Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

2796 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANSClimate, and History;" Poems; "Some Highways and Byways of AmericanTravel;" "The Boys' Froissart;" "The Boys' King Arthur;" "The Scienceof English Verse;" "The Boys' Mabinogion;" "The Boys' Percy;" "TheEnglish Novel, and the Principle of Its Development;" Poems (edited by hiswife, 1884), besides many notable contributions to magazines. There is awide variation in the character of Lanier's work, running as it does, frompoetry to prose but there is no variation in its quality. Always and everywhere the quality is of the highest. Some of its subjects appear very commonplace, as for example, the poem entitled "Corn;" but the poem is notcommonplace. "The Sonjlof the Chattahoochee" and "The Marshes ofGlynn" are poetic gems now recognized as classics the world over and havemade famous two widely distinct features of Georgia's scenery. His lastwork, "Sunrise," a beautiful song composed when he was too feeble to carryhis hand to his mouth, has been well characterized by Lucian Knight as "hislife's sublime recessional."MAJ.-GEN. LAFAYETTE McLAWS was born in Augusta on January 15,1821. Before he concluded his first year in the University of Virginia h$ iwasappointed a cadet at West Point Military Academy, and in 1838 entered thatschool, from which he was graduated four years later. He was commissionedlieutenant in the army and sent to the frontier. Before the actual openingof hostilities in the Mexican war, he joined the army of General Taylor onthe Texas frontier. Stationed at Fort Brown, the young lieutenant was.assisting valiantly in the defense of that beleaguered post (May 3-4, 1846),while General Taylor was fighting the battles of Palo Alto and Eesaca de laPalma. He accompanied Taylor's army; took part in the hard fightingaround Monterey; was transferred to Scott's army and assisted in the siegeof Vera Cruz. On account of feeing health he was sent back to the UnitedStates on recruiting duty. During the last part of the war he was employedin convoying trains from Vera Cruz-to the City ofSMexico.The years after the Mexican war were spent largely on the frontier. In1851 he "was commissioned captain of infantry, and served in the Utah Expe-,dition (1858), and did much escort duty in protecting emigrants crossingthe plains and in escorting Mormons to Califorina.When Georgia seceded Captain McLaws immediately resigned and offeredhis services to the state. On May 10, 1861, he was commissioned major inthe Confederate army. On June 17, 1861, he was promoted colonel of theTenth Georgia Regiment; and on September 25, 1861, was promoted brigadiergeneral.He participated, in all the Maryland and Virginia campaigns, commanded a division at Gettysburg which was transferred to Georgia in September, 1863, and in the following year was placed in command of the District of Georgia to obstruct Sherman's march to the sea. After the war hereturned to Georgia and entered the insurance business; in 1875 was appointedcollector of internal revenue at Savannah, and later postmaster and postwarden. He died at his home in that city in 1898.FRANK H. COLLET. To have been for more than forty years continuouslyengaged in the practice of his profession at Washington, the judicial centerof Wilkes County, stands to the credit of Judge Colley, whose character,ability and achievement have long given him precedence as one of the foremost members of the bar of Northeastern Georgia. His name is wfitten largeon the annals of jurisprudence in this part of the state and he is consistentlyto be designated as the Nestor of the bar of Wilkes County, a man ofstrength, resourcefulness, loyalty, high attainments and impregnable integrityand a citizen whose influence has ever been given to the furtherance of thosethings that conserve the best interests of-the community and of society atlarge.