s^ ^^»f ■m^ 4 '^i-^ ?W My^y^S* ■r: ?■■■ '*■ H"^*V^ ra's "^ ^■^^i^;^ i-V^ .''• '^^. D. Magruder before the Chicago Bar Association, 86 Resolutions of the ist New Hampshire Cavalry \'eteran Association, 93 EniTOKlAL of the Chicago Tribune, Febr\iary ist, 1S88, .... 95 JOHN LEVERETT THOMPSON was born Febru- ary 2nd, 1835, at Plymouth, N. H. He died January 31st, 1888, at Chicago, 111. His father was William Coombs Thompson (Dartmouth College, 1820), a well known New Hampshire lawyer. His paternal grand- father was Hon. Thomas W.Thompson (Harvard Col- lege, 1786), of Salisbury, N. H., Speaker of the House of Representatives of New Hampshire, and afterwards United States senator from that state. His mother was Martha Higginson Leverett, a lineal descendant of that John Leverett who was a major in Cromwell's army during the Parliamentary wars, and who afterwards, having turned to New England, became Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. The names of Chief Justice Sewall, of Massachusetts, and Stephen Salisbury, well known among the Boston merchants of his day, are also found in the line of his ancestry. John Leverett Thompson spent his boyhood in the beautiful old town where he was born, and to which, during the later years of his life, he delighted to return. As a child, he was of an amiable, happy disposition, and his manly strength of character was accompanied by the quietest and most unpretentious manners. He was fond of all athletic sports, and especially was an ardent lover of horses. His natural inclination, coupled with a zeal to emulate the performances of the circus riders who occasionally visited the place, led him to become a most accomplished horseman, and this taste and training naturally influenced him toward the cavalry service, in which he spent nearly all his army life. He was fitted for college at the Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, New Hampshire, and was ad- mitted to Dartmouth College in 1852, at the age of seventeen years. At the end of his sophomore year, however, he left Dartmouth and entered the junior class of Williams College, where he remained one year. Both these colleges afterward conferred upon him the Master's degree— Dartmouth in 1867. and Williams in 1875. In 1855, he first entered upon his legal studies in the office of the late Hon. F. H. Dewey, at Worcester, Massachusetts, whither his father had removed in 1852. He then attended the Law School at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., for a short time, and in 1856, entered the Har- vard Law School, from which he graduated in 1858. Having been admitted in the fall of this year to the Worcester County Bar, instead of beginning at once the practice of law, he spent the next two years abroad, pursuing his studies in the Universities of Berlin. Munich and Paris. In i860 he returned to this country, and after a few months spent at his father's house in Worcester, he left his New England home for the West, and settled in Chicago. Even now, however, he did not begin the practice of his profession, but entered the office of Scammon, McCagg & Fuller, as clerk and student. He was thus engaged at the breaking out of the war. when, abandoning his studies, he was among the first to re- spond to Lincoln's proclamation calling for volunteers to save the Union. He enlisted as a private April iQth, iS6i, in Battery A, First Illinois Light Artillery, U. S. Volunteers. This step was taken without asking advice of any one. When Mr. E. B. McCagg, of the law firm in whose office he was studying, remonstrated with him, saying: "Thompson, you are too good a man to enlist as a private," he replied: "If I am a good man I shall make a good private." He remained in the artillery service only about three months, his regi- ment being stationed at or near Cairo. His health having completely broken down, he was obliged to resign July i6th, 1861. During this period, it is be- lieved that he saw no actual service in the field. He had, however, been promoted to the grade of sergeant. When told, soon after his resignation, that his squad had been the best drilled in the Battery, he is reported to have said: "Well, I don't know that, I don't know that. I got on very well drilling my men as long as I could stand, but when I hadn't the strength to do that, and had to sit on a log, the drilling wasn't so well done." After a short time spent in Chicago, Thompson returned east to Worcester, where he remained sev- eral months with his family for the purpose of re- covering his health. Immediately on its restoration, he again entered the army; this time from his na- tive state of New Hampshire, being commissioned October ig, 1861, by Governor Barry, first lieu- tenant in Company K, of a battalion of cavalry raised for the First New England Regiment. This Regiment was made up of one New Hampshire and two Rhode Island battalions, and its name was very early changed to the First Rhode Island Cavalry. For the first few months, Robert B. Lawton, of New- port, R. I., was colonel, but he was soon succeeded by Alfred N. Duffte, of Staten Island, N. Y. On the resignation of the latter to become a brigadier gen- eral of volunteers, June 24th, 1863, Thompson suc- ceeded him as colonel of the regiment, and remained its commander until March 24th, 1864. His previous promotions had been, captain, December 3. 