The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-02-20
cRENAptER OF FRANCE

For many year there was q touch
ing and beautiful custom to be wit
messed in o certain regiment of
French grenadiers, and which meant
to commemorate the heroism of q
departed comrade. When the COM
panies assembled for parade, and roll
was called, there was one name to
which its owner could not answer.
It was that of La Tour d'Auvergne.
When it was called, the Oldest SER
geant present stepped a pace forward,
and, raising his hand to his cap, said
proudly: 'tDied on field of honorl'
For fourteen years, this Gust ON was
continued, and only ceased when the
restored Bourbons, to please their
foreign masters, forbado everything
that was calculated to preserve the
spirit of the soldiers of France.
La Tour d'Auvergne was not rn-
worthy in life the honor thus paid
him after his death. He was edu-
Gated for the army, entered in 1867,
and in 1871 served under the Duke
de Crillon, at the seige of Port
Mahon. He served always with dis
tinction, but constantly refused offers
of promotion, saying that he was
only fit for the command of compa-
ny of grenadiers; but, finally, the va
rious grenadier companies being
united, he found himself in command
of a body of eight thousand men,
while retaining only the rank of cap
tain. Hence he was known as the
first grenadier of Franco. But it is
of one particular exploit of his that
we wish to write, more than his career
in general. When he was forty years
of age. he went on visit to friend,
not far from q section of the country
that was soon to become the scene of
a campaign. While there, he was
busy in acquainting himself with the
country, thinking it not unlikely that
his knowledge might be of use to
him; and while here the brave grena-
der was astonished to learn that the
war had been suddenly shifted to
that quarter, and that regiment of
Austrlans was pushing on to occupy
narrow pass about ten miles from
where he was staying, and the posses
sion of which would give them an op-
portunity to prevent an important
movement of the French which was
then on foot. They hoped to surprise
this post, and were moving so rapidly
upon it that they were not more than
two hours distant from the place
where he was staying, and which they
would have to pass on their march.
1t matters hot how he heard the
news. 1t is sufficient to say that he
determined at once to act upon it.
He had no idea of being captured by
the enemy in their advance, and he
at once set off for the pass. He knew
that the pass was defended by stout
tower and a garrison of thirty men.
and he hoped to be able to warn the
men OF their danger. He fastened
on, and arriving there found the tower
in a perfect condition. 1t had lust
been vacated by the garrison, who
had heard of the approach of the
Austrlans, and had been seized with a
panic thereat, and had fed, leaving
their arms, consisting Of thirty excel
lent muskets. La Tour d'Auvcrgne
gnashed his teeth with rage as he dis
covered this. Searching in the build
ing, he found several boxes of am
munitlon, which the towards had
not destroyed. For moment lie was
IN despair, but then, with a grim
smile, he began to fasten the main
door, and pile against it such articles
as he could find. When he had done
this, he loaded all the guns he could
find, and placed them, together with
a good supply of ammunition, under
the loop holes that commanded the
road by which the enemy must ad-
vance. Then he ate heartily of the
provisions he had brought with him,
and sat down to wait. He had abso-
lutely formed til, heroic resolution
to defend the tower alone against the
enemy. There were some things in
his favor in such an undertaking.
Ihe pass was steep and narrow, and
the enemy's troops could enter if
only in double files, and in doing
this would be fully exposed to the fire
from The tower. The original garri-
son Of thirty men could easily have
held 1t against division, and now
one man was about to hold it against
regiment
1t was dark when La Tour d'Au-
vergne reached the tower, and he had
to wait some time for the enemy.
They were longer in coming than he
expected, and, for q while, he was