The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1875-04-28
ST. LEDGER GRENFEL.

The Romance of a Heroic Life.
The career of this man is as won
derful as it@was alluring. Romance
seemed to have entered into his be-
| ing and given to the soldier of the
nineteenth century the personal dar-
ing and adventure of the seven
teenth. A. captain in the Crimea, he
rode down the charge ut Balaklava
with Cardigan, when the ninety-sec-
ond Highlanders won their bonnets,
and when v7s4 g 20 sva7zs ss-5 81
fild l'tNever since the days of Jesus,
Trembled so the Chersonesus.
An aid de camp to .Bazaine, the
French Emperor's commander ip
chief in Mexico. he was desperately
wounded at Magta in the celebrated
charge made by two brigades of
Zona yes upon the massed artillery OF
the Austrians, A private IN China,
he was the second at the storming of
the Emperor's palace, and received
sabre stroke which marked his
face for life, from forehead to chin.
A lieutenant Of Saphis in Algera the
man who paraded his squadron one
day for review before Marshal Nc
Biahon. The Frenchman's trained
eye ran down the swarthy ranks,
and he called to an. orderly ''Send
that officer TO me who has seat like
an English Guardsman." The officer
came, saluted drew himself up-it
was Grenfel. Wandering on leave
of absence to any country where PEN
non floates or sabra flashed, he had
taken service with this superb yet !
mereiless branch of Chasseus d.
Antique, and had won commission
by extraordinary daring.
Clothed in turban and trousers, he
was found by some English tourists
in the army of the Sultan; a lion
hunter in South Africa; a soldier
who was ship-wrecked on the coast |
of Spain speaking dozen languag- |
perfectly; SCARED by fifteen wounds
from ball and blade; having beauti-
full eyes; long white hair sixty-fve,
and as straight as Tecnmseh "a peer
less swordsman capable of hitting
his own ball at twenty PAGES with
revolver; temperate matchless in
horsemanship; generous to a fault;
loving war as sensuous men love
double-breasted mistresses; a sol |
dier fit for the grand army; hand
some as Lannes, the experience of /
forty perilous years yet in mind un-
written untamable as an Arab reck- |
less to tenerity tender to women
a hero in every walk of life-why !
should snch a man be driven down
to the SEA when the wind and night
had made of that sea vast expanse
Of populous graves and no stars any
where in all the heavens to light the
plunge into eternity!
ALI ! it was but the old struggle |
which had been going on for three
thousand years between Patrican
and Proletarian. Guarding that pes
tilential island in ambush in mid |
ocean were men wearing the uniform
of the United States army-plebians
born and bred, who hated the royal |
old soldier for his scars. for the or
ders he wore. for the strange tongues
he spoke, for that imperishabic dig
nifty and bearing which cling to a
gentleman when all else deserted |
him. For the honor of our army be
it spoken there were no regulars at |
Dry Tortugas. Popinjay ieutenants, |
creatures with souls of shoddy and
manners of Esquimaux, kept watch
and ward over the menacled lion /;
drove him to work when the battered
frame was weak, tortured him when
the dauntless spirit was on its knees
in physical languor and at last, when
a storm came out of the east more
terrible than siege or battles, he who
had tossed death away from his path
way child tosses aside a toy, fed
to the sea for succor, and the sea re-
ceived him and gave the tried frame
one Of her immemorial graves to be
vacated never more until the great |
God judges alike those who perse-
cute and those who endure.
Such as we have sketched rapidly
was the life of St. Ledger Grenfel. |
Coming to America atthe commence
ment of our civil war. he espoused |
the side of the Confederates. and |
took service with General John II.
Morgan rapidly rising to the rank |
of a colonel. lie was spoken of by |
those who knew him as the ss bravest |
Of the brave" Foremost in pursuit
and hindmost in retreat. no man in
any army won greener or more per-
ilous laurels. And then had there
been soldiers among his jailors. how
1t would have delighted them to talk
to such Paladin. To talk of the
Light Brigade OF grim old Pelissier
Of Inkerman of the 92nd Highland
ers forming only two deep to resist
the cavalry of an army of fair-haired |