Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-12-08
Taifs aud Sketfhes.
4 Waterloo Veteran.
STORY OF AN OFFICER WHO FOUGHT UN.
DER THE GREAT NEPoLEoN.

Bridgton, Me-. Nov. q, 1886. 1t wa;
! truly dramatic meetingi To see in the
flesh. to grasp BY the hand, to listen tc
the clear, Ineligible narrative OF an off
Ger of the army of the first Napoleon,
seemed like going back through musty
centuries, even to medieval DAYS. ard
| holding converse with living actor ir
some stupendous drama of the long ago
Yet such was the experience of your cor
respondent few DAYS since, when | made
pilgrimage to the home OF Lieut., Francis
/ Radoux, veteran Of SO years. native oil
1 France, who served in French privateer
was captured, and underwent long cap
tivity, was released. without condltie n,
! tor bis act in saving an English officer
who fell overheard from his prison snip
and shortly after, on the return OF the ex-
( lied Emperor from Elba. drew his sword
and marched for the Belglan frontier,
/ joining the forces under Marshal Grouchy
/ TO be sure. he did not reach Waterloo
neither did GOuchy, else Lieut.. Radoux
might have left his bones on that historic
/ field, and the destinies of all Europe
might have been irrevocablv changed.
/ But our hero is alive and well 10 day, a
wonderful instance, not only of longev ",
but Of well-preserved physical and mep-
! tai powers. As soldier of the First
! Empire he is no myth-the story Of his
/ life is true one. in confederation OF which
/ | can cite scores of living wi mes ,es, a. To
his character as an honorable and worthy
gentleman, of unimpeachabe veracltv.
| His oldest child, Mrs. Jane Dam OF
Portland, a lady Of culture and excellent
social standing, with whom he now re
sides, native of France. who came with
her parents to this country year after
Waterloo. is well known in Portland
bu -iness circles, she having for years been
proprietor of ladies' store under the
United States Hotel. Three years ago
she retired from business and, with filaI
devotion worthy of all praise. devoted her
time to the comfort and pleasure of her
aged father. in their pleasant and lux
uriously furnished home on Bramhall hill.
overlooking on the one side the beautiful
CascO bav and on tho other a pretty
stretch of landscape extending to the
White Mountains.
Yes my interview with the old hero
partook strongly OF the dramatic. Ia
deed, how could it have been otherwise
Sixty years have passed since the
great chiettain, at whose name al! Europe
trembled, babe the world farewell or
rock bound. sea grt St, Helena. Marsha
Grouchy died 80 years ago. Wellington
whose iron constitution preserved him t
date over reaching all his great mil tary
contemporaries, has slept these four.anC
thirty years. Butcher, the sturdy ole
field marshal, survived Waterloo only fou
years. While long since have passed
away all that brilliant galaxy of marshal
who bore the tricoors of France and tn,
eagles OF Napoleon through many blood,
ampagn-kelerman. Suchet, Murat
| New, Soult, Money. Lannes. Bernadotte
Davoust, Bruno, Bessieres, Victor, Massena
Marmont. Augereau, and lesser lights o
Napoleonic epoch or the more thar
millions OF men who once kept step to tn,
war drums of the Corsican leader, Lieut.
Radoux is doubtless the only one left OF
this side of the Atlantic, if indeed, in tn,
wide. wide world. To this day, the Inca
descendants of Murat, the great cavalr'
| leader, preserve, as a sacred relic, tn,
skeleton OF the great white plume whicl
he wore through Bonaparte's campaigns
the one which the latter was accustomed
to watch through his glass will
! intense interest, as that gallan
officer led his squadrons in the wiC
charge against the foe, and remark
ing: "All is going well-I can see Murat'.
! featheri" II liteless memento such a,
that is held in deep veneration, trust
may be pardoned il confess thrill of ex
citement on beholding, at this late day, ;
! living officer contemporary with Murat.
But it is not wholly of M. Radoux as
survivor of the Waterloo campaign that
wish to speak. For a moment would re
vert to his reputation in other respects be
| fore telling the brief story of his life in /;
belle France. For many years after com
ing to this country he owned and operated
mills in Raymond town in Cumberland
county. Me, midway between my owl
town of BridgtoD and Portland. These
mills were near to what was for a shor
time the boyhood home of Nathaniel Haw
thorne. and are known to this day as IRA
doux 81 Outside of this, his regular bus
mess, ne was in those DAYS noted far ant
wide as violinist and teacher OF dancing
and his services at balls and other country
merry markings were in frequent demand
Our grandfathers and grandmothers. TO
whom he "drew the rosined bow" anC
whose movements he directed through tn,
dance, knew nothing of the modern ger
man. the waltz, or the quadrille, but il
money Musk" Fishers Hornpipe. >
Lady of the Lake" and the long list o
other contra dances. they were ''immense,
and the figures they could execute and the
steps they could take would put to shame
| their descendants of the present time. NJ
Radoux. as the fine musician and polished
French dancing master, was locally
power in the land, and his name house
! hold word.
| A short time ago | made my way il
! Portland to the home of the subject o
this sketch. had never met him and i
was with earnest interest that | awaited
/ his appearance. Mrs Dam received me
! politely, and on my stating the object OF
my visit, cheerfully complied with my
wish to have an audience with her father
She soon reappeared, and following hel
/ through the elegant suite of parlors was s
/ fine looking old gentleman, whom she
I introduced as her father, NJ. Radoux
He stepped briskly forward. grasped me
cordially by the hand. and in a mos
/ genial. hearty manner, babe me welcome
/ He was dressed in a suit of black. and
wore black velvet skull cap; was evi
IDENTIFY little under six feet in height
had full, blue eyes, smooth, slightly
wrinkled face, small, clear-cut features. a
straight, military figure; though partially
| bald, there still remained a semi circle oil