Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1892, volume 3).djvu/218

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190
HETII
HEWES

HETH, William (heath), soldier, b. in Virginia in 1735 ; d. in Richmond, Va„ 15 April, 1808. He was an officer in Gen. Richard Montgomery's regi- ment during the French war, and was wounded at the battle of Quebec. At the beginning of the Revolution he joined the Continental army ; in 1777 was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the 3d Virginia regiment, and was in command till the end of the war, serving with Gen. Benjamin Lincoln at the siege of Charleston. After the war he received a lucrative government office under Gen. Washington. — His grandson, Henry, soldier, b. in Virginia in 1825, was graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1847, and, entering the 6th infantry, became 1st lieutenant in 1853, adjutant in 1854, and captain in 1855. In 1861 he resigned, and entered the Confederate army as brigadier-general. In May, 1863, he was commissioned major-general. He commanded a division of Gen. Ambrose P. Hill's corps in Virginia, and was engaged at the battle of Gettysburg and. in the campaigns of 1864-'5. Since the war he has been engaged in business in South Carolina.


HEUSTIS, Jabez Wiggins, physician, b. prob- ably in St. John, N. B., in 1784; d. in Talladega Springs, Ala., in 1841. He received his medical education in the New York college of physicians and surgeons, and in.l806-'7 was assistant surgeon in the U. S. navy. He then became surgeon in the U. S. army under Gen. Jackson, and served throughout the southern campaigns. Afterward he resided in Cahawba, Ala., until he removed to Mobile in 1835. His death was caused by blood-poisoning, contracted while performing an operation. His publications are "Physical Observations and Medical Tracts and Researches on the Topography and Diseases of Louisiana" (New York, 1817); "Medical Facts and Inquiries respecting the Causes. Nature, Pre- vention, and Cure of Fever " (Cahawba, 1821) ; and the " Bilious Remittent Fever of Alabama " (1825). He also contributed largely to the " American Journal of Medical Science." — His son, James Fountain, physician, b. in Cahawba, Ala., 15 Nov., 1829, was educated in the common schools of Mo- bile and at the medical department of the Uni- versity of Louisiana, where he was graduated in 1848. He was assistant-surgeon in the U. S. navy in 1850-'7, and afterward practised his profession in Mobile. He was elected professor of anatomy in the Alabama medical college in 1859, served as surgeon in the Confederate army throughout the civil war, and since 1875 has been professor of surgery in Alabama medical college. He has been successful as a surgeon, having performed many important operations, and has contributed to cur- rent medical literature.


HERVAS Y PANDURO, Lorenzo (ayr-vahs '), Spanish philologist, b. in Horcajo in 1735 ; d. in Rome in 1809. He was a Jesuit, and taught phi- losophy in the Seminary of Madrid and the College of Murcia. About 1760 he was sent to the missions of South America, and for several years he labored in the district of Mainas, Peru, where he made a special study of the Indian languages. On the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Spanish dominions in 1787, he went to Italy, became canonical adviser to the cardinals Albani and Roberello, and was appointed prefect of the Quirinal library. Here he prose- cuted his favorite studies of geography and abo- riginal languages. Besides many philosophical and historical works, he published " Vocabulario poli- glota," containing the grammatical elements of eighteen South American languages (Rome, 1784) ; " Origen, formation, mecanismo, y armonia de los idiomas " (Madrid, 1790); "Historia de las pri- meras colonias de America " (Madrid, 1794) ; "Arit- metica de las naciones y division del tiempo entre los Orientales " (Madrid, 1796) ; and the most im- portant work, " Catalogo de las lenguas de las na- ciones conocidas ; y numeration, division, y clases de estas segun la diversidad de sus idiomas y dia- lectos " (2 vols., Madrid, 1800). This work, in the 4th and 5th chapters, treats of the languages of Peru, and especially of Mainas. The author says that he cannot even pretend to count the South Ameri- can Indian dialects, but they must number at least 500. He has also investigated the question of the origin of the American races, and concludes that the tribes peopling the Pacific coast must have come from Asia by way of the Aleutian islands, while those on the Atlantic side came from Africa by way of the West Indian islands, which formerly connected with the fabulous submerged Atlantis." HEW AT, Alexander, historian, b. in Scotland about 1745 ; d. in London, England, in 1829. He was educated at Kelso grammar school, Scotland, and it is supposed came to the United States in 1762, since the records of St. Andrew's society of Charleston, S. C, show him to be moderator of the session of the Presbyterian church there about that time. He continued pastor of the " Scotch church " of Charleston until the near prospect of war with Great Britain induced his return to England in 1774. He was the first historian of South Carolina, being the author of " History of South Carolina and Charleston " (London, 1779) ; and he also pub- lished " Sermons " (1803).


HEWES, George Robert Twelves, one of the "Boston tea-partv," b. in Boston, Mass., 5 Nov., 1731 ; d. in Richfield, Oswego co., N. Y, 5 Nov., 1840. His only instruction was from the wife of the town-crier, who taught him to read and write. He supported himself by fishing, hunting, and rude shoemaking, until 1758, when he made an unsuccessful attempt to enlist in the Colonial army against the French. He was unable to pass muster, made an equally unsuccessful attempt to enter the navy, and through necessity returned to his trade. In the various disturbances in Boston at the time of the stamp act, Hewes, who was excitable but patriotic, was one of the foremost. He took an active part in the destruction of the tea in Decem- ber, 1773, and is probably the only man who ever confessed to a share in this transaction. His own account is given in " The Boston Tea- Party," a memoir of his life (New York, 1834). Hewes was imprisoned with other patriots, but escaped, and entered the navy. He afterward joined the army, and was stationed at West Point under Gen. Alex- ander McDougal. After the Revolution he re- turned to Boston, and again led a seafaring life. He removed to Richfield many years previous to his death, and in his extreme age was supported by the residents of the town. In his 107th year, Hewes is described as " a hale old man, with blue eyes undimmed by age, and with alert faculties." At the dedication of the Bunker Hill monument he was a guest of the city of Boston.


HEWES, Joseph, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. in Kingston, N. J., in 1730 ; d. in Philadelphia, Pa., 10 Nov., 1779. His parents were Connecticut farmers who escaped from the Indians in 1728, and settled near Kingston. Joseph, after receiving a common-school education, went to Philadelphia and engaged in business, removing to Edenton, N. G, in 1763. He was in the state senate in that year ; in 1774 was a delegate to the continental congress, and assisted in the preparation of the report on " The statement of the rights of the colonists in general, the several