The Opelousas courier., 1886-02-13
.
Death of Gen. w. 8. Hancock.


Among all the great military Chief
tains and statesmen of the Unite !
States who have died in the twopast
decades, there is scarcely one whose
death will cause more profound sorrow
and sympathy among the Southern
people than in the sudden and untilnely
death OF the pure, magnanimous and
heroic soldier and civilian, Gen. Win
field Scott Hancock
So sudden was the demise of this
illustriops patriot that the wires con-
veyed no intelligence of his even slight
illness hence The shock of such nnex-
pected and amented news fell upon the
country witt, intensified force and snr-
row His death was caused by Il car
buucle on the neck near the bone of the
brain, which, although promptly treat
ed by eminent physicians, rapidly
worked the death of the notable pa
tient. His case was not considered
dangerous until few hours before his
dissolution, but blood poisoning aud
exhaustion carried him to rapid end.
Reared and educated as II soldier,
Gen. Hancock combined within himself
all of those attributes which were
to make him famous in the field and in
the councils of the nation. He rose
steadily and surely from one graduation
of rank to another in the army, through
series of forty-five years service, un-
til he reached the third highest position
in the United States Army that "f
Maj. General, Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan
and Gen. Sherman only ranking him.
In all of the military achievements of
the late war, no commander could
boast of more brilliant and conspicuous
deeds of renown than he, in the many
desperate battles where his corps was
led in the thickest Of the fray by their
heroic chieftain. As Stonewall Jackson
was to Gen Lee in the Confederate
army. SO was Gen. Hancock to Gen.
u. S. Grant in the Federal army.
Brave, cool, determined and vigorous
to execute the orders of his superiors,
he grasped fame and honor for himself
and added lustre to the glory OF his
own leader But if he was great i'll
war he WAS still greater III peace, and
the laurels he won in restoring the
broken unity of his country will be
more enduring than the chapIeis which
crowned his raloi Oh the field OF
carnage At the close of the aar when
in command of tire department "f the
Gulf his order No 40, issued for tile
government Of the Fifth Military Dis
trict, composed of Louisiana and Texas,
stamped him as a patriot of the purest
order and statesman oi the noblest
and highest. character. In that order,
which at the time proved ii magma
charta to our people, he boldly and
clearly announced the supremacy of
civil over military Law, and that the
constitutional Liberties of the people
should not be disturbed by military ill.,
reference He would sustain the
courts in their jurisdiction in suppress
ing crime aud preserving oider, aud
only use the troops to put down any
armed insurrection that might arise
from discaidant elements. His mag
nanimons course and dignifed rule at
that time cpdeared him to Lonislaniais.
and their love for him since has grown
with the lapse OF years until it cat. be
said that it could only be surpassed by
their idolatry for theil own beloved
chieftain Gen. Robert E. Lee. In the
chalice Of on, hearts their memories will
be- enhalmed together To be reme,n-
bered rs twin spirits in moral grandeur
and imperisliable fame. Sweet be the
rest of the nobie Hancock, untii the
last grand reyeilc summons him to tile
hosts of heaven where peace reigBs
eternal