The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-06
IRISH BEND AND SOME OF ITS CLASSIC ENVIRONS Glimpses of Beautiful Home Life Led in Southern
 Mansions. CONNECTICUTWAR VETS And the Footsteps of Some
 of Them Fol
 lowed.
CONNECTICUTWAR VETS
"T. McM.," in an interesting article

"T McM," in an interesting article in the Catholic Transcript says:
 The Atchafalaya, an imense outlet o' the Red river, starting from the latter a few miles above it's entrance into the Mississippi, flows southward and after spreading out into Grand lake, and supplying score or more waters of the Teche. Cortableau, an- other bayou, contracts itself for a lit- tie distance, then expands into the broad and deep Berwick's bay, and on to the Mexican gulf. The immense supplies from western Louisiana had the wide region of river between Vicks- burg and Port Hudson and were prac- tically lnvexed by the federal armies and these supplies could be trans forred across the Mississippi to the confederates east of the river.
 Banks design was to move his army End smaller gunboats while the water was high by way of the Atchafalaya and Red river into the Mississippi and occupy them and the country above Port Hudson with large army, which would attack Port Hudson from the rear while the gunboats could patrol the river and completely prevent the transportation of troops or supplies across it to the east. It was one of the wisest strategic movements of the civil war, and Banks in it was success full. General Grover was sent with his division, which included the Thir- teenth, Twenty-fourth and Twenty fifth Connecticut regiments in steam ers$ up through Grand lake to Franklin while Banks personally moved the Jmain body of his army across the AtGhafalaya and drove Taylor's army upy the Teche. Taylor, unconscious of GEover's movements, gave Banks a stubborn resistance at Bislands plan tation on April 12 and 13 and did not llearn that our troops were above him 63nly few miles until we were actual liy landing. Bv an inexcusable blum der our army was moved by the wrong road towards Franklin, and Taylor with a brigade in the woods and gunboat (Diana) in the Bayou, made fierce resistance to our divis- ion at Irish Bend, holding us in check on the morning of April 14s long enough for his army artillery and baggage and supply wagons to escape.
 FIELDS OF SUGAR CANE.
 The story of Irish Bend has been too often told to need repeating here again. That was in April, 1863. Now in February, 1907, am going over the ground again--then afoot, now in a parlor car. I prefer the present method All the way from Berwick to Franklin. 20 miles. is an almost un- broken sugar cane field, stretching as far as the eye can see. At Patterson there are immense sugar refineries, sawmills, and lumber yards. At Calu- met (Bisland's plantation) is a live oak grove that would be worth, I dare not say how much, If it could be trans ported to and maintained in any New England city park. Franklin is com pact and neat city and growing rapid ly. In 1895 there was not yard of street pavement in it's limits. Now there are miles. Several very fine new DTlCh UullutilBS llctNC OCCi ClCSbSO within the last year and several ele- gant frame buildings. Perhaps I am growing old fashioned, but l cannot help the feeling that here a brick or stone building, unles a public building or church, is an incongruity. The dwellings,, nearly all frame buildings and painted white, and with gardens in front, are very pretty, seldom over one and a half or two stories in height, and almost never without front and rear galleries to every floor.
 OLD COURT HOUSE DEMOLISHED.
 One thing that I saw pained me. The Old Court house was being de- molished. the roof was gone, and the side walls were being torn down and, no doubt, all of the handsome old edi- flee has disappeared before this. A new and more modern structure will occupy it's site, but it never will sat isfy the old settlers as this old one did. One of the lawyers, an ex-judge, in- formed me that he with the late U. s. Senator Don Caffrey and supported by nearly all the lawyers of St. Mary's parish, brought protraction proceed ings against the parish jury's (corres- bonding to our county commissioners) removal Of the historic building, and