Biographies - Captain Frank Bowden Chilton

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             Frank Bowden Chilton is a son of Rev. Thomas Chilton and Louisa Chilton, and grandson of Rev. Trios. J. Chilton, a Baptist minister, noted for his piety and learning. His father, who was a lawyer as well as a minister, emigrated from Virginia to Kentucky, and engaged in the practice of law. He was eminent for ability and distinguished for his eloquence both in the Pulpit and on the Forum, at a time when Kentucky may be said to have been the cradle of oratory . He was contemporary with Henry Clay, and with him represented Kentucky in the Congress of the United States. The life and services of this distinguished divine, Rev. Thos. Chilton, constitute a part of the history of Texas and of the Baptist church. He was thoroughly identified,  we may say, with the birth of the church, rocked its cradle and contributed largely to its development and growth. He became connected with it at the incipiency of organization and long before it had prepared for a ministerial supply, or the means were available for their support; although a politician and a lawyer, he consecrated himself to the cause of religion and devoted his energies to the building up of the church of his father's and of his own adoption.

             A recent writer in the Falls County Index says of him: "Mr. Chilton was a native of Kentucky. His father, Thos. J. Chilton, was a Virginian, and a Baptist minister of great influence and power. He was born about the year 1798, so that at the period of his death, August 15, 1854, he was fifty six years of age. His life was eventful and would furnish matter for a volume, rather than for a brief sketch. He was educated for the bar, married at the age of 17, was admitted to practice his profession as soon as he was eligible, and succeeded soon in dividing the practice with the more aged, able and experienced lawyers of his section. Scarcely had he reached his majority before he was elected to the Legislature of Kentucky from the county of Bath. This was during the great political contest between General Jackson and Mr. Adams for the Presidency. Mr. Chilton was persuaded by his friends to take a part in these stirring times, became a candidate for Congress in his district on the Jackson side, and was returned to Congress by a large majority, on the plea of "retrenchment and reform." This was simultaneously with the election of General Jackson to the Presidency, in 1828. Soon after taking his seat he produced a series of resolutions looking to the redemption of the pledge made to the people by the sweep of the Jackson 'party, resolutions contemplating the reduction of the number and salaries of public officials, and an economical expenditure of public money. The ability with which he advocated these resolutions, gave him a national reputation, and drew even from Mr. Randolph, of Virginia, a compliment expressed in no stinted terms. But Mr. Chilton found—what many an honest, frank, patriotic, public servant has found since his day—that party platforms are constructed to catch votes, not to be carried out. When the "outs" became the "ins," the whole tune was changed. The offices and patronage of the government fell far below the demands of the hungry expectants. Besides passing some general platitudes which cost nothing, but little attention was paid to the promised retrenchments. In this condition of things, what was Mr. Chilton to do? To remain where he was would make him a party to the violation of his own pledges; and could he face his constituents and defend a party that had gone back, as he thought, upon its own solemn promises? No; he chose what he considered to be his only alternative, and ranged himself with the party of Mr. Clay. Two years after he was returned to Congress with an increased majority, and in the interval between the terms which he served he was placed upon the electoral ticket for President, in the interest of Mr. Clay, and aided no little in carrying his State.

             "Mr. Chilton had a fine streak of rich broad humor in his temperament. At the bar and on the hustings, it would crop out occasionally to the utter discomfiture of an antagonist. In versatility of talent I certainly never knew him surpassed; on the hustings he always met and foiled his antagonist; at the bar he stood equal to the best; in Congress he extorted the commendation of the fairest intellects; and in the pulpit he was a Nestor, a very prince!"

             The Rev. Thomas Chilton, the father of Frank Bowden Chilton, the subject proper of this sketch, abandoned the law and devoted himself to the ministry. When he first came to Texas, he settled at Houston and took charge of a church there in 1851, and became the pioneer of the Baptist church in Texas, and wielded a mighty influence for good upon the new population of the infant State. He removed from Houston to Montgomery, Texas, in 1853, and died there in 1854, leaving a widow, ten sons and three daughters.

             Frank Bowden Chilton was born February 27th, 1845, in Marion, Perry County, Alabama. At the time of his father's death, just recorded, he was only nine years of age. He was sent to school for a short time only; and begun life in reality, at a very tender age as a laborer at a neighboring saw mill, at six dollars a month. He exhibited even then, a spirit of independence, and early demonstrated the capacity to take care of himself. What he undertook he did well, and as humble as was his beginning, he kept up a courageous heart, which won for him friends. The next year he was "promoted" to the command of an ox-team, hauling lumber to the towns, and frequently to a long distance, over a vast expanse of prairie. He often made the trip all the way from Montgomery to Houston—a distance of fifty miles—alone. There are those living now who recall with a smile those days when young Chilton hove in sight mounted on his lofty load of ten bales of cotton—as happy and contented as a lord. His cheery whistle could be heard long before his team came in sight; and his advent was announced by the keen cracking of his long whip as it made inspiring music in the morning air, and on the smoking sides of his long team of six yoke of steers, the motive power of the "prairie schooner," the only means of transportation in those days. T. W. House and W. J. Hutchins received the fleecy staple at the hands of this hardy young pioneer; and loaded him up for his return trip, with goods for the interior merchant. How changed the times! and in how short a time. The prairie schooner is replaced by the locomotive, and countless trains of cars a day, deliver cotton and lumber and receive in return the goods which the twelve year old boy—a modern John Peerybingle—was wont to transport to the interior ! So have the savage and the forest vanished before the front of civilization; primitive ways have given place to the swifter modes of transportation demanded by an increased commerce, and yet the present generation have witnessed the transition, and Chilton is still a young man ! But he did not get left. He belongs both to the old and the new; he kept pace with the rapid progress and development of events and of the country. Soon the construction of railroads was talked of; the Houston and Texas Central was evolved and rapidly became a reality. It crawled or rather, ran rapidly up the interior; town after town blossomed out, and became depots of shipment and supply, and when Navasota was reached, young Chilton secured the sub-contract to "ride the mail" from Montgomery to that point; and at the age of thirteen we find him plunging along the country roads astride a trusty mustang in the sacred charge of Uncle Sam's mail-bags ! Nor did he shrink a moment from this arduous labor; night and day, in freezing weather, or under the semi-tropical sun of July, he faithfully delivered his charge on schedule time ! Those who have watched the formation and perfection of character of this sterling citizen, pride themselves on the fulfillment of their prophecy—made in those early days— that "there was the making of a man in Frank Chilton." His route, the round trip, made semi-weekly, was sixty miles, and faithfully was it traversed, with a stout courage, by this lionhearted lad, at fifteen dollars a month !

