Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-01-03
Congressman Ackiea,

congressman 6CRicA,
The euiasnt social relations of Nj. Acklen,
| particularly 10 the South, render his case pc
| culiatg Interesting Indeed, there arc many
i1cldcnis associated With Mr. Acklon'S scciu
history Which, thcuga bearing 90 rel.-
| ton ID MS rccen. edgenturss, mcy vet
be loli as par. OF tho romsD!ls bis
| tcry al nost romantic young ua0. MIR.
| Acslen is q young MAJ, scarcely moro thap
| cighi ard twenty, and is native CT Nashville,
| rs2n., born literally mid pleasure aDG
| palaces" He has been tho especial pet oI
| fo-tuor, ssd hi1 life one of case. oieganc, eud
| Injurious leisure. His mother, at present lrs.
DE- Cheatham, ofNashville, vas formerly Miss
! Adeiicis Hays, whose nephew, j. Addlsoo
! Hs?s, OF Memphis, about one year slnoe Mar
1icd the daughter OF Je1t.rson Davis, President
| Of tho late COutedcracy.
| Ii order however, TO clearly s:t forth MIR.
Ackirn's connection with otner prominent
slutheru families it will be necessary to revive
biz CT history iu which Dir. hckleu's mother
/ is the heroine. Her matrimonial events pum
| Der three First, she Was the wife OF Dir. trapk
| n, cf Tennessee second. OF Joseph Ack!eu,
ST., of Huntsville. Ala, aud third, of DR.. Wn.
4, CneathaD, If Nashville: The history OF
| her life reads sometEi0g like romance. Abou:
forty years ego there lived In Sumner CO., Icon,,
twenty miles ror,h of Nashville, an Immensely
wealthy old bachelor ualned Iraaklln. He was
| the riches. nan 10 Tennessee, owned two cotton
pautai3as in Mississippi, tTo sugar plantations
| in Louisiana, aod moro than one thousand ne
gro slaves. His plac, OF residence, Fairfield,
| wa9 a lurdly manor Of several hundred blue
| grass acres aud rich in hill and vale and lawo
and 1ua5ius brook. 1t had o magnificent park
stocked with herds CT butFlo and deer. The
Stables we're flied With blue Gi0oted nsSs. tlt
cattle bTosset ia l,5 fields and Imported Occu
paa,s b!eated in its cosey shcepfo!d5. The
| Fairfield aaps:on Was quite IN keeping With eli
It's beauiru! surroundings. Splendid art gal.
Ie,ies of caoice works, libraries stocked with
mental upnoace, While statues, fountains, lakes,
arbors, rustic bridges aud couservatories adoro-
! ed the srouoiJ aod c5;upl3ted the picture OF
which these words are but rough Cutilne. The
ogocr of oil this was benevolent hearted,
generous a3ulc1 DID geutlenou, man OF varied
uco1nplrshmeuts aud thorough culture, typi
oll S0u!h hern p,anter ct flush times, hospituolc,
g.nis aud phi!snthrop!c, whose doors were al
ways swung jar fJr tho coming guest.
| Oan day gay party OF ycuog peopo from
| Nashville visited the abode of iii, bachelor,
and among them was Miss Hays Sioce mother
10 CONGRESSMAN Ackco, who at that time was
beautiful and vvsclous belle of the Tennessee
csptaI. Mr. Franklin wes absent but his lodge
| keeper accommodated the visitors with the rare
sphs OF a buffalo chase AID a deer hunt; the
,nai,re d hotci set cut a most bouo.iful spread,
and the hours though trlsf, we're rosy. Before
icavug each lady aod gentlcm IN Was requested
10 register 10 the reception room, 80 eccentrlcl.
! ~ Of Mr. Ffsukln belug au'ogrdphs. Pretty
Miss Hays thought II capital tun to piaca op-
posltc her delicate chirography asentcDcs signi
fyiny Lcr Intention 10 "sot her cap for the old
tu,n nftbe tide 10 the stfirs OF Miss Hays. Bach.
clos FraokIiu, hitherto lnvu!nerable to Cupi1 d
erroas, was arnck 10 tender spot by the fealh
cred dart-he gray goose quill of Miss Hays.
A brief cJurlstlo, a graod wsddlog and bliss
| HAYS bPcamo MIS- Frat kin, and tie mistrcas,
| too, of FA.G-ld's broad acres and lts coocom-
tsr;s. Two or three cbildrco blessed the union,
but tie aogel OF death looked 10 upon the
I; household, aud 10 tho course Of few years
! claimed as bis own each CT the babes, es we'll as
the nilIiounaire Fr,nkiin himself. thus leaTiog
! q blooming young HidoH "rch as creek mud
aud 90 enouu oraEc's whatever.
Mrs. EIaukIia had money to siend, mooey to
lend, money 10 give sTap. Her oorps OF gal
lants was as s.roog as a Scottish clan. and u1n-
,aincd nor: chisury than The ratioue cf = feujal
lord. If, ss i. was charged, che married toe
i.s. tiue ior mGaey, hee reoord WeddlUg Was
70 be 40 aE,Ir Ct !oYr. hmong Der sui'os
! vas ppu, rua r~s,e1'ab'a IoGnz la.ysr Of
| Hun,,vilo. aisha;us, j seph hckien. Il
! il not kaowo t0 iilJ SIitcr Whe;her Dir. Ackeu
haa ev-r ipruej Tic acgIsioaoc, ui briet or
! received 90 iatroducIiou 10 c,se il court, but
/; ia bis laaiicu speech. though it wai aookeo 10
! q widow. TIC WAS su:c .ssfUi. |. is ssiltaet bis
eueea, N ut ricg va, paid fer by the lady be
h.d wJu. After their marriage they began to
i've 10 regal spIeodor. Three children
.ere born to tbeul, CT whom Coo
gressmao Ack!en Vas their eld=st aud
their trids. They removed 20 STILL
more bebu:ilul place near NashVi le. 90 the
Franklin road. A magnificent m.nsion was
.rec.ed and called belmont 1t WAS superbly
| silu ted, on high commanding ground, por-
ton those charming co1terminous bills stretch
| ing from river to river aod enclosing the hand.
tone city Of Nashville. Behind was the city
with its superb snd elegant capital surmoun,ing
o central hill, ss il citadel and quite ss plctur'
| t.uue as Rhenish castle or Alhenlsn aero polls.
In 'front.', two miles Gis;snt, stood another range
Of hills stretching from river to river. Across
| this valley the battle Of Nsshyil was fought in
December, 1854. While sherman was march.
ing down to the ses the rsbel General Hood
| .nade dash toward Nashville, aud drove Gen.
| eral Thomsa back upon the spl lendid line OF
natural fcrt ticaiion, and Belmo.t became Cen
| eral Thomas Headquarters, end thus becomes
historical ground. To describe this superb home
sith all ofits elegant surroundings, would re-
quirs consids srsble space. 1t was freely ackuowl-
edged lbe grsndes. residence in the South and
Wss the Ieuca OF all sighseers.
Born and reared atthls magnificent spot young
Acklen had n far happier 10. than usually falls
to morisls His education was intrustsd to the
very best private teachers. He was taken to
Europe, learned French, German and Italian
travelled and saw strange lsnds, he grew up u
! handsome, urbane, dsshing fellow. During the
wsr his mother remained IN Europe with her
children. His father went to Louisiana to look
after their plshtatons. Ono Of fthese plantations
WAS eitus.ed up Fed River where Mr.. Ackleu
wss cut of from the world by the force, of Gen.