The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-02-21
ALEXANDRIA, LOUISIANA, FEBRUARY II, 1865


public stores, yet intact. with the mainttl'
ancs Of order Among the troops still remain
ing attheir posts, and lastly, but more diff
ficult thin all, with the subsistence. oi those
troops. 'ihis intleni was a very serious
question, upon which all was dependent.
he coiniliiasarat Was bankrupt. ih.
principles dsp,t at Jetfrson had shared
| the fate of the others and il supplies, cou!s.
have been obtained. there was no publi.
transportation for their removal. lhos,
only who wsre with aud in the confidence
| If General Pagan can appreciate the difficult
! ties which surrounded him at this time.
Utmost any other man wvnld have been
| overwhelmed; but the hero Of Marks Mill
! rose superior tu them ALL With indonita-
hle enerayhe made available every posi-
bic means Of procuring subsistence.
! Whenever bale OF cotton which belonged
to ornad been taken from the Confederate
government, Could ne found. it was used ior
he purchase u ratiolis, alid WHEN chs
| source failed, Gen. ta.an pledged his pr
sate means ioi payment. his was til
| BAD faith exhibited uy the last Gonisdsrat
COMMANDER at shreveport, Int thus W.
Starvation varied off, and a train Of CO.
se1ue!,t evils prevented i'nei'' Is M h
torian to record the events Of those dark
days. There is no superior officer t1 Cola
plhment in his reports thaso WAC d'serrei
well. tut brilliant us have been the
achievements of james F. Pagan onathe
iieia there was no time in which that gar
liant Young officer more completely proved
his iitaess for command. more glJriuusly
illustrated the nobility ola true chirairuus
soldier and the generous quantities Of the
iii,ii toiied aiia eoa.teous yei.titiii,,ii ,i.aa
y.lsn he stood -ls it were like the last p,.
.earer--lt the grave .. The infant 1oiifed
,,iacy, where, with The hopes of a peopl,
Wer. bnried,' all that remained of civil ant.
;'elsious liberty in i. republic which grand
ares hid established and fathers and syl.es
i,u,ht lruitrssly to pe.petuate
Ofthe Leaders alluded IT, as having "sur-
rendered in person and thea taking refuge
on the side Ut Mexico, NEST prominent Is
.iajor General Sterling Price. indeed he
IS perhaps the ,nly general officer il, the
trans Mississippi army who did surrender
in person aud atteTward seek asylum abroad
lhe circumstances OF his case are these
Gen. Price, faithful to the interests OF the
Missouri troops to the last. accompanied
ianelal Buckner to R,ton Rou,a to secure
for them the best terms possible, and to
provide for the safe return to their own
State of such as desired it. After the sur
render at Baton Rouge. Gen. Price was
then and there paroled, with tlIeexpress OBJ
lecs ii avoiding delay in his contemplated
Journey to Mexico. 1nraply to his inquiries
l!a Wis told hy the i'eue,al officers that
although the military authorities could not
give hia passports t, leave tbs country. his
doing So would nat be- considered .lbre..ca
OF his parole. This statement was fully ana
freely repeated at shreveport. as he passed
through IN his way to Washington, fexas
where his family were then residing The
exiled patriot now safe III the enj 5yment
vi that liberty denied him in his native laud
conclous OF risht, desiring pardon OF no hu
man power, and secure III tbs respect aud
affection Of his countrymen, to whom hr
has given the best Years Of his LIFE and in
whose service his hairs have .wilite.ied, can
we'll treat with silence sc ,rn tht puny Efforts
Of those who would now attempt to sulIy
his fair fame; but vile Indeed is that enemy
who would venture to aspe.se the rare III.
tearity, the noble honesty Of purpose Of
Sterling friee.
Maj. Gen. NJ NJ. Parsons Of Missouri,
another leader who sought refuge in Mexi-
c1, may have gwen his parole ut Shreye-
port. lie, however, has rxpk,ted his politi.
cal sins having been brutaIy murdered near
Monterey.
Maj. Zen. j. O. Shelby a,ever surrender
ed. those who know that fearless chef
believe that be would have endured u thou
sand tortures and have SOU hi death rather
than submit to those whom he had 50 well
taught to fear him. a'..
III, tr.l, OF the surrender were first an
nounced to General Il. Kirby Smith, at
Galveston. His approval Of these terms
was qua!if ID by the proviso that Confeder-
ate officers desiring to leave the country,
were to be permitted to do SO; this was iii.
dorsed over his signature. 1t was then
that Major General Masruder commenced
his joiril;y to Mexico, in the exercise of d
right Justly claimed by all recu ant leaders
under the conditions oftha surrender Of the
department. That SO few abandoned the.
country was not because Of their faith in
tie inasninimity Of the c1n1uerors. In
Iced maay other brave hearts, frighted by
the SO called Amnesty Proclamation,
would haze yiel,led to the impulse when
prompted expatriation, but lacks of means
prevented ,ieneral Smith himself, not.
with,tanding the base slandsrs 50 ialustri-
ous!y circulated US to his speeuations in
cotton, was indebted to the generosity Of
friends sor the light purse with which he
crossed the Rio Grande. He had caused
to be turned over to the Federal co,,,tn,a-
d r the only public faads at his disposal,
being several thousand dollars in gold, an
.unexpended balance OF secret service money.
i'his particular instance Of bad faith does
not appearto have been mentioned in the
reports to the War Department. Its to be
hoped that the United States Treasurer
has record Of the transaction.
The accusation of bad fifth" comes in
bad taste from any official tjfa government
which has ssluwa so much oft. There is
not an officer of the Confederate army wao,
if free to day, would not thrust it datiantly