             Our readers must pardon the seeming digression, and excuse the weakness—if it be such—-that prompts the biographer to pause here, as memory reverts to the past, and dwells awhile on some of the minor events in the career of our subject; they are links in the chain which forms his character, and are illustrative of traits which are worthy of emulation by the young men of this glorious time of comparative ease and comfort. In those days there were few bridges in Texas, and none upon this U. S. Mail Route, which nevertheless crossed some of the most savage and treacherous streams in the west. Lake Creek, Mill Creek, Walnut and Spring Creek—formidable at all times; overwhelming in their fury when swollen by the water-spouts that in those days not infrequently overtook the immigrant's train; yet it is a matter of fact and of record that young Chilton never missed a mail, nor lost, nor wet a mail-sack; with his precious burden on his back, and his spurs clinging to the sides of his "trusty steed" he would boldly and with apparent unconcern—as if it were a matter of course—plunge into the stream and land —somehow and somewhere below, on the opposite shore! One day, however, he had a "close call"; it opened his eyes, apparently, for the first time to the dangers he so fearlessly encountered, and he quit the service. He had been warned not to try a certain creek, because it was higher than the oldest inhabitant had known it; the "sloughs" on each side were full and swimming, and having a strong current, as dangerous as the creek itself; but he knew no such word as fear; in the bright lexicon of his stout young heart there was "no such word as fail"; in the conscientious discharge of his duty, he plunged in, urging his horse with voice and spur. He passed the slough on one side, and even the creek, safely; but while in nearly swimming water on the other side and before he had reached the third and last difficulty—the second slough— his horse struck an old causeway made of dirt and rails, and through which—unknown to him, of course, the current had cut a chasm fully fifty yards wide. Into this, so unexpected was it - horse and boy plunged prematurely; a swift current submerged both, and for a moment both were out of sight. When they arose to the surface their relations somewhat changed; the rider was off, but he clung to the tail of the horse with one hand and to Uncle Sam's mail bag with the other, and struck out boldly for "high ground and tall timber." When he reached the store of Gary Brothers, at Plantersville, he was nearly frozen and half drowned. These good Samaritans, like the Monks of St. Bernard, warmed him up with the cordial of the country-good old rye—and removing his wet clothing, robed him out in dry garments from their own wardrobe; and Richard was himself again, "a sadder but a wiser" boy!

             At the age of sixteen young Chilton was reading law at Montgomery, Texas, under the able instruction of Charles Jones, Esq., a distinguished attorney of that place; that is, he clerked in the store of P. J. Wills & Bro. s at Montgomery, and at night and Sundays, read law. But it seems that fate had not destined him for the Bar, at least not just yet.

             The dark clouds that had so long presaged a war between the States, finally burst in all its fury, and the country was plunged in strife. As young as he was, one of his impulsive, ardent nature, and in whose veins the patriot's blood was flowing—handed down through several generations of brave ancestors, could not be content to be an idle spectator; at the first bugle call to arms he responded with alacrity.

             A company was soon formed, and he enlisted in it under the command of Proctor P. Porter—an attorney-at-law—who was elected Captain. The company marched to Red Top, in Grimes county, Texas, and the men were formally "mustered in" to the Confederate service. Thence they went to Harrisburg and went into camp preparatory to the long march to the seat of war in Virginia. The march was full of interesting events, and scenes, and made a strong and lasting impression on the mind of this young soldier; it was a frolic to him, but many of the old soldiers recall it with a sigh; especially that part of it which led across the "Grand Marie" of Louisiana. His company was christened "Company H," and was in the Fourth regiment of that brigade made famous by the immortal Hood, and known ever after by his name. He served with that command in the "Peninsula campaign." After General McClellan was driven from his stronghold there and forced by Lee's army to seek the sheltering protection of his gunboats, which lay off Yorktown, where he recruited his shattered and disheartened army, and General Lee returned to the neighborhood of Richmond, young Chilton was prostrated with a severe attack of malarial fever; his relatives, the Hon. W. P. Chilton, an uncle who was at that time in Richmond a member of the Confederate Congress—and General R. H. Chilton, a kinsman, then in the War Department, and afterwards Adjutant General on General Lee's staff, made every effort to induce him to quit the ranks and take a position in the War Department, or preferably to them, to return to his home in Texas and stay with his mother; but—as we have said—the patriot's blood flowed in his veins; and as feeble and reduced as he was—nearly exhausted, in fact, from sickness,—the long and weary marches through the dense and poisonous swamps of those low lands, and the fatigues of drill and camp duty, for he was not one to shirk a single responsibility, he would not consent to leave his command. His zeal in his country's cause was unabated, notwithstanding his prostration, his attachment to his comrades was strong; and it was only when, in consequence of repeated spells of fever that he became totally unfit for duty, that he listened to the advice of his relatives; and not before the retreat. McClellan reorganized his shattered forces, and as Lee fell back to Richmond pursued him. The battles of Williamsburg and West point were fought.

             Soon after reaching Richmond—in consequence of the hardships incident to the retreat in rain, mud and exposure to malarial infection, he was taken violently ill, and would doubtless have died had it not been that he fell into good hands and was carefully nursed. About this time he received news that his brother, Major George W. Chilton, in the Missouri army, had been severely wounded by a shot in the head; another brother, Horace B. Chilton, was shot through the heart at Gaines' Mill, and nearly all his regimental and company officers were killed or wounded in the same battle, including Marshall, Carter, Warwick, Key, Porter, Ryan, Lambert, Walsh, and many others, the purest and truest of young Southern Chivalry. Their blood was poured out as freely as water, as a libation on their country's altar. It was indeed, a time of mourning in Hood's brigade; and then it was, and only then, that this youthful soldier consented to accept a discharge from the ranks and return home.

             Among his mementos -a host of which he has carefully preserved,—he sometimes shows his friends the following:

Special Order No. 216.
VII. Private Frank B. Chilton, Co. H, Fourth regiment, Hood's Texas Brigade, is hereby honorably discharged from the service of the Confederate States.
             By command of the Secretary of War.   JOHN WITHERS,
             To Private F. B. Chilton,                         Ass't. Adj't. General.
Through Hon. Wm. P. Chilton.

             Once more in sunny Texas, surrounded by friends and kindred —amid scenes of his childhood, rested from the fatigues he had so bravely borne,—he soon recuperated his strength and health. With their return came again the yearning desire to be up and doing; his gallant young heart could not long brook the restraint put upon him; he tired of inaticvity and sighed for the scenes of camp life.

