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[For the Banner of the South.]
The MourningJßanner’s Prayer.
BT BCXH FAIRFAX.
Forget me not, oh! children of my heart,
Though crushed and bleeding, low I lie;
Soil not my starry wreath that’s hallowed now
By blood of martyrs shed for thee!
Though stricken sore, and gashed with cruel wounds,
From which my Life-blood trickles slow;
Yet still within my heart there throbs for thee
A deathless love that e’en the damp grave cannot chill.
My cross, that bears the sanguine hue of blood,
I know lies heavy on thy souls, oh ! friends!
Yet bear it on, and up; nor hope to shun its weight;
Yet claim the wreath of stars.
’Tis true my snowy folds are torn, and trailed in the
dust;
And with battle scars the staff on which I
leaned;
Y’et listen to a mourner’s prayer, and do not thou,
For the one who led thee oft to victory !
See ! I’m cold and chill, no glad hearts warm me now;
I’m mocked ! scorned! trampled in the duet!
Yet I’ve more bitter grief than this; for thou,
Oh ! children of my soul, hast plunged
The keen sharp dart of sorrow deep within my heart;
For I have seen thee turn, with careless looks, away,
As if thou kuew’st me not,
And bask beneath the shining stars
That crown a rival’s brow!
Dear children, ye who know and love me well,
Let not Despair, that tyrant dark and grim,
Bind thy free souls in fetters cold and hard.
Though clouds enshroud my lofty brow,
‘Behind the clouds the stars are shining still!"
Correspondence Henderson (Ky.) News.
ALBERT SIDNEY JOHNSTON-
Editor News: Iu a recent issue of
your paper, it was stated that the bodies
of Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston and Gen-
Rousseau repose side by side.—How
ever gratifying to the sentimental mind
would be the picture of the two Generals,
hostile in life, but like brothers in the
repose of the grave, the facts do not
warrant the statement. Their graves
are far apart.
After the death of Gen. Johnston, on
the battle field of Shiloh, his body was
conveyed to New Orleans, where it re
ceived the honors accorded to a Lieu
tenant-General—lay in state several days
iu the City Hall, and was entombed in
one of the mausolea in the cemetery of
St. Louis, The whole city attended the
sepulture, under the greatest oppression
of sorrow.
A glowing panegyric was penned by
a soldier of Shiloh, inserted into a glazed
frame, and hung in front of the niche,
into which the body had been willed.
This was copied into most of the papers
in the Confederacy, and was deemed a
just tribute to the virtues and deeds of
the illustrsous hero.
In January, 1807, a committe of the
Texas Legislature arrived in New Or
leans, to obtained the remains of Gen.
Johnston, and convey them to Texas, as
their final resting place. And, this be
cause Geu. Johmt m had bee:i a citizen of
that State. His bereaved widow and
children still reside there.
The committee applied to Gen. Sheri
dan, the military Commandant of the
Department, for permission to remove the
body. He gave a reluctant and un
gracious consent, prohibiting and mani
festations of public regard for the de
parted chieftain. He even intimated
that any gathering of the people, more
than the immediate friends, would be
highly displeasing. Accordingly only
the friends of Gen. Johnston were in
vited to attend.
So, on a balmy sunshiny evening, an
immense multitude gathered iu and
around the walls of the ancient ceme
tery, which, of itself, is one of the greatest
curiosities of New Orleans.
The tomb was unsealed with solemn,
religious rites, similar to those held at
the disinterment of the body of the
great Napoleon iu St. Helena, A. D.,
1841.
The coffin, which five years before
had been so carefully deposited, was
found crushed and torn to fragments.
It was then recollected that the infa
mous vandal, Gen. Butler, had caused
the tomb to be violated and the coffin
torn to pices, under the suspicion that
it might contain treasure, arms or am
munition.
The remains were gathered into a
casket, but, alas! how few and meager
the remanis of the great commander. A
few bones, to which adhered fragments
of shriveled flesh, baked in its narrow
house by the odors of a tropical sun.
But there was that large skull, that noble
dome of thought, that had been the abode
of that mighty mind, which made him
pre-eminent among renowned generals,
as a great commander.
