John E. Wool

              OBITUARY
       Major-General John E. Wool.
  The veteran General WOOL died yesterday
morning in Troy, at 2:30 o'clock, at the age of 86
years. He was the last of the old heroes who
connect us with the early military history of the
Republic, his first training having been received
in the war of 1812, and his full glory in the con-
flict with Mexico.
  Major-General JOHN E. WOOL came from revo-
lutionary stock, and inherited his military genius
from his ancestors. His grandfather, JAMES
WOOL, settled in Schaghticoke, in Rensselaer
County, before the Revolution, and when the
struggle of the patriots with the mother coun-
try for independence began he resided
upon what may be termed the northern
frontier, where he was exposed to the 
incursions of Indians, British and Tories, with
whom the country abounded. He frequently
carried his arms with him into the fields which
he cultivated. Five of his sons bore arms in the
Revolution; two were imprisoned in the New-
Jersey prison ship - one of whom died of his suf-
ferings; another was a captain with MONTGOM-
ERY in his expedition against Quebec; the fath-
er of the General was with WAYNE in the storm-
ing of Stony Point; another of the sons
was with STARK in the battle of Ben-
nington, and a great uncle was one of
the Committee of Safety in New-York City.
  General WOOL was a genuine New-Yorker. He
was born in Newburg, Orange County--the scene
of WASHINGTON'S headquarters during a good
portion of the darkest period of the Revolution-
ary War--on the 29th of February, 1784. He was
born in leap year, on the extra day in the calen-
dar; and the singular fact may be related of
him that although an octogenarian, he had only
seen twenty-one anniversaries of his birth.
  His opportunities for education in his early
years were very slight, and while yet a boy he
entered a bookstore in Troy, and became a pro-
prietor in the business before he reached the
age of manhood. A disastrous fire, however, 
swept away his property, and he aban-
doned the book business and determined to take
up the profession of law. While he was still
pursuing his legal studies, the war of 1812
broke out, and having a taste for military affairs
he shut up his law books and sought and obtained
through the friendship of Governor CLINTON a
Captain's commission in the Thirteenth Infan-
try. He distinguished himself in several import-
ant engagements, being wounded in both thighs
at the storming of Queenstown Heights, which
was the first action in which he took part. For
his gallant conduct in this affair he was pro-
moted to the position of Major in the Twenty-
ninth Infantry. He took part in the battle of
Plattsburg, in September, 1814, and for courage
displayed at the engagement of Beekmantown
he was brevetted Lieutenant-Colonel. After the
close of the war the army was largely reduced,
but Colonel WOOL was retained in the Sixth 
Regiment of Infantry, and in 1816 was appointed
Inspector-General of the Northern Division.
  He received his full commission as Lieutenant-
Colonel in 1818, and three years later became In-
spector-General of the entire army. So faithful-
ly did he discharge all the duties assigned to him   
during this period of profound peace that in 1826
he received the appointment of Brevet Briga-
dier-General. With this title he continued to
perform the duties of Inspector-General until
1832, when he was sent to Europe by the Govern-
ment to study the military systems of different
nations and receive such suggestions as he might
obtain for the improvement of our own army.
He received marked attention abroad, especially
in France, where the King and Marshal SOULT,
the Minister of War, did all in their power to
further the objects of his visit. In Belgium he
was the guest of the King, and enjoyed the mili-
tary advantage of being present at the siege of
Antwerp. After his return to this country he
was engaged for a year or two in inspecting the
coast defences from Maine to the mouth of the
Mississippi River. In 1836, when the Cherokee
Indians were removed from Georgia and Florida
to the western banks of the Mississippi, General
WOOL took charge of this important matter.
During the Canadian difficulties in 1838 it be-
came important to examing the facilities for de-
fence of our northeastern frontier, and he led
a reconnoitering party through the forests of
Maine and made a careful examination of the
entire border of the State. The full rank of
Brigadier-General was conferred on him on the 
25th of June, 1841.
  On the breaking out of the war with Mexico,
in 1846, General WOOL was ordered to the West
to organize volunteers, and within six weeks
had sent 12,000 troops to the seat of war, fully
armed and equipped. He then collected 3,000
troops under his own command at San Antonio
de Bexar, and crossed the Rio Grande on the
8th of October, 1846. He marched to Saltillo, a 
distance of 900 miles, without losing a single
man, and preserved such admirable discipline as
everywhere to gain the good-will of the inhabi-
tants of the country through which he passed.
