The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-04-16


whose uncle, Major I.achlin Mcintosh, o
Revolutionary memory, who was bosom
friend of Rudulphs $, and in whose com
pany young Spalding first beheld ans
learned to know and admire the youthful
hero, who was even then pronounced tine
bravest of the brave among his Ameri
can comrades. He tells us that Rudulpl
wrote to Mcintosh letter full of the
French Revolutionary fire, full Of cntlu
siasm for the rights of man in Europe
the object of which was to persuade the
latter to seek for fame in revolutionary
France. Mcintosh did not adopt tho
counsel. and here the correspondence OF
Rudolph ends. The clues are cut at thi:
point. The connecting of this brave
young American, equally with hi: history
and his country, ceases from this moment
Did his vessel go down at sea. or did he
rise with the pillows of the revolution Of
| France: Was he one Of the master
spirits. OF one of the victims of that era
of equal storm and caprice? But with
the moment Of Michael Rudulph's dis
appearance We have the rise of Michael
Ney, man distinguished for the very
qualities in which peculiarly marked the
genius of Rudulph-a man without much
education, but with rare talents and force
Of character. bravcst among brave, and
exquisitely skilled in stratagem. Michael
is not a very ordinary name, and Ney is
almost no name at all. \ man mortified
in his pride and his affections. and going
into voluntary exile. might well assume
for a name negative such us this. But
here we are told of the Ney family. He
is a peasant of Alsace. says Ileadly. as il
this were, in any way. a conclusive mat
ter. As if a biography We're at all diff
cult to be got up by one who, from no.
thing. had risen to be chief Of armies
and Prince Of Moskowa.
The American adventurer, above all
others, might naturally seek, at the first
opportunity, to Justify himself for being
| thus successful by securing for his name
is soon as possible an European parent
'ge Then, too, it was very natural for
Rudolph to fix upon .ilsace and Sarre-
louis as his birth place; for in point of
act it might, indeed. so have been, when
| we remember that his father, more than
likely. went from Alsacc to America in
1862. The SoutherA Literary Messenger
writer of lS41 goes on to say: The sus-
picion of Rudulph's identity with Ney
is, by no means, of recent origin. 1t was
entertained at a very early period, and
ny some of the first persons in America.
In all probability they had something
more than mere conjecture to rely upon.
Let us look a little at this suggestion.
Somewhere about the year 1893, when
len Pinckney and Gen. William Wash
ington, in our quasi war with France
Turing the Administration of the elder
ADAMS, were intrusted with the military
barge Of the southern portion Of the
United States. they visited. during their
military tour in Georgia, the residence Of
Il gentleman who had known Rudulph in
his youth. General Pinckney, who had
not long before returned from France.
where he had been minister, asked his
host if such had not been the ease. Be-
ing answered in the affirmative. Piuck-
nev replied that he too had known Ru-
luiplI. and that he had become greatly
attached To him. and was much inter-
Asted in his fate. and that this interest
had been heightened recently by dis
covery which he had made in Europe.
There. while 4 resident in France. he had
heard that there was i'll the army of Italy
IN American officer who had greatly dis
tinguished himself; that from every in
quiry not doubt remained on his mind
that this American officer was his old
friend Michael Rudolph. but that he soon
found that he no longer bore the same
name. General Pinckncy gave as his
| reason for not pressing his inquiries, and
writing directly to the supposed Ameri-
can that he feared. in his own critical
situation and the difficulties existing be-
tween the Directory and his Government.
that such Inquiries might only draw down
upon him the jealousy of the French au-
thorlties.'
Michael Ney was unquestionably the
officer thus pointed at. He was i'll kle-
ber's German Legion, and Rudulph, born
If German parents, at the head of the
Elk, in Maryland spoke German as well
IS French and English. The character
of Ney was then closely analysed as far
Us the materials could be obtained for
such study, by several Americans. His
career was watched with interest. lie
was, as we have said, already distin-
suished for his eager spirit, his skill in
>trategies. his determined bravery. in all
resembling the characteristics which were
lscribed to the military reputation of
Rudulph. When Napoleon was over
thrown and exiled, most of his follow
rs came to America. The United States
was. however, not Il refuge for Ney. He
preferred all the hazards of detection and
Heath to the prospects which lay before
lin in America. He had Il young wife
and children in France. He had wife
probably, certainly children in America.
When the news of the trial and condem-
nation of Michael Ney reached this coun-
try, well-known and highly respected
citizen of the South. through the medium
of a friend at Washington. addressed Ger
tain inquiries with respect to Ney. to
Marshal Grouchy, who had then only
recently reached our shores. These IueS-
tious were as follows: WAS Marshal Ney
about five feet eight inches high: \
muscular man, though not fat. OF high.
Hat forehead. gray eyes, straight eye
brows prominent check bones. and fair
| complexion, and did he speak English ."
| The reply of Marshal Grouchy affirmed
the correctness of this description. He
| said: 1T accorded with Ney: that he had
before they were respectively promoted
! that he did speak English; this he knew,
| as he mentioned on one occasion when
some English prisoners had been taken,
| that Ney himself had examined them
apart" Subsequently the same inqui-
res were addressed to Minister William
| II. Crawford. of Georgia. who had seen
much of Ney while in France. Craw-
ford's testimony on the subject of Mar