▁the ▁war , ▁Kir by ▁Smith ▁was ▁active ▁in ▁the ▁te legraph ▁business ▁and ▁in ▁higher ▁education . ▁From ▁ 1 8 6 6 ▁to ▁ 1 8 6 8 , ▁he ▁was ▁president ▁of ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁and ▁Pacific ▁Te legraph ▁Company . ▁When ▁that ▁effort ▁ended ▁in ▁failure , ▁he ▁started ▁a ▁prepar atory ▁school ▁in ▁New ▁Castle , ▁Kentucky , ▁which ▁he ▁directed ▁until ▁it ▁burn ed ▁in ▁ 1 8 7 0 . ▁In ▁ 1 8 7 0 , ▁he ▁combined ▁efforts ▁with ▁former ▁Confeder ate ▁General ▁Bush rod ▁Johnson . ▁He ▁served ▁as ▁the ▁ch an cell or ▁of ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Nash ville ▁from ▁ 1 8 7 0 ▁to ▁ 1 8 7 5 . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 7 5 , ▁Kir by ▁Smith ▁left ▁that ▁post ▁to ▁become ▁professor ▁of ▁mathematics ▁and ▁bot any ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁the ▁South ▁at ▁S ew ane e , ▁Tennessee . ▁Part ▁of ▁his ▁collection ▁from ▁those ▁years ▁was ▁don ated ▁to ▁the ▁univers ities ▁of ▁North ▁Carolina ▁and ▁Harvard , ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁Smith son ian ▁Institution . ▁He ▁kept ▁up ▁a ▁correspond ence ▁with ▁botan ists ▁at ▁other ▁institutions . ▁He ▁taught ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁the ▁South ▁until ▁ 1 8 9 3 , ▁when ▁he ▁died ▁of ▁p neum onia . ▁At ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁his ▁death ▁in ▁S ew ane e , ▁he ▁was ▁the ▁last ▁surv iving ▁man ▁who ▁had ▁been ▁a ▁full ▁general ▁in ▁the ▁Civil ▁War . ▁He