FRANCIS UIBIC FARQUHAR *V N< £,970.13 MX n US3 FRANCIS ULSIC FARQUHAR Necrology, Assn. of the Graduates of the U.S. Military A oademy .Annual Reunion, 1884 W$t Htbrarp of Hje ZBnibergttp of J?ortf) Carolina Collection of J2ottf) Caroltmana Cnootneb bp S ofjn g>prunt ?£tll of the Class of 1889 ^f>370.7 3- US'Srn I REGR9LGSY. H£*> The Secretary then read the Necrology of Graduates for the year ending June 13, 1884. FRANCIS ULRIC FARQUHAR. No. 1934. Class of June, 1861. Died, July 3, 1883, at Detroit, Mich., aged 45. Francis Ulric Farquhar was born on the 30th of October, 1838, near the borough of Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, his father being George W. Farquhar, a prominent lawyer of that State. In early life he evinced a decided taste for, and desire to fit himself for, the engineering profession. With this object in view, he devoted himself to study in such schools as his native town afforded ; and during his vacations employed himself in gaining some knowledge of the practical part of his chosen profession. When not more than fourteen years of age he was engaged with Professor Rogers upon the Geological Survey of the State of Pennsylvania. Shortly after- ward he was one of a party of engineers engaged in locating a rail- road in Schuylkill County. After leaving school, at sixteen or seventeen years of age, he went west, and was employed as one of a party in locating the Mis- souri Pacific Railroad. His great ambition now was to graduate at the U. S. Military Academy and enter the Corps of Engineers of the Army. While still employed upon the Missouri Pacific R. R., he sought and obtained an appointment to West Point, from the district in which Schuylkill County was situated, and entering the Academy on July 1, 1857, was graduated on the 24th of June, 1861, with a standing of No. 2, and an unblemished record as a cadet. The coveted commission of Brevet Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers was now his, and his career before him. The 5 34 ANNUAL REUNION, JUNE 13, 1884. civil war had barely begun, and the necessity for the services of every officer of the regular army was very great. Farquhar passed directly from the Academy to the duty of drilling volunteers at Washington, which occupied him until July n, when he became Acting Aide-de- Camp upon the staff of Gen. Heintzelman, and in that capacity made the Manassas campaign, being engaged in the battle of Bull Run July 21, 1 86 1. Meanwhile, on the 29th June, 1861, he had been commis- sioned a Second Lieutenant. On the third of the following month he was detailed as Assistant Engineer at Fort Monroe, Va., and re- mained there until April 19th, 1862, when he joined the Army of the Potomac as Assistant Engineer, and as such took his full share of work and danger, being engaged in the siege of Yorktown, battle of Williamsburg, action at Slatersville and action at Mechanicsville, being brevetted a First Lieutenant, May 5, 1S62, for ''gallant and meritorious services at the battle of Williamsburg." On the 24th July he was again assigned as Assistant Engineer at Fort Monroe, where he continued until December 29. From January 2 to August 3, 1863, he was Chief Engineer of the Department of North Carolina, and during that time participated in the expedition which destroyed the railroad bridge over Tar River, at Rocky Mount. On the 3d March, 1863, he had been commissioned a First Lieutenant, and on the 1st August a Captain in the Corps of Engineers, thus rising from the grade of Cadet to that of Captain in but little more than two years. From August 3, 1S63, to May 27th, 1864, he served as Chief Engineer of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina, being engaged in the operations about Bermuda Hundred, and partici- pating in the action at Swift's Creek; also in the action near Fort Darling ; and on the 27th of May, 1864, was designated as the Chief Engineer of the Eighteenth Army Corps, continuing as such to the nth of August following. During this time he was engaged in the battle at Cold Harbor and siege of Petersburg, and was brevetted Major June 1, 1S64, for "gallant and meritorious services at the Battle of Cold Harbor, Va." On the 22d August, 1864, he was detailed for duty at the Mili- tary Academy as Assistant Professor of Engineering, remaining as such to June 16, 1S65, and being brevetted Lieutenant Colonel March 13th, 1865, for "gallant and meritorious services during the Rebellion." From the iSth of June to the 4th of December, 1865, ANNUAL REUNION, JUNE 13, 1884. 