The Portland daily press., 1883-12-28
Hicks Pasha's Defeat.
The Ar.I.. Survivor sf .hs u1a..ner..
Now Orleans Times-Democrat.l

New Orleans Times Democratl
Vizatelli, the English artist, who is men
toned as the only unwounded survivor Of
Hicks Pasha, is well remembered by many
confederates, and especially by the officers
of the Washington Artillery, the staff Of
General Longstreet and the garrison at
Charleston, during the last bonn 5ardment Of
Fort Sumter and the city. Shortly before
the first great battle of fredericksburg in
December, 1868, a large, rosy-faced red
haired, unmistakabe Englishman, appeared
at Gen. Lees headquarters, on Lees Hill,
overlooking Fredericksburg. He bore letters
of Introduction from friends of the genera
in England, commencing him to the cour-
tesy and hospitality of the general as an ar
tist Of celebrity, who represented the most
distinguished Of the illustrated journals Of
England-the London Illustrated News.
Perceiving that he was genial and pleas
ant companion of frank address and manly
bearing, Gen. Lee requested Col Walton,
of the Washington Artillery, to dispense
the always liberal hospitalities and good
fellowship of the Washington Artillery to
the adventurous artist and offered him ey
cry facility in the discharge of his duties of
sketching our incidents of the campaign.
Frank Vixatelli was made the Eelcoms
guest of the battery and messed with the
officers, and proved great addition to their
circle in the way of convivialty, an mex
haustible fund of anecdotes. experience of
campaigning, and thus he became general
favorite with the whole battalion.
When the campaign opened with the
bombardment of Fredericksburg VlzatelH
set bis pencil to work, selecting the most
commanding and exposed position in the
Confederate lines to fulfill his task.
In the great hattie of the 18th of Decem-
ber, 1852, when Burnside made his dssper-
ate attempt to scale the heights defended by
the Washington ArtllleTy, Yizateili was OBJ
served by the conxmander of the battery in q
position which evidently drew upon him the
ire OF the large infantry force which ad-
vanced against the Marya's flights, as we'll
as OF the sharp-shooters, who, with their
long-range rifles, fired from the steeples Of
the churches and housetops of the town.
lie was either insensible to the peril of his
position or too intent on finishing his sketch
to regard ii. By peremptory order from
COL Walton Vizatelli was compelled to va
cate his position, which he did with sorrow-
full complaint of being disturbed in complet-
ing the best battle sketch which he had ever
had an opportunity of making.
The sketch, however, with others descriYS
tive of the position Of the two armies and Of
their several operations, appeared in the
London Illustrated News of January, 1868,
copies of which have been carefully pre-
served by Col. Walton, Major Miller and
others.
From Fredericksburg he went south, ana
was in Charleston in August of 1868, where
he witnessed the bombardment of Fort
sumter, and spent some hours In the fsrt
with Colonel Rhett, its commander, sketch
ing under fire. While stopping at the
Charleston hotel the enemy shelled the city,
and large shell striking house near by,
the boarders, with pants and coats over
their arms, skedaddled to the railroad depot
Captain Ross of the Austrian huzzars, says
in his very agreeable book on our civil war:
''We walked down to the battery, where
multitude had assembled. We could hear
The whizz of the shells long before they
passed over our heads, and offered VEa-
teli thousand to one that shell we heard
coming would not hit either of us. he took
the odds, forgetting that if he won he would
have but small chance of realizing his wa
ger, and of course won his dollar"
On the 18th of September Ross and Vizatel-
Ii started TO find Bragg's army, and arrived
at their destination day after the battle Of
Chlckmauga. Ihey were entertained Dy
General L0ngstreet at his headquarters, and
spent some time in camp before Chatts-
nooga, visiting and driving with William
Preston, Generals Breckinridge, Cleburne,
Oracle, Buckner and others. On the 22d Of
October he left camp with Ross and Lawley,
en- route for Richmond, via Augusta and
Atlanta. Ross says of Augusta: "fhcre is
a very good theatre here where they play
every night. The Planters hotel is an sx-
eellent one; everything good except the Yea,
which was so weak that Y. wondered how IL
could get out of the spout"
Christmas, 1868, Gen. ]. E. B. Stuart In
vited Ross and Vizatelh to spend their time
with him at his headquarters, near Orange
Court House, where they had jolly time
Here they met Gen, Lee again, whom they
both a0mNed aH thS gre~eest- eaaAzal-nf-
modern times. They also met Col. st. Leger
Grenfell at StparPs camp. On New Years
day they paid their respects at court, and
Ross describes Mr.. Davis as "looking IA
tgued with the exertion of shaking hands"
John Morgan was just then the hero of the
hour.
About the end of February, 1884, vina-
telli sailed from Wilmington on the steam
ship Hansa, for Nassau. running through
fleet of blockaders Vizateli was larsa
man, with reddish hair and large nous
taches, a la Ochiltree," tull of devitry and
jokes, and sometimes remarkably
full of (animal) spirits. He was great
favorte at headquarters, and in all the
messes to which he was invited.