1S61; major, August 4, 1862; lieutenant-colonel, August 15, 1862. The regiment went to Washington in the early spring of 1862, and was afterward attached to McDowell's forces at Fredericksburg, forming a por- tion of the Second Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac. General Thompson's military career was an ex- ceedingly active one. His regiment took prominent part in the battles of Groveton, Second Bull Run^ Port Royal, Cedar Mountain, Chantilly, Fredericks- burg and Chancellorsville. These battles were fought under Generals McDowell, Pope. Burnside and Hooker. He fought at Bristoe Station and at Auburn under Meade, and after the Battle of Gettys- burg his command captured a portion of the rear guard of Lee's army. He also took part in the raids, made under Generals Stoneman and Wilson. Later in the war he served under Sheridan in the valley of the Shenandoah and participated in the victories of Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. During the first two or three years of the war,, the life led by the cavalryman was peculiarly hazard- ous. He was employed extensively for picket and skirmish duty, and to him it was entrusted to lead the van or guard the rear of moving armies. Irb great battles, to be sure, he seldom took a prominent part, but the service in which he was daily engaged was most perilous, exposing him at all times to dangers least expected. It was not till later in the war that the value of a large and united force of cavalry as a distinct arm of the service became fully understood. In June, 1863, while engaged in the kind of ser- vice just described, the greater part of the First Rhode Island Cavalry, through the blunder of some superior officer, was surrounded at Middleburg, Va.. by a large force of hostile cavalry, infantry and artillery, and nearly the whole command was captured or cut to pieces. Among the few who escaped was Lieu- tenant-Colonel Thompson, who, with eighteen men, fought his way over the mountains to the Union lines. Chaplain Dennison, the historian of the First Rhode Island Cavalry, in his interesting volume, "Sabres and Spurs," gives credit to Thompson for a high degree of courage and coolness in the presence of danger. When, on the resignation of Colonel Duffie, he came to the full command, Chaplain Den- nison writes: "Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson was equal to his 1 1 work. We were conlident we had the man and soldier at our head able to direct and lead us on in any emergency." In regard to a stubborn repulse of a spirited charge of Stuart's Cavalry, he writes on another occasion: " By Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson's cool arid brave conduct, Stuart was finally foiled and turned back, leaving some dead for us to bury, and some prisoners to care for, as an offset for our captured men." On March 24, 1864, Colonel Thompson resigned the command of the First Rhode Island Cavalry to become colonel of a regiment wholly made up from his native state — the First New Hampshire Cavalry. He was now serving in the Third Division Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Shenandoah under Sheridan. At the battle of Waynesboro, in March, 1865, his regiment especially distinguished itself, being the first to enter the rebel breastworks and reach their ar- tillery. As a mark of General Sheridan's apprecia- tion. Colonel Thompson's command was honored with the responsibility of escorting down the valley to Winchester, a distance of one hundred miles, the eighteen hundred prisoners who had been captured from Early in the battle. Colonel Thompson, in ad- dition to his own New Hampshire regiment, selected for this perilous duty his old Rhode Island ca\aliers. on whom he knew he could depend in any em(;r- gency. With this guard of little more than eight hundred men, he successfully fought his way to Win- . Chester, in spite of ev^er}' obstacle. At every ford he was attacked by the enemy in force, under General Rosser, but although encumbered by so many prison- ers, he beat back his opponents at every point, and at last, having endured the greatest hardships, he de- livered to the authorities at Winchester, beside the prisoners he had receipted for at the commencement of the march, twenty-five more, whom he had cap tured from (jeneral Rosser on the wa}'. The following extract from the Richmond Ex- a))U)icr will explain what hopes were built by the Confederates upon the apparent impossibility of the task thus accomplished: "We have some good