             It is a strange phase in human nature, that in looking back upon what were in reality scenes of privation and hardship, especially in military life, one forgets in a great measure all that is disagreeable, while the pleasurable memoirs, even be they few, come out in bold relief, and the mind loves to dwell upon them. An old soldier of thirteen campaigns and of two-score battles, told us that he loves now to recall the recurrence of blackberry time! while in the army, and to remember how, while charging across a hard-fought field, he came upon a big patch of dew-berries, and although the minie balls, and shot and shell, were making unpleasant music around his ears, and comrades were falling about him, he jumped down in a gully and "got the best bait of blackberries he ever had in his life!" Young Chilton forgot the sufferings he had endured, but remembered the camp fires and the merry songs and anecdotes of camp life; he sighed to be once more amongst "the boys." He immediately re-enlisted in the army, but did not rejoin his command. He remained in what was called the Trans-Mississippi Department, and served in many official capacities. While a Sergeant of Company B, Baylor's Regiment, Major's Brigade, Green's Division of Cavalry, he was promoted to a Second Lieutenancy for gallant and meritorious conduct, and the following "Special Order" was promulgated and read on dress parade—to all the troops in the department. It is another of Capt. Chilton's mementos, of which he is justly proud :

Special Order No. 2.
             I. Sergeant Frank B. Chilton, Co. B, Baylor's Regiment, Majors Brigade, Green's Division of Cavalry, having been highly recommended by his company and regimental officers for promotion, and having proved himself a gallant and meritorious soldier, he is hereby appointed Senior Second Lieutenant of Company B, Baylor's Regiment, in accordance with General Orders No. 48, District Headquarters Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, and will be obeyed and respected as such.

             At that time he was disabled by wounds, and was absent from his command on furlough, and being unfit for service in the field, was made Post Commander and Provost Marshal at Navasota, in accordance with the following order from District Headquarters:

 Special Order No. 130.
             VIII. Lieutenant F. B. Chilton, of Baylor's Regiment, being disabled by wounds, is assigned to duty as Commander of Post and Provost Marshal at Navasota, Texas. He will at once enter upon the duties of his office.
             By command of Major General Bankhead Magruder.
             [Signed]                                                          S. G. ALDRICH,
                                                                                     Acting Adjutant General. 
Official: W. A. SMITH, Act. Asst. General.

             The following order was soon afterwards promulgated, which, as will be seen, added to his duties as Post Commandant and Provost Mashal those of Enrolling Officer of the District:
Special Order No. 202.
             Lieutenant F. B. Chilton, Company B, Baylor's Regiment Texas Cavalry, disabled officer, will report for duty to Major J. E. Kirby, General Enrolling Officer Third Congressional District. By command of Major General Magruder.
             [Signed]                                                          ROBT. J. SAMUEL,
                                                                         Lieut, and Act. Asst. Adj. General.     
Official: W. A. SMITH, Act. Adj. General.

             On January 27, 1865, by request of General J. B. Robertson, Lieutenant Chilton was promoted and transferred to the Reserve Corps under the following order:

             IV. Captain F. B. Chilton, Baylor's Regiment, being unfit for field service by reason of wounds, is, at the request of Brig. General J. B. Robertson, commanding, assigned to the Reserve Corps, and will report to General Robertson for orders.

              By command of Major General J. G. Walker.

 To Capt. F. B. Chilton.

             From the following order issued soon after that Capt. Chilton was assigned to duty in the ordnance department of the Reserve Corps :

Special Order No. 22.
             XI. Capt. F. B. Chilton will act as Ordnance Officer of the
             Reserve Corps during the inability of Capt. S. A. Bryan, Chief Ordnance Officer, who is sick, and procure such supplies from the department as may be required.
             By command of Brigadier General Robertson.

             Although unfit for service in the field, as we have said, by reason of wounds and impaired health, Capt. Chilton was nevertheless enabled to serve the Confederate government efficiently; and at the same time time his surroundings were congenial and pleasant. Here he remained till the close of the war—not many months later. With him were a number of old friends—friends whom the mutual hardships of actual service, the dangers and sacrifices had cemented in bonds of fraternal love. He and Captains D. U. Barziza and P. I. Barziza were on duty at Houston, the Headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Department, the former as Chief State Ordnance Officer, D. U. Barziza as Commandant of Camp Greer, and P. I. Barziza as Enrolling Officer of Harris county. They were all old comrades from the army of Northern Virginia, and members of the old Fourth Texas Regiment, Hood's Brigade, and it may be imagined, many reminincenses were recalled of their campaigns in Virginia; "they shouldered their crutch and showed how fields were lost and won." Willard Richardson, the venerable editor, and proprietor as well, of the Galveston News, then published at Houston, said, editorially, of the above trio of officers, in his paper of March 24, 1865:

             "Captains F. B. Chilton, P. I. Barziza and D. U. Barziza have been placed on the retired list, and are at present on post duty at this place. They have been disabled, and retired on account of wounds. Such men deserve soft places."

             His gallant old Virginia commander, the venerable Gen. J. B. Robertson, of Goliad, recently deceased, was then in command, having been transferred from the command of the famous Hood's Texas Brigade, in the field in Virginia, to which he had succeded; and this was another link connecting him to the past, and reminding him of his Virginia campaigns, and especially of the Peninsula.

             As if to still further cement the bonds of friendship between two of these old companions in arms, fate decreed that they should fall in love with two cousins, and thus they became companions in love as well. Capt. Chilton and Capt. P. I. Barziza . fought the battle of love under cupid's command, and together laid siege to the hearts and affections of the two fair cousins. They surrendered at discretion, and soon a double wedding celebrated the victory, Captain Chilton leading to the altar Miss Annie Briscoe and Capt. Barziza securing the hand of Miss Clara Mason—both residents of Fort Bend county. The festal scenes occurred at the residence of another gallant Captain—Captain T. W. Mitchell. Upon the memorable and happy occasion still another "Captain" was conspicuous; one of the handsomest and most dashing Confederates of the clay. He was "best man" to the first named Captain—Chilton,—and a warm and intimate friendship between them, and which exists intact to this date, if not begun was then cemented and consecrated. We refer to Captain Andrew Faulkner, who has since become noted as the most efficient and popular railroad man in Texas. His railroad record and his connection with the H. & T. C. R. R. have made him widely known and his popularity has kept even pace with his fame; but— mirabile dictu, he is still a bachelor!

             Leaving the subject proper of this imperfect biographical sketch at an interesting period in his life—just after his marriage —we beg to recall to the memory of old Texans and Southerners some of his illustrious kinsmen.

             Readers of Dickens' "Martin Chuzlewit" will remember the astonishment of that young Englishman when "Col. Diver," the editor of the "Rowdy Journal," whom he encountered upon landing in New York, explained that his journal was "the organ of our aristocracy in this city."

             "Oh, there is an aristocracy here, then?" said Martin. "Of what is it composed?"

             "Of intelligence, sir," replied the Colonel; "of intelligence and virtue"—("and dollars," he added.)

