Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-06-16
NUMBER j ses.


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The records Of ailwars faFaets et such per-
fidy and cruelty.g59 l15rep ~
But there is still another eiiapter IN this
perfidious military and political calnpaign.
Banks, on arriving at A1exantlFia. told the
people that his occupation OF the hs6htry
was permanent. That he intended to pro-
tect all who would come forward and take
the oath Of allegiance; while those who
would not were tbreatened with banish-
ment and confscation Of property. Hun
dreds came forward and took the oath. An
election was held, and delegates were sent
to the Constitutional Convention then In
session at New Orleans. A recruiting Office
was opened, and over O thousand white
men were mustered Into the United States
service. Quite q number ofpermanent cit
izens OF Alexandria took the oath, andw
promised protection. Their houses and 9TH
er property have now all been reduced to
ashes, and they turned out into the world
,aeitS with nothing hing a1sO.'ely M ,l0ti' save the
Among the prominent citizens who took
the oath was Judge John X. Elgee, OF AL
exandria. Before the retnrn of the army
from Grand Encore, Judge Elgee went to
New Orleans, leaving his family behind,
expecting to return. He was not able to do
80 before the, evacuation Of Alexandria,
The Judge is one Of the most accomplished
and able men of the South. D. 4 30
In his absence, the government he had
sworn to support, and which had promised
him protection, allowed its soldiers TO APP
ply the torch to his dwelling and turn his
family into the streets. His fine residence,
withall its costly furniture, books; papers,,
and his fine paintings. were burned up.f 1t,
may be that many of thu last named articles
will yet find their way to the North, hav-
ing been rescued from the flames By pilfer-ol 2
ers and thieves; for where arson is resorted
to, 1t is generally to cover theft. .-.,r ..-t
j. Madison Wells, the Lieutenant Gov
ernor of Louisiana, elected with Hahn, by
General Banks's orders, was not spared
He had been Unionist from the beginning.
But that did not secure his family the. pro-
lection of the government. All was burn
ed. Thousands of people, men, women
and children, were, in a few short hours,
driven from comfortable homes into the
streets. Their shelter, their provisions, their
beds were all consumed. In their extremi-
ty, which our own culpability had brought
about, the Commanding General turned his
back upon them. The General perhapsdid
not laugh at their calamity, nor mock when
their fear came, but doubtless regarded il
as the dawn of a political millennium. The
march Of the army from Alexandria to
Fort de Russey was lighted up with the
flames of burning dwellings. Thus has
General Banks become the ''liberatort of b,
Louisiana" r,ae .--. l-..- -,...... d. -.
When the army arrived at SimmspOrt the
feeling against Banks was perfectly uncon-
trolabIe. He was absolutely afraid to APP
pear i'm the presence of the men, lest he
might be assassinated. lie took refuge in
an ironclad gunboat. As the boat lay in
the Atchafalaya river, the soldiers on the
bank would cry out aloud for Banks to put
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