35 he was on duty as Assistant Engineer in the construction of the defences of Hampton Roads, Va., and then had leave of absence to February 8, 1866, returning to duty as Assistant Engineer on the Harbor Improvements of Lake Erie, and serving as such to January 4th, 1867. He was on leave of absence from January 4 to March 4, 1867, and upon returning to duty became Assistant Engineer on the survey of the Northern and Northwestern Lakes, where he served to November 9, 1868, when he was assigned as Superintending Engineer of Harbor Improvements on the Eastern Shore of Lake Michigan, and remained in charge of those works until June 7, 1872, at which date he was appointed Chief Astronomer of the Survey of the 49th parallel of Latitude, to fix the Northern Boundary of the United States. On July 11, 1872, he obtained his commission as Major in the Corps of Engineers, and on April 5, 1873, was relieved from duty in connec- tion with the Boundary Survey, and on the 25th was assigned as Superintending Engineer of Surveys and Harbor Improvements at the West End of Lake Superior, and of Surveys and Harbor im- provements on the Upper Mississippi Valley, continuing upon the former to June 30, 1878, and upon the latter to July 10, 1879. Meanwhile he served as a member of the following Boards of En- gineers, viz : On the Improvements of Harbors on Lake Michigan, May, 1869. On Improvement of Saugatuck Harbor, July 6-23, 1869. To select site for harbor of refuge on Lake Huron, Oct. 19, 1871, to July 18, 1872. On appropriation for dredging Bay of Superior, April, 1873. On proposed bridge across the Mississippi, between Warsaw and Alexandria, Mo., August, 1873. On preservation of the Falls of St. Anthony, April 14-20, 1874. On the removal of the north pier of Rock Island Railroad bridge, Sept., 1874. On location and plan of bridge across the Mississippi at Clinton, Iowa, Sept. 29, to Oct. 20, 1874. On pile and pontoon bridge across the Mississippi, near Du- buque, Iowa, May, 1875. On improvement of Ahnapee Harbor, Wisconsin, Oct. 13, to Dec. 16, 1875. On use of shear booms for bridge piers in Mississippi River, July 7, 1876, to Feb. 2, 1877. 3 6 ANNUAL REUNION, JUNE 13, 1884. On improvement of the low water navigation of the Mississippi River July, 1878, to June 30, 1879. On examination of Harbor of Dubuque, Iowa, April 17, 1879. On improvement of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers during consideration of the question of improving the Wisconsin River, January 9 to June 30, 1879. On the 1st of July, 1879, ne became the engineer secretary of the Light House Board, and performed the duties zealously and well, until relieved August 28, 1882, having been, on the 31st of July, 1882, assigned to the charge of the works of river and harbor im- provements on the line of water communication between Lake Erie and Lake Superior, which included such important works as the im- provement of Detroit River at the Lime Kilns crossing ; the St. Clair Flats Ship Canal ; the Harbor of Refuge on Lake Huron ; the im- provement of Saginaw River; the improvement of St. Mary's Falls Canal, and St. Mary's River ; and the improvement of Hay Lake Channel of St. Mary's River, besides many minor works. He was relieved from the charge of all these by his death on the 3d of July, 1883. For a year or two before his death his health had been steadily failing ; but he would not appear to yield to sickness, and among the last acts of his life was the preparation of a paper upon the preserva- tion of the Falls of St. Anthony, which he personally read at the meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers, at Minneapolis, only a couple of weeks before his death. After his return from this meeting he regularly attended to his office duties up to, and in- cluding, Friday, June 29. The next day was quite inclement, and he was prevailed upon to remain at home and to have such matters as required his personal attention brought to him by the clerks in his office. On Sunday, July 1, he was about the house, and saw any friends who called upon him. The next day he attempted to go to his office, but finding himself unable to go down stairs, remained in his room. Although suffering greatly, he attended to such office business as was brought him. Tuesday morning he was still suffering intensely, but insisted upon disposing of such matters of business as required his personal attention, and as late as half-past two in the afternoon signed vouchers, checks, and other papers. Three hours later he was dead — affording a fine example of conscientious devo- tion to duty to the latest moment vouchsafed him. ANNUAL REUNION, JUNE 13, 1884. • 37 He was a hard student and an earnest worker, giving himself to his duties, and requiring efficient service from all under his control, an end comparatively easy to accomplish because of his own ex- ample. Of the highest professional attainments, of unimpeachable integrity, genial and considerate in his social intercourse, of the purest moral character, he affords a fine illustration of the Christian gentleman, that highest type of manhood. O. M. P. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/francisulricfarqOOsagi ^v UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 00032733445 FOR USE ONLY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION ,.'