Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-08
MORE TEAN EsuMANCE.

Times tells part Of the story of
the life Of the wonderful st. Leger
Grenfel, who for his devotion to
The Southern cause was confined in
the Dry Tortugas, whence he es-
capped only to find, it is feared, a
watery grave. The writer says:
The career Of this man is as
wonderful as it was alluring. Ro-
nance seemed to have entered into
his being and given to the soldier
OF the nineteenth century the per-
scnal daring and adventure Of tho
seventeenth. Acapta in in theC rimea,
he rode down to the charge at
Balaklava with Cardigan, when the
ninety-second Highlanders won
their bonnets, and when
Never since the days of Jesus,
TTembled so the CheTsonesus."
An aid-de-camp to Bazaine, the
French Emperor's commander in
chief in Mexico, he was desperately
wounded at Magenta in the celebra-
ted charge made by two brigades of
Zouaves upon the massed artillery
of the Austrians. A private in
China, he was the second at the
storm of the Emperor's palace, and
received sabre stroke which mark
cd his face for life, from forehead
TO chin. A lieutenant of Saphis in
Algeria, the man who paraded his
squadron one day for review be-
fore Marshal Mcmahon. The
Frenchman's trained eye ran down
the swarthy ranks, and he called
to an orderly, "Send that officer to
me who has a seat like an English
Guardsman." The officer came.
saluted, drew himself up-it was
Grenfel. Wandering on leave of
absence to any country where pen
non floated or sabre flashed, he
had taken service with this superb
yet merciless branch Of Chasseur
d'Afrique, and had won a commits
sion by extraordinary daring.
Clothed in turban and trowsers,
he was found by some English tour-
lists in the army of the Sultan; a
lion-hunter in South Africa; a sol
der who was shipwrecked on the
coast of Spain; speaking a dozen
languages perfectly; SCARED by fif-
teen wounds from ball and blade;
having beautiful blue eyes, long
white hair; sixty-fve, and as
straight as Tecdfnseh; a peerless
swordsman; capable of hitting his
own ball at twenty PAGES with re-
volver; temperate; matchless in
craftsmanship; generous to a fault; |
loving war as sensuous men love
dOuble-brcasted mistresses; q sol |
der fit for the Grand Army; hand
some as Lannes, the experiences Of |
forty perilous years yet in mind
unwritten untamable as an Arab; |
reckless TO temerity; tender TO wos
men-a hero in every walk Of life
why should such a man be driven
down to the sea when the wind and
the night had made of that sea a
vast expanse of populous graves
and no star anywhere in all the
heavens to light the plunge into
eternity?
All! it was but the old struggle
which had been going on for three |
thousand years between Patrician
and Proletarian. Guarding that
pestilential island in ambush In mid |
ocean were seen wearing the uni |
form Of the United States army
plebians born and bred, who hated
the royal old soldier for his scars,
for the orders he wore, for the
strange tongues he spoke, for that
imperishable dignity and bearing
which cling to a gentleman when
all else has deserted him. For the
honor of our army be it spoken,
there were no regulars at Dry Tor
tugas. Popipjay lieuteDants. crea-
lures with souls Of shoddy and
manners of Esquimaux, kept watch
and ward over the manaclod lion
drove him to work when the bat
tered frame was weak; tortured
him when the dauntless spirit was
on its knees in physical langucr;
and at last when a storm came out
of the east more terrible than siege
or battles, he who had tossed death
away from his pathway as child
losses aside toy, fed to the sea
for succor, and the sea received
him and gave for the tried frame
one of her lmmemorial graves, to be
vacated never more until the great
God judges alike those who per-
secuted and those who endured.
Such as we have sketchod rapidly
was the life Of st. Leger Grenfel.
Coming to America at the cons
mencemcnt Of our civil war, he es-
poused the side Of the Conteder-
ates, and took service with Gen.
John II. Morgan, rapidly rising to
the rank Of q colonel. lie was
spoken of by those who knew linn
as the "bravest Of the brave"
Foremost in pursuit and hindmost
ever in retreat, no man in any army
won greater or more perilous lau-
rels. And then, had there been
soldiers among his jailors, how it
would have delighted them TO talk
to such a Paladin. To talk Of the
Light Brigade; or grim old PelisN
sier; of Inkcrman Of the 92d
Highlanders forming only two
deep TO resist the cavalry OF an
army; of fair haired Nolan apply
ing a torch TO the magazine which
blew himself and q brigade into
eternity; of poor old Strangways,
who cried out in a voice as sweet rs
young girls, both legs shot clean
away: "Will some Of you be kind
enough TO help mo down-my dis
mounting days are over" Of Sol
ferino and the Noltigcurs who gave
10 the grapes a purpler hue than
wine; Of biyouacs under African
skies; of how the stormy tri-coloI
rose and fell about the slippery
parapctS Of the Malakon; of al
the wonderful things he had seer
TO delight a soldiers heart and fir,
a soldiers ardor.
1t is suggested by the Boston Post tina
there is getting to be rather more O
Beecher than the public desires. Til
suppIy is so great that the market ha
70 be "doctored' to keep it up to TIA
absorbing point. There is daily, an