And this was all that remained of
t iat majestic form, which, on the morn
ing of the 6th of April, 1862, led a migh
ty host into battle and to victory! Oh,
God! earth is not man’s abiding place!
It was with some delay that (he coffin
could be conveyed along the intricate
paths that wind between the irregular
tombs of Inis strange old cemetery. At
lengih it was placed beneath the black
pall and nodding plumes of a ponderous
hearse, drawn by four white horses, led
hy liveried grooms.
By the sides of the hearse there walk
ed, as pall-bearers, several distinguished
Confederate Generals. There was Beau
regard, trim and erect; and the lithe,
tall form of Bragg; and Buckner, with
his majestic port; and LoDgstreet and
Wheeler, and Harry Hays and Jeff.
Thompson. The only carriage in that
long procession followed immediately
after the hearse, and conveyed Hood,
too much maimed to be able to walk.
Behind came, first, a long procession
of ladies, the elite of the city. For high
position, intelligence and refined man
ners, they could not be surpassed by an
equal number, upon earth. Albeit, ac
customed to ride in sumptuous carriages,
they now walked in the middle of the
streets. They trod unflinchingly the
slum of the street, because they were
doing honor to the illustrious hero.
The procession moved on slowly and
sadly amidst the most awful stillness
and solemnity.
“Not a bell was tolled, nor a funeral note.”
The occasion was too solemn and aw
ful for tears. Indeed, in the minds of
many, the departed chieftain whose ob
sequies were now celebrated for the
second time, was deemed happy and
fortunate, for he had passed away in
the full tide of victory, while we, the
survivors, were suffering the ignominy
inflicted by a coarse and insolent tryant,
who had learned how to insult and op
press a free and noble people, from the
outrages of British tyranny inflicted upon
his Irish brethren in his own native
land
Indeed, it was momentarily expected
that Phil. Sheridan would, from his
military den in Colisseum Place, order
the procession to be dispersed by Federal
bayonets, and those bayonets in the
hands of negro troops.
However, the procession moved on,
gaining accessions the whole of the way’,
uutil it reached the bank of the Mississip
pi, a distance of nearly two miles.
The casket was then taken from the
hearse and placed on board a boat, which
immediately started for Texas. After
watching the Vessel out of sight, the
immense concourse returned, solemnly
and sadly to their homes.
Upon the arrival at Galveston, the
committee experienced much detention.
The citizeus of Galveston were prohib
ited by the military authorities from
manifesting the least respect for the re
mains of Gen. Johnston. But at length
they were conveyed to his former home,
and now repose in their last resting
place in the soil of Texas.
1). Swope.
GEN- GORDON-
Reminiscences of the Late Wap„.
The editor of the Montgomery Mail ,
writing from Louisville, Ivy., gives the
following relative to important military’
movements during the late war;
Louisville, Feb. 19,1869.
During a long ride with Gen. John B.
Gordon, from Atlanta to Louisville, 1
was very much entertained with his rem
arks relative to his celebrated flank move
ments in the first day battle with Grant,
and at Cedar Mountain. Gen. Gordon is
not inclined to be talkative about him
self, but I drew him out by asking him
whether he had seen Gen. Early’s little
work in which the defeat of the right
corps of the enemy in the night attack
was treated of as a small and very haz
ardous affair. He had seen it, and was
at first inclined to repty, but upon reflec
tion concluded he would remain silent
especially as General Lee had written to
him for his report as to that affair, and
had endorsed the facts as given by that
report. He prefers to wait for the pub
lication of Gen. Lee’s history as the best
reply to Gen. Early’s injustice.
Gordon, when sent to the left of our
lines, found that his brigade overlapped
the right of the enemy. At an early
hour he scouted in front of him and
found no troops. He saw exactly where
the right flank of the enemy lay, and
discerned at a g'lance that not only could
our troops on the right, which were hard
pressed, be relieved by a flank movement
on his part, but that the entire Federal
army could be doubled up. llis plan
was to charge down on the enemy’s flank
and throw it into confusion, and as he
moved down in pursuit, to be joined by
the other divisions of our army in quick
succession—-a movement similar to that
which was executed by Stonewall Jack
son on a larger scale in the seven days
battle. llis idea was to attack soon in the
morning, but lie could not Early s
consent. It was only late in the dav
when Gen. Lee, after sending repeated
orders for a diversion to be made on our
left, rode over himself aud authorized
Gordon to carry out his plan at even
that late hour. It was then about sun-
set. Gordon moved out of his position,
threw his troops across the enemy’s flank
and charged. The effect was magical.
