Ormsby's idea for the prevention of counterfeiting. It is claimed that he assisted Samuel F. B. Morse and Henry A. Munson in the invention of the Morse alphabet, and, aided by Mr. Munson, he transmitted messages at the first public exhibition of the telegraph in New York city. He published several pamphlets, and a quarto volume entitled " Ormsby Bank-Note Engraving " (New York, 1852).
ORNE, Azor, patriot, b. in Marblehead, Mass.,
22 July, 1731 ; d. in Boston, Mass., 6 June, 1796.
Previous to the Revolution he was a successful
merchant. He early became attached to the
patriot cause, and in 1774 was a delegate to the
Essex convention and the Provincial congress.
He was also a member of the committees of safety,
of military affairs, on the organization of forces,
and on the collecting of arms and ammunition.
He became a judge of the general court in 1775,
and in January, 1776, was appointed by the Provin-
cial congress one of the three major-generals of
Massachusetts militia. On 11 Nov., 1780, he was
a representative to the Hartford convention that
assembled to propose, as a foundation of a safe
system of finance, to provide by taxes or duties a
certain and unalienable revenue to discharge the
interest on the funded part of the public debt, and
on future loans; and was one of the committee
that prepared a circular letter to that effect to all
the states. After the adoption of the state consti-
tution in 1780 he was in the state senate and coun-
cil for many years, refusing higher office on account
of his lack of early education. He was an advocate
of public schools and did much for the system.
ORO, Justo de Santa Maria de, Spanish-American bishop, b. in San-Juan-de-Cuyo, Argen-
tine Republic, in 1771 ; d. there in 1836. He entered
the Dominican order early in life, and afterward
distinguished himself as a theologian and canon-
ist, teaching theology and philosophy in the con-
vents of St. Dominick and Our Lady of Bethle-
hem. He received the title of doctor of theology
from the University of San Felipe, where he ac-
quired great reputation by his public discussions.
He was elected prior in 1804, and conceived the
project of founding a congregation connected with
the convent of Bethlehem which would pay special
attention to education. With this object he set
ovit for Spain in 1809, where he obtained the per-
mission and requisites for the new enterprise. On
his return he began the erection of the College of
St. Vincent in Apoquindo, which he wished to
make the seminary of the new congregation ; but
the outbreak of revolution in the provinces of La
Plata interrupted his projects. He was an ar-
dent partisan of the national movement, and his
countrymen elected him deputy to the national
congress of Buenos Ayres. In 1819 he was elected
provincial of Santiago, and he insisted that, in this
capacity, he had jurisdiction over the convent of
Bethlehem, which claimed to be independent of
the province. The quarrel that ensued was very
bitter, especially as De Oro appealed to the civil
power and had one of the monks exiled. In 1830
he was nomniated bishop of San-Juan-de-Cuyo.
O'RORKE, Patrick Henry, soldier, b. in
County Cavan, Ireland, 25 March, 1837; killed in
the battle of Gettysburg, 2 July, 1863. He came
to this country with his parents when but a year
old, and in 1842 the family settled in Rochester,
N. Y'. There young O'Rorke was distinguished
as among the brightest pupils in the public schools,
and in his sixteenth year he was offered one of
the three free scholarships given by the University
of Rochester to the city, but declined in deference
to the wishes of his mother. He then went to
work as a marble-cutter, and remained at his trade
until he was appointed to a cadetship in the U. S.
military academy, where he stood third in his
class at the end of the first year, and was gradu-
ated at the head of it in
June, 1861. He was as-
signed to duty on the staff
of Gen. Daniel Tyler, in
command of the 1st di-
vision of McDowell's army,
and served at Blackburn's
Ford, 18 July, and Bull
Run, 21 July. 1861, his
horse being killed under
him in the latter action.
In August, 1861, he was
sent to Fort Monroe, and
was afterward assigned to
the staff of Gen. Thomas
W. Sherman, in command
of the Port Royal expedi-
tion which sailed, 29 Oct.,
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1861. He was employed in constructing the bat- teries on Tybee island for the reduction of Port Pulaski, and showed rare skill and talent as an engineer officer, as well as courage and enter- prise in a preliminary reconnoissance. On the reduction of the fort, 10 April, 1862, he was se- lected as one of the officers to receive the sur- render. In September, 1862, he accepted the colonelcy of the 140th regiment of New York vol- unteers. The regiment, which was placed in Warren's brigade, Sykes's division, 5th corps, was composed of good material, and, largely through the effects of its colonel's thorough discipline, became one of the best in the Army of the Po- tomac. O'Rorke was under fire with his regi- ment at Fredericksburg, but not actively en- gaged, Sykes's division being held in reserve near the town. In the Chancel lorsville campaign he was temporarily in charge of a brigade. On 2 July, 1863, as he was leading his regiment on to the field of Gettysburg, bringing up the rear of Weed's brigade, his former commander and inti- mate friend. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren, then of the engineer corps, met him, and, though without authority to order it, asked him to turn aside and defend Little Round Top, which was seriously threatened, and the loss of which would jeopard the whole battle. On a less important occasion O'Rorke had been known to meet the suggestion of a staff-officer, that he should change the posi- tion of his regiment, with the sceptical question : " Is that an order from the general, or is it merely an idea of your own % " But he recognized the nature of the crisis, changed the direction of his advance, and led his men rapidly up Little Round Top. helping to haul the guns of Ilazlett's battery to the summit. As he went over the crest, the regiment hesitated for an instant when the storm of fire struck it, and he caught the colors, sprang upon a rock, and fell dead from a bullet-wound through the neck as his men responded to his ap- peal and his example. The Count of Paris, in his " History of the Civil War," describes the inci- dent in detail. O'Rorke was made brevet 2d lieu- tenant of engineers, 24 June. 1861 ; 2d lieutenant, 24 June, 1861 ; 1st lieutenant, 3 March, 1863 ; brevet captain, 15 March, 1862, for meritorious service with the Port Royal expeditionary corps ; brevet major, 13 Dec, 1862, for gallant and meritorious service at the battle of Fredericksburg ; brevet lieutenant-colonel, 1 May, 1863, for gallant and meritorious service at the battle of Chancellorsville : and brevet colonel, 2 July, 1863, for gallant and
