Maynard, Horace

(1814-1882), represented Tenne ee in the U. S. Congre as an American and Republican from 1857 to 1863 and from 1866 to 1875. He was Minister to Ru ia from 1875 to 1880, He was Postmaster-General in Hayes’ Cabinet from 1880 to 188r Mazzei Letter, a private busine letter written by Thomas Jefferson to an Italian named Mazzei in 1796. ‘The paragraph therein contained, to the effect that ‘‘an Anglican monarchical aristocratical party”’ had sprung up in America, whose avowed object was ‘‘to draw over us the substance, as they had already done the forms, of the British Government,’’ did much toward arousing animosity against Jefferson, when the letter became public property in 1797. It had been translated into Italian, then into French, and finally appeared in an English paper. An allusion in it to men who had been ‘‘ Samsons in the field and Solomons in the council ”’ was construed as an attack on Washington.: Meade, George Gordon (1815-1872), a Federal general in the Civil War, graduated at West Point in 1835, fought in the Mexican War and against the Semi noles, and was busy in the surveying department. Soon after the Rebellion had commenced, he was a igned to a brigade in the Army of the Potomac, was wounded in the Seven Days’ battles, and fought at the second battle of Bull Run. At Antietam and Fred ericks burg he commanded a division, and at Chancellorsville a corps. At the end of June, 1863, Meade was appointed to supersede Hooker in command of the Army of the Potomac; Lee’s great invasion of the North was in progre , and Meade was near Frederick. Almost immediately afterward occurred the battle of Gettysburg (which see). The chief credit for this decisive Union victory is variously claimed for the commander-in-chief, for Hancock, Howard, Reynolds and ether corps commanders; Meade arrived on the battle-field about noon of the second day. He was made brigadier-general in the regular army, and the next year major-general. Under Grant in 1864-65 he was in immediate charge of the Army of the Potomac, and after the war held command of different departments. ‘ Meagher, Thomas #. (1823-1867), was banished from Ireland in 1849 for political reasons, and came to the United States in 1852. He commanded a New York brigade at Mana as, Antietam and Fred ericks- _ burg. Mechanicsville, Va., a battle of the Civil War occurring June 26, 1862, during McClellan’s attempted approach to Richmond. Lee cro ed the Chick a hominy with 35,000 Confederates, intending to join Jackson’s 25,000 troops and demolish Porter's command of 20,000 of McClellan’s troops and cut off the latter’s communications with his base. Jackson was for once late in arriving, and Richmond was for a time in considerable danger. A. P. Hill's division advanced first and encountered at Mechanicsville a small force of Union troops, who were dispersed. Just beyond the town McCall was drawn up with a strong force on Beaver Dam Creek. The Confederates attempted to turn McCall’s flanks, but were repulsed with great lo each time. 446