ginia cavalry, he took an active part in repelling the British from his state. It is said that on one occasion he supplied a body of soldiers with blankets at his own expense. Several of his letters are preserved in the Bland papers (Petersburg, Va., 1840), and in Sparks's "Revolutionary Correspondence." See also Campbell's "History of Virginia" (Philadelphia. 1860).
BANKHEAD, James, soldier, b. in Virginia in 1783; d. in Baltimore, Md., 11 Nov., 1856. He was a son of James Bankhead, of Port Royal, an
officer in the revolution;fty army. He was appointed captain in the 5th infantry on 18 June,
1808 : was brigade major to Gen. Smyth in 1812;
became assistant adjutant-general, 5 March, 1813;
major 4th infantry, 15 Aug., 1813 : adjutant-general, 9 Sept., 1813 ; and lieutenant-colonel. 3d artillery, 26 April, 1832. On 7 July, 1838, he was brevetted colonel for meritorious conduct in the Florida campaign, and on 16 Sept. commanded the 2d artillery. He distinguished himself at the siege of Vera Cruz, and in return for his services on that occasion was brevetted brigadier-general on 29 March, 1847. In January, 1848, he was commander of the department of Orizaba, Mexico, and at the time of his death commanded the military department of the east.—His son, John Pine, naval officer, b. in South Carolina, 3 Aug., 1821; d. near Aden, Arabia, 27 April, 1867. He entered the navy as a midshipman 6 Aug., 1838, and became lieutenant in 1852. During the civil war he was on duty on the "Susquehanna," and at the capture of Port Royal, 7 Nov., 1861, he commanded the
"Pembina," and also the "Florida" at the capture of Fernandina, 3 May, 1862. In the same year was made commander, and commanded the famous "Monitor" when she foundered off Cape Hatteras on the morning of 31 Dec, 1862, on which occasion he displayed much courage. The vessel was filling rapidly, and Bankhead ordered the crew to leave on the "Rhode Island's" boat, which was approaching. While the sea was breaking over the "Monitor's" deck, already partially submerged. Bankhead held the painter until the boat was full of men,
and did not leave the vessel so long as he could do
anything for the safety of the crew. He was made captain in 1866, and after the war commanded the "Wyoming," of the East India squadron. In March, 1867, ill-health compelled him to resign, and he died on board the steamer that was bringing him home.
BANKS, David, publisher, b. in Newark, N. J., in 1786; d. in New York city, 13 Oct., 1871. He began the study of law in New York in 1806, in
the office of Charles Brainard, whose partner he afterward became. In 1809 he began the business of publishing law books with Stephen Gould, and the establishment of Banks & Gould was soon known as the most extensive of the kind in the country. The business is still continued by sons of Mr. Banks. For nearly ten years he held the offices of alderman and assistant alderman, being president of the board of aldermen part of that
time. During the later years of his life he was president of the East river bank.
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BANKS, Nathaniel Prentice, statesman, b. in Waltham, Mass., 30 Jan., 1816; d. there, 1 Sept., 1894. He was early employed in a cotton factory, of which his father was superintendent, and learned the trade of a machinist. He was ambitious to fit himself for a wider field of work, and studied diligently during his leisure hours, securing engagements to lecture before meetings and assemblies at an early age. He became editor of the local paper at Waltham, studied law, was ad- mitted to the bar, and in 1849 was selected to represent his native town in the legislature of Massachusetts. At this time the ancient power of the whig party was waning in New England, and the free-soil party was making its influence felt. Mr. Banks advocated a coalition between the democrats and the new party, and was elected speaker of the state assembly in 1851 and re-elected in 1852. In 1853 he was a delegate to the Massachusetts constitutional convention, and was selected to be its chairman. On the tide of success that attended this political combination, he was in 1853 elected to congress as a coalition-democrat. During this term of service he withdrew from the democratic party and identified himself with the American or “Know nothing” party, and by an overwhelming vote, as against the whig and democratic candidates in his district, he was re-elected to congress. In the preceding congress he had demonstrated his ability, and he was now nominated for speaker of the house of representatives. A contest lasting more than two months followed, and he was elected by a small majority on the 133d ballot, when the dead-lock had been broken by the adoption of the plurality rule. The American party went out of existence, and Mr. Banks was elected to the 35th congress as a republican by a larger majority than before, and served until 4 Dec., 1857, when, having been elected governor of Massachusetts, he resigned his seat in congress. He was re-elected governor in 1858 and 1859. In 1860 he accepted the presidency of the Illinois central railroad, succeeding General (then Captain) George B. McClellan in that capacity, but gave up the office when the civil war began in the following year, and was commissioned a major-general of volunteers and assigned to the command of the 5th corps in the Army of the Potomac. For this duty he was in a degree qualified by experience in the state militia. His first active service was on the upper Potomac and in the Shenandoah valley, where a part of his corps acquitted itself well at the battle of Winchester, 23 March, 1862. He was left in April and May to guard the Shenandoah with two divisions. The exigencies of the service caused the withdrawal of one of these (Shields's), and Gen. Banks was left with about 8,000 men. Upon this force “Stonewall” Jackson made one of his sudden onslaughts with his whole corps, and the command only escaped capture by rapid and well-ordered marching and stubborn fighting. Through good generalship the bulk of the army crossed the Potomac at Front Royal on 26 May, and the confederate leader failed to realize his apparently reasonable expectation of capturing the entire force. Gen. Pope was placed in command of the army of Virginia, 27 June, 1862, and concentrated his forces in the neighborhood of Culpepper Court-House early in August. Gen. Banks's corps was ordered to the front on 9 Aug., and late in the afternoon of that
