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Cdv of General Ormsby Mitchell. Very nice image taken by Anthony in New York City.
Very fine condition, with wear as shown in the scan.
$150.00 plus shipping
Mitchel, Ormsby M., major-general, was born in
Morganfield, Ky., Aug. 28, 1810. He was graduated at the
United States military academy in 1829, served as assistant
professor of mathematics at West Point for two years, and was
then on garrison duty until Sept. 30, 1832, when he resigned.
He was in that year admitted to the bar, practiced two years in
Cincinnati, was chief engineer of the Little Miami railroad,
1836-37, and professor of mathematics, astronomy and philosophy
at Cincinnati college, 1834-44. He raised almost all the money
for the establishment of an observatory at Cincinnati, which
was the first of the larger observatories to be built in the
United States and in 1843 the corner-stone of the pier for the
great telescope was laid by John Quincy Adams. Prof. Mitchel
lectured extensively throughout the United States from 1842 to
1848; was adjutant-general of the state of Ohio, 1841-48; chief
engineer of the Ohio & Mississippi railroad, 1848-49, and again
in 1852-53, and was director of the Dudley observatory at
Albany, N. Y., in 1859-61. He invented a number of valuable
mechanical devices for use in astronomy, and gained great
distinction in his profession. He was commissioned brigadier-
general of volunteers, Aug. 9, 1861, and at first reported to
Gen. McClellan, who assigned him the command of Gen. William B.
Franklin's brigade in the Army of the Potomac; but at the
request of the citizens of Cincinnati he was transferred to
that city and commanded the Department of the Ohio from Sept.
19 to Nov. 13 1861. He served with the Army of the Ohio during
the campaigns of the winter of 1861-62 in Tennessee and
northern Alabama, took part in the occupation of Bowling Green,
Ky., Nashville, Tenn., the march to Huntsville, Ala., in the
action near Bridgeport, Ala., April 30, 1862, and was promoted
major-general of volunteers to date from April 11, 1862. He
took possession of the railroad from Decatur to Stephenson, by
which the control of northern Alabama was secured to the
Federal authorities. He was anxious to advance into the heart
of the South, but was restrained by his superior officer, Gen.
Buell, and in consequence of a dispute with Buell he tendered
his resignation to the secretary of war and was transferred to
the command of the Department of the South, with headquarters
at Hilton Head, S. C., Sept. 17, 1862. He died of yellow fever
at Hilton Head, Oct. 30, 1862.