Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-06-18
VAR "REMINISCENCES.
A MAN OF WAR.
ling 70 His story He Ran the Whole
nonfqderacy.

TO ftfh FAo@E
Confederacy.
cor could see any particular en-
M IN making long journey in
M.rv with an upright, truthful man.
has ever had any adventures he
. sevapperate them, and you know
Y. h. won't try to pick your pocket,
~ Won at cards, or challenge you to
duel if you seemed bored Fith
y, .onnany. Therefore. when ] took
!, INC. . al Memphis for the run down
W ~ Orleans. and the captain offer
W introduce me TO Maj. Davis, the
.rsst liar in the late southern confed-
ssv was heartily rejoiced.
iound the major to be small, thin
with a very deep bass voice, and
IA scarcely shaken hands when he
srted 10 the Arkansas shore and said:
.p;gbt over thar is where i swan
,ore after the gun boat battle above"
Then YOU were in the battle?"
.no YOU doubt my word, sab? If so,
,ball be happy to refer you to Capt
ui,Ls chief clerk of the boat, who
m consult with any one you may
pane"
j, ronr word in the least. 1t was hot
fghtY
vi was. sab. had command of the
shseu confederate gun-boats.
DFifteen? Why, Admiral Porter's
,,.i history saws there were only
dght'
Here is my card, sab.
"Ob no. no, majorl If you say there
rsre fifteen, that settles it, of course.
porter probably left out seven just to
ssIttle the affair. Go on, major"
q was on the Beauregard. We sunk
aree Of your craft, and then struck
NAG and went down ourselves.
But Porter says the union ram Mon
rch rammed the Beauregard and sent
M to the bottom" protested.
"sah, you will please call on Col
Blcksp said the major, as he stiffiy
arose and handed me his card and
moved away.
Ismplv changed chairs, so as to keep
IN the shade, and dropped the majors
ard overheard He was absent about
twenty minutes, and then returned wip-
ng off his chin. AS near as | could
sgare he had taken whisky.
see that bluff over thar?" pleasantly
ouered the major as he sat down.
u do.n
aWell. had a battery of ten guns
mar for several months, and it was my
own eve which sighted the gun that
! blew up the Yankee gunboat Mound
| City. Sad affair that but war is war,
you know The shell which entered
ben furnace and exploded resulted in
| the death of seven hundred men"
Lets see, major? If | remember
uieht. the Mound City disaster occurred
nSt Charles, on the White river"
"Sah!"
"And the shell exploded in her steam
chest
"sahm
oAnd the killed and injured numbered
only one hundred and eighty-hve.
'Sah! You seem to doubt my word,
and therefore,"
"Oh. but don't, majorl Let me beg
Of You to believe that ! don't ! was
simply wondering how Porter could
make so many blunders in his history
Porter, sab? Never heard Of Mistah
Porter in my life. In the commissary
department., presume.
managed to change the subjectatter
slttle, and by and by the major wentto
sleep in his chair, and got away from
him until evening. Then, as l sat
smoking he dropped into the chair be-
SIDE me and said:
Ever meet Mistah Farragut, OF your
ade?n
Admiral Farragut?''
MAY have called himself such"
No, | never did"
Sorry. He'd have probably told you
about the battle on the river above New
Orleans"
Were you there?"
"Sahln
lhaI is, you were tueTes u So"ASN
What command did you have?'
Commanded the Confederate navy,
Of co'se."
You did Why, l thought commo.
core John X. Mitchell commanded
there
Look heah, sah-do you doubt my
word?"
oh no. no. major! How can l? You
were there, and wasn't ] have often
read of the ironclad Louisiana OF that
feet"
she was my flagship, sab. lsteereo
her when she rammed and sunk six OF
Mistah Farragut's vessels"
is it possible? Why, Porter says ne
I'D not even fire gun, but drifted down
The river and blew up"
Sab. Porter, sahi VIII your friend
Nistah Porter act for you in this emer-
geney?" demanded the major, as he
Jumped up.
sit down, major, please sit down
Porter has evidently got it all wrong
Or was actuated by sectional mallce
Please give me the particulars.
But he went away and / did not SCI