The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-10-15


| call it retrograde;
And should we some day, Kirby, meet,
I'll prove its rs I've said.
I had not, sir, q soldier moro,
Than forty thousand, in four corps,
Whilst your man Taylor had, I'm sure,
Some seventy five or eighty;
This difference made my chances poor,
This odds was rather weighiy.
To Pleasant Hill the time I made,
Sir, indicates both wind and speed,
That's not eclipsed by Pope or Meade,
In their great runs with Leo
In fact, rather think, indeed,
The prize should fall to me.
Fear winged our feet, so in our flight
We left the rebs far out ofsight,
Good Cynthia favored us with light,
And so we saved the day;
TITS true, we lost some men in fight,
The number I'll not say.
Tho Nineteenth Army Corps was here,
I'd left it back to guard my rear,
Not that l had the slightest fear,
Or that the case required it,;
No rebs till now had dared appear,
Altll' I'd much desired it.
Now tho I'd chang'd my front and base
This rear guard snugly kept It's place,
Twas still rear guard in either case,
led rs heretofore;
For you perceive that now my face
Was turnel to Grand Ecore.
Here, although not by my command,)
Some Of my Captains made ii stand,
To try to check Dicks rebel band,
They fought them all next day
We stood their charges hand to hand,
Bnt found it would not pay.
So just at one o'clock that night,
When had whipped this second fight,
| ordered, sir, Just ont OF spite,
Another retragasie
So sly VIC were that ere twas light,
Some twenty miles I'd made.
| sent friend Porter word ahead,
To place his gunboats i'll old Rcd,
In good position, and | said,
claim your fleets protection;
For if Dick catches me, I'm dead,
Aud up goes my election.
Quite out of breath reached tho shore,
Whore lay this fleet at Grand Ecore,
And never in my life, I'm sure,
Had [ been half SO glad;
To have been there the day before,
I'd given all | had.
I prayed as soon as was calm,
To God and Father Abraham,
For neither tho 1 cared d-n,
love alone tllc uigger;
l washed my face and took a dram,
never took one bigger.
| sent for Porter, when he came,
I thought his looks wero rather tame,
So his patriotism to infiame,
sang him old John Brown
Says he, "sir, Browns not the game
Red Rivers going down."
Why, blow my eyes, are you so green,
AS not know Red Rivers been
Turned by the rebels down Sabine 2
Give me your map, Ill show ye,
The waters gone smack, smooth, clean,
! If it's not true, then blow me.
It's fell these last few days five feet,
And if it goes on at this rate,
We will be caught, tits now too late
To get below the Falls,
And Texas is, you know, the fate
Of all Dick overhauls.
can't stay here and lose my fleet,
Old Abe would not call that discreet,
SO try tho rebs another heat,
Give them the dodge by night;
Another mastery retreat
think will put us right.
At Alexandria we, you know,
Can get supplies from down below,
At all events we'll have some show,
But here we've none at all;
For my part I'm determined to 60,
can't stay here till fall.
Yet part my fleet is still not here,
Its mp the river, and ! fear,
The rebs will charge me very dear
Toll upon its tonnage;
And when even get it clear,
Twill hardly serve for damage.
The rcbs are after them so hot,
That scarce upon 'em is spot,
Which is not peppered with their shot,
No man dares show his head
If he does, why, sir, his lot
Is only to 60 dead.
"Now Nath," says Porter, III and you
Must stick together through and thro',
To help you all can I'll do,
But, Nath, you must not leave me;
I'll stick to you thro' black and blue,
So you most not deceive me.
eff you should run away, you know,
l would not have the slightest show,
And up the spout my feet would go,
cannot use a gun,
With banks SO high and boats SO low,
can't hit nary one.
"I'll send my heavy boats ahead,
For as l have already said,
I'm sure the rebs have turned old Red
To running down Sabine,
And in little while its bed
VIII ha Int n ~ vine