The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-05-21
How senator Nofuood Snasch,d 6ut.
lor Bald.headed.

How senator Norwood Snatchsd 6uts
lor Bald.headed.
We make the iollowing sxtrscta from
the remarkable speech OF Senator S or.
wood OF Georgia, on Civil Rights.
Criticising Ben. Buffers speech in the
House of .Repfeaen tativea. he said:
4 Tho Republican party has often
insured us that in the late war "the
oolored troops fought nobly," and the
Senator from New jersey repeated the
declaration in our hearing on yester.
day. It is true, that interviewer with
the dreadful realities of that struggle,
there is much Of fiction and romantic
episode; many imaginary instances OF
Inspiring heroism, displayed by the
colorcd troops. Fact and fiction are
lamentnbly mingled in inextricable
confusion. But there is Que excep-
tionable instance Of daring and of
death, and 80 notably established on
the testimony Of single eye witness,
that the Senate must remember it, and
it is worthy of recountiug, even in
this august presence. 1 see that the
quick perception and historic learning
of this body have already anticipated
my discovery, and I would even now
forego the thrilling narration, but for
the fear that some future MuDchausen
might charge me with prejudice against
the objects of the Judiciary Commit
tees special devotion, should decline
to furnish SO valuable contribution
to his peculiar style and school Of his.
tory.
I refer. Us you knew, to the Bala-
klava charge, mado by the colored
troops, ut the witching hour of dawn,
on empty ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS fixed,
nipples uncovered-and under com
mand of IL general of renown, on the
23th of September, 1864, at New Muir
ket Heights. The historiun-who WAS
tho general then commanding, and
who seems to have been the only sur
vivor Of those colored troops-tells us
the story with charming simplicity and
with the eloquenoe of unbridled faucy.
He says, that being himself in the
rear, where he intended to remain, and
wholly uncertain whether the charge
would be feebly to the front or with
frantic heroism to the rear, he or
dered, as u precaution for personal Sc
curity, the nipples OF the guns to be
of Falstaff, "God, keep lead out of
me-" he gave the order, "Charge!
Laughter
He says that there fell, within pa
rallelogram just ten feet wide aud
800 yards in length. the exact number
of CAB of his colored associates, or one
man to every twenty aud three-tcnths
inches; that as soon as they fell,
mounted on his fiery Pegasus. like
fcathered or Harry" Mercury, he
marched solitary and alone to one end
of that slaughtered heap. aud fixing
one eye weepingly pendent over the
dead, and cooking the other fiercely on
the enemy-the one fearful as Niobe's,
the other glowing like fiery Mars-he
rode, with arms akimbo. through that
parailclogram. over that hecatomb of
his companions, to the farther end-his
horse meanwhile dancing q minuet in
tho benevolent endeavor to find ground
on which to plant it's reverentiai feet.
This was an exploit worthy of delft.
cation. Pity it is, it had not been per-
formed in the pre- Homeric or Hesiodic
age, us that generation, go appreciativc
of horse gymnastics. would have
deified pnd translated the heroic actor,
and he would now be enjoying the
beatitude of hero worship in the con-
steIlation of Aries or Taurus; or. hap
pier still, he and that horse might now
be bright, particular constellation in
themselves, under the proper name Of
Eqnus-anthropos, which lovers, at
parting, would designate to gazo upon
Mt the tender hour "when twilight
dews are falling fast, and renew their
vows of devotion.
But why that humane general shonld
ha7Y ridden that tender hearted horse
over the dead bodies Of his colorcd
associates, instead Of making brilliant
lank movement along tLat geomctric
holocaust, such as only he can when
moving on custom house, l have
fntigued my imagination i'll vain to en-
denvor to discover. Perhaps, like Mrs.
Maiaprop, he was trying to ascertain
the "prrpcndicm!lrs" OF the s,.nShter;
perhaps it was to accomimodato the
angle Of his vision; perhaps to test the
sGasihi!iticS Of that horse. Bnt con-
jac,n,r i; ali III vain. Ii wa simply
one Of !.iose direct foiwar., movements
over The bodies Of ones friends, So
often Witnesses! in political strategy,
and never known III military tactics,
that /. must remain u mora! woulL'
until lapse Of time aud OF; repeating
shall cousccrnto it as Il truth, or untii
some cruel tE lipus shall rls-. to solvc
thc riddle unu destroy its artiu! in