Governors Academy - Milestone Yearbook (Byfield, MA)

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-u 1' 'C ' . 1 -' N T if ' FZ'-A , Ie- . -. ' , ' .- - ' ' , ' 4,3,.-Lge r-.LW . yr., 'v.i Y ri 1 5 A 7 l 1 ,l , J fl. gg c N all , all wily i l I I ll il ll l ,J Cai-T., c, .L A ,A . , , . , n6Qs.Si2i'Z4.:.f' - 3 A 'I . Q David Ochterlony - Major-General They had been trudging for days through the forest. It was so dense that only an occa- sional ray oflight seeped through to remind and British and native soldiers struggled on. Then one day all was bright again. They had ern slopes of the Himalayas stretched out mahiestically before them in the distance. They knew that somewhere in the passes ahead the enemy lay in wait for them. YYould they turn back, or would they be cut to pieces storming the narrow deliles? Major-General David Ochterlony, a lighter who had a record of forty years ofde- voted service to the Fast lndia Company, was not one to turn back before his work was i done. lfor some years the native robber bands of Nepal, the Ghurkas, had been open- ly defying the British. Several expeditions had been undertaken, but because of the fighting skill of these brigands and the natural defenses of their country, all had failed. Ochterlony had commenced a final drive in llilfl and now found himself before their mountain fortresses. l'nwilling to sacrifice his men, but equally unwilling to retreat, he dispatched his quartermaster to reconnoiter. The latter, having fallen in with a party of smugglers, was able to persuade them for a consideration to lead the British force through a secret pass. Single file, the General, at the head of his Royal lrish lfusiliers, led the army up through the deep ravine in the dead of night. He had many misgivings about the trustworthiness of his guides. At any minute the enemy might fall upon them. Suddenly a perpendicular wall of solid rock blocked their way. :X trapl You have risked the destruction of my whole armyln the Gen- eral blurted to the quartermaster. After scaling the rock with some of his oflicers' sashes, he found to hishioy that his fears were not justified. He had been led around his enemy. Soon after, he was able to attack the unfortunate Ghurkas in the rear as they lay in waitin the passes. ln a brilliant charge their strongholds were taken, and with an unconditional surrender Ochterlony seized their lands in the name ofKingGeorge. For these exploits against Nepal he received from the Company a special and substantial reward , from both Houses of Parliament, expressions of admiration and applauseug and from his Sovereign, the title of Knight Commander ofthe Bath. Master Moody could hardly have divined the fame this pupil was to acquire. Q' A Allie ., TQg,gfi,,, f tflwl -,WL V 4.,fl'.42. p A A W, , 'A -f 1 '- --arm. IO them that there was a sun. Nineteen thous- reached the end of the forest, and the south-

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Rx Nc XXX X X Xxxv 'if' ff,',',f' f , f' f , - xx X 'N X X x .. I I I I - - 3-X3 arc X ,.s N 8.334 ,ff y, 1' iff:-f X, 5 X , '. ' u' , - 1 TH E New c f-- 0 T I , A D T5 ' 7 17. V V , 5' .. ,Q ' Ps' , O8 X-1 f f is v- W I ' W'hen it was suggested there in 1786 that the time had come for some of the leading men to reform a feeble government, it was King who introduced the bill in Congress which created the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia. As a mem- ber of that distinguished body, he played such an influential part in the debates it has been said few contributed more than he to the making of our Constitution. In the following year he was instrumental in turning the tide in Massachusetts in favor of ratification. Shortly after this he moved to New York. Scarcely had he arrived before he was elected to the Legislature of that State, and no sooner was in that body than chosen to be one of the first United States Senators,-a tribute to his ability. It has been said of his character at this time: It is a rare occurrence to see a finer assemblage of personal and intellectual qualities cultivated to the best effect than were seen in this gentleman. Washington himself had not overlooked these qualities, for in his second term, when he was looking for a Secretary of State, he wrote to Hamilton, IfMr .King would accept, I would look no further. He declined, but soon was appointed Min- ister to England. This task, during those eight years from 1796-1803, in the adminis- trations of W'ashington, Adams, and finally King's political opponent Jefferson, when diplomatic relations were none too smooth, required all his fund of tact to handle. It was he, as Minister, who postponed the W'ar of 1812 yet vigorously pro- tested the impressment ofour seamen, he who informed Jefferson of the opportunity ofpurchasing Louisiana, and he who, in this connection, first suggested the principle later to be the Monroe Doctrine. W'hen he left the post in 1803, King George III wrote Cas Rufus might with sarcasm have written George in I7'76l, I must say, Mr. King, I am sorry for your departure. ln 1825, near the end of his life, he was to go to London again to serve John Quincy Adams as he had his father. After his return, another term in the Senate was followed by his candidacy for President in 1816. The last of the Federalists ever to run, he lost to his Republican rival, Monroe. Before his death King served another term in the Senate and dis- tinguished himself by delivering one of the great speeches in its annals in protest against the admission of Missouri as a slave State. He had been the first to denounce slavery in Congress. Although a Federalist and a conservative, he was thus in many ways in advance of his time. He was a great statesman, but was something more, for in all his political career his honesty and fairness were above reproach. W'ealth and power, money and ofiice have become the ruling passion of our people, he wrote in 1807. That he never let them influence him may be the reason for his failure to gain even higher honors. Yet in whatever he did, he stood out above the rest, whether in diving fore- most off Thurlay's bridge in his schooldays, or in guiding the course of legislation in the Senate. Certainly Governor Dummer may well be proud of so illustrious an alumnus. I ,f N 1-Q-g-griv.-'.'f 5'-.f!If.i'-' - ' ' 'j'.: Z. 401 , -,Q-, jf 'Zh-'frfi 'Y' A Tgeiiggi I- 'elfilg T-'f75f,-' 9

