The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-06-27
CORRESPONDENT E M ETR0POI,-
ITAN RECORD.

-IRecolleetions Of General N. P
I Banks Humane Treatment Of {
/ Federal Officer "A Revolving In.
oident-- Unpleasant Residents.
Feeling ef the people Towards
!. the Radlcals--A Scriptural Par.
allel, &C., &c.
MARKsvILE, La, June, !, 1886.
To the Editor Of the Metropolitan Record: +
/ DEAR SIR: 1t is we'll known that in The
spring Of 1864 that brave Christian Gene
raj, n. r. Banks, at the head of his piou!
army marched up the Red River Valley tt
reinstate the sacred Union banner upon The
house-tops and to preach Christianity ii
the deluded people. They had read how
missionaries in other heather lands after
getting the power, had destroyed the idol,
Of the simple inhabitants and then easily
succeeded in persuading tbefnf to- chan,
hosannas to the symbols which they raised
aloft, and Nathaniel and his brave follow
ers acted upon the same principal One O;
the idols Of the Southern people was cot
ton, therefore they charitably destroyed il
or removed it away beyond the danger 0.
temptation; another was comfortable, well
furnished homes, therefore Nathan burned
them in order that the people might have
nothsns to distract their attention from the
one great idea of loyalty to the United
States government. q .r f..si.,154 al.
| While engaged in these pious labors 3
brigade Of so-caIled Confederate cavalry
4 got in his rear on Red River below AIexan
dria, and took several gunboats and trans
ports. In one of the attacks on the boats
a Colonel B., commanding negro reg.
iment, was mortally wounded and taken
prisoner. The savage rebels having nc
comforts or convenience for the sick, inhu
manly sent the Colonel to Cheneyville, a
small village distant some seven OF eight
miles, where he could be provided with
proper medical attention and whatever else
he might require. When he reached
Cheneyyille q neigbboring physician was
called in tosee him, and Ia The course of q
conversation between them it TRANSFERRED
that the Colonel commanded a nego regi.
Lment.A 81 go
"You know" remarked the physician,
"what tho feelings of the Southern people
are toward officers who commanded negro
troops"
Yes" replied the Colonel; but in my
present condition l hope TINT all feelings
of that kind will be laid aside, and that
will be treated as you would any other
person."
IL can cherish no resentment againstia
dying man." said tlessargeon. IL regard
yol Dldyas q patient and viii aaall in my
power for you, as If you were an officer Of
our own army"
1 Accordingly Col. Be- was kindly nurs-
ed and every possible attention paid him /;
but his wound was mortal one, and he
died after lingering few days. He was
decently buried near the village, ard there
his remains reposed in quiet until : feG;
weeks ago. His wife had leaned by some
means that he had been wounded and car
fiea to Chenesville, ana some time ago She
addressed o communication to the Post
master at that place asking for information
aoout her husband. Mr.. Lansdell, a. Bap-
list Clergyman residing there, replied to
her communication, giving her full ac-
count of her husbands illness, death, and
burial. Mrs. b. wrote again expressing
the deepest gratitude to those who had at
tended her husband in his last moments,
and offering to remunerate them if they
would accept any compensation.
Some weeks ago q man, representing
hitnselfas the lbrothei-in-law Of the deceas-
ed, called on Mr.. Lansdell at Cheneyville,
and requested that he would point ont the
grave OF Col. B., stating that he had
come on the part of Mrs. b. to. remove
the remains to the family burying ground
in the North. The grave was pointed out,
two negroes were hired for tho work, and
the body was soon raised from it's resting
place. Tothe great astonishment., and ex-
IRENE regret of the kind.hearted, affection
ate brother-in-law, the body was in state
of almost perfect preservation, and Colonel
B., with his martial robes around him,
reposed in view of his dear relative almost
precisely as he did the day he was commit
ted to the bosom of mother earth. After
copious flow OF tears the brother-in-law rca-
soned that it would only lacerate anew the
wounded heart of the bereaved widow to
gaze on the loved features Of the dead, and
that the expense OF purchasing anew coffin
and carrying the remains home would be
entirely useless so the dear creature made
q halik movement on these difficulties that
was truly amazing to the uncivilized reb-
els OF Cheneyville. He actually employed
his two contraband brothers to take the
body to the banks of a stream near by,
where the trio proceeded to cut all the flesh
fhnI ,o,
ately washed and laid in small pine dry
goods box, obtained from one. of the mer-
chants of the village. 1t was the intention
Of this radical saint to leave the flesh ON
the ground where he had butehered the
body, and it was only the Strong remon-
strances of a gentleman present that finally
induced him to replace it in the grave and
cover it with earth,
The shame of the whole transaction and
the vileness of the dirty wretch did not
stop here After he had nailed M his box
Of bones he offered his coaf-eres dollor for
their assistance, Which they refused to ac-
cept, stating that they had been engaged
in dirty piece of work, and they must be
well paid for it. They demanded twenty
five dollars each, bnt their Yankee friend
repudiated such a charge in holy horror,
and his cUhtraband brothers were compell-
ed to have the bones seized by the consta-
bic. Finding that there was no escape he
finally paid the bill and went on his way
rejoicing, amidst the universal contempt
and excavations Of his black friends rs well
as white non-sympathisers. The Recon-
sTnction Committee will doubtless regard
it as an act Of gross disloyalty to permit
such feelings against a loyal subject to rise
in ones bosom; but it isn't in human ma
ture, 1t is only III Yankee nature, to pre-
vent.
These gentry arc scattered broadcast in
our midst. They seem to think that there