Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-08-29
THE LAST OF THE WASHINGTON LIFE
GUARnS.0

THE LAST OF TUE agAn SAsHlssros LIFE
Usual Knapp, is the singular name of the last
surviving member Of Gen. Washington's celebrat-
ed sLife Guards" He is an old man over whose
head ninety-fve years have passed. He resides
near Newburgh, once Washington's head quarters,
and is still sprighty and active to an unusual de-
gree. He has been widower eight years, and
during that period he has celebrated the annual
recurrence of his birth day, by making call on
all the widows of the country round about. The
portrait of the interesting old man hangs in the
Old Mansion at Newburgh known rs s'Washing-
toms Head Quarters" His house is in the town
of Little Britain, Orange county, up among the
mountains. N. P. Willis, who resides near New
burgh, visited him recently in company with an
old Quaker Newburgher Of the days of the Reyo-
luton. The visit was one of peculiar interest of
the two, and Willis, in recent number of the
Home Journal, gives an Entertaining and graphic
narrative of the interview.
He thus describes the appearance of Usual
Knapp:
The old man was at work in his garden, but
his slow steps were soon heard, and he entered
the room, throwing his hat upon the floor at one
side of the threshold and his stick upon the other.
With smile on his face and both hands open, he
came forward to greet the strangers. He was
tall and bent but evidently of the 1.-the and SYM
metrical build which was lkeliest to attain his
present age of ninety-fve. His head and features
were exceedingly fine. A sculptor would have
modelled Cesar from them, half century ago.
Frankness, cordiality, and self-confdent SIMPLE
city, were marked in his expression Of face. voice
and manners.
Very deaf, he drew our chairs very near him ;
and with his right hand upon the leg of Friend s.
| and his left hand on mine, he made himself ac-
quainted with our names and professions.
The two old men talked of Washington. They
sat with their heads close together, recalled the
Str nf fho or roI
miniscences of him, and Of the sstimes that tried
mems SOULS" Their remembrances were full of
interest to their auditors. " Friend S., the old
Quaker, related how the boys used to be called
out Of school, when the Commander-in-chiefw was
seen to be coming along the road on horseback,
and how dignifed and noble he looked, as he rode
past with his hat of, courteously returning the
low bowed salution of the lads. He said also that
henow lived in the house Lafayette occupied at that
time, at the junction of the Moodna with the Hud-
son; and then they refreshed their memories with
the story Of the Irishman, who undertook to carry
the Marquis across that stream on his back and
dropped him into the water--a possibility of an
intention to drown the popular officer which made
the Irishman so detested that he was obliged to
leave the neighborhood."
But Willis says-
The old segeant's description of the parade of
the Life-Guard every morning before the mansion
of Head Quarters, and the look of the General as
he slowly walked up and down the portco,
Sc straight as a dart and noble as he could be,"
was the most glowing of all. They 'shad the three
best drummers in the army" he said, and Sc they
made such music that it took you right off your
feet" 1t entirely Strengthened the old mans
spine, to talk of it, He sat bolt upright, and the
squeeze of his bony fingers upon his leg could not
have been much looser than the one with which
"a s'charged bayonet" at the battle of Monmouth.
He s.id he remembered verbal order Wash
] ;nrton gave him, at that time-not to present
arms or take motto. of him, when he was alone
| sHe was a man of Jew words" he said "and new
err familiar with ANYBODY" He repeated story
he had once before sod to Headlev the historian,
of his having seen Washington dodge spent oail
that passed close to his head on the battle-4eio'
and his smiling immediately as if at bis Gasoldier-
like weakness in doing so, and turning to his ot-
GERS with the remark, S'Ah, the frailty of poor hu
| man natureD
| OF the Generals dress he gave minute de.
scription. Mrs. Washington, he said, was with
him at Newburgh, but SHE was older than the
| General and not :. handsome woman OF Gen.
Knox, who was statone at West Point, and Of
the wonderful beauty of Mrs. Knox, his mention
was very enthusiastic. Knox was a large, SPLEEN
did man. The sergeant was often employed to
90 with boat to the Point and bring Gen. and
Mrs. Knox to dine with General Washington. He
was once ordered by the imperious officer to land
at certain place where he knew it was too shall
low. lie demonstrated, but Knox insisted. So
they obeyei and ran into the mud, and were
obliged to sit in the boat till the tide rose to take
them of, and the delay was very provoking at the
| time.
| The old soldier gave thrilling description OF
the privations of the army in its forced march to
the South. 1t was the wettest weather ever known
and he had not dry thread on him fer weeks,
but he never took cold. The rations were next
to staryation--often dried herring day and no
| IL hot nf m
his company was shot, he himself receiving no
wound then or in the after actions he was in. du-
ring the war, except slight Craze OF ball on
thr back Of his left hand. The old mans feeling
got the better Of him, once or twice in narratins
the stirring scenes in which he had borne part,
and he ''choked off''-but it evidently gave him
great pleasure to recall them. He said he had no
memory for things, no,c, but he could remember
everything that happened then, as if it were yes
terday. He enlisted at the age Of sixteen and
was in the army six years. Since the disbanding,
at the Peace, he has been farmer, taxing no part
in the war of 1912. His wife died eight years ago,
at the age OF seventy and his two only chill
dren, daughters, one OF whom assists in the sup
port of her father by dress making,) live with
him. His pension Of ten dollars month is much
too little-for his merits, l should think, rs web
as for his wants.
To see these two men, to whose eyes Washing
toms living features and form had been familiar
sitting together and talking Of him with their
ewes bent upon each others faces, yet each seeing
the memsry picturo-of the great man as he talk
ed or lstened-gave strange impetus to the i'm.
agination, a new one to me, for the conceiving OF
what Washington was, as be breathed and acted
1t was the Present turned back to the Past, in the
magician's mirror.
To CHOOSE A Coon Mich Cow.-Seect from a
good breed. We prefer the Deyons-bright bay
red. The Durhams are roam, red, white, and
mixtures of those colors. Ayrshire cows arc gen
orally red and white spotted. Herefords, red OF
darker co.ored, with white faces. Alderneys, pale
red and mixed with white. These arc the princi.
pal colors of the several breeds, of which thu
Durhams are the largest and Attorneys the small
est. Different individuals will contend for each
breed being tho best and only ono that should b.
selected for their milking qualities. But animal!
of each Breed and Of crosses of them, often prove
remarkable mixers, and SO do the native stock o.
the country. es
If we were about selecting mich COW, VIZ
would cndeavor to get one out of such herd o.
good mixers; one with soft, velvety feeling
skin, slim neck, fine legs, broad stern, with wha
4 LIZ