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3 1 ' -1. .514 hail '1 . ..-af-. Shortly after the death of his father, who was a merchant and loyalist of Boston, David was sent to Byfield to complete his education. Here in study hours he must have mumbled his Latin aloud with many who were destined to build the American Republic. But the British Empire called him, for the Ochterlonys were loyal, and with the outbreak of the Revolution young David set out for India. Not long after his arrival he became a Cadet. His steady rise from this rank to that of Major-General is testimony enough to his military ability. Latin at Byfield might not seem to us a fit training for lancing in Bengal,yet the discipline and logicof his work with Samuel Moody must have left its mark, for he was noted also for that sound judgment necessary for high command. ln 1805, in the capacity ofl.ieutenant- Colonel, he was so instrumental in the famous capture of Delhi that General l.ake expressed the greatest regret that he would have to leave him there as Resident. But in this ofiice his diplomatic qualifications were found to be no less remarkable than his military. His tact and understanding made him very successful in keeping the native princes loyal to their British conquerors and protectors, and in all this he was one of the few who rose from obscurity to eminence who passed unspoiled through the perilous trial of sudden prosperity and irresponsible power. After his campaign of 1816 in Nepal he distinguished himself in a war against the Mahratta tribes. Shortly after this he was again British Resident near Delhi. In the last year of his life, 1815, occurred a trying episode. Cpon the death ofthe Rajah in one of his provinces, a native prince threatened to usurp the throne il- legally. Sir David, considering this an insult to British authority, at once ordered military operations against him. The Governor-General back in Calcutta, l.ord Am- herst, looked at the matter differently. Because of the rainy season and his perilous position in Burma, the Governor was reluctant to approve Sir David's action. Orders were countermanded, but Ochterlony took the opportunity to tell his chief exactly what he thought of a timid policy. Although he had acted without authority, he felt that his experience should have been trusted and that it was ridiculous to put of-'fthe avenging of an insult because of the weather. Wisely, he submitted his resignation, and to his chagrin it was accepted. Two months later he died of a broken heart. The interest in this incident is not in the question as to whether his decision was more culpable than Amherst's doubt. The interest lies in the fact that, despite this episode, the Fast India Company was not indifferent to his merits. The citation issued on his death bears witness: The confidence which the government reposed in an individual gifted with such rare endowments was evinced by the high and responsible situations which he successively filled, and the duties of which he discharged with eminent ability and advantage to the public interest. As a demonstration of sorrow, Amherst ordered that minute guns, to the number of 68 lhis agej be fired this evening from the ram- parts of Ft. William. It is interesting to find that he was praised not only for his performance of duty, but also for his admirably vigorous intellect and consummate address. Shades of Master Moody's teaching! On a monument to him near Calcutta is the inscription: He was educated in Dummer Academy in the State of Massachusetts. I 'A is 4 . .ik ' II