The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-12-23
A WONDERFUL MAN.
Gen. John B. Magruder-A Logician
i'm the Barracks-A Murat i'm the
FieId-A V0tary at the Shrine of
Nature-The ERvied of Men-The
AdOred OF Women.
I From the Richmond Enquirer. !

the early summer, and there were
some flowers there, withered and ia
ded, scattered by a woman's hand.
A yotary at the shrine of nature and
finished diplomat at the court of
Venus, it was fitting that there
should be layyesse of green growing
grasses and love flowers. If roses
are the tear drops of angels, as the
beautiful Arab belief puts forth po-
ctry, then is the lOwly mound a 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 ight,
and had form men envied and wO-
men adOred. His nerves were all
iron. Foreign travel and compfe-
hensive culture had given to his wit
zest that was always crisp and
sparkling. He never lacerated. To
the sting of repartce 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, magnificent riders, and mag
nificent women.
Gifted and graceful in conversa-
ton, he was pet in the boudoU and
a logician i'll the barracks. He had
studied French in Paris, italian in
Rome, and Spanish i'll the Halls of
the MOntezumas. The sabre eNer-
else he learned from a Turk. His
horsemanship was of the English
kind, that is to say, not graceful, but
impossible to be surpassed for firm
riding and endurance. He wrote
little love songs that were set to mu-
sic; one of them, "Imogene," had in
it the plaintive melody of a lover and
the sad 1ythm of burial bugles.
In the Crimea he astonished the
French officers by sleeping at the
front with the chasseurs under fire.
In Mexico he sent back to the Arch
bishop perftlmeds glove he had
found in his palace when the city
was won, and with note which read,
1t is pretty enough to have belon-
ged to a queen. Would she have
pardoned me if had appropriated
ite' AS the Archbishop sent next
day basket of delicious wine, it is
supposed that the fair owner of the
glove must have looked leniently up
on the handsome American soldier.
Later, and he was riding with Gen
eral Scott down the long street of
IHlrbide, General Garnett joined
them, and Magruder drew a little
back for his superiors to confer to-
gether. Awhile puff of smoke curled
out from an open window, a sudden
report followed speedily, and Garnett
and horse fell hard and bloody. sAn
ounce ball, intended for Scott, had
broken Garnett's thigh 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 inton-
alton. 'sHow long will it take you
to batter down that houses" he spoke
curtly to Lieutenant Magruder, point
ing with sweep of his finger to the
one nearest. and from which the bull
let came. /" An hour by the watch,
general s'Then open fire at point
blank range, and leave not one stone
upon another"
1t was done, and well done, and
those who saw Magruder soonest af.
terwards noticed that he had another
bar OH his epaulettes-lfe had been
made a captain. War was his ele-
ment, the bivouac his delight, and
the battle his perfect happiness.
Besides, prodigal, fashionable, fool.
ishly brave sometimes, a spendthrift,
generous, a true friend and staunch
comrade, the surrender at Appomat-
tox made him an aged man in his
prime, and wrinkled lis features,
which had before resisted all the at
tacks of time.
One who wandered far and long
with him in other lands, in sweet sun
shiny weather, relates how, from Vera
Cruz to Chapultepec, he went with
Magruder all over the battle-f fields of
the Mexican war. The light came
back to his eyes, and the fire to his
face, when telling of Contreras and
Cherubusco, and Perote, and Molino
del Rey, and Belen Gate, and Cha
pultepec, aud the City of Mexico.
His talk was never ended of Scott
and Twigs, Wool and Worth, Smith
and Pillow, Taylor and Quitman, and
all the young subordinates who after
ward played such bloody parts I'm the
greatest OF American dramas. Of
McC Cle1lan he told this incident,
among thousand: The fire from
the hill of Chapultepec was terrible.
Fifty pieces of heavy artillery were
massed against my four gun battery
ut point-blaflk range, and in the val
ley below a regiment Of lancers were
forming for charge. Our fire had
been slackened, and the men were
lying down. 4 young man sat be-
side one Of the guns amusing himself
with picking up pebbles and shoot
ing them out from his hand. The
Ilancers came nearer; / called to the
young officer whom I had noticed,
and he sDrang ND sa1uting. Your