The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1903-11-14
Biography of Gen.
astrelIlSki.


| From the Logansport Interstate Journal.
Gen. Leon Jastremski, of Baton Rouge
now a candidate for the Democratic guber
Material nomination. is the youngest son OF
| DIR. Vincent Jastre mski. eminent phys
clan who settled in Louisiana in the early
| forties of the century just passed. Upon
| the invitation of the then Governor, Alex
ander Mouton, DR.. Jastremski went to Lafa
| yette, the Governors home, and was hi,
family ply stefan for number of years.
| The Doctor had participated in the Polish
insurrection of IS3o-32, and emigrated to
| France at its close. He completed his
studies at the renow ned Medical University
| at MontpeI ier, and for meritorious services
| during the cholera epidemic of 1887 was
| awarded a medal by King Louis Philippe.
After his marriage and several years of prac-
| tce in the South of France he decided 70
| move to louisiana, and just prior to the
family's departure the subject of this sketch
was born. Leon Jast remski received his
first schooling in the public school at Lafa-
yette. where he was reared. Subsequently,
| the family moved to Abbeville, in the ad-
joining parish of Vermilon. On the death
of his parents, the boy entered the Office of
the Meridional and served an apprenticeship
at the case. In July, 1861. he was barely
II years old. but the echoes of the first bat
tie of Manassas had fired his ardor and pa
triotisn and he proceeded with companion
to Camp Moore, where he enlisted as .
private in Company f, the Louisiana Swamp
Rifles, of the Tenth Regiment of Louisiana
Volunteers. few days afterwards, this
splendid corps of fighting men proceeded to
Virginia and were attached to Gen. John B.
Magruder's army on the Yorktown PENN
sula. The young soldier had attracted the
attention of Col. Marieny. and early in
1863, the Colonel ordered his promotion to
the vacancy which had occurred in the po-
sition of regimenta1 Sergeant-Major. an
arduous and responsible one.
With his regiment he participated in the
fighting along the Warwick river, the pre-
liminarv encounter at Williamsburg. the re-
treat of Johnston's army to Richmond, the
operations on the Chcahominy, the battles
Of Seven Pines and Of the Seven Days. In
the desperate night charge made by the
Tenth Regiment at Malvern Hill, he was
taken prisoner, but was exchanged one
month later, time to proceed with his
command in Stonewall Jackson's march to
the rear of Gen. Pope's army. and to parti-
cipate in the second battle of Manassas, the
6gh, at Chantlly, the first Maryland cam
paign, the capture of Harper's Ferry and
the battle of Sharpsburg. After this latter
engagement, Gen. Jackson ordered the hll-
ing of the vacancies among the line officers,
and, on September -, 1862, the youthful
Sergeant Major unanimously elected
first lieutenant and captain of Company He
of his regiment. AT the battle of Chancel-
orsvile, May 3, 1863, Captain Jastremski,
severely wounded in the throat. He
was back in time, however, to go with his
command into Penns, lvania, and to partici
pate in the battle of Gettysburg and the
other engagements of this campaign, we'll
as the fight at Mine Run, in November,
1868. He fought through the battles of the
Wilderness and at Spottsylvania, where. in
the sanguinary struggle at the ''Bloody
ANGLE on May IL, 1864, he was captured
along with most of Edward Johnston's Di-
vision, the assault made upon the Con-
federate lines by the tremendous Union
column led by General Hancock. He was
taken to Fort Delaware, thence with the
600 Confederate officers (prisoners of war;
brought into the famous stockade erected
between the lines of the two armies, on
Morris Island. in front of Charleston. The
prisoners few weeks later were conveyed
to Fort Pulaski, Georgia. Among these
prisoners were afterwards Speaker Crisp,
Governor McCreery, Of Kentucky, and
| many other men of distinction. In March,
| 1865, while these prisoners were being re-
| turned North, Captain Jastremski, with
Lieutenant Cicero NJ. Allen, of Louisiana,
| and Captain DE Priest, of Virginia, made
his escape by concealing himself in the hold
of the transport ''Illinois.'' They landed
| unobserved in New York and Captain Jas
| tremski and Lieutenant Allen made their
| way by the Western route and down the
| Mississippi to Meridian, where they re-
ported to General Dick Taylor, for duty.
They were turloughed by General Taylor,
who surrende red his army few days later,
| the war having come to a close.
| Captain Jastremski settled in Baton Rouge
soon after, and engaged in business pur-
| suits. He was married to Miss Rosa Lar
| guier, daughter of one of the leading citi
| zens of the place. She died in 1873, two
| M - EC