news from the valley which it would not be prudent to give in detail at this time. We may say, however, , that it is reported that 13 McNeill, Rosser and Mosby have surrounded the guard who are conducting to Winchester the prisoners taken of Early, and there was a good prospect of their not only recapturing our prisoners, but also of gob- bling up the Yankee guard. We shall probably hear of the result of this movement in a day or two." In recognition of this exploit, Colonel Thompson was made a Brevet Brigadier-General, March 13, 1865, at the request of General Sheridan, "for dis- tinguished and meritorious service." Upon the close of the war, General Thompson was mustered out of the service, July 15, 1865. In spite of the activity of his military life and the constant perils to which he was exposed, there is no record of his ever being wounded in battle. Two addresses to his soldiers, made at this time, are interesting because characteristic of him. On the dis- bandment of his regiment at Concord, New Hamp- shire, he issued the following: "headquarters ISt N. H. CAVALRY, CONCORD, N. H., JULY 21, 1865. "Soldiers: — The time has arrived when our con- nection as officers and soldiers is to cease. Four years ago you were all citizens. You are now to be citizens again. H " You have performed your part well as soldiers. It is not necessary to mention the occasions when you have shown your valor. You have participated in every campaign in Virginia, from the first charge at Front Royal to the last charge at Waynesboro and the surrender of the Confederate Army, and on every field you have gained credit for yourselves and honor for the state which sent you forth, and whose name you have borne. "To officers and men I extend my thanks for the uniform confidence and respect which has been shown to me as your commanding officer. It is by your exertions alone that the regiment has won the esteem of our superior officers and the confidence of the army with which we have been associated. "I can only express the hope that you may become honored citizens of the country whose government you have assisted to maintain, and that you may se- cure all the success and happiness which I wish and which you so richly deserve. " John L. Thompson, Colonel Commanding Regiment.'* In reply to an address by Commissary Sergeant Charles Gillis, of Hillsborough, who presented to him, in the name of the First New Hampshire Cav- alry, a handsome silver service. General Thompson further said: "Soldiers: — I receive with pleasure this token of regard from the enlisted men of this command. I shall keep it as long as I live, and shall value it not only for its richness and splendor, but more highly as a proof of your confidence and good-will. We have been associated for a long time, and at parting, I can sincerely say that I know of nothing of which I can complain. I should like to talk to you and tell you what I have thought at different times during our career as a regiment, when it was not proper for us to talk freely together. I have watched you always more than you think. I have seen soldiers of this command performing deeds, when they perhaps thought they were not seen, that are worthy to be recorded on the fairest page of the history of this war. And if there is anyone thing for which I blame myself more than another, it is that I have failed to see that you have always received proper credit for what you did. But it would take too long to tell it, and I know that you are anxious to receive your pay and go to your homes. You go with my warmest wishes for your welfare, and it will be a happy moment for me if I can ever, under any circumstances, render you any assistance. Your friends at home will welcome you gladly. There are others, however, friends of the comrades whom you have buried in Virginia, to whom your coming will bring sorrow rather than joy. Let them have your deepest sympathy, for the sake of the dangers and hardships you have endured together. The friends of your fallen comrades will always have 16 a peculiar regard for you. Let it be your endeavor to comfort and cheer them. " I am grateful to you, sergeant, for your kind expressions. I thank you and those you represent for your magnificent gift. You may be assured I shall treasure it, and it will always reniind me that while I have endeavored to do my duty. I have at the same time retained a portion of your regard." In 1866, General Thompson was tendered by Gen- eral Sheridan the position of Field Officer in the Regular Army, as is explained by the following letter: " HEADgUARTERS DEPT. OF THE GULF, New^ Orleans, La., Aug. 25, 1S66. "Colonel: — General Grant having directed me to select twelve officers from the volunteer force, who served with distinction under my command, to fill the position of field officers in the regular army, I have the honor to inform you that your name has been forwarded. "Should you not desire the appointment, please