Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1862-08-19
ALBERT PIKE.

Poets are impulsive, and impulslve people say
ana 40 foolish things very often. Albert Pike,
VINO has been "of Arkansas ~ for many years,
though he Is a full biz coded Yankee by sirth and
training, was well known and highly bonored,
at home and abroad, as a poet, author Of some
noble and impressive =" Hymns to the Gods" In
-bGcktcood's Magazine In 1899, and, perhaps,
not less 30 by that eminent lcial success, the
GInusing and characteristic ballad Of " The Fine
AIkaHsas Gentleman, /" a second and still quainter
fytte OF which he produced AMI sang at mis- own
memorable wake, at Washington, early In 1859,
when We assisted, Is the French say, and wrote
description OF II. Happy would IL have been
Iof Albeit Pixies honor as gentleman and pat
riotism as a citizen, II that mock waks had been
real one his friends who would have mourn
Ell fot dad man OF geRius. would not have had
% grieve, IS they since have grieved, over his
rHsliding into Treason.
When rebellion became rife and rampant In
the land, Albert Pike rushed into IL, and WIS at
once commissioned. He was improvised as Colo
mel, we believe, but nSs since become q Htular
s}-iCadie. General among the RG bsls. He has
1"TfC,a;ed nothing In that capacity, nor, indeed,
hid be much opportunity, his command being In
tn indian Territory. or. thsS he Is tired, 1t
would appear, by letter dated at fort McCui-
in.n, July ~, 1884," and addressed to "Major
General Hindman, commanding Trans-Missis-
slppi District" marked by him as approved and
forwarded. ltwas intended for ultimate trans
mission 20 Jen Davis, but being seized ~ tran
Sif", never reached that newlymade Christian
and old Rebel. 1t seems that Hindman was In
bCoily fea: q. Little Rock, Arkansas, when he
should have forwarded lis dispatches TO Davis,
g. 'hey fell into Federal hands
Albert Pixies letter opens with the resignation,
unconditional and absolute, - Of his command
Ia the rebel army, with q request fo1 Ia. II alb
senCe until this resignation be accepted "a .ee-
sons are these the ruin Of bis private affa the
fact that, during the last fourteen months exile
among the indians, he has not been with bis
family more than twenty days altogether; and the
uncomfortable circumstance that, from his obesity
(Alhert must weigh $50 pounds svoirdupcis), he
i utterly una Dle TO ride on horseback for any
nr n-RfH lonn oF
t'me.n He adds, nationally enough: "fo cOEduct
the desultory andsactive operations that will be-
come necessary In this country with Indian troops
and mounted Rep, a younger man Is necessary,
and ore whose corpulence does not unfit him for
continual movement ASsuredly these are
strong grounds, or any one Of them, why the large
noei should be relieved from an uncomfortable
command.
With less anoxr progrs that men Of his cast
Cf mind usually possess, Albert Pike frankly con-
tesSe5 that there is another and more urgent reason
he says: - The confidence In me does not exist,
in Arkansas an Texas, that I. necessary to enable
me to procure troops, or, u had them, 10 render
ftcir services efficient. It Is useless now to eI-
ri in how 1T that the bitere,t prejudices against
THc have been aroused, the evil effects of which |
EEL daily, even in my own little command of
Texas IL Is enough that 'hey exist, and cannot
2. present be overcome, and that an0constrained
% say that some eshoult be placed in command
here, against whom no such prejudices exist,
e1d with whom the military and civil authorities
l. Texas will cheerfullY cooperate IL seems
70 Us that, even In this frankness, there 10 more
tban may strike TIE perception at once.
Subsequent passages OF the letter plainly indi-
cate that In the country over which Mr. Pixies
command extended-that Ia in Texas and where
the lndisns live-there was more loyalty towards
me Union than sympathy for the Rebellion. On
tbe other hand, Mr.. Pixies reward for fourteen
T1onths' exile among savsges, whom he wanted
70 seduce from their allegiance, has not graf
i.ude from the Rebels, to whom he went over.
He admits that they had no confidence in him 3,
bl' the biteresi prejldices bad been excited
against him. sc, probably TO avoid being shot
scHt fis ignation. II is lesson not to poets
only but to p0Li who Ia ke that false Duessa
Rebellion, to their arms.-PhiIcdslphia Press.