The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-02-15

The attempt to raise troops here is
futile. There are at least 10000 fight
ing men in this city fcitizens,, and l do
not doubt, from what l see, that these
men will, at the first approach of the
enemy within view of the city, be
against us to man.
Il have the honor to be, etc,
wv. II. Emory. rigadier-General,
Commanding"
WeIghty Alternative.
Gen. Banks had tremendous alter
native presented to him-a dilemma be-
fore which even the stout-hearted
Emory bent. He must give up either
New Orleans or Port Hudson. 1t is to
Banks'S credit that ne remSined firm in
that supreme trial. At the same time
II would have been exceedingly difficult
TO pull his men away from tf1 work
upon which they had set their hearts
For six long. Iaborious, terrible weeks
weeks filled with toll SO arduous that
IL broke the strength of thousands, fill
ed the hospitals and graveyards, and
sapped the vitality of the stoutest
weeks crowded with every misery and
torment-they had pushed their slow,
UNI elenting advance upon their prey
Al least 5000 of the 1900 who had
begun the siege were now sleeping in
shallow graves, or tossing on beds of
pain beneath the stately rnagnolias. 1t
would have been falsehood to them
selves and treachery to the dead to
stop the siege then and there, and al
low their defiant enemies to sing songs
o1 triumph. They were now nowhere
more than few yards from their goal; :;
at the priest-cap, the strongest part OF
the enemy's line, the distance was but
Is feet. They had mined under the
priest-cap. and placed powder enough
there to send the whole dreaded work
skyward, with it's defenders The For
lorn Hope, under the intrepid Birge.
had been drilling for days in the tactics
for the final crushing collision It was
eager for its fierce work. and the whole
army angry and weary with the in
cessant toll and the daily murder by
rifle fire, was hungry to end the whole
maddening business by fierce half
hours bayonet work. With all his
faults and deficiencies, Banks did not
lack courage and fighting blood, and
he replied to Emory:
Headquarters Department of the Gulf.
Nineteenth Army Corps,
Before Port Hudson La,
July 5. 1863.
Brig. Gen. w. Fl. Emory. Commanding
DefenSes of New Orleans La
General: The Commanding General
mas this moment received your dispatch
of the 4th instant, by the hands OF
First Lieut.. Woodrow, 18th Inf. Act
ing Aid-de-Camp. The General directs
me to say that operations here can last
but two or three days longer at the out
side. and~then the whole command will
be available To drive back the enemy
who is now annoying our communities
tions and threatening New Orleans We
are to-day effccting the passage of the
ditch I'm front OF the right priest-cap
When this operation is decided the
Commanding General will reinforce
you with the utmost promptitude, and
with Il large force; but he regards New
Orleans as safe. If the navy does it's
duty in preventing the passage of the
river. The General deems your force
though obviously small, large enough
To hold the works on the right bank of
the river and to keep New Orleans
quiet. Much, in his opinion, very much
will depend upon the management of
affairs In the city quietly and with a
firm hand.
THE people of New Orleans under
stand. or ought to understand well
that their conduct upon this occasion
VIII be the measure of their treatment
hereafter by the military authorities Of
the United States.
Very respectfully, your obedient
servant,
Richard b. Irwin. Assistant Adjutant-
General"