notify Bvt. Major Gen. J. A. Rawlins, Chief of Staff. I am. Colonel, Very respectfully. "Your ob'dt servant, "P. H. Sheridan, "ALijor Gen'l U. S. A. "Col. J. L. TiioMPsox, Late I St X. H. Cavalrv." This appointment was declined. Meanwhile, in '7 the fall of 1865, he had returned to Chicago, and re- sumed his old place as a student and clerk in the office of Scammon. McCagg & Fuller. In the spring of 1866, however, he at last began the practice of the law, with Norman Williams, Esq., an old • New England friend and schoolmate, with whom in boy- hood, at Meriden, he had planned some day to prac- tice in partnership. The association thus formed was only terminated by the death of General Thompson. In professional life he early became connected with important causes, and gained the confidence and friendship of the community. His practice was large and increasing until his death. He was actively interested, moreover, in many questions relating to the good of the community. In 1870 he was the republican candidate for the State Constitutional Convention. He served the city of Chicago as an Alderman from 1876 to 1878. In re- cent years he was prominently connected with the work of the Citizen's Association of Chicago, and was the president of that organization from 1883 to 1885. General Thompson was an early and loyal mem- 18 ber of the Union League Club, of Chicago, and was unanimously elected president of the club, on Tues- day. January 24th, 1S88, just one week before his death. Five days earlier he had been elected president of the Dartmouth College Alumni Association of Chicago. From the close of the war to his death he had been connected with many veteran military organiza- tions. He was president of the Veteran Cavalry Associations of New Hampshire and of Rhode Island, and vice-commander of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, of the Comman- dery of the State of Illinois. General Thompson was married at Concord, N. H., September 5th, 1866, to Laura, daughter of Samuel A. Chandler, and Susan (Emerson) Chandler, of Peacham, Vermont. Mrs. Thompson and two children, Leverett, born November 11, iS6q. and Susan, born Jan. 26, 1874, survive him.* His death was sudden, occurring at his residence m Chicago on the morning of January 31st, 18S8, * Since this sketch was prepared Mrs. Thompson has also passed away dying peacefully on Sunday morning, Nov. 24th, 1SS9, after an illness of several months. »9 after a paralytic stroke, followed by an illness of only three days. It may not be thought out of place to reproduce with the public utterances called forth by his death, one or two more personal expressions out of many which it has been the privilege of his faniily to re- ceive. Thus, one of his enlisted men, looking upon his remains as they lay at the residence, said: "There is the best and bravest man that ever lived." Another soldier of his old regiment says: "We all loved Gen. Thompson. As brave a man as ever drew sword in defense of our country, noble and true, is the senti- ment of every veteran of the First New Hampshire Cavalry." And a distinguished lawyer of New York, a friend of Gen. Thompson both in military and civil life, writes as follows: "Few men have been more esteemed in life, or more regretted at its close, than he; and no one, I think, deserves more esteem or deeper regret. It is more than twenty-three years since I first met him, and the warm attachment I formed for him then 20 has not abated, though our opportunities for meeting have been less frequent than I could wish, " But through this long period, that now seems so short, he has always shown the same admirable qual- ities that endeared him to me and to so many others when serving in the field. They were qualities that made him an admirable soldier, an admirable lawyer and an admirable and lovable man. A kind and tender heart and an unyielding love of justice are not counted by the public as the most conspicuous traits of the soldier or the lawyer. Probably they are not the strongest attributes of the most conspic- uous soldiers or law3'ers, but they belong to the best, and among the best was General Thompson. It seems strange that one so good, and who would have wished all the world to be in peace, should have passed his life in the professions most arduous and removed from peace. If things were all set right and if all men were like him, this would not be. But while the world is what it is, such lovers of the right must try to set things right. " He did his share and did it well. We must wish he could have stayed longer. No doubt we shall sometime know and understand that our wishes are not the best. For myself, I grieve sincerely for his loss, and beg to assure you of a sympathy that is hard to express in words." 