Hall, Basil (31 December 1788–11 September 1844), captain in the British navy and author of scientific works and books of travel, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Sir James Hall, a geologist of repute who published on a variety of other subjects as well, including architecture, and Helen Douglas. After a basic education in Edinburgh, Basil at age fourteen joined the Royal Navy and set out on the first of many voyages. By age twenty he was made lieutenant and at twenty-nine was a captain....
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Hall, Basil (1788-1844), captain in the British navy and author of scientific works and books of travel
Percy Adams
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Shoup, Francis Asbury (1834-1896), Confederate soldier, clergyman, and educator
Edward G. Longacre
Shoup, Francis Asbury (22 March 1834–04 September 1896), Confederate soldier, clergyman, and educator, was born in Laurel, Indiana, the son of George Grove Shoup, a merchant and politician, and Jane Conwell. He attended Asbury College (now DePauw University), before deciding on a military career. Given his family’s local prominence, he easily secured an appointment to West Point, from which he was graduated in 1855. As an artillery subaltern, he did garrison duty in Florida and South Carolina and served in the Seminole War of 1856–1858. During these formative tours of duty, Shoup forged close friendships with many southern-born soldiers and civilians, whose aristocratic pretensions he shared; apparently he came to consider himself a southerner at heart if not by birthright. When he resigned from the army in 1860, he returned to his native state but the following year settled in St. Augustine, Florida, where he practiced law....
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Smith, Edmund Kirby (1824-1893)
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Edmund Kirby Smith. Courtesy of the Library of Congress (LC-B8172-2013).
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Smith, Edmund Kirby (1824-1893), soldier and educator
Keir B. Sterling
Smith, Edmund Kirby (16 May 1824–28 March 1893), soldier and educator, was born in St. Augustine, Florida, the son of Joseph Lee Smith, a lawyer, soldier, and judge, and Frances Kirby. Both of the future Confederate general’s parents were originally from Connecticut. In childhood the precocious lad, who was known as “Ned” or “Ted,” was tutored by his older sister Frances Smith. Smith’s father was compelled to resign his federal judgeship in 1832 as a result of political pressures, and family finances grew increasingly strained. The decision was eventually made to prepare Smith for a career in the army, and he was sent to a private academy in Alexandria, Virginia, where he stayed from 1836 to 1841....
