The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1885-07-30
THE COLONEL.
An Old Soldiers Appreciation Of
His Former Commander.

"What has become OF LenoirP"
"Yes, where is LenoirP'
The phalanx of solid business men,
comprising the bulk Of the member
ship Of Garfield Post No. 8, Grand
Army Of the Republic, had regarded as
q downright grievance call to attend
meeting for the transaction Of special
business, appointed at the very inconven-
lent hour of two in the afternoon.
They had responded to the order under
protest, taken part in the proceedings
with an distracted air, fumed at the
break in their daily routine, ostenta-
tiously consulted their watches with the
anxiety OF men who were neglecting i'm
pOrtant engagements, and when the
meeting at length adjourned gathered
into cozy knots here and there, and
settled down for comfortable chat and
the revival of old army "reminiscences.
The first speaker, Jim Brewster, was
lumber merchant who had acquired
extensive tracts of land covered with a
forest growth second only to the big
trees OF the Calaveras and Mar;posa
groves. He had so prospered in his
business ventures that his name had be-
come identified with the natural product
he ruled in the commercial world, and
he had gained the sobriquet of the Prince
of Redwood He had lately purchased
a large piece of land at the foot of Sixth
street, including within its boundaries
that unsavory but classical region on
the banks of Mission Creek known as
''tne Dumps" where the Italian scav-
engers had from time immemorial de-
posted the contents of their carts, and
raked the putrid and decaying masses
of paper, scraps of old iron and other
articles of commerce, as well as the
pieces Of plate benevolently dropped
into the ash-barrel by careless servants.
Mission Creek, at high tide, is
for considerable distance navigable
stream, and it was generally conceded
that Brewster's branch yard was a
shrewd venture and would soon turn
the tide Of traffic from the crowded thor
oughfare of Steuart street. The Prince
of Redwood himself had felt all the
glow of prudent mans complacency
over this evidence of his own sagacity,
but stormy interview in the under
writer's office that noon had disturbed
the serenity with which he had hitherto
viewed his new acquisition. Meeting
some old comrades, men of bis own
regiment, who had fought side by side
with MIN through the four years of the
Civil war, he cast aside the perplexities
of the day and plunged with eager zest
into the animated discussion Of past
campaigns, in the course of which he
made the inquiry that heads this chap
ter. The question was repeated by an
echoing chorus.
'Lenoir?" The speaker who volun.
teered reply was member of that
very agreeable and highly entertaining
class of individuals who are commonly
accredited with the possession Of uni.
versal knowledge, and whose informa.
ton is about as ditiuse and inexact as
the average encyclopedias of biography.
"Lenoir's wife died just before he wa
mustered out in '65. Broke him all uE
for awhile, but he rallied and went
down to Florida, invested in an orange
grove, and lived on the fat Of the land b
He was an odd fellow-Lenoir,' -
remarked gray-bearded veteran
who endeavored to reconcile his predi'
lection for powder and cold steel BY
keeping gun shop in Bush street.
odd! there wasn't . nobler fellow
in the service. He was . hero, Il evel
one existed" Brewster spoke with
such unwonted energy that the other.
looked at him in surprise, for he wa,
generally regarded Is phlegmatic il
society and cold blooded in his business
relations He cooled down . little q
he observed the sensation his remarl
had created, and exchanged his enthu
siasm for q dry, argumentative tone.
''You know I was mere boy when
enlisted Some of our folks knew
Lenoir; my mother spoke to him tn
day we marched, and-well, could tel
you thing or two about the Colone
that none Of you ever knew. I'm no
going to gush over the man, but 20,
may be interested to hear of little in
cident that happened in Eastern Ten
nessee. You remember July, 1856
when We marched through the mount
aims and camped in . narrow defil
Akov o.1lal H.. Nloar.kn Da..S n,