The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-10
JUDAH p. BENJAMIN.
His Good Humor During the Last Days of
the Rebellion.


the Rebellion.
B. N. Harrison, in November Century.
Mr.. HarrSous paper, The Capture of jeff
Davis" ahOunds in historical incidents and
humorous anecdotes Mr.. Benjamin's good
humor during the retreat from Richmond is
thus described:
1--WE moved southwark on, think, the day
following the council of war held with Cen
eral Johnston, starting from Greensboro in
the afternoon. The President, those OF us
who constituted his immediate staff, and
some members of the cabinet were mounted.
Others rode in ambulances, army wagons, or
such conveyances as could be got Almost
at the last minute was told l must provide
an ambulance for Judah p Benjamin, Secre-
tary of State. His figure was not well
adapted for protracted riding, and he had
firmly announced that he should not mount
horse until obliged to.
"By good fortune, was able to secure an
am buance; but the horses were old and
broken down, of dirty gray color, and with
spots like fly-bites all over them, and the
harness was not good. There was no choice,
however, and into that ambulance got Mr.
Benjamin, Gen. Samuel Cooper (Adjutant-
general, and ranking officer of the whole
army, George Davis (of North Carolina, At
torney-generall and Jules st. Martin, Benja-
minis brother-in-law.
by the time they got off the front OF our
column had been some time in motion, and
the President had ridden down the road
Heavy rains had recently fallen, the earth
was saturated with water, the soil was sticky
red clay, the mud was awful, and the road
in places, almost impracticable The wheeled
vehicles could move but slowly; and it was
only by sometimes turning into the fields
and having st. Martin and the Attorney
general get out to help the horses with an
occasional fence rail under the axles, that
their party got along at also difficult was
the road because of the mud and so formida-
BILE were the holes made during the winter
and deepened by the artillery and heavy
wagons that day. l was near them from
time to time, and rendered what assistance /
could. Darkness came OH after while and
nearly or quite everybody in the column
passed ahead of that ambulance. Having
been kept latterly in the rear by
something OBTAINING me- | observed, as /
rode forward the tilted hind-part of an am
bulance stuck in the mud in the middle of
the road, and recognized the voices inside, as
/ drew rein for a moment to chuckle at their
misfortunes The horses were blowing like
two rusty fog-horns; Benjamin was scolding
the driver for not going on; that functionary
was stoically insisting they could proceed no
whit further, because the horses were broken
down; and General Cooper faithful old gen.
tleman, be had been in Richmond throughout
our war, and had not known since the Semi
mole war what it is to rough it) was grum-
bling about the impudence of a subordinate
officer Comfy a gadier-general, sir) 1t
seems the offender had thrust himself into
the seat in another ambulance drawn by good
horses, and was intended for the Adjutant-
general. Getting alongside, l could see the
front wheels were over the hubs in hole; the
hind legs of the horses were in the same hole
up to the hooks, and the feet of the driver
hung down almost into the mud. Mud and
water were deep all around them. and their
plight was pitiful indeed! They plucked up
their spirits only when 1 offered to
get somebody to pull them out Riding
forward, 1 found an artillery camp.
where some of tine men volunteers to go