Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-11-30
..oo~ MTyCnAUsEN IN RLACKwOOD.

statements concerning lHe cOnultlOn oil ullngS
ON this side of the water quite impossible to
believe; but we see that the last number of
BlQckw0od is monopolized to the extent of
some fifty pages by a narration so monstrous
in It's utter disregard of facts and even of
probabilities, that we cannot avoid treating
our readers to a glance at what seems accep-
table TO the British public. Ii ''Old Ebony is
really imposed upon. itself, by these concoc-
tons, why the worse for it: because, in that
ease, q veritable page now and then from Nun.
chausen itself or Jack the Giant Killer. would
answer by way Of variety Just as well; whilst
if these wholesale bits Of brngadocia are made
up ''to ORDER ii is high time its publishers
were made aware Of the degree Of credit given
to them here.
The number in question comes osensiblv
from the pen of one Major Heros Won Borcke,
Chief of Staff to General J. Z. b. Stewart:"
and if any have the curiosity to look for them
selves beyond the limited quotations to which
our space restricts us, let them get the October
number from which we propose to quote, and
amuse themselves with the various Nun.
Heros Won Borcke ''bears a charmed life. =
Day by day he rides through perfect showers
ut shot and shell, has hand-to hand encounters
with desperate antagonists, always coming of
victorious, and not satisfied with sprinklng
his narrative all over with these amazing ad
ventures of a Confederate knight Grant. he
varies it with others in which he trimnphs
over ''rsttleSnakes,' and ''bullfrogs as big as
Il rabbit" Let us illustrate the STYLE Of his
escapades
Il pushed on and reached the point of my
destination in safety; but galloping back.
"tct stunning blow across the spine. and at
1.-THE same moment my horse rolled over with
me. ! was confident the animal had been
''struck by a cannon ball, but to my great sur
prise. ! was not able to discover any wound.
AS was myself uhurt, | rcmounted my
''brave animal, and continued my way \
solid shot had passed close 10 my horse !
back, and the culyem IF air sci in motion by
Its passage had knocked ore, both horse and
'.,ider"
Now we do not mean TO assert that a man
might not be knocked down by the wind of II
cannon ball, the latter passing his head closely
rolled over by one. in the most matter of
course way possible.
During McClellans movements in lower
Virginia our hero makes discovery somewhat
remarkable considering the latitude He finds
General Stuart ION the very brink Of the
Pamuukey, where he had established his head
quarters i'll a delightfully."- cool spot beneath
the boughs of a gigantjc Piaatajn. regaling
himself with iced lemonade
Now when We remember that the .'pIantain '
is a tree only common to the West Indies aud
other tropical regions, and no more to be
seen on the ''Pammkey' than are the orange
or bread fruit tree. We are again compelled to
set down the ma jon ~ tabricaor OF the most
determined character, and one who should,
even after what has long been tolerated in
B0ch~0Od, have no place there.
Wading about to catch fish in the Chicka-
hominy, he got along well enough with the
sport, only that as he says-''we were vicor-
ouSiv attacked by the most roidcjoHs Ho,.s-
teccheS. which fastened themselves on our cx-
posed legs in such Numbers as 10 make il aecss-
&oIy to 90 ashore ete,g .fre minutes 10 state
them eft!
The Major finds other groves of .'plaintain
trees at Hanover Court House, and at a
bivouac near Fredericksburg he meets with
another characteristic adventure. a huge rat
tlesnalie having attacked him in the night
which with his keen Damascus blade he
severed in twain. Here We find by disse,ta
ton on the merits Of said blade that the
Major wore il IN the ''Prussian Curiassiers
of the Guards and that the weapon was a
straight doub lie edged sword of tremendous
SIZE and excellent temper. which was even
better known III the Confederate army than
myself We have not a doubt but that it
was known every whit as well: and he makes
Gcu Stuart write to him My dear Won. |
cannot tell You how much missed you and
your broad blade at Gettysburg On one oc.
casion-as he informs us, Il had the salts
faction OF delivering magnificent blow upon
one OF my antagonists. Who at the very mo.
ment OF firing at me received my full right cut
on the lower part OF the neck. severing his
head nearly from his body. j: =
Il had happy teeliny ,clen ridiuq ont ocUs
"ott(e and ripping the blood from my s,ro,u N,
my horses mans :" Campbell and the battle
of Hohenlinden over again.
But We have no more space to devote 10
this writer in Biackwood and his wondrous
adventures. He is not Major Won Borcke. I'm,
Major Lonsbow.' He goes on through the
rest OF the fifty pages, performing wonders
He forces his horse TO tremendous lean
from the high bank into the deep stream, :"
and ''crosleS 1t by swimming, the Yankee bull.
lets like hailStones slashing the water all around
me-! tie bursts open the door of a cottage
where he finds Yankee officer and ..prettv
young woman, who are confounded and over
whelmed with fear at seeing themselves ,.ot
me mercy Of 50 poacertW an o5rerso,yr ~
We are told that this narration is ..to he
continued: and although we may not devote
any more space to it, we hope that such of our
readers as desire 10 see how war stories may
he manufactured in a London attic will. An
ms, however, Is of a piece with Blockw01d
III the same VEN some three years ago. when
the writer makes gold watches in the pockets
OF the negroes on an Alabama cotton planto.
uon the commonest things possible But is il
not time for these defiant fabulsts to subside9
itmay be indeed Of little consequence to Black
9rood to have a trans Atlantic reputation for
truth; but certainly, no respectable iournal
anywhere should countenance such OUTRAGEOUS
tabrlcations such impositions upon the ere.
dulity of the British public, in relation to mat
tiers, England should try to forget her com.
pllcity with to our hurt
And then again, it is worth while to consider
the effect of continuing in leading Britsb
periodicals the kind Of stuff we have noted
clarifying the defunct Contederacv and dwell.
ing with unction on the horrors enacted along
the Chickahominy. Who can tell. to-day,
when the return of the Shenandoah to her
starting point arouses new anger against Eng
land, how much British periodical literature
has to answer for i'll this connection? The
London Nems well says: ''Io whatever cause
we are to ascribe it. the fact remains. that
whist the statesman and merchant were
watching Tor sign. of peace. and the priest
was praying for union and concord between
III