Harcourt,  William,  Earl,  was  born  in  Eng-
land, March  20,  1743 ;  died  June  18,  1830.  He
entered  the  army  in  1759.  He  came  to  America
iu  1776,  and  distinguished  himself  by  the  capture
of  General  Charles  Lee.  He  was  then  colonel  of
dragoons.  This  exploit  procured  him  the  posi-
tion of  aide-de-camp  to  the  king.  He  became
major-general  in  1782,  lieutenant-general  in
1793,  and  commander  of  tlie  British  forces  in
Holland  in  1794.  In  1798  he  became  general;
succeetled  to  the  title  of  earl  in  1809 ;  took  his
seat  ill  the  House  of  Lords,  and  became  a  field-
uiai'sbal.
Hard-Cider  Campaign.  Political  parties  are
always  seeking  catch-words  to  use  in  a  cam-
paign with  effect  among  the  least  thoughtful
of  the  people.  General  Harrison  lived  in  the
growing  West,  and  his  dwelling  had  once  been
a  log-house,  at  North  Bend,  where  he  exercised
great  hospitality.  In  the  campaign  referred  to
a  log-cabin  was  chosen  as  a  symbol  of  the  plain
and  impreteutious  candidate,  and  a  barrel  of  ci-
der as  that  of  liis  hospitality.  During  the  cam-
paign, all  over  the  country,  in  hamlets,  villages,
and  cities,  log -cabins  were  erected  and  fully
supplied  with  barrels  of  cider.  These  houses
were  tlie  usual  gathering-places  of  the  parti-
sans of  Harrison,  young  and  old,  and  to  every
<me  hard  cider  was  freely  given.  The  meetings
were  often  mere  drunken  carousals  that  were
injurious  to  all,  and  especially  to  youth.  Many  a
drunkard  afterwards  pointed  sadly  to  the  hard-
cider  campaign  iu  1840,  as  the  time  of  his  depart-
ure from  sobriety  aud  respectability.