2 I 1Rc60lution£? ADdPTKD BV THK VF.TKRAN ASSOCIATION OF THE FIRST RHODK ISLAND CAVAI.KV. A r ITS ANNUAL MEETING AT ROCKY POINT, R. I., THURSDAY, AUGUST qth, i838. lVhe7'cas : — Our beloved comrade and former com- mander, General John L. Thompson, died in Chicago, January 31st, 1888, aged fifty-three years, greatly esteemed and honored in the profession of the law, and by all who know him: — therefore, be it Resolved, ist — That as the First Rhode Island Cavalry Association, having ever fondly held him as a man of superior endowments and culture; an ardent and self-sacrificing patriot ; a devoted and accomplished soldier ; an able and considerate officer ; a prudent and gallant commander; a cool, skilful and intrepid leader; ever modest, yet heroic ; one whose qualities and con- duct endeared him to all his command, and justly commended him to the special regards of all military authorities, and to our national government ; we are now called to place on our records our high apprecia- tion of his character and career, and our deep sense of loss in his death — a loss personal to each one of us, and heav}^ to us as an association of war comrades. Resolved, That this brief but heartfelt expression of our bereavement be spread upon our records, and also be communicated by our secretary to the afflicted family. IRceoIutione -ADOPTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, GRAND ARMN' OF THE REPUBLIC, AT ITS TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL ENCAMPMENT AT CONCORD, N. H., FEBRUARY ist AND 2ND, i838. Whereas: — The Supreme Commander above, in his infinite goodness and mercy has summoned our comrade, Gen. J. L. Thompson, late of the First N. H. Cavalry, to the Grand Army above, therefore Resolved, That in the death of our comrade we feel the irreparable loss of a brave soldier, a kind friend, one who had the interest of the soldier at heart, beloved by all who knew him. Resolved, That the sympathy of the comrades of New Hampshire be extended to the family of our ■deceased comrade in this their hour of deep affliction. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be ■sent to the family of our deceased comrade and spread upon the records of this encampment. J. H. French, A. S. Eaton, D. D. Nelson, Ira W. Duntlev, 23 Committee ^ist N. H. Cav. Ass'n. •fln flDeinoiiam ADOPTED AND PUBLISHKD BY IHK MILITARY ORDKR OF I'HK I.OYAI. I.KC.ION: OF THE rNMTED SIATES, COMMANDERY OF IHE STAI'E OF ll.l.IXOIS, MARCH 8th, 1888. In writing of the Solicitor General of England in the beginning of the nineteenth century, Lord Brougham says: " It is fit that no occasion on which Sir Samuel Romilly is named should ever be passed over with- out an attempt to record the virtues and endowments of so great and so good a man for the instruction of after ages. Few persons have ever attained ce- lebrity of name and exalted station in any country or in any age with such unsullied purity of charac- ter as this equally eminent and excellent person. His virtue was stern and inflexible, adjusted indeed rather to the rigorous standard of ancient morality than to the less ambitious and less elevated niaxims of the modern code. " He was in truth a person of the most natural and simple manners, and one in whom the kindliest charities and warmest feelings of human nature were blended in the larcjest measure with that hrmness 24 and unrelaxed sincerity of principle, in almost all other men found to be little compatible with the attributes of a gentle nature and the feelings of a tender heart. "The observer who gazes upon the character of this great man is naturally struck first of all with its most prominent feature, and that is the rare excel- lence which we have now marked so far above every gift of the understanding, and which throws the lustre of mere genius into the shade." All this might be recorded of our late companion General John L. Thompson, at one time a Vice Commander. The character which in him rounded •out and marked him as a citizen and lawyer is de- fined by the adjectives fair, true, kind, equable, earnest and firm. But in this Commandery and in other organiza- tions having their origin from like causes, it is well to note that these qualities developed the soldier, and in turn were brightened and enlarged by the •experiences of a soldier's life. The majority of the voters of the present day in the United States have no recollection of the war of the Rebellion drawn from personal experiences or participation. To their minds the war is presented in the form of historical statement. To those who, in the winter of 1 860-61, watched the rise of the spirit of rebellion, the vacillation of the administration, the inauguration of Mr. Lincoln, 25 the hesitation to supply Fort Sumter, the secession of South Carolina, the firing of the first gun, the call to arms, the events of that and four subsequent years, if at this distance of time almost a dream, are yet a dream with the vividness of reality. There was nothing then in Mr. Thompson to mark him for the field. To militia service or the pomp of parade he had shown no liking or