The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-02-27
The Last Single Captive,

AAo duob NliiSl0 OdpdVt,
The great war between the two opposing
sections OF the American Union has Ions
since closed. Peace reigns between the
eight millions of Americans on enc side
and the twenty-five millions on the other
lhe two or three millions of men who alto
|gether took an active part in it have beer
disbanded, and those that are living arc
again discharging the peaceful duties of cit
lzens at home. The great chiefs of the
losing side, as well as the minor officers
and privates, have all been released BY the
victor, and to the extent of their ability
are endeatoring, by industry and enter.
prise, to replenish their private fortunes
SO terribly shattered by the events of the
conflict. ~ il IN. =.
| Gen. Lee, the commander of that ever
memorable Army Of Northern Virginia, .
which for years chained success to it's ban.
ners, which defeated and routed, in success
sion, four of the immense ornaments OF
the North, led by their most splendid and
experienced soldiers, which by The yigor Of
his defense, so long protected it against
the most astonishing odds, and invested
Richmond with a historical immortality
that will never die, is now discharging the
Fquiet duties Of a College President in the
sequesteed valley Of his native State.
From being the commander Of d force
which for nearly four years bid defiance TO
the assaults of that power which could put,
and did actually do so, its millions Of men
in the field, he is now the instructor of a
few hundred young men in the Intellectual
arts and sciences. He who at one time
was armed with almost the power of die.
tator, over an extent Of territory half as
large as the continent Of Europe, now only
makes the rules and regulation governing
the students in an institution Of learning,
Beauregard, who actually struck the first
blow in war that set "a whole continent in
a blaze of arms-whose vigor and skill on
the plains of Bull Run saved the infant
Southern Confederacy from immediate min,
and gave it force and consistency that for
years after rendered the contest doubtful
whose engineering skill made the defense
of Charleston second only to that of Rich
mond, is now engaged regulating the affairs
Of a rsilroad in Louisiana.
Longstreet, Joe Johnston, Hood, D. n.
Hill, Cheatham, Bragg, and other great
commanders, who either in Virginia { or in
the army of the Mississippi Valley inter
posed so stout a resistance to the progress
of the Northern invading hosts, have all
been amnested, and have sung again into
the private walks of life have disappear
ed, not from public recollection, but from
public view.
| Members of the Confederate Congress,
who with lavish hands voted all the means
of the country to sustain the desperate
strife, and members of the Cabinet at
Richmond, who organized the resistance
thus put at their disposal, who gave the
countenance Of their names and influence
to the cause of their action, have been re-
leased from any accountability to the Fed
eral Government. The second officer Of
the Confederacy, its Vice President, Alex.
IL. Stephens, of Georgia, has been pardon
ed, and is now understood to be preparing,
in the leisure of his home, work illustra-
tring and thro wing light upon the terrible
strife which has devastated his country and
ruined its resources. Those who, in the
pulpit, the press and the forum, by their
eloquence and zeal, reused the people Of
the South to that desperate extremity, when
every thing was fisked Upon the issue Of
armed collision, have shared in the amrres-
| ty OF the past, and are partakers of whatey-
er hope exists for the future. But where.
then, are the prisoners of the mighty
North-the captiyes upon whom it is Wis
iting the stern and relentless attributes of
its power? Have we told the whole story
of its action after the war? Has it really
had the wisdom, not to say magnanimity,
to issue general and universal amnesty,
without exception, to all who participated
in the late unhappy troubles? We wish
we could answer these Undergraduates In
the affirmative, but there is another and re-
verse side to the picture. ~
We behold it by turning our eyes in the
direction of Fortress Monroe, the greatest
military post over which onr flag floats.
There is feeble old man, whom we guard
night and day with rigid scrutiny, and
around whom we have thrown the panoply
Of our vengeance. lie, the President Of
the late CONFERENCE.-THE, at the request
of eight millions ofpeople and eleven SOW.
ereign States, accepted the position of their
chief political servant and representative
solitary and alone, is the one political pris-
oner Of the Government, and as such, the
attention of the world is fixed upon him.
In one main essential, he can adopt the
beautiful lines of Lord Byron, translated
from the French as applied to Napoleon
Bonaparte, then an exile upon the Island
of Helena, into whose mouth these words
are put: Is fs n u
81 have COPIED with the nations which con
quered me only
When the meteor Of conquest allured me
too far
! have COPIED with the nations which dread
me, thus lonely,
Tie last single captive to millions in
war" If
Mr.. Davis is indeed the /" last, single cap
tive to millions in war;" His is to be a
sort of vicarious punishment for the whole
Southern people, whose sins are thus to be
made to suffer penalty. We are to find
one-third of the States and one quarter of
our people guilty Of treason through him,
who is to atone for their combined ae.
tion.- Cincinnati Enquirer.
An Eye in a Mans Stomach.
A country gentleman with only one nat
ural eye, the other being glass one, hap
pened to arrive in this city some time last
week and registered himself at a small
lodging house not far from the Pacific rail
road depot. Being very tired from travel
he went to bed early, carefully taking out
his glass eye and putting it in tumbler of
water on the washstand to keep it bright
for the next morning Later in the eve
ming, while our friend was comfortably
snoring, another traveller arrived, and
the house being very full-was shown into
the same room which our country friend
opourtnH vhio. ,,ovu noynar boI 1,.a,,1, q