He selected the ground on which the battle of
Buena Vista was fought, disposed the troops for
action, and during the early part of the engage-
ment, until the arrival of General TAYLOR, had
the entire command. In his official report Gen-
eral TAYLOR attributes the success of this im-
portant battle in a large measure to General
WOOL'S "vigilance and arduous service before
the action, and his gallantry and activity
on the field." He remained in com-
mand at Saltillo until Nov. 25, 1847, when
General TAYLOR returned to the United States
and he succeeded to the command of the army
of occupation. This position he retained until
the close of the war, having his headquarters at 
Monterey. His authority extended over the
States of New-Leon, Coahuila and Tamaulipas,
and partook of a civil as well as military char-
acter. The country was at that time overrun with
highway robber and guerrillas, but in a few
months he reduced it to the most perfect order
and kept it in that condition during his entire
stay. He returned home in July, 1848, and was
assigned to the command of the Eastern Military
Division with his headquarters at Troy. In 1853
the different commands were reorganized, and
General WOOL was assigned to the Department
of the East with his headquarters at Baltimore.
Official recognition of his brilliant services in the
war with Mexico was first made in 1854, when he
received the thanks of Congress and was pre-
sented with a sword. At the same time he was
transferred to the Department of the Pacific by
JEFFERSON DAVIS, then Secretary of War, with
instructions to "use all proper means to detect
the fitting out of armed expeditions against
countries with which the United States were at
peace," and to cooperate with the civil authori-
ties "in maintaining the Neutrality laws."
These instructions he carried out with the ut-
most vigilance, and indeed, with such vigor as
to incur the displeasure of Secretary DAVIS, who
removed his headquarters from San Francisco
to the inland town of Benicia, where he could
not keep so careful watch along the coast. His
correspondence with the Secretary of War
at this time was subsequently published by
order of Congress. In 1856 General WOOL, com-
manded an expedition to Washington and Ore-
gon Territories to put an end to Indian disturb-
ances, and in a campaign of three months ef-
fectually accomplished that object. At the close
of PIERCE'S Administration in 1857 he was
recalled to the Department of the East, and
returned to his old headquarters at Troy.
  At the first threatenings of rebellion in 1860,
he offered his services to the Governement, and
after the attack on Fort Sumter, organized and
equipped the first regiments of volunteers sent
from New-York to Washington. In the Spring
of 1861 he sent reinforcements to Colonel
DIMICK, at Fortress Monroe, which were the
means of saving that post from imminent
danger of falling into the hands of the Con-
federates. On the 1st of May he was ordered to
return to Troy, but in the following August was
sent to Fortress Monroe as commander of the
Department of Virginia, and headed the expedi-
tion which occupied Norfolk on the 10th of
May, 1862. On the 16th of the same month
he was made full Major-General in the
regular army. His age, however, unfitted
him for the arduous labors of the field at that
trying time, and on the 2d of June he was trans-
ferred to the Middle Department, with his head-
quarters at Baltimore, where he remained until
the close of the war. He then retired from ac-
tive command and took up his residence at Troy.
  The military career of General WOOL may be
summed up as follows:
  April 13, 1812, Captain Thirteenth United States
Infantry.
  Oct. 13, 1812, Major Twenty-ninth Regiment,
for gallant conduct at Queenstown.
  Sept. 11, 1814, Lieutenant-Colonel, for gallant
conduct at Plattsburg.
  April, 1816, Colonel of Cavalry and Inspector
General.
  April 26, 1826, Brevet Brigadier-General.
  June 25, 1841, Brigadier-General.
  Feb. 23, 1847, Brevet Major-General, for gallant
and distinguished services at Buena Vista.
  1864, Major-General and retired.
  His health had been remarkably good through-
out his long life, until Saturday the 30th ult.,
when he stumbled and fell heavily while walk-
ing back and forth on his piazza. His system re-
ceived a fatal shock, and he expressed his belief
that the sickness which followed would close
the scenes of his long career. He talked calmly
of his approaching dissolution, and quietly
passed away amid the devoted attentions of his
relatives and friends.