aptitude. Quietly, reserv- edly, modestly, he was closing the course of study which should fit him for the practice of his chosen profession. But he was missed, and after two days his friends, having suspicion where he might be, found him in line in the old Armory building in Chicago, standing where the present Rookery building now is. Some sapient officer had advised that men who should enlist should be kept in confinemxent, not appreciat- ing that volunteers as six to one to fill the call were then ready. Thompson was in the ranks undergoing an inspection of some sort, and as the hand was given, said: "You see I have done it," — words char- acteristic in their brevity, and expressive of a reso- lution born of thoughtful purpose. That evening he departed for Cairo, amid the cheers of a multitude on the Lake Front. There visitors found him a month or more later, corporal of a battery, calmly performing in mud and rain the duties which he had assumed — drilling and making ready. So he remained until disease overtook him^ 26 and at or about the close of the three months' ser- vice he went to his old home in Massachusetts, whither his family had moved from New Hamp- shire, apparently permanently disabled, for he had never been very strong. His battery for the most part re-enlisted. His friends at Chicago joined the service under later calls, but mostly in the West. When next heard of he had recovered and was First Lieutenant in the First Rhode Island Cavalry, formed of three battalions, one from New Hamp- shire, his native state, another from Massachusetts and a third from Rhode Island. The regiment en- tered upon active service in Virginia and was assigned to the Shenandoah. On December 3d, 1861, Lieutenant Thompson be- came captain; on July 3d, 1862, major; on July nth, lieutenant-colonel, and on January 4th, 1863, colonel. In March, 1864, he resigned to take the command of the First New Hampshire Cavalry, which honor- ably shared in the command of Sheridan the mem- orable skirmishes, battles and pursuits of that year. He was brevetted for distinguished services. To say of him that he was always ready, that he had his command in hand, that he was prudent and yet bold even to daring, that whether in the charge or in holding the fruits of victory he was equally prompt, efficient and able, is to say only what was said spontaneously by all who were with him. One of his enlisted men said, looking upon his remains as they lay in his residence: "There is the -/ best antl bravest nian that ever lived," — a testimonial the value and streni^-th of which every officer knows. Occasions like this are frequent; memories rise and thicken, but it is not permitted to lengthen or fill out the sketch. In the reports of three states are the records of his achievements. The full measure of the man is better recognized in the outlines; and we therefore sadly, but proudly, in simple but few words, give this our tribute to the one of our number who has last passed away. Geo. W. Smith, E. B. McCagg, H. W. Jackson, Committee. Xcttcr FROM A SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF DARTMOUTH COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF CHICAGO. Dear Madam : — At a meeting of the Dartmouth College Alumni Association of Chicago, the under- signed were appointed a committee to communicate to you and your family the fraternal sympathy that we, the Alumni of Dartmouth College, feel for you in the death of your honored husband, and to say that your bereavement is also our great loss; that we have always regarded Gen. Thompson as a man 28 whose unusual success in all that makes up the best of life, was due, not to fortuitous circumstances, but to his great worth of character and his rare talents; that we, in common with all who knew him, have always felt the influence of those subtle forces in his character that were born of consciousness of his strength and integrity; and in his death, the city that he has served so well in so many honored ways sustains a loss that it will continue to feel many years. Respectfully, C. F. Rk.mick, Randall H. W^iiitf, E. C. Crawford. Committee. 1In nDeinoriain ADOPTED BY THK CHlCACio 1.11 F.KARV CI.UH. FEBRUARY 27TH. i88S. John Leverett Thompson was born at Plymouth, a quaint village near the White Mountains of New Hampshire, on the second day of February, 1835. He inherited from notable ancestors many of the sturdy traits of the Puritan, with advantages and op- portunities for their development. Always scholarly, he enriched a rare natural en- dowment b}- a prolonged student life in this country and continental Europe, covering a period of four- teen years, from 1852, when he was admitted a fresh- man at Dartmouth College, to 1866, when he entered the practice of law in Chicago- Four of these years,, which he gave to his country in the war of the Re- bellion, formed an important part of his education, for his mental activity was as vigorous