Fog," " Rendezvous of the Fishermen," " The Mayflower," " Arrival of the Winthrop Colony," and " Niagara Falls." His " First Battle of the Iron-Clads " was purchased by the U. S. government in 1887, and is to be hung in the capitol at Washington.


HALSEY. George Armstrong, manufacturer, b. in Springfield, N. J., 7 Dec, 1827. He was edu- cated in the schools of his native town, and on the removal of his father's family to Newark, N. J., be- came voluntarily apprentice to a leather-manufac- turer. A few years later he entered the wholesale clothing business. He was elected a member of the general assembly of New Jersey in 1860 and 1861, and in 1862 was appointed assessor for the 5th dis- trict of New Jersey, from which office President Johnson sought to remove him in 1866, but with- out success. This attack on him by the president resulted in his nomination for congress, and his election by a very large majority. As a member of the joint select committee on retrenchment, he was instrumental in securing important reforms in the treasury department. In 1868 he was defeated, but was again elected in 1870 by over 3,000 ma- jority. The nomination was again tendered to him in 1872, but declined. In connection with Gov. Randolph he was active in preserving Washing- ton's headquarters at Morristown, and is now (1887) president of the association formed for that pur- pose. In 1874 he was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor of New Jersey. Since that time he has been chiefly engaged in the manage- ment of his manufactory at Newark. N. J., but gives much time and attention to the affairs of the New Jersey historical society and to those of the Newark library association.


HALSEY, Leroy Jones, clergyman, b. in Goochland county, Va., 28 Jan., 1812. His family removed to Huntsville, Ala., when he was six years of age. He was graduated in 1834 at Nashville university, where he was tutor of ancient languages for two years. He studied theology at