sive movement, and fighting was kept up until dark, with heavy losses on both sides. Burnside's corps was brought up in the night and placed between Hancock and Warren. Meanwhile Lee brought up Longstreet's corps to the support of Hill. And now each party in the contest was strengthened by an addition of 20,000 men. Just before 5 A.M. Ewell attacked the National right, and was repulsed. A very little later Hancock advanced his force against the Confederate right; while Wadsworth, who had prepared to strike Hill's left the night before, assailed him heavily. The Confederates were driven back a mile and a half, passing Lee's headquarters in the retreat. The flight was checked by Longstreet's advancing column. Hancock, expecting to be assailed by Longstreet, had attacked with only half his force. The latter's advance having been checked, he resumed his flank movement; but at that moment he was wounded and carried from the field, and his command devolved on Gen. R. H. Anderson. In the afternoon Lee projected the entire corps of Longstreet and Hill against Hancock, who had been reinforced and was strongly defended by breastworks. He stood firm until about four o'clock, when a fire in the woods attacked the brush and pine logs of his breastworks. The wind blew the heat and smoke in the faces of his troops and drove them from their defences, when the Confederates dashed forward and penetrated their lines. But they were almost instantly repulsed, and Lee was compelled to abandon what he intended as a decisive assault. Night came on, and after dark Lee threw Ewell's corps forward against Sedgwick. There was some hard fighting and much confusion. Ewell captured the most of two brigades, and then fell back. So ended the battle in the Wilderness, without decisive results on either side, and with a mutually heavy loss. In the two days the Nationals lost about 18,000 men, of whom 6,000 were made prisoners. Generals Hays, Wadsworth, and Webb were killed. The Confederate loss was probably about 11,000. Generals Jones, Pickett, and Jenkins were killed. Longstreet's wounds disabled him for several months. The Wilderness is a wild plateau, covered with a dense growth of dwarf trees and vines and brambles, and sloping every way to cultivated fields. It is along the south bank of the Rapidan River, about 10 miles in width and 15 in length. for his discoveries during that cruise Wilkes received a gold medal from the London Geographical Society. He return ed to New York in June, 1842. In 1861 he was sent to the West Indies, in the frigate San Jacinto, to look after the Confederate cruiser Sumter, when he fell in with the British steamer Trent and took from her JAMES M. MASON and JOHN SLIDELL (qq. v.), and conveyed them to Boston, for which he was thanked by Congress and received popular applause. But the President finally disapproved his act, as a stroke of state policy. In 1862 he commanded the flotilla on the James River, Wildes, FRANK, naval officer; born in with the rank of commodore; and afterBoston, Mass., June 17, 1843; graduated wards in command of a squadron in the at the United States Naval Academy in West Indies, captured many blockade-run1863, and assigned to the steam-sloop ners. He was retired in 1864 and proLackawanna, in the West Gulf blockad- moted rear-admiral in 1866. He died in ing squadron; participated in the battle Washington, D. C., Feb. 8, 1877. His pubof Mobile Bay, and aided in the capture of lications include a Narrative of his exFort Morgan; served on the monitor ploring expedition, and Western America, Chickasaw during the actions in Mobile including California and Oregon. Bay in March and April, 1865; promoted master in 1866; commander in 1880; and captain in 1894. He commanded the protected cruiser Boston in the battle of Manila Bay on May 1, 1898; was appointed captain of the United States navy-yard in Brooklyn, N. Y., April 1, 1899; and was promoted rear-admiral, Oct. 14, 1901. Wilkes, GEORGE, journalist; born in New York City in 1820; became co-editor of the Spirit of the Times in New York, and afterwards its proprietor; and received the grand cross of the Order of St. Stanislas from the Russian Emperor in 1870 for suggesting an overland railroad to China. His publications include History of California, Geographical and Political, and Europe in a Hurry. He died in New York City, Sept. 23, 1885. Wiley, CALVIN HENDERSON, clergyman; born in Guilford county, N. C., Feb. 3, 1819; graduated at the University of North Carolina in 1840; was admitted to the bar; later engaged in teaching; and in 1855 was licensed to preach in the Presbyterian Church, and labored in eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He was the author of Utopia: a Picture of Early Life at the South; Life in the South, a Companion to Uncle Tom's Cabin; Scriptural Views of National Trials; Roanoke: or Where is Utopia? etc. He died in Winston, N. C., Jan. 11, 1887. Wilkes, JOHN, politician; born in London, England, Oct. 17, 1727. He became a member of Parliament in 1757. In 1763 he made a severe attack on the govern Wilkes, CHARLES, naval officer; born in New York City, April 3, 1798; nephew of John Wilkes, the eminent English politician; entered the navy in 1818. In 1830 he was appointed to the department of charts and instruments. He was appointed commander of a squadron of five vessels that sailed from Norfolk, Va., Aug. 18, 1838, on an exploring expedition, and nial legislature in 1772. He supported England prior to the Revolutionary War, and owing to some political pamphlets which he wrote was forced by the Sons of Liberty to flee from the country in 1775. At the conclusion of the war he settled on Long Island, and afterwards studied theology, and was ordained in the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1801. He died in Westchester, N. Y., Feb. 5, 1830. ment in his newspaper (the North Briton, No. 45), for which he was sent to the Tower (see NINETY-TWO AND FORTY-FIVE). On account of a licentious essay on woman, he was afterwards expelled from the House of Commons. After his release from the Tower, he went to Paris, and, return ing in 1768, sent a letter of submission to the King, and was soon afterwards elected to Parliament for Middlesex; but his seat was successfully contest- Wilkins, MARY ELEANOR, author; born ed and he was elected alderman of Lon- in Randolph, Mass., in 1862; educated at don. The same year he obtained a verdict Mount Holyoke Seminary. Her works, of $20,000 against the secretary of state largely studies of New England life, infor seizing his papers. In 1771 he was sheriff of London, and in 1774 lord mayor. In 1779 he was made chamberlain, and soon afterwards retired from political life. Wilkes was always the champion of the colonists, and was regarded as the defender of popular rights. He died in London, Dec. 20, 1797. Wilkie, FRANCIS BANGS, journalist; born in West Charleston, N. Y., in 1832; graduated at Union College in 1857; removed to Davenport, Ia., where he engaged in journalism in 1859. He was connected with the Herald in Dubuque till the Civil War began, and then went South as a war correspondent. He established and published for a short time Our Whole Nation, in Macon City, Mo., when he became war correspondent of the New York Times, and served as such for four years. He wrote for the Chicago Times for seventeen years under the name of POLINTO; was the organizer and first president of the Chicago Press Club; and author of History of Davenport; Walks about Chicago; The History of Great Inventions, etc. He died in Chicago, Ill., April 12, 1892. Wilkie, JOHN ELBERT, detective; born in Elgin, Ill., April 27, 1860; was engaged in newspaper work in Chicago in 187793 and in 1896-98, and in the latter year was appointed chief of the United States secret service. When it became certain that there would be war with Spain he organized a special emergency force, which arrested the principal Spanish spies in the United States. Wilkins, ISAAC, clergyman; born in Withywood, Jamaica, W. I., Dec. 17, 1742; graduated at Columbia College in 1760; became a member of the New York colo clude The Adventures of Ann; A New England Nun; A Humble Romance; Young Lucretia; The Portion of Labor; Jerome; Pembroke, etc. She has also contributed many short stories and poems to magazines. Wilkins, WILLIAM, statesman; born in Carlisle, Pa., Dec. 20, 1779; admitted to the bar in Pittsburg, Pa., where he practised for many years; was president-judge of the 5th Pennsylvania judicial district in 1820-24, when he was made judge of the United States district court for western Pennsylvania; elected United States Senator in 1831; reported the bill which was adopted by Congress giving the President power to employ the army against the nullification movement (see JACKSON, ANDREW). In 1833 the Pennsylvania electoral vote was cast for him for VicePresident; in 1834 he was made minister to Russia; and on Jan. 19, 1844, Secretary of War. He died in Homewood, Pa., June 23, 1865. Wilkinson, JAMES, military officer; born in Benedict, Md., in 1757; was preparing for the medical profession when the Revolutionary War broke out. He repaired to Cambridge after the battle of Bunker (Breed's) Hill, where he was made a captain in Reed's New Hampshire regiment in the spring of 1776. He served under Arnold in the Northern army, and in July, 1776, was appointed brigademajor. He was at the battles of Trenton and Princeton, and was made lieutenantcolonel in January, 1777. He was Gates's adjutant-general, and bore to Congress an account of the capture of Burgoyne, when he was brevetted brigadier-general and made secretary to the board of war, of which Gates was president. Being im |