The Washington critic., 1885-10-12

"West Point martinez" and was not
inclined to accept the Cabinet position.
His friends urged him, however, to do
so, and he finally became Secretary of
State. The position, however, was dis
tasteful TO him. He preferred field life,
and he soon resigned TO take com
mand in the field. lie fought to the
end of the war, and it was in his own
town that the Confederate Government
went to pieces. On that last day Brock
cnridge and Reagan came to his house,
while Mr.. Davis stopped at another
house near by. From that point
each man took his own course.
Toombs, who was protected by
the terms of capitulation, re.
manned at his own home until Sec
retaiy Stanton's famous order for
his arrest was issued. Hearing of the
approach of the officer who was direct
cd to arrest him, he sent his wife to
the front to meet him. himself making
an exit by the rear, escaped on fleet
horse. He spent some weeks in the
mountains back of his home, and finally
started down the Chattahoochee River,
hoping to reach the sea aud IN kc his
escape. After barely cyading his
would-hcE captors he reached Mobile,
where he became the guest of distin.
guishcd authorizes of that city, and
taking the first opportunity passed to
New Orleans, where he took Il sloop
for Havana and thence sailed for Eu-
rope, which he reached in safety, Fol.
lowing the example Of his illustrious
successor in the Confederate Cabinet
Judah p. Benjamin, he established
himself in the profession of law in Lon.
don, remaining there some time, but
finally returning to Canada and thence
TO the United States and to his old
home at Washington, Ga. There he
has quietly lived ever since and there
he is dying. lie has had no political
ambitions, apparently, since the close
of the war, and though he might have
had anything the people could give he
has asked and accepted nothing.
W.
We find in the Clubman's Gossip of
the Chicago Ne,cs that one fact in
Senator Logan's record he has always
kept carefully concealed Nobody has
ever heard him mention the date of his
birth, and none of the numerous traps
laid to lead him into giving some in
formation on that point have been sue
cessful until quite recently. No refer
cnce to 1t has ever been made even in
the Congressional directory, in which
his name has appeared almost contin-
uously for more than twenty-five years,
and which gives the age of every other
member. But n friend who recently
travelled with him from Chicago to
Washington, and who, by the way, had
often tried to get information from him
on this point, got hint about it in a
rather unexpected way. They were
talking of the Atlanta campaign, and
the general had been giving an
account of the death of Mop herson on
the POD of July, ca. A few moments
later another passenger joined them and
the compensation turned to the ages of
remarked that Napoleon was but -
when he had conquered Italy. "You
wouldn't care to trust the command OF
| brigade to man Of that age if you
were commanding an army, would
your" inquired the friend. II don't
know. 1t would depend on the man.
quickly rejoined the general, and then
with some pride, he added: Il com
manded the largest single army ever
commanded by one man when | was
only 33. The friend smiled "That
was on July 90, 1864, when you sue,
cecded Mcpherson on the field, WASH
it? So you must now be about "a. u
The general saw the poin; at once, and
remarked rather dryly that that was
| about it.