New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-06-23
THE PRISONER OF FORTRESS M ,yRoE.

If anything were wanting to attach Ehe hearts of
the Southern people with affection md generation
to jefferson Davis, the need wonf be supplied by
the recently published book of Il. Craven, of the
United States army, The detail 8 of the prison-ge
of man who has, like jeff rson Davis, filed
preeminenty conspicuous p ACE in the eye of the
world; who from being die mighty chief of
chosen people, struggling for independence, has |
been reduced to the &C niition of a closely con
fined prisoner; who, in place Of controlling the
movements of mighty armies, is guarded by a
corporals squad mu Il awaken the curiosity of
the public in all parts } of the world. Everybody
will read TINS Book Some will wish to crafty the
natural out vulgar uriosty which illustrious men
always provoke ONE will desire to crafty their
vndieuVehess vii a recital of the suferings of
inc fepresehtauV victim of their wrath and
oAets WIZ eApec to derive instruction from the
Eepoeteu CONVEX ations of q man whose intellect,
Is wen as MS ositioR, confer on him SO fatal a
prominence as the embodiment of the Southern
movement E IL Of these persons will find some
ming 10 repay them in the perusal of Dr.. Crayens
oooh. ba9 ne Southern people, alone, will read
Win leen gs which while untainted by curiosity,
are nauo"e' lfy tle afectionate regard with which
tnei thougp rs Sc naturally towards their fal
len leader.
~ Is nc fiosable throughout this remarkable
DOOR, at ysFst II we may Judge by the published
extracts, tbatEhe sympathies of the writer appear
70 pe at Aetier enlisted for his distinguished pa
asnt. ais'faet is net to be explained by any har-
mony { 4 opinion on political questions, for DR.
eraYei ss IN officer of Inc Federal army; nor by
pFeFN sfs association, for the physician and his pa
uens were strangers to each ether until they me-
| WHh IN the walls of Fortress Monroe. 1t can
s.fe e.
din FRY superiority of intellect, and that remark
AZ aNpurity Of character end elevation of mora
/ 70 10, which impress all WHO approach 3-r Davis
+ zen within the oasematcd dungeon which was hi.
F4aoR, ths Sc characteristics do nat seezl to have
q eseTed i'm. On the contrary, they appear tt
ave bee onse even painfully conspicuous, whei
/ observed as.ainst the sombre background of ad
i lfeEztty, The same effect, although perhaps, in
less degr te, will be produced on thercaders Of TIN
GEEK Eiae wonder will be how man who liz
TIVE MY five years had devoted himself to politics
c9old have laid up 20 large store Of that kind 0
Philosophy in wilieA our politicians are general,
50 def Gent; hew a man who had aspired to .
ortly statesman could have collected Information
oal all the wide range of subjects embraced III Eh
bhe Its and t'nephysical sciences; how a senate
and ia-sodier should be equally capable Of discuss
ing law with Webster, politics with Seward, paint
4 ms with Rus 6il mechanics with Stevenson, met
aphyaics wit h Cousin, and poetry with " Iso1
There seems. to be no effort on the part OF Dl
craven to &tib.t these powers on the part Of hi
/ subject. He does not play tha part Of Boswe
l9ys9eking9 to held his herolupt5 perpetual admra
taon; OF Of q Howard by asking sympathy For tn
, tinfortunat PRISONER Aud ret admiration an
! sympathy aFethe feelings which will most sure
take poss esso2 of every readers mind on perlsin.
: this work.
But the people of the South, who know Jeifer
son Davii soFell, will be po-e than all, affeee;
By that ein os tenderness towards them, of low
for their cause ofhope for ther future, which run
through all that the illustieus captive says. They
ceald ha We wished to be spared the recital Of tina
cruel SC enc Which depicts the agones of the prs
oRer VII en- the manacles were placed on his limbs
but they cannot but feel that the gnoming of this
outrage will fall not on It's victim, bat on it,
authors. The IRON which entered the noble soul Of
JsfersOl Davis sank as deeply into theirs. Whet
\ he suffer ed, they suffer in unison with him. They
laaow to o, andathe world kRows that the. factions
i which ,Oald aPplaud SO gross crime against
hrmant J in the person Of ore man, are quite al
capable Of eontriving an equally enormous crine
against whole people.
The s .Oathera cause triumphant would Aay.
needed neither eulogiuna nor sympathy. This
glory of victory would have made it illHstrious.
TIE herot IS who sleep beneatltle skies Of Virginia
and Tenn assee, ouId have been its saints and not
its martyr > Bat the Southern cause defeated is
inoaraated in the person of the lonely prisoner of
/ Fortress tanroe. Through him it appeals I'd the
wegld and DC history for that righteous and impair
tialgudgm enc o1Yhich peoples as we'll as in5iYid-
uais musta uaTnit. Whatever may be,the judgment
the lost eau Sc Of the South acknowledges in that
august person it, representative and its apostle.