* The defeat of the enemy was eomplete.
The ground was literally covered with
guns aid knapsacks, and an entire corps
was driven back in utter route. Gordon
captured more of the enemy than his own
troops numbered, and left three thousand
killed and wounded on the field. After
pursuing the enemy a mile, and throwing
their troops in inextricable confusion,
night came on, and in consequence of
some Virginia troops which had crossed
the breastworks in their front to join
in the charge, firing by accident into his
men, Gordon stopped the advance.—-He
is confident, that he had been permitted
to make the attack in the morning, Grant
would have been driven across the river.
Gen. Early in his work says that the
movement was a dangerous one, because
Burnside’s corps was resting iu the rear
of the one attacked by Gordon. —This,
however was not the cas§, Burnside, as
may be seen from Swinton’s history was
on the opposite wing of the Federal
army.
The same movement which was execu
ted so successfully against Grant, he af
terwards made against the left of Sheri
dan at Cedar Mountain. The plan was
originated by Gordon and carried out
handsomely so long as ho had execution
of it. He doubled up the two corp jof
the enemy and broke them into fragments,
with a loss on their side often thousand,
and on his own of only two hundred and
fifty. They threw away arms and ac
courtrements and rushed through Win
chester in utter route’ The remaining
corps was demoralized, and would have
broken at the first charge Gordon or
dered the entire artillery, fifty pices, to
gallop up the pike and enfilade the re
serve eorps. At the same time he pre
pared to move against them without de
lay, with infantry. Just then Gen.
Early rede up and exclaimed, “Glory
enough for one day!” Gordon told him
that no time was to be lost, and explained
what movements he had ordered for the
attack upon the remaining corps. Early
said it was needless, that they would
follow the others pretty soon; and so
Gordon retired to his immediate command.
He anticipated what followed, and stmt
repeated messages to Early that the
enemy had rallied and were massing
upon his left. Receiving no support, he
at last rode over and told Early that if
something were not done his army would
be destroyed in twenty minutes. One
brigade was then sent to his aid, but in
the meantime the enemy had enveloped
our left, and by ad o ' his superior cav
alry, had gotten completely in our rear.
We all know what followed-—the ruin
of an army, which, had Gordon comman
ded, would have swept Sheridan out of
existence, opened the path to Washing
ton. and lifted the siege of Richmond.
But it is all past now!
In the autumn of 1864, Gen. Gordon
proposed to Gen. Lee to take a divsion
and operate in the rear of Sherman,
among the mountains of North Alabama
and Tennessee. He believed that by dis
persing his troops, and moving without
baggage, he could keep the communica
tion of sherman so effectually destroyed
as to raise the siege of Atlanta, and
force him to retire.
llis plan was not to attack the block
houses which would require a battle, or
burn the bridges, which could be restor
ed in a day, but to impede the track at
fifty or a hundred different points, and
throw the engines and trains into the
ravines thereby destioying the means of
transportation. A line of three hundred
miles would have afforded abundant op
portunity to make secret descents from
the mountains. Unfortunately just at
that time he could not be spared from
Petersburg.
MAJOR URIEL WRIGHT-
From the Winchester Times we copy
the following sketch of the life of this
eminent gentleman.
Major Wright was born in Mad ison
county, Va., in the year 1804 or 1805;
was educated at West Point, where he
was a class-mate and room-mate of our
townsman. Hon.. R. Y. Conrad. After
leaving the Military Academy he studied
law, first at Fredericksburg and
afterwards with Judge Tucker in Win
chester contemporaneously with Hon.
H. A. Wise, Hon. C. J. Faulkner, Hon.
W. Cost Johnson, R. B. Conrad, and
other distinguished gentlemen. He
married a sister of the late Col. Tuley,
of Clarke, and while yet young removed,
first to Hannibal and subsequently to
St. Louis, Mo., where he rapidly rose to
distinction in his profession, and attained
a reputation as the first criminal lawyer
in the Mississippi Valley.