and conscien- tious in matters concerning the art of war as his exploits were daring and brilliant. With the heritage of character and intellectual vigor, reared among rugged mountains in the atmos phere of honest thought, simple life and Christian refinement, his thorough training developed qualities in the man which remain his most enduring memorial. Uncalculating in the courses of right, he was a conscientious man, striving to follow the dictates of duty, uninfluenced by censure or approval, and con- sequently was faithful in his work. He possessed a rare degree of calmness and self-control, and was never hurried to hasty judgments. He was a patient listener, and invited opinions from others, and never expressed his own until they had received mature thought. Quietly and modestly he performed his work, preserving a characteristic reticence concern- ing his achievements in the field, in public offices and in his profession. The simple, lucid and forcible English employed in his legal arguments, discloses the fact that he was familiar with language, a lover of books, and a stu- dent of pure literature. His patriotism manifested itself not only in his. military career, but in his persistent desire to elevate the public service, which he gratified, quietly and without ostentation, by a generous contribution of his time and thought. He died in the city of Chicago, on the thirt}-- first day of January, 1888, transmitting to his family the inheritance he received from his fathers with many added talents, illustrating to all who knew him the possibilities of a character developed and refined by Christian example, by mental training, and by a conscientious and unselfish regard for truth and duty, and emphasizing the forceful power of educated silence, simplicity of life, and modest demeanor, ac- companied by intellectual vigor. Norman Williams, E. B. McCagg, MuRRY Nelson, Committee. IKceohxiione ADOP'JED BY THE EXECUTIVE Cf)MMITTEE OF IHE CTllZENS' ASSOCIAITOX OF CHICAGO, FEBRCARY isr, 1888. Whereas: — It has pleased Divine Providence to call from our number and to remove from the midst of our community. General John L. Thompson, who has, during the whole period of the existence of this 31 Association, been one of its most active members, and has tilled the office of its president and the chairnianshij) of various important committees with marked ability and success; it is Rcsohcd, That in the death of General Thomp- son this Association has lost one of its most valued and beloved members and directors; one who has at all times, during the past fourteen years, been ready and willing to serve the public interests to the extent of his well recognized ability, and has done so with- out reference to his personal convenience and inter- ests. As a member of this Executive Committee his counsel and advice were always sought among the first expedients, and his demise deprives us of a wise and prudent counselor, whose judgment has been our reliance in many cases of great difficulty, Resolved, That we tender to the widow and famil)- the expressions of our heartfelt sympathy in their bereavement, and our regret for their irreparable loss. Resolved, That the offices of the Association be closed on the day of General Thompson's funeral as a mark of respect to his memory; and that a copy of these resolutions, signed by the president and sec- retary, be given to his family. Francis B. Peabodv, President, j. C. x'\mhler. Secretary. Hn nDcnioriam ADOPTED r.\ IHK ClllCACO KDISdN COMPANY. l•■EP.Kl'Ak^■ 131 }i, 1888. "Men must endure Their going hence, even as their coming hither; Ripeness is all." When the final summons came, our friend, Cien- eral Thompson, responded, bringing his sheaves with him; the sheaves of a well spent life, the garnered harvest of an honorable professional and business toil, and his name will be remembered in the far distant future as one of the great characters of his time. He always used his influence to advance and perpetuate the best interests of his fellow men; we who have met him in business marts, will ne'er see his like again; and the state and city have met with a great loss. He was one that feared nothing, ex- cept to do wrong, and his heart was as great as the world, though there was no room in it for the mem- ory of an injury. We all mourn his loss, but thank God that such a man has lived. While he was bold and fearless, he was as tender as a child. Let the summer flowers bloom and shed their fragrance on his grave; let the falling leaves of autumn sigh a requiem; let the vernal showers weep over his grave, and when seasons come and go and go and come, let them point to the hallowed spot. "The circle narrows as we go; Hut only here; Comrades in life to every heart most dear. In the eternal realm we yet shall know With a diviner knowledge than below." 