The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-26
DEMOCRAT, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER &C. 1870

Burns relates how cotton was collected to-
gether ut Alexandria by the Federals and
shipped on transports under cover OF the hos
ptal flag. 1t appears, therefore. that the
scheme came To something after oil, and that.
notwithstanding Gen. A. j. Smiths lofty
scorn of such proceedings, tho cotton was
shipped under the immediate oyo OF his adj
jutant, Capt, Burns.
Upon this circumstances the Captain seems |
to base hs charge that Kirby Smith and N,
l.. Banks wore In collision to use Tho armies |
respectively under THOR command 70 pro-
mote u cotton speculation, mud upon Capt. |
Burns's stntcment the Webster tLa,) Tribune |
induIaos the following sentiment:
And this man. KIRBY" Smith. hold Tho fat" OF
tho Trans Mtsstatippt Department ut his CON. com
mand whila the anldiera In the flpWor OF fhelr
youthful dnya and tho sunrise or thor mnn-
hood -wara III the army. undergoing hnrd-
ships. facing starvation. disease ana dGhlh-
thsir comman1er was speculhtfng on their nn-
tr pism and hnrtering thBir country Tor golh:
while tbs RoldisrA wore half clothed. hungry.
and deprived of even even medical attention wh"n
ellie Col Anderson. surrounded ny an otfle'ai
array OF cuxGGmbs aud dolls. were faaa'tng ann
ricttng In Shreveport. And this Is the result 81
patriotism.
w
ashamed Of It. We arc not surprlsed that
Capt. Burns Is rcady to malign and misropre-
sent our Confnderate heroes upon any spe
cious showing FOR oven the most cllivalrous
enemy ls liablo, In the nature of things, To
fall into this habit. But wig, Southern
paper published. as the Tribune Is, within u
days ride Of Kirby Smiths olsf hoadq quarters
aud knowing O community who must lemem-
Der the mans purity aud simplicity OF char
acter why this paper should take up tho
Islander with such swift bitterness 10 incom-
prehenslble No ono who ever came in con-
tact with Kirby Smith could possibly believe
him capable Of tho treachery charged by
Capt Burns. He was a simple-hearted,
brave. truthful Christian gentleman. n
soldier to the coro. an enthusiast, almost
an ascetc. transparent MS crystal and uttofly
Incapable of u deception or III intldelity. Tho
surrender found him without cent so ut
terly poor that his friends In Shreveport had
to subscribe TO n purse TO pay HIS way to Vir-
ginIn this patriot whom the Webster Tribune
In It's folly describes rs walIowlng In luxury
purchased with the gold for which he sold
his Gauge ana bartered his honor!
Verify, II IL enough to nauseate ono to find
people In the South ready to take up and
circulate such pItifully baseless libes. And
tho Tribune Includes In It's aEathema tho gen
temen OF Kirby Smiths military family,
speaking Of them rs "dolts and coxeombs"
who spent their time In feastlng and rioting.
\ Yet We deity the Tribitne-we defy ii to point
to one OF Kirby Smiths old staff who. either
ut Shreveport or since the surrender, gave or
has given evidence OF iIl-gotten wealth. With
perhaps ono or two exceptions, they signed
their paroles In the spring Of 1865 with empty
pockets, and In all cases poorer In every sense
than when they drew their swords for the
Confederate cause Look at q few of them,
for instance! Col Anderson, OF whom the
Tribune speaks so unjustly, accepted small
4 insurance agency In New York. which
barely enabled him to 1.-Two; Major
Blair took laboriOuB professorship
In Virginia college, Major Carr found Il
clerkshp In Now Orleans; Major Rhett went
Into exile In order to obtain commission In
the Egyption army; Captain Cunningham
took up the new life brieiiess and penni-
less barrister In st. Louis. or the others,
Major 4eeds returned to his former business
here. Major Schaumburg went home to Mia
, souri, To find n once handsome fortune sndly
diminished, Dr. Haden began the practice Of
his profession In Galveston and pr. iandell
resumed the practice of his In Louisville.
There never was a baser or more ground
less snnder than the statement that Gen
, Smith and staff reveled In luxury during the
war. There never WAS moro contemplate
Islander than tho lnslnuation that they accu-
! INFLATED wealth as the reward OF treachery to
the Confederate cause. Every ono OF them
came out of the struggle infinitely poorer
than when he entered upon 1t. With perhaps
two exceptions every one of them began hia
, new career without q cent. And, to-day,
every one who Is left earns q living. far from
Bumptuous, by hard, incessant labor. Posi-
. bly, Capt. Burns may not have known how
, foolish Islander he was building, but South
, erners might have known it-mQht have
realized the absurdity OF selecting the most
, poverty-stricken set Of Confederates that ever
signed parole to accuse of having grown
rich by selling out their country and their
| cause