The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1871-11-10

The Enyied OF Mcn-The AdOred OF
Women.
This old warrior sleeps the sleep of a
soldier in a rude Texas grave, over
which there is no monument. The
grass was growing about it in the early
summer, and there were some flowers
there, withered and faded, scattered by
woman's hand. A votary at the
shrine of nature and finished diplomat
at the court of Venus, it was fitting
that there should be largeSSs Of green
growing grasses and love flowers. If
roses are the tear-drops of angels, as
the beautiful Arab belief puts forth
poetry, then is this lowly mound hal
lowed spot, and needs not the sculp-
tured stone, the fretted column, the ivy
and the obelisk.
Magruder was a wonderful man. He
stood six feet four inches in height, and
had a form men envied and women
adored. His nerves were all iron. For
eign travel and comprehensive culture
had given to his wit a zest that was
always crisp and sparkling. He never
lacerated. To the sting of repartee he
added the honey of the clover. He
could fight all day and dance all night.
In the morning a glass of brandy and a
strong cigar renewed his strength and
caused the cup of his youth to run over
with the precious wine Of health and
high spirits. He loved magnificent
uniforms, magnificent horses, magniti
cent riders and magnificent women.
Gifted and graced in conversation, he
was pet in the bouiOtr and logcian
in the barracks. He had studied
French in Paris, Italian in Rome, and
Spanish in the Halls of the Mon
tezumas. His horsemanship was of the
English kind, that is to say, not grace
full but impossible to be surpassed for
firm riding and endurance. He wrote
little love songs that were set to music,
one of them, "Imogene," had in it the
plaintive melody of lover and the sad
rymth of burial bugles.
In the Crimea he astonished the
French officers by sleeping at the front
with the chasseurs under fire. In Mex
leo he sent back to the archbishop a
lady's perfumed glove he had found in
his palace when the city was won, and
with a note which read at is pretty
enough 10 have belonged to queen.
Would she have pardoned me if | had
appropriated itY' As the archbishop
sent him the next day basket OF deli
cious wine, it is supposed that the fair
owner OF the glove must have looked
leniently upon the handsome American
soldier. Later, and he was riding with
General Scott down the long street Of
lturbide. General Garrett joined them,
aud Magruder drew little back for his
superiors to confer together. A white
puff of smoke curled out from au open
window, sudden report followed speed
lily, and Garnet and horse fell hard and
bloody. An ounce ball, intended for
Scott had broken Garnetts nigh, and
; killed his charger Fearing another
; fire, Magruder gallOped to the side OF
his chief and covered his body with his
own. The old mans eyes never drop
ped, nor his voice changed an iutona-
ton How long will it take you to
batter down that house" he spoke
CURLY to Lieutenant Magruder, point
ing with sweep of his finger to the
one nearest, and from which the bullet
f came. IAN hour by the watch. Cen
= eral " Then open fire at point-bIank
range, and leave not one stone upon an
other
1t was done, and well done, and those
who saw Magruder soonest afterwards
noticed that he had another bar on his
epaulettes-he had been made a cap,
tain. War was his element, the
bivouac his delight, and the battle his
perfect happiness. Besides, prodigal
fashionable, fooolishly brave sometimes
spendthrift, generous, a true friend
and staunch comrade, the surrender Of
Appomatox made him an aged man in
his prime, and wrinkled his features
which had before resisted all the attacks
Of time.
One who wandered far and long with
him in other lands, in sweet sunshiny
weather, relates how, from Vera Cruz
to ChapultepeC, he went with Magruder
all over the battle fields of the Mexican
war. The light came back to his eyes
and the fire to his face when telling Of
Coutreras, and Cherubusco and Perote
and Moline del Rey, and the Belen
Gate and Chapultepec, and the City o.
Mexico. His talk was never ended o.
Scott and Twiggs, Wool and Worth
Smith and Pillow, Taylor and Quitman,
and all the young subordinates, who
afterwards played such bloody parts in
the greatest of American dramas. o.
Mcclellan he told this incident among
thousand The fire from the hill Of
Chapultepec was terrible. Fifty piece:
of heavy artillery were massed against
my four gun battery at point-blank
range, and in the valley below a regi
ment of lancers were forming for g
cherge. Our fire had been slackened
and the men were lying down. A
Young man sat beside one of the guns
amusing himself with picking up peb
bles and shooting them out from his
hand. The lancers came nearer;
called to the young officer whom | had
noticed, and be sprang up saluting
Your name p" Lieutenant George B
Mcclellan" "Very well, Lieutenant
take command of one of these guns and
dsperse those lancers." The gunners
rushed to their pieces. All the great
cannons about Chapultepec went to
roaring. The battle began anew,
Worth was sweeping up the activity
The lancers were routed, and the next
l saw Of Mcclellan he was smoking 8
cigarette in the palace of Santa Anna
- his face as black as a powder keg and
an ugly wound in his arm.
What book his lie would make in