             Though "Martin Chuzzlewit" is the keenest satire, perhaps, ever written, and as unjust in many places as it is cutting, Dickens told the sober and exact truth when he put those words into the mouth of this travesty on American journalists. There is an aristocracy in all civilized countries,—not, however, composed of dukes, earls and lords, nor based on money and estates, but of nature's noblemen. There is an aristocracy in America, and especially in the South, which, though it have no "boast of heraldry," is yet recognized—a kind of Free Masonry, by kindred of the blood. Aye, there be uncrowned princes, often in humble garb, even in humble station, because justice is proverbially blind; there is an aristocracy of pure blood, refinement and education, and it is hereditary in another sense than in that of title and estate. There are "thoroughbreds" in the human, as well as in the equine race; and the purity of blood, through generations of refined and educated people, will manifest itself in the face, form, manners and intercourse of those in the line of descent, through untold ages. It exerts a subtle but powerful influence in the formation of character, and pride of ancestry, so far from being, as some attempt to make it, a subject of ridicule, is a most commendable quality. It is pride that makes man honest; that nerves the private soldier to "seek the bubble reputation at the cannon's mouth."

             The family of Chiltons have inherited, through a long line of ancestry, the distinctive characteristics that mark American aristocracy, and furnish a record for courage, honesty, high mindedness and integrity. The subject of this sketch is a typical Chilton; family pride and family honor, the highest earthly boons, are strongly marked in him, and to their preservation life itself, were it necessary, would be cheerfully sacrificed. It is this that keeps a pure heart and clean hands through generations, and through adversity as well as through prosperity; to do good and lead noble lives is the sole ambition of such men. They are

                           "Cast in the massive mould
                            Of those high-statured ages old
                            Which into grander forms our mortal metal ran."

             A brief allusion has been made in these pages to Captain Chilton's father and grandfather, both men of eminent piety and ability, and both ministers of the gospel, who sacrificed peace, fortune and worldly distinction in order to carry the sacred word to a world ahunger and athirst for the great truths of atonement and salvation.

             There were others, one especially, whose name he bore, who exercised, doubtless, a great influence in forming the character of his namesake. There are many persons in Alabama, and also in Texas, who will remember with pride of friendship mingled with sadness, the brilliant but brief history of Hon. Frank Bowden, his brother-in-law, for whom the subject of this biography was named. Of this gentleman, a recent writer says, in recalling the brilliant galaxy of men who embellished, by their learning and eloquence, the annals of the South during the first half of this century: " According to our judgment of Alabamians, Frank Bowden was the most eloquent, the biggest-hearted, the noblest, the best who ever came to Texas." He died young. "Death loves a shining mark." Gifted with that most charming genius of transcendant eloquence, and power to sway the minds and hearts of men by the impetuosity of his oratory and the strength of his logic, Frank Bowden was the "rose in expectancy of the State."

             To his young namesake he was a model worthy of imitation— a tower of strength. He looked up to him with feelings akin to veneration, and unconsciously imbibed his character. His precepts sank deep into the susceptible young heart, and made lasting impressions. Who can name the influence of this master mind upon the character of his young kinsman and namesake at that period of plasticity and formation? In his life and character, young Chilton has perpetuated and sustained the qualities of head and heart for which his prototype was so justly distinguished. Other influences for good were silently at work meantime. As climate, altitude, light or shade influence and determine the character of vegetation in various regions on the earth's surface, so do domestic and filial influences shape the character of the rising generations; and far more than they realize or are willing to acknowledge, the parent is responsible for the evil deeds done in after life by those whom they have nurtured. Who can tell what patriotic zeal and love for the hills and valleys, the streams and meadows, the every feature of and the people of his beloved South, is aroused and kept alive in his heart when he remembers his two brothers, slain in their country's cause; they, "fighting foremost fell" —the one in the fore-front, on the bloody field of Games' Mill, and another wounded almost unto death in a hand to hand contest in Missouri.

             Doubtless the men of the South are loyal in all respects to the reconstructed government; but there are some things they can never forget, and at least while this generation lasts, the fires will be kept alive on the sacred altars of the lost cause, and they will secretly worship there.

             While indulging in this digression, and calling up from the echo-less shores visions of the past; while passing in review the deeds of the gallant dead, we should not forget the living. There are others whose lives and influences helped to shape the character and destiny of the man whose record is here being inscribed. The Hon. Wm. P. Chilton, a member of the Confederate Congress and a distinguished citizen and politician of Alabama, at one time on the Supreme Bench of Alabama; and the gallant Adjutant General and member of the staff of that grandest of all modern heroes, Robert E. Lee, General R. H. Chilton; others, not of the name, but related by consanguinity, and equally as distinguished, both in war and civil affairs. The Baylor family, for instance, a part and parcel of the history of Texas, are near relatives of Captain Chilton. Judge R. E. B. Baylor, Colonel Geo. Wythe Baylor and General John R. Baylor, for the first of whom "Baylor University" was named, were all distinguisted as men of learning, gallantry, and purity of life.

             These are the men whose examples was the model,—the animating, ennobling influence that helped to mould the character and shape the destiny of Frank B. Chilton,—than whom a more public spirited, warm natured, generous, and in every way useful citizen does not live in the broad limits of this grand republic— to early implant in his ardent young breast a love of truth, admiration of virtue and reverence for holy things. His friends call him a "very Bayard," sans peur, sans reproche.

             To return to the thread of our record where it was left mid the festal scenes of a double wedding,—the union of gallantry and grace typified, and in the hospitable home of one of the representative Southerners of that time—passed to return no more; as soon as the armies were disbanded and the war worn veterans returned to what had been their homes—alas, how desolate were some! Frank Chilton, broken in fortune like most of his compatriots, set to work to carve out a career in civil life. He cast around for the first step in that direction, and seeing nothing just then that offered more advantages he engaged in farming in Fort Bend county in the rich alluvial bottom lands of the Brazos river. Only seven days before the final surrender, a fair young creature had linked her destiny to his, for better or for worse—to take his home for her home, his people for her people, and his God for her God, through evil as well as good report; and henceforth life wore not only new and inspiring charms, but was laden with new and grave  responsibilities. To provide home, food, shelter and the common necessities of life was the first step. He went to work in earnest, and soon conquered the first obstacles. With the energy for which he was remarkable as a boy and as a soldier, he pushed his pursuits till his business became profitable and successful. All this time he had applied himself in spare moments in mastering the intricacies of Blackstone and Greenleaf —in perfecting his course in the law, which had so summarily been terminated when the wild alarums of "grim visaged war" startled the stillness of his rural home. He prepared himself to practice, while still enlarging the scope of his business transactions. Not content, like many who came out of the fiery furnace of a five years war, disappointed and impoverished—merely to "get along," and to consider themselves blest if they made both ends meet, not content to supply the comforts, even luxuries of life—which, with him was merely co-incidental with the pursuit of a career; he had an ambition broad and comprehensive; he set his aim high, and stopped nor stayed till the goal was reached. It was not to amass wealth; the mere accumulation of property was a pursuit unworthy of his genius and high aspirations. But to do good, to be of use and benefit to those about and around him, and to the State of his adoption; to restore the fabric of the grand old State—to set in motion her various industries. To this end he addressed himself to the task of introducing capital and labor into the State, to restore the waste places made desolate by strife, to develop the virgin waste places, where seed had never fallen, nor the maiden sod known the rude touch of the plowshare; to utilize the vast water power, encourage her agriculture, and to give to manufacturers and the world the full benefit of her boundless resources. The more he thought of it the greater seemed the task and the difficulties; but his capacity to do seemed to develop pati passu, with 'the expansion of the scheme. No plan has been too large, and no detail too small to interest him and enlist his best energies. Let us not forget, in the contemplation of these herculean tasks and gigantic resolves, that the man raised up seemingly by a special providence for their accomplishment, was yet a mere boy—with the responsibilities of a newly married man and no money. To one less ardent and self-reliant the above would seem chimerical,—"the baseless fabric of some wild dream." But a glorious fruition has crowned his labors, and to-day Texas owes a debt of gratitude to Captain Chilton, which no mere worldly consideration could repay; he has been her benefactor indeed, and has done much-more perhaps than any one man living, to develop her resources and people her land. Where erstwhile the eternal stillness of primeval forests was unbroken save by the stealthy step of the savage as he stalked the deer, or crept to steal the scalp of some luckless rival brave, now resounds the whir of the saw-mill or the scream of the locomotive; where the buffalo roamed free and fearless on the boundless plain, happy homes and brisk villages smile, and the air is vocal with the hum of industry. Population and capital—capital and labor—and energy. These are the agents of development, and development the means of civilization, and these Frank Chilton first undertook to introduce from the worn out older States, from over-crowded Europe, and from the land of money and meanness the New England of America.

