The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-01-13
"REMINISCENCES OF THE CIVIL WAR.
. vrvrEw or SOME or IT'S PRINCIPAL
JNClDETs-THE LOUIS
lama TROOPS.
Hy Gen. Richard Taylor.
North American Review !

The history or the thlleu pu"oeS' &c
vet unwritten. will show the causes o.
the "civil war" to have. been IN eAlsC-
once during the colonial era, and TO
have cropped out into full view In the
dabates of the several State assemblies
m the adoption of the Federal consti-
fution. i'm which instrument Luther
Martin. Patrick Henry, and others IN
sisted they we're implanted. African
.Iavarv' at the time, was universal, and
IT'D extinction in the North, as well
as its extension in tho South, was due
TO economic reasons alone. inc hfst
serious difficulty of the Federai govern
ment arose from the attempt TO lay an
excise on distilled spirits. Inc secohd,
from the hostility of New England trad
era to the policy of the government In
the war of 1919, by which their special
Interests were menaced, and there Is
now evidence to prove that, but for the
expected peace, an attempt to disrupt
the Union would then have been made.
The Missouri compromise of 1890 was IN
reality truce between antagonlstlo
revenue syetems- each seeking to gain
the balance of power. For many
wears subsequently, slaves-as domestic
servants-were taken to the territories
without exciting attention. The MIL
1itication" movement in South Carolina
WAE GUtlI5tN ulICCbtu ofsseiLsop viz $3.50
The slavery question was agltateu from
an early period. but failed to attract
public attention for many years. At
length, by unwearied industry, by inge-
nionsly attaching itself to exciting ques-
tiops OF the day. with which it had no
natural connection, 1t succeeded In
making Judgment in the public
mind, which, like q subject exhausted
by long effort. is exposed to the
attack of some malignant FEVER,
that, In normal condition OF vlgor,
would have been resisted. Slavery was
not the ultimate or proximate cause OF
the war. and Abolitionists are not JUS
titled in claiming the glory and spoils of
the conflict, and in pluming themselves
as stchoosers of the SLAIN The vast
immigration that poured into, the
country between the years 1874 and 1860
had a very important influence in di-
recting the events of the latter year.
The numbers were too great to be ab-
sorbed and assimilated by the native
population. States in the West were
controlled by German and Scandinavian
voters, while the Irish took possession
OF the seaboard towns. Although it Is
true that the balance of party strength
was not much affected by these natural,
lied voters, yet the modes OF political
thought were seriously disturbed, and a
tendency was felt to transfer exciting
topics from the domain of argument to
that of violence. The aged and feeble
President, Mr.. Buchanan, united for
troublous. times, was balloted to and
fro by ambitious leaders of his own
party, as was the last weak Hapsburg
who reigned in Spain by the rival fac
tions of France and Austria.
In January, 1861, the Assembly OF
Louisiana met. A member OF the upper
branch and chairman of it's Committee
on Federal Relations, I brought in and
assisted in passing an act to call a con-
yention of the people OF the State to
consider of matters beyond the compe-
tency of the Assembly. The conven..
tion met i'm March, and was presided
over by Ex-Governor and eX- Vi lted
States Senator Alexandra Mouton-a
man of pure and lofty character. sat in
the convention for my own parish, st.
Charles, and was appointed chairman
of the military and defense committee.
On behalf of the committee two
ordinances were carried through /,
one to raise two regiments: one
OF artillery and one OF infantry,
enlistments for five years, unless
sooner discharged officers appointed
by the Governor of the State after ex-
animation. More would have been de-
sirabie In the way Of raising troops, but
the temper Of men g minds did not then
Justify the effort. The other ordinance
authorized the Governor to use a mil
lion dollars for the purchase of arms
and munitions. No such purchase was
made, as the Governor was assured on all
hands there was no danger of war, and
. the United States Arsenal at Baton
Rouge, entirely in our power. would
furnish more than we could need.
1t was vainly urged in reply that the
stores Of the arsenal were almost value
less, the arms altered tiint-lock mus
kets, and the accoutrements out OF
date. The current was too strong to
stem. The convention adopted an or
dinance declaring that Louisiana ceased
to be State within the Union, by an
immense majority of votes, not more
than five members dissenting. Indeed,
similar action having already been
taken or assured by South Carolina,
Georgia, Florida, Alabama. Mississippi,
Arkansas and Texas, it was a necessity
for Louisiana to accompany her neigh
bors. At the time, and since, mar
veled at the joyous and careless temper
i'm which men, much my superiors
summated these acts. There seemed
to be such a general gate
de co,ta, as NJ Olivier claimed for the
imperial ministry when war was de.
clared against Prussia. The attach
ment of the Northern and Western
people to the Union, their superiority IL
numbers, in wealth, especially in me
chanical resources, the command OF the
sea, the lust Of rule and territory always
felt by democracy "a passion we fully
shared in the South)-all these facts
were laughed to scorn, or their men
tion was ascribed to timidity or treach
cry, or both. AS soon as the convention
adjourned, finding myself out of har
mony with prevailing opinion as to the
certainty OF war and necessity for pre-
paration, retired to my estate. deter
mined to accept such responsibility
only as came to me unsought. The
Inauguration OF Lincoln, the confed
Grafton of South Carolina, Georgia anc
the five Gulf States, the attitude O
the border slave States hoping tx
mediate, the assembling Of Confed