New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-11-22
Tho Old Head.BOard.

Artillery, now St8rlOne0 NJ jackson Bar.
| racks, whose graceful pen, employed in
leisure hours. has given many good sketches
Of army life:
There are moments in ali our lives when
we are involuntarily brought to pause and
forced to take as 10 were rear view, 10
compare the present with the past, and
realize no rapidly time is bearing us along
on its swift, but insensible current. Some
/ incident suddenly diverts our attention
! from the habitual looking onward, disturbs
the harmonious blending of to-day with to-
morrow. into which We are uncOnsciOusly
drifting, and looking back, We are startled
by the distance that already intervenes be.
tween US and the scenes through which il
seemed we were gliding but yesterday.
Such an incident occurred 90 me today.
IN the finding OF the grave Of a friend Of
mine whom had helped to bury in Tie
Naval Cemetery. near the Pensacola navy
ward several years ago. Though I had
been one Of the garrison in Fort Pickens at
the breaking out Of the war. never
crossed the bay to this point, then occupied
by the COntederates under Bragg. bub
once, and then i. was under a flag Of truce,
that we came to lay this friend. our com.
rade, in his last resting place. Months
after that I left the for: to 60 to Scush
Carolina. and since then have never been
near the place till reported here with my
command last January. had resolved
before landing to take the first hour could
spare from my official duties for pilgrim.
age TO this grave, and in pursuance Ut thar
resolution rode OUT this afternoon vn ITO
road to Warrington.
Nv route lay through the pine woods and
among bramble-cOvered mounds. that mark.
ed the sites of the batteries had last seen
crested with the smoke of hostile guns. II
passed the national cemetery, where sleep
nearly two thousand Federal and Conted.
crate dead, and skirting the war-charred
ruins of the marine hospital. just as
caught q glimpse of the remnants Of the
burned marine barracks, wound 20 The left
through the outskirts Of the village. De.
scending into the hollow of water.eonrse
and following the rarely used track up the
slope Of the further side. ! found myself.
on reaching the summit. AZ the gates ct the
cemetary.
Before entering. I paused and looked
back at the beautiful prospect that lay be.
low. In front and to the left spread the
magnificent Bay Of Pensacola. separated
from the Cult Of Mexico by Santa Rosa
island: q long. flat and narrow strip Of sand
tina. stretched away out Of sight to tie east.
while its western extremity was marked by
the slope and bastions OF Fort Piekens:
Between the latter and Fort Mckee weand
the channel through which the bay flowed
into the Gulf. The walls Of Fort P;ckens.
rising in gentle relief against the blue sea
were tinted with the warm. yellow light Of
the afternoon sun. In pleasing contrast
was the ragged and bolder outline .: Fort
McRee's broken arches On the point that
iutted out from the opposite side Of the
channel. the destruction OF this fort. BE-
gun by our bombardment and e0mp:etedb y
time. and the encgoachme nts Of the sea. has
left desO!ate though picturesque ruin :ha1
looks out OF place in . young country like
ours. and strongly suggests a Bit VI Italian
coast scenery. Over the white glisten!Ee
beach in the foreground. over the wooded
hOl!Ows far away to the right and ever the
bay and sea, rested = soft summer haze thas
gave charm to Q view otherwise too mo-
notOnous. and changed Il into one Of posi-
tive beauty. Though the village lay neaS
at hand, there was not human being ID
sight except . fisherman drifting gently
with the tide, and some eafors just dis
the taffrail of brig. The absence OF al
sounds indicating the neighborleoI Vt .
busy humanity. the profound stiffness that
reigned around were in harmony with This
quiet scene. Tho low lying clouds. the
baimy atmosphere, unstirred by breath u
wind. the motionless foliage and the eprsad
Of unruffled waters all breathed the poetry
of repose, and it for q moment the spell
was dissolved. it was only she tinkling bell
Of come browsing herd that broke TIE
silence, or some sea bird grazing the water
in his tiight that rippled the surface OF :bs
picture.
How different was the scene when !as.l
had stood at that very place! Then there
rode at anchor in the Gulf outside the Sas
and off Fort Pickens federal hest. com.
prisiny among others the Sabine. she Brook
lvn. the St. Louis and the Macedonian. We
were on the eve Of q civil way, and %
board the Brooklyn was . company OF the
First Artillery, originally destined 10 rein.
force Fort Pickens, but whose landing had
been cOunteymanded in orders from Wash'
ington. brought by Commodore Barron.
fort, but DESTROYS Of producing an impreS
sion Of his having largo garrison. had hie
seventy men busy at work mounting guns
on the parapets, and from the cemetery
gates the little band could be seen struc>
ling with . huge columbiad they were sry.
ing to drag along the gamparts: The United
States gunboat Wyandotte, under rag %
rounded by . fleet OF email boats. Her
commander had died day or tive before.
and his funeral escort having Just laHdea
from the Wysndotte, was now a.
vancing slowly along the road floD
the Navy Yard :" the cemetery.
Attracted BY - pageant to wses
they were altogether unused, and moved
with whom they Were soon TO come in cor.
f1ict. the Confederate soldiers swarmeA
towards the cemetery and lined the road.
while many Of their officers. t. whom 'hs
deceased was personally known, fell int
the column and swelled the fn0urnfu! ple
cession. At the head marched che SabiEes
band, the sad strains OF its music ec1snS
through tho dense pines and revsrberatln9
over the bay Behind the bier marched the
federals, conspicuous by their uniform AnS
that peculiar bearing which results ONLY
} from wears Of service. They were treadine
ground that che next time they ssOsseS
must be at the point Of the bayOneA "hs
group, che motley erewa around IL. 'hs
woods alive with the gathering HlultitudeA
the sad and quiet looks of the enc psrtA
| the eager, curious and half defiant attitu1
/ of the other, all made picture that wa
as fresh in its colOring to-day - % tbs
sweet April morning Of long age.
Busy with these memories. Z threw ny
horses briddle over che gate post sndts
been there, the place had become thickly
strewn with graves Of neA whe had TALES
| in the war, and their memorial stones ross
in every direction. Soon, bewildersd n tns
intricacies of this city Of the dead: ana -
each moment my attention arrested by s"ae
name that alresdy glowed on the page ~
! history, the time slipped unncsic<A ~ ana
| the shades of evening we're closing S9"Sna:
when I suddenly came up0A she snjest -"
my search. Before me was grave lyIsgs
| little apart from the rest. but around ws!cS
| there was no railing nor any orhameAta'1S
whatever. No tree. shrub nor flower 2:s~
there. nothing TO indicate an xffeetisnS.s
I interest in the renaine OF him who lay -