Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-01-31
General John B. Magruder.

q soldier in rude Texas grave, over
which there is no monument. Tho
grass was growing about It in early
summer, and there was some flowers
there, witherod and faded, scattered
by woman's hand A votary at the
shrine of nature and finished diplo.
mat at tho Court of Venus, IL was
fitting that there should be ldrgesse o.
green-growing grasses and love fow-
ers. If roses arc the tear drops of
angels, as the beautiful Arab belief
puts forth in poetry, then is tho lowly
mound a hallowed spot, and needs not
the scnlptured stone the fretted col
umn, tho ivy or tho obelisk,
Magruder was wonderful man.
He stood six feet four inches in hight
and had form men cnvled and wo-
man adored. His nerves were all
iron. Foreign travel and comprehen.
sivc culture had given to his wit zest
that was always crisp and sparkling.
He never lacerated. To the sting of
u rapartee he added honey of the clo-
yer. He could fight all day and dance
all night In the morning glass of
brandy and strong cigar renewed
his strength, and caused the cup of his
youth to run oyer with the precious
wine of health and high spirits. lie
loved magnificent uniforms, and mag.
nifcent horses, and magnificent wo.
men Gifted and graceful in convor.
sation, he was poet in the boudoir,
and logician in the barracks. lie
had studied French in Paris, Italian
in Rome, and Spanish in the halls of
the Montezumas. The sabre exercise
he learned from a Turk His horse.
manship was of the English kind, that
is to say, not graceful, but impossible
to be surpassed for firm riding and
endurance. Ho wrote little love songs
that were set to music-one Of them,
Imogene," had in it tho plaintive
melody of a lover and the sad rhythm
OF buried bugles.
In the Crimca, he astonished the
French officers by sleeping at tho
front with Chasseurs under fire. In
Mexico, he sent back to the Archbishop
a lady's perfumed glove he had found
in his palace when the city was won,
and with it note which read alt is
pretty enough to have belonged to n
Queen. Would she have pardonod
me il | had appropriated il" AS the
Archbishop sent him the next day a
basket of delicious wine, it is supposed
that the fair owner of tho glove must
have looked leniently upon tho hand
somc American soldier. Later, he
was riding with General Scott down
the long street of Inturbide. General
Garnett joined them, and Magruder
drew little back for his superiors to
confer together. A white puff Of
smoke cured out from an open win.
dow, a sudden report followed speedi-
ly, and Garnet and horse fell hard and
bloody. An ounce ball, intended for
Scott, had broken Garnet'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
dropped, nor his voice changed an in
tonaiion. Chow long will it take you
to batter down that house?' he spoke
curtly to Lieutenant Magruder, point.
ing with a sweep Of his finger to the
one nearest, and from which the bul.
let came. "An hour by the watch,
General" "Then open fire at point
blank range and leave not one stone
upon another !" II was done, and
those who saw Magruder soonest af.
forwards noticed that he had another
bar on his epaulets-.he had been made
a Captain. War was his element, the
bivouac his delight, and the battle his
perfect happiness. Reckless, prodigal,
fashionable, foolishly brave sometimes,
spendthrift, generous, a true friend
and staunch comrade, the surrender
of Appomattox made him an aged
man in his prime, and wrinkled the
features which had before resisted all
the attacks OF time.
One who wandered far and long
with him in other lands, 10 sweet and
sunshiny weather, relates how, from
Very Cruz TO Chepultcpec, he went
with Magruder ali over the battle
fields of The Mexican war. The light
came back to his eyes and the fire to
his faco when telling of Contreras and
Cherubusco, and Perote, and Molino
del Rey, and tho Belen Gate, and
Chepultepec, and the City Of Mexico.
His talk never ended of Scott and
Twiggs, Wool and Worth, Smith and
Pillcw, Taylor and Qutman, and all
the young subordinates who after.
wards played such bloody parts in the
greatest of American dramas. OF Nc.
Clellan he told this incident among a
thousand "The fire from the hill OF
Chepultepeo was terrible. Fifty pieces
of heavy artillery was massed against
my fourteen battery at point blank
range, and in the valley below a regi.
ment Of Lancers were forming for a
charge. Our fire had been slackened,
and tho men were laying 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 Lanees Games nearer.
called to the young officer, whom !
had noticed, and he sprang up salut.
ing: "Your nameP "LieutenaDt Geo.
B. Mcclellan" "Yery well, Leuton.
ant. Take command OF one Of these
guns and dispersc those Lancers. -
The gunncrs rushed to their pieces
All the great cannon around Chepnlte-
pee went to roaring. Tho battle be.
gan anew. Worth was sweeping up
the acclivity,the Lancors were routed,
ard the next / saw of Mcclellan, he
was smoking cigarito in the palace
Of Santa Anna, his face as black as n
powder keg, and an ugly wound in his
arm"
What book his life would make
in the hands of somc men. He once
intended to write an autobiography.
Whether it was begun or not, we do