             But this was not the work of a day nor of a year. Twenty-five years have rolled away since the scheme of peopling Texas first animated his bosom, and in those twenty-five years she has been peopled and developed. The work was slow; and as we have said, he had to look to the bread and butter side of life from necessity, not choice, and while contemplating his country's expansion he had to provide for his own and his family's wants.

             In addition to his farming arrangements he built a steam mill and gin; the first introduced into that section after the war. This added materially to his resources, and gave employment, at the same time, to worthy people. It must be remembered that at the "breakup," —for it was a breakup in every sense; business stopped, society unsettled, no schools, no churches, even the courts had ceased the regular routine of dispensing justice; money was scarce (greenbacks was the only kind of money in circulation), and every commodity, especially the necessaries of life, were at exorbitant prices; day labor commanded five dollars per day, cotton was worth fifty cents per pound, and calico fifty to seventy-five cents per yard; to buy a steam engine then was about like buying a railroad now; hence the benefit accruing to the community from the enterprise and energy of this citizen; and,—his benefices were not confined to one class of people, but embraced the whole population. He was an early advocate for educating the colored people; he clearly foresaw that if the two races were to live together in the South, under their changed relations, the inferior race must be civilized; and education—the great civilizer—was the prime consideration; and he practiced what he preached. With his own means he built a church and a school-house for the whites; and inaugurated a movement which resulted in providing the same for the colored people.

             All this time Captain Chilton was availing himself of every spare hour to prepare himself for the bar,—to perfect his knowledge of the law; and while farming and running his gin and mill, he carried on the business of general merchandising; reading law at such times as he could. Finally, in 1874, he underwent the crucial test, and was admitted to the bar of the District and Supreme Courts of Texas.

             We have shown how, at different periods of his life, his character was moulded and shaped by influences which he courted; it remained for his devoted wife to give to it the finishing touches; to round off, beautify and perfect it.

             She was a woman of uncommon intellect, and of extraordinary attainments. Educated at Salem, North Carolina, at a Moravian school, her mind thoroughly trained and cultivated, and her manners refined, she was fitted to adorn society and beautify home. She received her finishing education under the tutilage of Bishop  Doane, at St. Mary's College, Burlington, New Jersey. Here she perfected her knowledge of the languages, and became a thorough mistress of the Latin, especially. It seemed providential; for, it will be remembered, her husband's studies having been interrupted at the age of sixteen, when he went into the army—he had received little or no instruction in, and had never since had time to study Latin; without a knowledge of which, reading law became almost impracticable. Indeed, Captain Chilton does not hesitate to acknowledge that he owes much— and especially that part of his education, to his wife. Night after night following a hard day's work,—and on rainy days when outdoor operations were suspended, she taught him mathematics and the languages, and read history with him. It was she who persuaded him to resume the study of law; and knowing the great obstacle to be the want of a knowledge of Latin, she supplied it. The Latin phrases she translated for him, explained the meaning of words—giving their roots and derivations, until he had become quite proficient; and to-day he treasures as a precious memento the thumb-worn copy of "Sayles' Practice" in which her penciled translation appears over numerous Latin sentences. These were lessons of love; and it may be imagined that an impetus was given to his ambition to succeed. So earnestly did he apply himself that when examined by the court for license to practice, he received the following glowing tribute, pronounced by one of the ablest judges that ever graced the bench in Texas: "Mr. Chilton has evinced an acquaintance with the law that marks out a bright and brilliant future; and presages that with his attainments and rare intellectual mind he will become an honor to the bar." When that devoted wife read this tribute to her pupil-husband she was the happiest and proudest young wife in America.

             But alas! "all things fair and bright must fade." Sunshine cannot be the perpetual heritage of any mortal man; "into each life some rain must fall." Prosperity dwelt with him a season; his business prospered, but affliction, heavy and sore, came upon him! Came like a bolt of thunder from a noon-day sky; came at the threshold of his career; in life's morning, when the roseate hue of promise gave coloring to every aspiration; when, with stout hearts, youth and love had set out to make the journey of life, hand in hand. His beloved wife was called from his side-called to a brighter home beyond the skies; but not before giving her husband a pledge of her love, in the form of a tiny infant. The blossom faded and fell from the stem, and left in its place a bud of promise; but, alas, it only "tasted of the cup and put it away,"—it turned from the cold world, and winged its flight to the abode of eternal bliss.

             The bereaved young husband and father, plunged now into the deepest grief, lost, for a season, all ambition, all interest in life, all desire for life; paralyzed, almost, with the weight of a new and unlocked for grief, he was ready to despair. Without aim or purpose clearly defined in his mind, he closed up his store, abandoned his plantation, dropped his promising business, and left Fort Bend and Austin counties, and never returned. The scenes of his happiness and misery following so closely on each other, were unbearable to him; every familiar article served but to remind him of her whom he had lost; every endeared scene was a monument to her memory, and the sense of his bereavement weighed on him like a nightmare. He must, he would shake it off; but there, not there; it was impossible. Even the breezes, as they fanned his fevered brow, breathed her name in his ear; "the stars never gleamed but they brought to him dreams'' of his beautiful beloved and lost one.