He was fond of politics, and before
the war was a distinguished member of
the old Whig party, in whose conven
tions and meetings he always occupied a
prominent position, and whose cause he
supported upon the hustings with con
summate eloquence. Many ot our readers
will recall his powerful efforts while on
a visit to \ irginia during the Bell and
Everett campaign. In 1861 he was
elected from St. Louis to the constitu
tional convention of Missouri, in whose
deliberations he took a leading part.
We have read a number of his speeches
in that convention, many of which are
full of genius and eloquence; some pas
sages, indeed, will compare favorably
with the finest in the English language.
He clung to the Union and battled
against secession until arrested by U. S.
troops for declaring in the convention
that “liberty of speech could no louger
be enjoyed by the members of that body,
as a military despotism existed.” He
was confined in prison for some time,
and when released joined the Confederate
army, serving for a time with Gen.
Price, and afterwards as a staff-officer
with General Hardee. Since the close
of the war he has resided in Virginia—
for a considerable time in Winchester,
then at “The Tuleyries.”
He had passed his prime, was broken
in health, and for the last few years he
practiced his profession rather for recrea
tion, and from habit, than for profit ;
preferring literary, philosophical and
political studies, as more congenial to
his tastes.
Major Wright possessed a versatility
of talents which few public men in our
time have equalled, and he could have
attained the first rank in any of the lit
erary professions. His mind was highly
cultivated and richly stored with exten
sive and varied information, and at the
same time profound aud logical. Few
men could work up a rich train of
thought with more effect. In his public
addresses—we refer particularly to his
lecture ou “Heroism,” “The Character
of Moses,” and his political addresses
when old Virginia was the theme—he
mingled all the elements of oratory —
the graces of metaphor, brilliant wit,
sportive irony, delicate satire and
moving pathos, in exquisite harmony
and with powerful effect.
He enjoyed a large circle of friends,
who were devoted to him, and delighted
in his entertaining and brilliant con
versations, whose place they cannot fill.
Nurtured in the old Virginia school,
venerating her glorious history, her
time honored traditions and illustrious
statesmen, it is fit that his body should
rest upon her soil. Peace to his ashes!
SAVANNAH (GAJ CORRESPONDENCE
OF THE BANNER OF THE SOUTH.
NUMBER NINE.
Dear Banner :
All Savannah has has been Velocipede
bitten, which if not as fatal as the bite of
the Centipede seems to be tolerably ex
pensive. Everybody goes to the theatre,
and crowds stop in the street to eye the
two wheeled wonders. One old Negro
woman remarked that they looked like
“the old boy’s ridin’ boss,” perhaps you
are aware that this is the name they give
to a very innocent creature that children
call a “Johnny crook horse.” I think
if we had many of them in our streets
an extra force of policemen would be
in requisition, to keep the crowds away.
Speaking of policemen, do you know
Savannah is very proud of them, and
justly so. Tou could not find a finer
looking set of men in the United States,
I have never yet seen one of them that
did not look like a gentleman Such
bright eyes; such black whiskers! and
such a uniform! Grey! I remember
when they made their first appearance
in the new uniform there was quite a
sensation created; “two Confederate offi
cers had been seen in the street, iu uni
form!” But the next day dispelled the
illusion; the hats were ready, and there
it w T as in gilt letters, “C. P. ’ Yes, we
are proud of our policemen, aud if you
could see them you would not wonder.
I saw an advertisement in one of our
Savannah papers, which had been c >pied
from a New York paper Do not im
agine I am going to copy it here ; by no
means; I would not gratify the adver
tiser so much. Our editor copied it; to
be sure it was only to hold it up to his
readers as richly deserving their contempt,
but did he consider that he was actually
doing the advertiser a great service by
o iviiig his trash a place in the columns
of a widely circulated, and highly res
pectable paper '/ Doubtless he would be
very much gratified if he could know it.
Take care, Messrs. Editors, do not give
these fellows such chances.
