The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-10-20
TALKED WITH NAPOLEON
MAJOR WILLIAM III. GARLAND IS A
VETERAN or TWO WARS,
An Inmate OF the Soldiers Home nj
Hampton Heusmbers jefferson and
Lafeyette-M.t Napoleon.

on Il visit 10 some friends in Brooklyn.
Major Garland came NOrtn ~ Try ana
Ina his i4ail-DrOtnef, Joseph Al. OaIIVI,
ana tnaI DIOtncr auOp.cd dausntei,
amy LuI1 Canon, VINO are mis- only Nv
ln- IcItLslcs. % lar ils search IOr tnest
reiatINes mas been Unsuccessful, ana ia
"a very lew uays MS Through of month
will have expired and he Viii bc obliged 10
return 10 Virginia.
MAJOR oaiItnG IS now nlnety-fve years
old. ana DesIu,s being veteran OF Two
wars IS, so nc says the only nvlns Ameri-
can VINO saw, TAXED TO, and shook hands
with Napoleon during his exile at 81.
Helena. lie Was one OF the escort which
accompanied zen. Lafayette IA mis- tOui
/ OF America. lie had the honor of sitting
as a child en- the knee of 1nomas Jener-
son. served as powder monkey on the
old frigato Constitution, and has. In fact,
7 a life iull OF interesting Incidents, many
| OF which are history to-day.
4 sun reporter fOuna Major Garland at
| - Nassau street. Ir0okiyn, last night,
and asked him a. talk about himself The
Major has lost ono eye. and a weakness
in mis- knees cOmpels aim to use Crutcnes,
but otherwise. physically and mentally,
he is sOunder than many man score OF
years his junior.
The Major was in bed when the report
or saw hum.
DO you know. I haven't felt so sick in
years as | did last night?' ne said. -
r,aIy thought once that / was going 10
n4ss in my checks and stand up tor the
last roll call. But then / suppose you
don't care to hear about that, 80 III tell
you something about my history, when
ann very proud Of. I was born IN Char
lottoville, Va, on August -, ls02. IL was,
ass YOU know. the home OF Thomas Jener-
SON. the writer of the Declaration Of H.
dependence.
my father served IN the French army
ae "a Lieutenant before he came TO TINS
country. TWO of his brothers had set
tied here already. one OF them IN New
liamps and he had always wanted 10
"Mv father was warm personal friend
OF Mr. jefferson. and many time. as a
child. I sat on hls knee and was JOgsled
up and down. ] attended his funeral
too. and ! can tell you that IS day 1
II must have inherited my fathers
fighting Hood. for | was not quite ten
years old when ! enlisted in the American
navy ass messenger and powder boy on
the frieate Constitution known as Old
IrOueidts. and commanded by Captain
Isaac uul'. We left Boston harbor on
Nay ~. 1872 and the very next morning
iel iu with large British heet OF the
Capes OF the Delaware. 10 was a beauti-
ful morning ana the sea was as smooth as
"a mirror. our chances against the brit-
ish feet We're. as you can imagine, pref
iv slight. MS Captain Hun wasn't taking
any chances with old lronsides. So BE-
beat all hands 10 quarters. and then CALI
. cl on an members OF the crew VINO were
GOOD oarsmen 10 20 aft on the quarter
deck. Then he ordered all boats. even
/ the barge and gig lowered. manned them
with tho best Oarsmcn IN the crew, Spite
cd an Of the strongest hawsers together
! and made them fast and then made prep
aratiOns TO row away from the BRUSH
/ fleet ON the fourth day. Captain Hun
/ ordered out the kcdse anchor, IT was
/ dropped 100 yards away, and haWsefs
/ made fast. and the irisate drawn out 10
! it, Then the oar-men took charge ana
/ 4 it lrOusidcs was tOWed away from the
enemy. a breeze sprang up later IN the
/ day and away we went the old Constltu-
/ ton showing her heels 90 the whole Brit
ish fleet. Through oar glasses We could
see the English officers gazng,at us with
/ their own glasses. and evidently wonder
/ ing how We managed To get so Tar away
from them before The breeze sprans up.