             With the determination to shake off the gloom which had, like a pall, enshrouded his life, he settled in Marlin, Falls county, and at once engaged actively in business and politics, and, later, in social and public affairs. Hope was revived in his breast, and here, as elsewhere, the impress of his genius and his generosity was soon manifest. He did good when possible, was a kind friend to the poor, black and white, and a useful citizen; in fact, wherever he has resided, for however short a while, there are those who remember him with gratitude, and bless his name; and he has left mementos of good deeds, and an identity with the history and best interests of the locality.

             Despondency is the offspring of depression; it is a diseased condition, and when reaction comes, as in health it must come, it clears away like the fogs and mists upon the dawning of the morning sun. Young, strong, healthy; by nature hopeful and cheerful; ardent in the pursuit of life's duties; it was not to be expected that Captain Chilton would long be a prey to remorse, or to grieve over the inevitable. Reason re-asserted its sway, and as we have said, he resumed the routine of life so far as business extended. Soon social pleasures begun to claim a part of his time, and to interest him again, and soon again he found himself in love. In 1882, he married Miss Emma Belle Preston, a daughter of J. E. and Bettie Preston; but alas, his misfortunes were repeated. Fate had so decreed, we suppose, and on March 3, 1884, he was again widowed, and as before, the father of a very young infant. Again broken up in his domestic relations, and saddened beyond measure, hope deserted him for a spell; he gave up business, and again changed his residence.

             So far the biographer has carefully followed his footsteps, and given the data of his life, in each locality, identifying him with each community and people amongst whom he dwelt. From this point he becomes cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world—since his name and fame have o'erstepped the State boundaries and penetrated the old world—the "home of emigrants" —to use a paradoxical but expressive phrase.

             Before entering upon the details of his great immigration scheme, the real life-work which is now engaging, and for several years has occupied his best thoughts, we must be permitted to incorporate numerous incidents of his life, and without reference to time or place, speak of them in a general way.

             As illustrative of a striking phase in his character, combativeness, and at the same time attesting his devotion to principles, and love of the Southern cause, it is related that just after the war,—when the whole South was garrisoned with Federal troops, in most instances, negroes, the recently liberated slaves, perhaps, of the very people over whom they were set as sentinels,—an order was issued that no one should wear the Confederate uniform, or any emblem of the lost cause;—the writer remembers it, and remembers, too, having seen a brutal officer, with a file of negro troops at his back, cut off the buttons from the coat of some disbanded "rebel" on the streets of Mississippi's capital. Captain Chilton refused positively to doff his uniform, (perhaps it was the only coat he had,) but most likely he refused because of the petty tyranny that instigated it; but being pressed and threathened with imprisonment, he covered the buttons with crepe —put them in mourning —and wore the old uniform as long as it would hold together! He resided, at that time, in Fort Bend county, Texas. An order was also issued by the Federal despot in local command, to disarm all the white people. Capt. Chilton urged his friends to resist the order, and to tell the minions of Federal despotism "to come and take them." This is an instance, perhaps, where his judgment was at fault, but it showed the metal of his nature. When the "Aid and Protection" society was organized in Fort Bend county, he was one of its officers, and when that order as no longer a necessity he organized the Cleveland Rifles—a volunteer company—and was made Captain. He was at one time, also. Captain of the San Marcos Rifles. When the memorable troubles occurred at the Capitol, on which occasion the Davis administration refused to yield to the law, Chilton remained at the telegraph office all day, in anticipation of a call for the aid of his company, to enforce the law; and in case of need of troops he had been promised the first call. Again, when the Mexican troubles a few years ago, assumed a serious aspect and a conflict was threatened, Capt. Chilton was out near the frontier, with men organized, to move at a moment's notice, if necessary; and was in communication with the Governor and Adjutant General, who had promised him that should troops be needed, his command should be the first ordered to move to the front, and being within ninety miles of the Rio Grande, they would undoubtedly have been the first to cross over.

             A democrat, "dyed in the wool," he has yet not sought political preferment. While often spoken of as an eligible person for various public offices of honor and trust, he has steadfastly refused to let his name be used as a candidate before any nominating convention, preferring to remain free to follow such pursuits as his fancy or the force of circumstances dictated. In religious belief he is intensely a Baptist, but tolerant to others (if not to himself). It there is any one subject which more than another, engages his thoughts, and approaches what might be called "a hobby," it is universal education, and the elevation and improvement of the youth of the land. In local matters, wherever he has resided, he has, by universal consent and spontaneously, been regarded as a leader—in town meetings, Sunday, school entertainments, etc., he is the moving spirit. Since the war he has been a member of nearly every State Democratic Convention that has been held; and when, in 1878, it became necessary to draft a new platform for the Democratic party, he was one of the thirty-one members chosen out of the convention for that purpose. Of that committee he was Secretary, Col. J. C. Hutchison, of Houston, being the Chairman.

             He was one the State Commissioners to the New Orleans Exposition, in 1885; a member of the Deep Water Conventions which met at Fort Worth, Texas, and at Denver, Colorado. He has, also, been trustee of many schools, and in 1885 was made a member of the Board of Trustees of the great Baptist College at Waco, which was founded and first endowed by his cousin, R. E. B. Baylor, so well known in Texas and in Texas jurisprudence as a District and Supreme Court Judge, lawyer, preacher, and philanthropist. This college was, at the time it was endowed, located at Independence, Washington county, Texas. In 1884, however, it was consolidated with the Waco University, and that grand old man, to whom history furnishes no peer— Rufus C. Burleson, D. D., L,L. D.,—was made President. For twelve years Captain Chilton held office under the U. S. government as Postmaster; has officiated for many years as Notary Public, and was once a Justice of the Peace; and amongst all his varied and public duties he has still found time to take the lead in training the youthful mind in the observance of the holy Sabbath day; the reverence of holy things and the love, fear and veneration of the sacred name of Our Father in Heaven—as Superintendent of numerous Sunday-schools; and in the latter capacity he was for many years a teacher of a Bible class. He was appointed as Commissioner to the Paris Exposition

             And yet, coming in contact in business and in society with men of every station in life, and of every temperament and taste, he has never had a clash, never was engaged in a "personal difficulty," nor in a lawsuit, with anyone. Not that he is not sensible to an affront—far from it; though mild and pleasant in manners, courteous to a Chesterfieldian degree, modest and forbearing, he is sensitive, and will not brook the faintest approach to undue familiarity, or to the semblance of an indignity; he is gentle, yet firm, and somehow manages to win and retain the confidence and esteem of all classes of people.

