The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-31
TRAITS OF IRISH CHARACTER
) From the New Orleans True pelta.l

From the New Orleans True Delta.
The speck of revolution in Ireland
has directed the eyes of the civilized
worldupon that country. Othernations
have their historical records; but Ire
land, although her children are famous
throughout Europe and America in
every branch which tends to ennoble
humanity in war, in all the arts of
peace, in literature, in science-is with
out history. Her geographical posi-
| ton enables her more powerful neigh
Dor TO monopOlize her substance and APP
prOpriate her nationality. Irishmen
must either merge themselves into q
race totally dssimilar in habits, i'm
pulses and religion, or become volunta-
~ eXiles to the four qua rters of the
globe. VI wherever II wrong was to be re-
dressed, wherever n down.trOdden peo-
pie arose upon their prosecutors, Irish
men were always in the van. On every
battlefield of modern times, some Irish
name has made itself pre-eminent. AT
the famous battle of Fontenoy, when
| the French were on the verge of defeat,
King Louis rode down his line, calling
aloud: "Where is my brave Ially?n
That Lally was found at the prope time
and in the proper place, and saved the
armies of France from annihi-
lation or capture at the hands of the
| Duke of Cumberland and his German
allies. The story of this battle may not
be uninteresting. The French general,
| Marshal Count SAKE, hadintrenched his
army of seventysiX thousand men in a
position of great natural strength, near
| tho village of FontenOy, in Belgium.
The river Scheld was on one wing,
a wood on the other, and a
deep ravine in front. The allied
forces, composed of English, Dutch
and Austrian troops, under the Duke of
Cumberland, numbered $4,000. This
enterprising General resolved to assault
the French Notifications, and on the
10th of May, 1745, attacked their out
posts and drove them in. His troops
Slept all that night on their arms. The
next Amorning, he began the engage
ment with fierce cannonading, and
made his dispositions SO that the Dutch
noy, whilst the Duke himself, at the
head of column oils, 900 British infan-
try, should attack the main body of the
French army. With fixed bayonets,
! this solid column plunged into the ra-
vine and charged upon the breastworks.
Firearms, III those days, were not SO
| formidable as they are now; and the
bayenet, hand-to-hand, decided a con-
| test in very few minutes. The French
| troops however, animated by the pre-
sence of their King, fought with despe-,
rate courage, and three times repulsed
the charge; but the camp-followers Gre
ated a panic, and all appeared lost.
Marshal Sake could not induce the X ing
to retire. Louis XIV rode down the line,
calling aloud for his brave Lally. This
officer was an Irish gentleman, who had
engaged in the French service, and was
commanding a brigade of his country
men, exiled on account of their religion.
AS the solid columns of the British in
fantry came on, Count Lally advised
the Marshal to turn four pieces of artil-
lery upon them, saying that he would
meet the English with his Irish Brig
| AIDE. His counsel was followed, the
British driven back, the battle was a
drawn one, and to this day in France,
glory of saving the French King and
his armies at Fontenoy is due to the
"Irish Brigade
! 1t is said and results have almost in
controvertibly proved it, that no troops
| in Europe can resist the charge of the
English bayonet. Nine-tenths of the
British regular army are, or were, en-
listed in ireland. The famous High
land regiments which stood so bravely
| by Lord Wellington in his campaigns
| were composed almost altogether of
| Irishmen. The Iron Duke himself, and
his brother-in-law, Sir Edward Packen-
| ham, who fell at the head of his col
umns, with hat in, hand waving his
men onward at the battle of New Or
| leans, We're Irishmen. Nt
| In the great intestine war which has
just ended-thOugh we do not by any
means wish to detract from the splendid
| reputation of our own cOuntrymen on
either side--the Irish, whether in the
Confederate or in the Union interest,
achieved u reputation second to none.
In the Federal army the brigade of
| Thomas Francis Meagher was renowned
for desperate courage. At the battle of
Fredericksburg this brigade, composed
exclusively of Irishmen, steadily
marched forward, and held their ground
within forty yards of the Confederate
lines. They were almost annihilated.
but they achieved name which was
acknowledged cheerfulIy by their
enemies. In the Confederate armies
the names of Cleburne, Finnegan,
Monaghan and Nolan will go down to
pOSJeF1ty OH Tic same. SCfOll WIFI tuOSt
of Lee, Hampton, Jackson and Polk.
The troops from Louisiana ranked
second to none on either side. A con-
siderable proportion of them were Irish
men, and we believe we speak the senti
ment of all Louisianians when we
assert that the hour of conflict, as well
rs by the bivouac or in camp, the Irish
soldier was without fear and without re-
proach, and his comrades We're proud of
his valor. The natives on either side
fought for what they believed to be
their country's welfare, but the Irish
soldier pitched in with a Vim that char
acterizes his actions in every phase of
life. He had no old traditions, but he
believed in the traditions of his friends
and adopted couptrymen.
How strange are the DEGREES of fate;
this gallant people, If concentrated
among themselves would form nucleus
which would surprise the world. But,
alas !! the force of circumstances has
decreed that Irishmen, to rise to emf
hence, must expatriate themselves, and
exert in foreign countries the talent and
energy which are peculiarly their own,
DOSING HENS WITH LIME. "A
correspondent of the Canada Farmer,
having noticed that the editor had copied