Page:Men of Mark in America vol 2.djvu/517

the Southern History Association, of which he is president. Among his writings are "Life of General Winfield Scott," published by D. Appleton and Company in their "Great Commander" series and adopted as a textbook at the service college of the United States army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; "Life of Governor William Blount"; "Sketch of the Life of the Duke of Kent"; sketches of the lives of about fifty Confederate generals for "Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography"; a "History of McNairy County, Tennessee," and articles in various magazines. In politics he has always been a Democrat. His religious connection is with the Protestant Episcopal church. He finds his principal relaxation in reading and conversation. His choice of a profession was governed in part by his personal preference and in part by circumstances which were beyond his control. From early life he had a strong taste for military affairs. This was stimulated by his appointment as brigadier-major in a military organization in his native county when he was only eighteen years of age, and the Civil war furnished an opportunity for the exercise of his talents in this direction. The influences of his home life were strong and helpful. The books which he has found most useful are the Bible, histories, and the works of Shakespeare and Doctor Samuel Johnson. To the young who desire to reach true success in life he recommends "truth, honesty and industry," as the great essentials for its attainment.