Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-01-19


They who talk Of shedding the last drop
of blood are usually very careful not to shed
the first; and they who are going to wrap
themselves in the flag of their country and
fire mines, and perish in the ruins, may al
ways be depended On to come down little
in advance of the rest. The gallant Colonel
Bosworth, lately in command of Fort Pike,
La, was a specimen of this Munchausen
style of valor. The citizen soldiery of New
Orleans descended on Fort Pike in various
impromptu war. craft and demanded its sur
render.
We give the heroic reply of the gallant
BoEworth in his own words, as published
in the Delta:
"FoRT PIKE, January "a. n.
~. E. Mc-e, NeW Orleans The fort is
now Surrounded by fishing smacks turned
into armed guD-boais, and filed with armed
men, the hag-bost of the squadron having
hoisted at the peaf the Palmetto aud Pelican
flags. A peremptory order has been sent me
by the commander Of, the. expedition TO sur
render the fort at discretion, or al imme.
diste attack would be made. My reply was
prompt-tbat until ] received orders from
headquarters | would defend the fort while
q m6n remained 10 apply a match to the
guns or spring mine and, as last resort,
that would blow up the fort, and perish
with the star-spsnged banner in its ruins.
Posterity, / trust will do nv memory
justice. B. B0SWORTH."
But Fort Pike is low in the hands of the
New Orleans military, and instead of its
ruins covering the maugled corpse Of the
gallant Bosworth, wrapped in the star
spangled banner, it seems by the following,
from the Pic0ylme, that it is in excellent
preservation, and the chiyalrous Bosworth
is sound and hearty.
"This important fertilization, commanding
the entrance to Lake POnchartrain aud the
approaches 10 the rear Of our city, was occu-
pied by the troops of Louisiana, last evening
Capt. George CLARK, ofthe ContinentAls, is in
command, aud no tuer or more prudent
officer could have charge Of an important
fertilization.
Fort Pike is a very strong fortifcltiOn,
has forty large cannon, aud is in good con-
dtion. TIE officer who has had charge of it
for many years is the genial Col. Bosworth,
whose bOspitable interts and tastes could not
be more highly gratifed thsn by the enter
tainmeht Of tie jolly Continentals."
This seems TO us q different entertain
ment" from that which the chivaIrous Bos-
worth proposed. In this latitude we would
naturally suppose that the chivalrous Bos-
worth would have welcomed them with
bloody hands to hospitable graves; but he
meant only genial entertainment. II is all
in the style. Down there the style of the
people sympathizes with the gOrgeousness of
tropical verdure, and with the magnifcence
Of nature. The same characteristics are OBJ
served among the MexieanF, whose ideas OF
government are also similar.
Perhaps the chivslrous Bosworth intended,
in bis great death scene, only the immolation
Of his honor as a soldier and an officer, and
the ruins of the fort only in the Union sense;
when it would rise, like Phenix, from It's
ashes, full hedged, or rather like pelican,
in the service Of the State which has adopted
that proud bird as an emblem probably
from its cobVeniences for slowing away such
trifes as it may pick up.
AS the chiyalrous B. Bosworth (Bobadil
undoubtedly observes, "pOsterity, we trust,
will do his memory justice"