WALKER
WALKER
"Walker, treasurer of Missouri. He attended the
Jesuit college of St. Louis ; was appointed 1st
lieutenant of mounted rilles, U.S.A.. on the out-
break of the Mexican war, and was promoted
brevet captain in August, 1847. He took part in
the battles of Centre ras and Churubusco. and was
severely wounded at Molino del lley. He served
in the west and southwest ; resigned his commis-
sion in the U.S. army. July 31, 1861 ; joined the
Confederate States army and was appointed
major of the cavalry corps. He was promoted
brigadier-general, Jan. 9, 1862, commanded Lou-
doun Heights on the investment of Harper's
Ferry, and was the first to open fire upon that
place, causing the surrender of the Federal
troops. He commanded a division in Long-
street's corps under Gen. Robert E. Lee in the
Maryland campaign, taking pai't in the battle of
Antietam, and commanded a division in the Red
River campaign under Gen. E. Kirby Smith. He
was promoted major-general, Nov. 8, 1863, and
commanded the district of W^est Louisiana in the
Trans-Mississippi department. June-August, 1864 ;
the district of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona,
August, 1864-February, 1865, and commanded
Wharton's cavalr}' corps, February-May, 1865.
He commanded Forney's division, trans-Mississippi
department until the close of the war when he
went to Mexico and later to England. Returning
to the United States he resided in Winchester,
Va., where he engaged in mining and railway
oi>erations. He was U.S. consul-general at Bo-
gota ; and a commissioner to invite the South
American republics to send representatives to the
convention of American republics at Washing-
ton. He died in Washington, D.C., July 20, 1893.
WALKER, John Grimes, naval oflficer, was
born in Hillsborough, N.H., March 20, 1835; son
of Alden and Su.san (Grimes) Walker ; grandson
of Samuel and Anna (Carpenter) Walker, and of
John and Elizabeth (Wilson) Grimes, and a de-
scendant of Widow Walker of Rehoboth, Mass.,
whose name first appears on the town records in
1643. He was appointed midshipman in the U.S.
navy in IS.jO ; was graduated from the U.S. Na-
val academy as passed midshipman in 1856 ; was
promoted master, Jan. 22, and lieutenant, Jan.
23, 18.")S. He was stationed on the steamer Con-
necticiit of the Atlantic coast blockade, 1861 ; was
transferred to the steamer Winona of the West
Gulf blockading squadron under Farragut, took
part in the capture of New Orleans, and in the
operations against Vicksburg in 1862. He was
promoted lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862,
■was given command of the iron-clad Baron de
Kalb of Porter's .Mi.ssissippi squadron, and took
part in the expedition against Arkansas Post,
commanded one of tlu- two iron-clads, in the fleet
under Lieut.-Com. Watson Smith detailed by Ad-
miral Porter to co-operate with General Sherman
in the Yazoo Pass expedition. The fleet attacked
Fort Pemberton on three different days, but was
obliged to return to the Mississippi. Later,
Walker was engaged in operations on the Yazoo
river, and took part in the bombardment of
Vicksburg, commanding the naval battery in the
rear of that place. In co-operation with 5000
troops he commanded the naval expedition up
the Yazoo river, during which the De Kalb
struck a hidden torpedo and was destroyed. He
commanded the steamer Saco of the North At-
lantic blockading squadron in 1865 ; and the
steamer Shaivmut in the capture of the defences
near Wilmington in the same year. He was mar-
ried Sept. 12, 1866, to Rebecca White, daughter of
Henry White and Frances (Goddard) Pickering
of Boston, Mass. He was promoted commander,
July 25, 1866 ; served as assistant superintendent
at the U.S. naval academy, 1866-69 ; commanded
the frigate Sabine, 1869-70 ; was lighthouse in-
spector, 1871-72 ; secretary of the lighthouse
board, 1873-78 ; was promoted captain, June 25,
1877 ; was connected with a western railroad,
1878-81, and was given command of the steamer
Poivhatan on the North Atlantic Station in 1881.
He was chief of the bureau of navigation, navy
department, 1881-89. He was promoted commo-
dore, Feb. 12, 1889 ; was assigned to command
the squadron of evolution, and given command
successively of the European, the South Atlantic
and the North Atlantic squadrons. He was pro-
moted rear-admiral, Jan. 23, 1894, commanded
the Pacific squadron, March-August, 1894, and
served as chairman of the lighthouse board till
March 20, 1897, when he was retired. He was
chairman of a board for the location of a deep
water harbor in Southern California, 1896-97 ;
president of Nicaragua Canal conimi,ssion for sur-
vey and examination of the Nicaragua canal
route, 1897-99, and while president of this com-
mission was made president of a commission to
locate a bridge across the Niagara river. In 1899
he was made president of Isthmian Canal com-
mission for the purpose of examining all practi-
cable routes for a ship canal across the American
isthmus. He received the honorarj' degree of
LL.D. from University of Penn.sylvania in 1903.
WALKER, John Williams, senator, was born in Virginia, in 1789 ; son of Rev. Jeremiah and Jane (Graves) Walker. His father was a native of old Bute county, N.C., but as Baptist minister labored in Virginia, and there his son was born. The Graves family came from Virginia to Bute county, where Jeremiah Walker married. John W. Walker grew to manhood in Elbert county, Ga., being prepared for college under the Rev. Moses Waddel of Georgia, and was graduated from the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1806, A.M.,
