The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-14
Humor Under Defeat--RecitirS
TennySon.

Burton \. Harrison, of the New York
Car, who was Jefferson DavI. private
Sc Rotary. describes, ID the November
Century the retreat from Richmond. and
The capture of Jefferson Davis. Facts
Of historical interest and humor us anec
dotes abound in the paper. The now
famous Mr Benjamin's good humor dur
ing the retreat is described as follows:
I'VE move Southwark, on | thlnk
The day following the council OF war ncld
With General Johnston. starting ironi
Greensboro IN he afternoon. The presi-
lent, those of us who constituted his Inn
mediate staff, and some members OF the
cabinet, we're mounted. Others rode In
ambulance, army wagons or such con-
veyances as could be got. Almost at the
asst minute | was tcld | must provide an
ambulance tor Mr. Judah p. Benjamin.
.ecretary of State. His figure Was not
we'll adapted for protracted riding. and
he had firmly announced that he should
not mount a horse u Ill obliged to. BY
good fortune | was able to secure an am-
pulance. but the horse were old and
broken down. of a dirty gray color, and
with spots like fy bites all over them
and the harness was not good. mere
was no choice. however. and into that
ambulance got Mr.. Benjamin, General
Samuel Cooper (adiutant general aud
ranking officer oil the whole army Mr..
George Davis, of North Carolina, attorney
general, and Mr.. Jules st. Martin, BenJa-
minis brother in-law. BY the time they
cot of the front OF our column had feen
some time in motion, and the President
Hra no road HpaVV rains
had recently fallen, the earth was satura.
Ted with water, the soil was a sticky red
clay the mud was awful, and the road,
in PLACES, almost lmpractlcaole. q
wheeled vehicles could move but slowly,
and it wa> only by sometimes turning IN,
to the field. and having ST. Martin and
the altoruty general get out to help the
horses with an occasional fence rail under
the axIes. that their party got along at
,n-so d fiji ult was the Q because OF
lie mud. aud SO formidable were the
noles made during the winter, and deep>
med by the artillery and heavy wagons
that day. was near them from time to
time, and rendered what assistance |
could. Darkness came on after a while,
and nearly or quite everybody 10 the col
umn passed ahead of that ambulance.
Having been kept latterly IN the rear
by something OBTAINING me, observed,
As rode forward, the tilted hindpart OF
an ambulance stuck In the mud 10 The
middle of the road, and recognized the
voices inside as | drew rein for a moment
To chuckle at their ml>tortunes. The
horses were blowing like two rusty fog
horns; Benjamin was scoldlng the driver
for not going on; that functlOnary was
stoically insisting they could proceed no
whit further, because the horses were
broken down; and Gene al Cooper Gath
full old gentlemen be hai been In Rich
mond throughout the war, and had not
known since the Seminole war what it is
to rough it," was grumbllng about the
impudence of = subo dinate ofhcer only
a brigadler general, SIR 1t seems the
offender had thrust himself into the seat
ia another ambulance drawn by good hor>
ses that was intended for the adiutant gen
eral, getting alongside, | could see the front
wheels were over the hubs IN a 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 wa pititul indeedl They
plucked up their spirits only when l Of
fered to get somebody to pull them out.
Riding forward l found an artillery
camp, where some Of the men volun.
teered to 90 back with horses and haul
the ambulance up the hill. and, return
inc to them again. / could see from afar
the occasional bright glow of Benia-
minis cheerful clgar. While the others
of the party were perfectly silent Ben
jamin's ~silvery voice was presently
heard as he rhythmically intoned. for
their comfort. verse after verse of Ten
nyson's ode on the death of the Duke
of Wellington! The laureate would
have enjoyed the situation could he
have heard the arpreciative rendering of
his noble poem, under the circumstances
of that moment -