DE FOREST, John William, author and soldier born in Humphreysville (now Seymour), Connecticut, 31 March 1826. He attended no College, but pursued independent studies, mainly abroad, was a student in Latin, and became a fluent speaker of French, Italian, and Spanish. While yet a youth, he passed four years traveling in Europe, and two years in the Levant, residing chiefly in Syria. Again, in 1850, he visited Europe, making extensive tours through Great Britain. France, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Asia Minor. From that time until the civil war began he wrote short stories for periodicals, having already become an author of several books. In 1861, as captain, he recruited a company for the 12th Connecticut volunteers, and served constantly in the field till January 1865, taking an active part under Generals Weitzel command in the southwestern states, and under General Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley, and leaving the army with the brevet of major.

Graphic descriptions of battle scenes in Louisiana, and of Sheridan's battles in the valley of the Shenandoah, were published in " Harper's Monthly" during the war by Major De Fores1, who was present on all the occasions thus mentioned, and was fortunate enough, while experiencing forty-six days under fire, to receive but one trifling wound. He was one of only two or three American literary men that laid down the pen for the sword. From 1865 till 1868 he remained in the army as adjutant general of the veteran reserve corps, and afterward as chief of a district under the Freedman's bureau. Since then he has resided in New Haven, except when traveling in Europe. The honorary degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by Amherst College in 1859. Besides essays, a few poems, and about fifty short stories, numerous military sketches, and book reviews, most of which were anonymous, he, in 1873, contributed to the "Atlantic Monthly" a short serial story, entitled "The Lauson Tragedy." He has published "The History of the Indians of Connecticut, from the Earliest known Period to 1850" (Hartford, 1853); " Oriental Acquaintance," a sketch of travels in Asia Minor (New York, 1856); " Witching Times" (1856); "European Acquaintance " (1858); "Seacliff," a novel (Boston, 1859); " Miss Ravenel's Conversion" (New York, 1867); "Overland " (New York, 1871): " Kate Beaumont" (Boston, 1872); "The Wetherell Affair " (New York, 1873); "Honest John Vane" (New Haven, 1875); " Justine Vane" (New York, 1875); " Playing the Mischief" (1876); "Irene Vane" (1877); "Irene, the Missionary" (Boston, 1879); "The Oddest of Courtships, or the Bloody Chasm " (New York, 1881).