33 " There is no death ; what seems so is transition; This life of mortal breath Is but the suburb of the life elysian, Whose portal we call death." Erskine M. Phelps, J. W. DOANE, Edson Keith, Committee. Hn flDcmonani ADOPTED BY THE CENTRAL UNION TELEPHONE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO. The news of the unexpected and untimely death of General John L. Thompson, who has been since January 23rd, 1886, a director of this company, and a member of its Executive Committee, was heard by his associates here with sincere grief and sorrow. If we loved and respected him more, it is because we knew him better; but the whole community knew Tiim as a gentleman at all times and places, of un- questioned integrity, high professional attainments, sound business judgment, and of few words, but which were always considerate and weighty. As first of the legal counsel of this company since its be- ginning, he was a firm reliance, and for all reasons and in all ways, we deplore his loss. We recommend that this report be spread upon our minutes and a copy of the same mailed to the family of General Thomi)son. 34 nOcnional ADOPIKI) KV THK UNION LEAGUE CLUB, OF CHICAG(J, AT A SPECIAL MEETING HELD SATURDAY, FEBRUAKV 4x11, 1888. The life of General Thompson was a practical exposition of the purposes declared by the articles of association of the Union League Club, which are, among others, to defend and preserve the integrity -of the Nation, to inculcate a higher appreciation of American citizenship, to aid in the enforcement of all laws enacted to preserve the purity of the ballot box, to resist corruption, and to promote honesty in office. To say of one who, at the age of fifty-three years, has so acted as to be entitled to credit for having •contributed in a conspicuous degree to the promotion of all these objects, is to mark him as one who has left the inheritance of a good name. The breaking out of the war found the law stu- dent in Chicago. Patriotic impulse found prompt and resolute expression in enlistment. While the necessity continued, the service was given heartily, energetically and bravely. When the war closed he returned to study, one of those to illustrate that the qualities of citizenship were not lost by life upon the battle-field. He became a lawyer, well informed in the thought of his profession, prudent in counsel, clear in state- ment and forcible in argument. He was associated. 35 during an active period of more than twenty years, with societies or bodies having the good interests of the community in view. He aided, often with great self-sacrifice, efforts for reforni in municipal and state administration. Of the details of his useful life we have not space to write. He was pre-eminently fair and just, without jeal- ousies, giving to others often more than their due. Of him none will speak in the remembrance of the sting of biting criticism or sarcasm. All will recollect his manly character, albeit some-times concealed behind a reserve which did not trifle with friendship, and which preserved faith and honor. Of this Clul) he was an earnest, hopeful, loyal supporter during its dark .as well as its more pros- perous da>s. In it he believed as an institution cal- culated in the highest degree to be useful, and, as some of us ha\-e heard from him. he looked for the da>- when it should be distinctly a reform club. His last address, brief as it w\as, was thoughtful and full of wise counsel. He advised that the Club should not be allowed to drift into purely political seas. His death, following so soon his inauguration, will keep from the Club information of the plans which, if not formed, w^ere in his mind for the coming year, and which were suggested by long association with it. and the desire to advance its standard. 36. In order, therefore, to orive expression, in such form as we may, where words fail, to our appreciation of his character and our sorrow for his loss, we do here- by adopt the foregoing memorial, and direct that it be spread upon the records of the Club; and further, it is Resolved, That the President and Secretary be di- rected to send a copy of this memorial to his family. Geo. W. Smith, Elbridge G. Keith, J. McGregor Adams, l. l. coburn, Franklin H. Head, Committee. OF MR. FRANKLIN H. HEAD, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNION LEAGUE CLUB, AT ITS SPECIAL MEETING. There is no need, gentlemen of the Union League Club, that I should make formal announcement to you of the great calamity which has called us together to-night. As I sat in the church yesterday, I especially noted the appropriateness of the floral emblem which was forwarded on the part of this Club. Instead of being, as is often the case on such occasions, a splint- ered or broken column, it was a beautiful monument, 37 symbolizin*^, in most httin^^^ fashion, the symmetry and completeness of th(! Hfe of our himented President. At the threshold of his manhood, (ieneral Thomp- son, with thousands more of our 3'oun^^ >*' ^i'^^^^^ frt^v^^ ^ j4^>r??& "iuf '^' i