Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-02-15
Judah z. Rsnia1niin Oh .hs Retreat.

4
sS Burton n. Harrison. Of the u aW York
bar, who was jefferson Davis private
seer y, a Describes iii the November
Century the raat from Rich nond. I
and he Capture Of III arsoi1 3a u.s. ISL u
4 ,s now lannon's ii. asess rn IN 5 good
humor duririe, tho treat ii described as
follows; moved southwark on,
D think, the day foliortirg the council
Of war held with General Johnston,
starring. from Greensboro, in the after
noan. The president, those OF us who
constituted his immediate staff. and
some members Of the cabinet, were
mounted. Others rode 10 aTubulances,
army WAGONS. OF s,,ch conveyanees as
coaid be got. Almost at the last min
ute I was told Imust provide. an am ot,-
lance for Mr.. Judah P. Benjamin, sec
rotary OF state. @ @s= z"
"Br.good fortune.I was able to secure
an am bttlanee: but tie horses were old
and broken down, Of a dirty gray co..
or, and with spots like tly-bites ali over
them, -~and the harness was not good
There WAS no CHOICE, however, and in
to that ambulance got Mr. Benjamin,
General Samuel Cooper {adiutant gen
eral, and ranking officer OF the whole
army, Mr.. George Davis (of North
Carolina, attorney GENERALLY, and MIR.
Jules St. Martin, Bonjamin's brother
ln-laW., "a PHI &G:< ~. e..
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 re-
Gently fallen. the earth was saturated
with water, the soil was a sticky red
clay. the mud was awful, and theroad,
| in places, almost imprac:icable. The
wheeled vehicles could move but slow
ly; and It was only by sometimes turn
ing into the fields and having St. Mar
tin and the attorney general get out to
help the horses with an occasi nal
fence-rall under the axles, that their
party got along at also difficult was
the road because OF the mud-anu SO
formidable were the holes made during
the winter, and deepened by the artii-
leIy aud heavy wagons that day. l
was near them from time to time, and
rendered what assistance | could. Dark.
ness came on after while, and nearly
or quite everybody in the column pass
ed ahead of that ambulance. Having
been kept latterly in the rear by some
thing OBTAINING me, observed, as l
rode forward, the tilted hin,-part OF an
ambulance stuck in. the mud in the
middle OF the road, and recognized the
voices inside, as | drew rein for q mo-
ment to chuckle ut thtir misfortunes.
The horses were blowing like two rus V
fog-horns; Benjamin was scoldiny tie
| Ir.;r frr. ~f +t,0f fnrnti
AIRY WAS stolcally Insisting that they
could proceed no whit further, because
| the horses were broken Gown; and GEN
! eral> Cooper Gaithiul old gentleman.
! he had been in Richmond throughout
| our war, and had not known since the
| Seminole war what it is to rough it'>
was grumbliny about the inpudence OF
subordinate officer ('oniy u brigltlirr-
| general, sir). It seems th&t the Of
| fender had thrust himself iuto the seat
! in another ambulance drawn by GOO.
| horses, that was intended Tor the u,I i,t-
tnnt general. Getting alongside, /
! could see the front wheels were over
| the hubs in y hole; the hind-legs Of the
| horses were III the same hole, up to the
hooks; and the feet OF the driver hung
/ down almost inio the mud. Mud ana
water were deep all around til M, and
their plight was pitiful indeed! They
plucked up their spirits only when I
offered to get somebody to pull them
out. Riding forward, found an III
tillery camp, where some: of the N II
volunteered to 50 back with horses AMI
haul the ambulance up the hill; auI,
returning to them again, I could see
from affair the occasional bright glow e.,
Banjam.n's cheerful cigar. While the
others Of the party We're perfestl5 S.
lent, Benjamin's silyery voice Was
presently heard as he rythm .cally i'll
toned, for their comfort, verse aE;er
verse of Tennyson's ode on the dt::.h
OF the Duke of Wellington! The lAu e.
ate would have enjoyed t;le situation
could he have heard the: appreci:tiye
rendering OF his noble poem under the
circumstances of tlat momcnst' -.