             The several efforts which have, from time to time, been made to induce a health immigration into Texas, have been spasmodic, and unsustained by continuous exertion, and have been, therefore, attended only with partial success; there was want of an intelligent head, and of uniform co-operation. That immigration into her borders of skilled labor, and particularly of agriculturists was the one thing needful to the development of the vast resources of the State, early impressed the thinking men of Texas; and on the 19th day of December, 1887, a convention of the most enterprising and public spirited men from all sections was held in Dallas, for the purpose of organizing an efficient plan of securing the desired ends. The Texas Immigration Association was organized, and Capt. Chilton was made a member of the Executive Committee. His interest in the subject and his antecedent efforts, his familiarity with the workings of immigration schemes in other States rendered him eminently a fitting person to take the lead in the movement. An office was forthwith established at Austin, the State capital, and at a meeting of the Executive Committee he was chosen to take the position of Secretary of the organization. Upon this officer devolves all of the labor; the Secretary is both administrative and executive officer. With that impetuosity and zeal which has characterized his connection with every enterprise in which he has had a hand, he entered at once upon the discharge of the onerous duties of his new office. It may be said that antecedent movements amounted to little or nothing; there was nothing to build upon, but the movement was begun de novo; he gave the subject intense thought, and mapped out a general plan, and elaborated all the details for putting the machinery in motion; its ramifications were to extend into every part of the State and into every State in the Union. Like a general planning a campaign, he selected his lieutenants; he got up statistics and maps, a work of many months and of close mental application. The board were enthused; he infused his own hopefulness into their breasts as he unfolded the plans he had matured; and they were heartily approved, being pronounced as wise and promising of fruitful results. Arrangements were at once made for distributing advertising matter, throughout the farming districts of the North, West and Northwest. Before this could be intelligently done, before it was possible to give to the world an adequate idea of the area, soil, climate and productiveness of the various sections of the State, a world of correspondence had to be done; he had to obtain information on all points of interest to a prospective emigrant; these had to be classified and arranged, and something like system adopted; maps of the several sections and county maps, were made, and also maps of the entire State. These showed the railroads in operation and projected; and tables were prepared to accompany them, giving the average yield of the various crops, vital and mortuary statistics, climate, population, the number of cattle, etc. etc.; and more especially, showing the distribution of live water—an element of prime importance to be considered in the selection of a new home. The amount of work done as preliminary to any effort to induce settlers to come into Texas, can scarcely be conceived of. Moreover, all the lands open to settlement under the homestead laws—those belonging to the University and those for sale in the hands of private individuals or corporations, had to be classified and priced; and even specimens of soil, and of the crops raised in each section, fruits, cereals, tubers, cotton and the numerous products of the land were secured and kept in the headquarters office. And, it must be remembered, Texas had, and has strong competition in the great West, where large bodies of land were lying waste and waiting the same brawny muscles for which this movement was organized to secure.

             Soon after the first documents were sent out, inquiries began to pour in; questions were asked as to soil, productiveness, climate, rainfall, healthfulness, transportation, stock water, and a thousand other things, just as had been anticipated. Sales were made and a considerable influx of immigrants began to set in. But Captain Chilton was not satisfied; he saw that as broad as was the foundation laid, it was not comprehensive enough; nor were the revenues which had been provided for, sufficiently ample to enable the company to enter into a successful competition with the powerful immigration concerns operating through shrewd agents up at Castle Garden, and whose ramifications extended to the remotest corners of the West and Northwest. He determined therefore to extend operations into the richer regions of the old world, and if possible, secure a better class of immigrants than usually come, voluntarily, to America; he would show them the advantages to be reaped by an exchange of their worn-out lands in the crowded parts of Europe for the virgin soil of the sun-kissed prairies of Texas, and tempt men of means to sell out and come to us; men with money to buy, instead of rent, lands, and to live, independently of the supply man, till crops could be made. This class had heretofore, on reaching Castle Garden, been diverted by sharp, and often unscrupulous men of the "Scadder" stamp, and sent West to pay more for arid lands than was asked for the rich alluvial lands in this State.

             For the first time in his life, perhaps, he was brought face to face with a problem that, seemed to be too large for solution with the means at his command. But it has been remarked in these pages that obstacles in his path, instead of deterring him, only seem to arouse his combativeness, and to strengthen his energies; and the more difficult the problem seemed, the more determined he was not to be baffled; and applying himself with renewed courage, he thought it out! He conceived the idea of forming a gigantic scheme, in which all the Southern States would participate to a common end; to pool their-interests and distribute the proceeds, something after the manner of the freight system in operation among the powerful railroads of America; and the more he dwelt upon the idea, the more plausible and feasible it appeared, till, in his mind the great

SOUTHERN INTER-STATE IMMIGRATION BUREAU   

was a glorious reality. At its inception it was but a suggestion; day by day it assumed form and shape, its symmetry and proportions clearly defined. He unfolded his plans to his colleagues; they endorsed them, thus giving him the needed support, and finally a grand convention was held at Montgomery, Alabama, in December, 1888, on which occasion the Southern Inter-State Immigration Bureau was organized, and Captain Chilton was, as anticipated, selected for its general manager. We say—anticipated,—it was a spontaneous recognition of his title to the office, a tribute to the genius of the master mind which had evolved it out of chaos; he was with one accord proclaimed and recognized as the leading spirit of immigration. In this connection, lest his biographer be accused of partiality in thus awarding the fullest measure of credit to his subject, we beg to quote the language of The Merchant and Manufacturer, of New Orleans, Louisiana, a semi-monthly journal devoted to the interests indicated in its name:

             "Captain Chilton, Secretary of the Texas State Immigration Committee is a man—every inch of him. To-day he is moulding the opinions of multitudes of home-seekers throughout the Union, as to Texas. From every point of the compass, from every State and country, inquiries pour in upon him as to the laws, schools, churches, society, soil, products, minerals, manufacturing interests, protection to life and property, and every other conceivable subject that could suggest itselt to an intelligent immigrant or investor, in regard to the present and future of Texas; and it is to his brain and his pen that the honor and glory of Texas stand at present committed. Captain Chilton is known throughout the State; he has been identified with its progress from his earliest boyhood, and has possibly given more time and labor to the advancement of every interest with which he has come in contact, than any man in the commonwealth. Possessed of ample means with which to supply his worldly wants, he has been peculiarly unselfish as to every public enterprise, never seeking notoriety or emolument, but always taking the lead in every good work. He was a member of the State Immigration Committee from his district, and also a member of the State Executive Committee; and when the work of the Bureau became complicated his superior qualifications were called into requisition, and he undertook the whole management of the State movement. Captain Chilton is an accomplished, polished gentleman, a magnetic speaker, a forcible writer and a practical man, whose name in connection with Texas history and Texas facts, is becoming fast familiar to countless thousands throughout the Union."

             He is too modest to claim the originality of this grand plan; but the conception of the movement unquestionably belongs to him; though its general features were developed by and merged into the proceedings of the convention, of which they constitute a part. In importance as an historical event, this movement is second only to the great civil war which has so recently wrecked the South and made such movement necessary, and as the biographer is also a historian, truth and justice must outweigh considerations of personal modesty and diffidence, and the meed of praise be bestowed where it justly belongs. An evidence that the entire convention, composed of the master minds of the entire South, with one voice conceded this point, is found in the fact of his selection to take the lead and carry out the details of the movement, all of which had passed through his fruitful brain. Undoubtedly this is true; had it originated with any other, that person would have been selected; for the position, though fraught with responsibilities, is yet an honor and a distinction that the proudest Southerner would have proudly worn.

