The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-04-19
Judah P. BENJAMIN on the Retreat.

Burton N. Harrison, of the New York
bar, who was Jefferson Davis private
secretary, describes in the November
Century the retreat from Richmond,
and THE Capture of jefferson Da, lis. v
The now famous Mr.. Benjamin's good
humor during the retreat is described as
follows: 1--WE moved southwark on,
think, the day following the council
of war held with General Johnston,
starting from Greensboro in the after
noon. The president, those OF us who
constituted his immediate staff, and
some members of the cabinet. were
mounted Others rode n ambulances,
army wagons, or such conveyances as
could be got. Almost at the last min
ute was told must provide an ambu-
lance for Mr.. Judah p Benjamin, sec
rotary of state.
"Bv good fortune was able to secure
an ambulance; but the horses were old
and broken down, of dirty gray col
or, and with spots like tlybites all over
them, and the harness was not good.
There was no choice, however, and in
to that ambulance got Mr.. Benjamin,
General Samuel Cooper (adjutant gem
eral, and ranking officer of the whole
army, MIR. George Davis (of North
Carolina, attorney generaD, and MIR.
Jules st. Martin, Benjamin's 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 re-
Gently fallen, the earth was saturated
with water, the soil was a sticky red
clay, the mud was awful, and the road,
in places, almost impracticable. 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 occasl nal
fence-rail under the aXles, that their
party got along at also difficult was
the road because of the midland so
formidable were the holes made during
the winter, and deepened by the artil-
lery and 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 erybOdy in the column pass
ed ahead of that ambulance. Having
been kept latterly in the rear by some
thing OBTAINING me, observed, as |
rode forward, the tilted hind-part OF an
ambulance stuck in the mud in the
middle of the road, and recognized the
voices inside, as drew rein for mo-
ment to chuckle at their misfortunes.
The horses were blowing like two rusty
fog-horns; Benjamin was scolding the
driver for not going on; that function
airy was stoically insisting that they
could proceed no whit further, because
the horses were broken down; and Gen
eral Cooper faithful 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 grumbling about the impudence OF
subordinate officer ('only a brigadier-
general, sirO. 1t seems that the Of
fender had thrust himself into the seat
in another ambulance drawn by good
horses, that was intended for the adju-
tant general. Getting alongside, |
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 |
offered to get somebody to pull them
out. Riding forward, l found an ar
tillery camp, where some of the men
volunteered to 60 back with horses and
haul the ambulance up the hill; and,
returning to them again, could see
from affair the occasional bright glow of
Benjamin's cheerful cigar. While the
others of the party were perfectly 81
lent, Benjamin's silvery voice was
presently heard as he rythmically in
toned, for their comfort, verse after
verse of Tennyson's ode on the death
of the Duke of Wellington The laure-
ate would have enjoyed the situation
could he have heard the appreciative
rendering of his noble poem-under tho
circumstances of that moment!'
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