The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-07-09
NEW ORLEANS SUNDAY, JULY O. 1876

|
your European fortresses, forty feet
wide by seven deep; somewhat choked
up, IT is true, with weeds and grass, and
seeming to offer q secure footing, but
which would trcacherouslyhave plunged
any enemy that had attempted to cross,
save blythe regular bridges, into the slime
and mud at the bottom, the victim
OF poisonous congers, water moccasins
and crayfish.
Behind this was the wall, built Of mud,
like that Romrlus gave his infant city,
and resembling verY much what we
style nowadays levee. Above this ran
a line OF wooden palisades or pickets,
behind which the garrison might stand
and pick of the enemy, IL they were not
) particular about risking their own lives,
as the palisades were Of no defense at all.
Five forts protected this wall, two on
the river bank, st. Charles and st.
Louis, and three In the rear Of the city,
st. JOSEPH, st. Ferdinand and Burgundy.
These forts were pentagonal In shape,
built inside Of brick, and afforded bar
racks, each for two companies Of in.
fantry. They were pierced for sixteen
guns, four in the face, three on each
flank, and two in the gorge, facing the
city, in case the burghers should rise,
for whose particular benefit these for
tiications were built rather than as D
protection against foreign enemies for
then, as now, Louisiana was living
under a government not of the people,
but bitterly detested and hated by them.
Beside these, there was battery Just
IN front OF the city, for the benefit Of
any fleet that might have ventured up
1 the river. But, however brilliantly de-
signed these Notifications, they were
| but feebly carried out. One fort only
st. Charles-had its full complement Of
guns, the others were far short of the
number, and some without any arma-
ment at all SO that it Would have been
utterly impossible to have brought
more than ten small cannon to bear at
the same time, on any attacking enemy
" In fine, - said old Gen. Collot and he
ought to know. as he was locked up
some weeks in one Of them Fort st.
Charles these bastions look more like
children's playthings :han genuine
forts'
There were four wooden gates to the
city, made OF pickets, twelve or fifteen
feet long, and defended by breastworks
from the enemy's fire. Two were stu
ated on the river bank, at the upper and
lower end of Chartres street: another,
Porte st. Jean, at the end Of Dumaine
street, on the road leading to the lake, |
and another still higher up At the |
early hour Of nine these gates were
closed, and everybody expected to be at
home. Outside, the seren0s, as the |
Metropolitans Of that day were STYLED, |
promenaded up and down the streets |
crying out the state of the weather and |
the time o'clock. OFF 10 the calabosa
went any crowd of citizens that dared |
discuss politics or the situation In
France, or any tipsy jewellers trying to
find their way home, but confused by
the clumsy wooden rOtt0iys of that day.
The forts and covered way between
them afforded comfortable accommo-
dation for from twelve to fifteen hun
dred men. In addition there were in the
city, on Barracks street, large long
hoIdfithngy dfitnyr nlhoggieeikk lhoggiek building, capable Of
Chartres street another 'nf5h aody on
stables, etc, for five hundred dragoons
so that there were quarters enough for
an army OF soldiers, but unfortunately
no army for the quarters.
Those troops the Government had
managed to collect together at some
trouble were of the very worst charac-
ters, adventurers, deserters, ex-convlcts,
retired pirates, men too lazy to work hon
estly and pleased with the easy ways OF
garrison life. They spent most OF their
time singing, drinking and gambling IN
the cabarets on Toulouse street. They |
did pretty much what they pleased |
Occasionally, however, when, after a
long spree on very bad tatia, they ran q
muck and grew SO violent as to knock
down and beat some quiet and 1not1en-
siye farmer from the German coast,
come to the city with cargo OF cab
bages to sell, or they were locked up in
the guard house until they could sober
off, and perhaps received In addition
dozen or so lashes.
This was far from agreeable medicine
to them, reminding them, as it did, OF
some unpleasant years they had spent
in the galleys at Cadz or Toulon; and
on the very first opportunity they mutt
MED, killed their officers, deserted, and,
like Can't. Dalgetty, entered the service
Of any country that would have them.
If, however, they were caught, 1t Jared
| badly, indeed, with them. Military DIS
cipline was loose enough in Louisiana
the men knew more about tdftd than
guns, and spent more OF their time ID
cabarets than in the baStions-but mill
tary punishment had caught some or
the nice little ideas from the Inquisition.
A recaptured mutineer was treated In
very emphatic and exemplary manner:
Dressed in the wedding garments OF
the grave" he was nailed alive in
neat, comfortable cypress coffin, which
was then slowly sawed In nalf py the
eXecutioner.
III the desertsr escaped but could not
reach any neighboring nation-Eng
land, the nearest, was thousand miles
away-he generally took to the woods,
fraternlzed with the savages, married
suuaw, became chief, and IN
very short time had forgotten altogether
his language, his religion and his name:
Sometimes, however, he grew. tired OF
this savage life, even with plenty. or
men and squaws, and nothing to do but
fight, and, after a few years experience
OF it. would return to civilization, tat
tooed beyond recognition, and scatter
around some Of the fabulous stories he
had picked up from the Indians OF gold
mines, emerald caves, etc.
This would, Of course. set the, ad-
yenturous young men Of the colony
wild, until they got up some Black Hills
exnedition in search of gold; from