             We quote again the editorial utterances of the Merchant and Manufacturer in its issue of January, 1889:

"SOUTHERN IMMIGRATION.

             "The recent deliberations of the Inter-State Immigration Convention crystallized in a resolution to establish a Central Bureau, as the best medium for properly regulating the course of immigration into the Southern States. It is suggested that this shall include a permanent exposition of the products and industries of the different States. The prompt and intelligent control of this Bureau will devolve upon Hon. F. B. Chilton, of Austin, Texas, an executive endowed with vigorous mentality, and administrative capacity of a very superior order. This gentleman's initial obligation in so responsible a sphere of action will be the selection of an appropriate site for a Central Bureau. Therefore it is with decided feelings of gratification that we present to the readers of the Merchant and Manufacturer the excellent address of the recently elected general manager of the Southern Inter-State Immigration Bureau, the Hon. F. B. Chilton, of Austin, Texas. That we should experience a degree of pleasure because of our ability to announce Captain Chilton's deserved elevation to the important and responsible position he now occupies, is but natural, for it fell to our lot some months ago, to study carefully and report upon the work he was then engaged in, in the interest of his great State, and we took occasion at the time, to refer to the gentleman as probably the most energetic and successful organizer of immigration movements in the entire country. We pointed out the fact that to Captain Chilton's efforts, more than to any other cause, Texas owed her marvelously rapid increase in population, and consequent wealth; and showed how he, as Secretary of the Texas Immigration Bureau had succeeded in effecting the organization of a movement that placed his State before the eyes of the world—and kept it there—the Mecca of industrious, thrifty home-seekers from every quarter of the civilized globe.

             "Possessing this knowledge of facts, therefore, it would be strange indeed were we to fail in commendation of the selection of Captain Chilton to be the guiding spirit in the grand movement which is destined, we hope and believe, to make the South what nature intended she should be, the most attractive and prosperous section of our country. Certainly, if such a result is to be attained through the effort set on foot by the convention lately held at Montgomery, Alabama, it will be achieved under the capable and long practical management of the gentleman that convention honored with its perfect confidence. Indeed, we know of no other individual whose past record in the same line of business would have warranted his selection as the controlling power of the vast undertaking of directing an immense tide of immigration into the fifteen Southern States. Captain Chilton is preeminently fitted for the duties he has assumed, and there can be no question as to his ability to accomplish the work committed to his charge.

             "We commend his initial address to the Inter-State Executive Committee to our readers for careful perusal, and submit that it has the ring about it that presages success in every branch of the mammoth undertaking he has therein so clearly outlined."

             In a biographical sketch it might be considered somewhat out of place to give a history in all its details, of the progress of this movement, and the work done; and such is not intended; but we may be pardoned for a brief outline of it in consideration of the interest that subject has for every true-hearted Southerner-and the identity of our subject with the grand movement,—it is his life work, the monument that shall endure, and bear witness to his patriotic devotion to his country long after this pen and the readers of these lines are stilled forever. We have endeavored to clearly define his connection with the great work, and to give some idea of the man who could conceive and put into successful conduct so great an undertaking. This is done, we beg to say—-not merely to gratify the pride or vanity of those mostly interested—for, his posterity for many generations will doubtless read and cherish the record ; but to illustrate his life, and hold up to the present and coming generations the value of example. How must the heart swell in the American youth, and how must he be inspired with ardor and love of country when are recalled the deeds of valor in the lives of the founders of this grand Republic; and what feelings of veneration and gratitude are excited when they reflect that to such men capable of such sacrifice and such deeds are due the benign institutions of our common country under which it is possible for virtue and industry to merit suitable reward, however humble may be their possessors ; and whereby the ambitious youth can carve out a career and make for himself a name, which like those whose example he is proud to emulate, may go ringing down the ages. Such a career is here imperfectly recorded. We look back through the halo of glory that deserved honors have placed around this man's name, and see in the dim past, a barefooted boy, with ruddy cheeks and astout heart, set out in life's morning —whither? We see him seated on his load of cotton as the steers slowly crawl along the muddy roads to Houston, whistling merrily, as free and independent as the sea breeze that lifts his curly locks from the intelligent young brow, and wonder if in those days any fairy or angel whispered a suggestion of the possibilities that lay before him if he proved true to the bud of promise his friends saw in his character? We see him later —but still a lad of sixteen, fired by love of country, exposing his bosom to the leaden hail, in defense of what he and his ancestors thought was right; a patriotic boy. We see him the useful, hard-working citizen, striving to retrieve his own and his country's broken fortunes. We see his character shaped by conflicting influences, at last rounded, perfected and beautified by the love and devotion of an angelic young wife. Tell me not that such examples should not be inscribed on fairest pages, as a model and example worthy the emulation by the noblest youth who shall follow in his footsteps. It is the lives and deeds of her citizens that constitute the history, the pride and glory of a nation.

             Doubtless, had not the tenor of his life and his studies been interrupted by the war at the very threshold of his life, Captain Chilton would have received a thorough classical education, and would have attained to eminence in the profession of law. But— "there is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them as we may." Providence so ordained it; and but for the various influences during his life, brought to bear upon his character in its formation, he would have not been so peculiarly fitted for the position in life which he has filled with such signal distinction. He had ambition, and it being thwarted in one direction, found gratification in another. Inspired by the force of example, he early realized that it was possible to make "his life sublime," and determined that posterity should see his footprints on the sands of of time. He was taught by example, also, that the battle is not necessarily always to the strong, but that the active, the vigilant and the brave stand a fine chance of snatching the laurels from the brow of a more powerful but less vigilant competitor in life's struggles.

             In point of personality Captain Chilton is tall and commanding in stature, being six feet and three inches high; he has a decided military bearing, and his every movement gives evidence of his early training as a soldier. Genial and pleasant in manner, he is yet full of the fire of ambition, and of resentment of anything like an indignity or injustice. Devoted to his friends, of whom he has an ever increasing troop, he would make almost any personal sacrifice to oblige one, especially if in need. He is a typical Southerner; he represents that type of manhood respected by equals, feared by inferiors; the kind of man whom children love and women admire. Dark hair, in which time has not yet interwoven a single silver thread; dark blue 'eyes of depth and expression, and regular features, and withal he has a tender and sympathetic heart, as many an humble home, or despairing young man can testify; for he is ready ever to aid the worthy and encourage by precept and purse the ambitious seeker for fame or renown.

             In closing this imperfect sketch, it is but due Captain Chilton to say that it has been compiled from printed matter mostly, publications in newspapers, and from attested records of the War Department, and altogether without aid, assistance or suggestions from himself.