The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-02-10

Shouiuers, ana poWderea Win tue
red dust of old Virginia, / APP
preached, smiling. when he looked
up at me in sadness, tinged with
anger, and said: eff you had
minded your own business /
wouldn't be here packing thiA
musketw I felt the thrust; III
haunted me through the Seven
Days Fight. "What ifOlin should
be huri! Could his dear old father
and mother ever forgive met
Could I forgive myself" But Olin
came safe through the Chickahom-
iny, and safe through tho war.
The last | heard of him he was a
planter in Rapiles parish, La,
married, shappy and prosperous,
with a batch Of bright little collins"
around him. His older brother is
the gallant Major Wilbur +. Black
man, who rode with y smile On his
face at the head Of Taylor's assault
ing column at Mansfeld-whers
fell Mouton and Armand, Canie!d
and Slack, and more noble Louisi
anians and Texans, Brave boys
both, and my old pupils, both the
Blackmans-no better soldiers in
the war, nor more honored citizens
since. The Confederate army
rank and 6le-was made up of the
best blood of tbs South, as col
spicuous III peace as in war.
| have said that Taylor was Of
ten sick and suffering intense bod
lily pain; yet, that battle ofemergen.
cy, with it's responsibility aud dan
ger, would soothe his pains, make
his head clearer, and his disease
more amiable. Not 80 with some
of our Generals, aA it was not with
Bonaparte. Our Great Gen. Lee
was the victim of, an Indigestion,
and it cost the South dear. 1t
lost us the battle Of Gettysburg!
How the fate of nations turns on
the state of mans stomach! Bona
parte was sick at BorodiDo, at Leip-
sic and at Waterloo. The cancer Of
the stomach, Of which he died at ST.
Helena, was already showing it
self at those battles affecting his
equanimity and weakening his
mental powers. The night before
BOrodino he ate some mutton,
which brought on a violent indi.
gestion. Face to face with the
Russian army, he was not himself;
he quit thinking or couldn't think;
he raved aud stormed at his Mar.
slals tor not driving the Russians
from the heights by direct front
attack by main strength aud
awkwardness. The begged him to
let them move right or left, take
the enemy in flank, or draw him
from the heights. He only swore
at them and tainted them with be.
coming Of no acconnt. Finally,
Ney rode up to Prince Eugene and
said: "You can take liberties with
the Emperor that We dare not.
Now move your corps off on the
flank and strike the enemy in re-
verse;" He did SO soon; the Rus
SLAMS were in retreat. But a hund-
red thousand men lay dead and
from that mutton chop.
For Borodino and mutton chops
without the raviug and the "cnss.
aud a Prince Eugene to move
by the fank-put Gettysburg and
and We have the crisis
of our civil war.
The battle Of Gettysburg is a
singular exception to Gen. Lees
battles. 1t wasn't "Gen. Lee''
who fought it; it should've &C mt
against him. His usual ski is
wanting at Gettysburg. There
must be a cause for it. He was
sick ! and not in possession of his
usual equanimity and fine mental
powers. Those near him at the
time tell us this; and from some of
them the story Of how it came
about has leaked out.
Gen. Lee was very fond Of Vir.
ginia fapjacks-wondrous cakes Of
African invention. Thin as a wa
fer and big nearly as "a cart wheel
and when made OF now -four, ant
served hot with fresh butter anG
maple molasses and folded and
folded. LAYERS thick. they are :