I heard yesterday that one of the gen
tlemen connected with the Mormnej
News, (the local reporter, I believe,) had
been most shamefully maltreated by one
of our city gents. The heinousness of
the offence lies in the fact that the assail
ant is a strong, robust, young man, and
the assailed small and delicate, well
known to be in ill health. The attack
seems to have been made on account of a
few remarks made in the paper concern
ing the behavior, or rather mis-behavior,
of the young men of Savannah. They
were certainly needed, and the “gallant
fighter” must have found the cap nii
excellent fit, or he would not so readily
have worn it.
The next excitement was caused by u
supposed mad dog, whether mad or not I
cannot say, but he certainly deserved
the death that was dealt out to him with
an unsparing hand. The poor little boy
whom he attacked was very severely
bitten, but it is thought he will recover.
I paid a visit to an old cemetery a few
days ago, and could not help feeling
shockod at the scene of utter desolation
that met my eyes. The graves were
levelled, the vaults torn open, and there
exposed to the view of every careless
passer by, were the poor remains of what
were once brave men and beautiful wo
men. Here lay the bones ot an arm;
there a skull, that once, perhaps, was the
seat of wisdom and learning, and that
grim mouth, when adorned with soft
lips gave utterance to brilliant thought.".
The sight was a mournful one, and I
turned away from it, realizing most
clearly “that dust we art, and unto dust
must we return.”
I went to look for a monument that had
been erected by my father to the memory
of a friend. It was gone! Tempted by
the large size and fine quality of the
marble, some sacriligous thief had ven
tured to desecrate the tomb.
How can these things be ?
So, I commenced with the velocipede,
and have ended in a graveyard—-the
common lot of us all. Yours truly,
Ruth Fairfax.
P. S.—l had a rare treat last night,
listening to a lecture from Gen. H. R.
Jackson, delivered before the “Barton
Debating Society.” Where all was so
good it is indeed hard to designate any
particular point as more worthy than
another of attention, yet I must mention
one idea that struck my fancy particular
ly. He spoke of the voice of Genius
sounding through the lapse of ages and
falling in melodious accents upon the
hearts of the present generation. In
fusing, as he did, all the enthusiasm of
his own poet soul into his words, and
standing before us with flushing cneek
and flashing eyes, I could not help but
feel that the very spirit of Genius stood
embodied before me.
With kindest words he encouraged the
young men to continue to seek in the
paths of learning their necessary relax
ation, promising them all the assistance
in his power. R. F.
[From the N. O. Crescent]
A CHILD STOLEN-
A few nights ago a most singular
occurrence, which is yet wrapped in
mystery, took place at the Dominican
Convent at Carrollton. About midnight
some two or three men entered the dor
mitory, where the pupils were ail sound
asleep, and proceeded to sprinkle chloro
form about the room. The drug took
effect upon all but one little girl, who
was awakened by the noise made in
entering, and observing the motions of
the men, afterwards related what she
saw. But in moving about the room
the intruders created more disturbance
than they had expected, and the noise
reaching to other parts of the building,
the sisters became alarmed and hastened
to the dormitory. At their approach
the men fled. When lights were brought
it was found that on twelve of the beds
the bars were pinned up, as if the
visitors had been examining the face
of each sleeping child. A further in
vestigation showed that one of the bed.'
was vacant —one occupied by little Miss
G. Confusion at once reigned supreme.
The house and grounds were at once
throughly searched, but with no result.
But just as the search was about to be
given up, the wailings of a child were
heard in the yard, and there, in her night
dress, shivering, nearly wild with cold
and fright, was the missing child! But
she was so frightened, so bewildered by
her strange adventure and the cold, that
she could give no account whatever oi
herself.
The only hypothesis that can be formed
as to the cause of this singular affair isthm:
There are now in the Convent turee
chiidreu whose parents are divorced, ana
it is supposed—with what degree oi
probability and upon what evidence we
are not prepared to state —that one ot
the parents of one of the children had en
deavored to take forcible possession o.
the girl, and hired the men to do tne
deed. In the uncertain light they took
the wrong girl, and on discovering then
mistake, or when they gotinto the yard
they abandoned the child and niad
their escape, ’ but the affair is yet as tar
as anything certain is known, a profound
mystery.
mm
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