con August 18th. the Guerrero. the best
frigatc iu the British fleet. vessel wnlch
had been captured from the french nt
/ the English. pushed out after us. We
saw her coming. ana. as "a h1nt sooner or
/ later was inevitable. we resolved 10 have
I 10 out with her right there, and made
preparations TO give her warm iccef-
| ton when she got near enough 70 appre-
ciatc d.. Four brOadsides were poured
/ into her The first knocked away two OF
7 her ma-ts and rakcd her fore and aft.
, Her crew rilecd up jury mast IN order
| TO give her strfrage way. and she swung
around. 4 ATTN hrOadside fred Just as
her stern was ln range, made complete
wreck ont of her. We boarded her ln
small boats. removed everything Of value,
and then blew her up. as she WASH [
worth taking naDE 10 Boston harhor as "a
prize. a young Lieutenant on the Consu-
b tuition named ogden, whose father was,
/ believe the Governor Of New Jersey,
| I II.
and / remember how We used 10 love 10
B sing II on old lrOnsides. / was only a
I boy az the time Of this fight. and as a
powder monkey ! had plenty 10 DO ana
3 saw all there was 10 be seen. ana never
since have ] been so enthusiastic as
Il was still in the navy in 1924. when La
| fayette made h.a famous visit here, and.
| being f8mlllar with the French language.
1 was appointed by President James Mon
roe as the personal escort TO the visitor
I during all OF his travels. | was with him
al the great BAH and dinner in Baltl-
more. and / rode horseback behind the
I carriage containing President Monroe, no
son. and Gen. Lafayette, on his trlumpnai
ride through GEORGETOWN. / saw MN KISS
pretty little Mis- b. hlte, who stood on M
carriage block iu front OF her father 5
/ residence on Bridge street. Miss White,
as YOU may remember mad been CHOSEN
from among the young folks at the ic
male seminary 10 present bouquet 10 the
General She afterwards became the
wife of Congressman Oren Taylor. OF Nir-
ginla.. and Is "a grandmother now SHe
/ is a great friend or mine, and snort
/ time ago sent me photograph OF inc
painting which was made OF the great
/ scene in the streets Of Georgetown. ! am
/ included in that picture, on horseback.
right behind the carriage. II shows cen.
/ Lafayette leaning out TO kiss Miss Nhito
81 went all over the country with Gen.
D NlT IN
place the frigate Brandywine at MS dis
| Dosai | was attached 10 her crew as mas
/ ier's mate. and sailed 10 France with the
French hero.
Il enlisted FOR the civil war on April
] L. 1861. three days after the trst call by
President Lincoln for troops. / joined
the First New York Lincoln Cavalry.
which was a nine months regiment, but
| STAYED for a year. ! afterward enlisted
in the Fifty-sixfn New York Volunteers,
being elected Chaplain. l nave peen a
minister OF the gospel for the past l.tty
wears. YOU see although | am not able
now to do much preaching.
Later in the war / Joined the Sixteenth
Massachusetts, Eegiment IN which | wa
Major. and was in orders commended by
Gen. George Is. AcCleiIah LOT bravery CN
the field OF Antietam. | have four medals
/ of honor too-one awarded 10 me by Con
gress. one from Gen. Grant. one from
Gen. Sherman. ana another from Gen.
Sheridan. / have also handsome PIC
ture presented 10 me by the stan and field
OF the Fifty-sixth New York and the SIX
teenth Massachusetts Volunteer regl-
Now. about my seeing Napoleon,
suppose you want TO know something
about that. Everybody ! meet wants 70
talk about that. and OF course | am very
proud of being. so far as is known or by
authorities in such matters the only
living American who saw and spoke 10