The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-06-02

Louisiana would secede from the Union. On
his way to New York Beauregard stopped off in
Washington TO explain TO his superior officers
that should Louisiana withdraw from the Union
he must follow his state The result was that
he was superintendent at West Point for only
FIVE days, when he ordered back to Loui-
siana thus establishing a record for briefness
in the time which any officer held that post
Louisiana seeded and Beauregard, the engi-
neer, who had prepared and presented COM
prehensive program for the defense Of the Mis-
sissippi river passage was called to Montgomery
for special meeting with Provisional President
Jefferson Davis "He kissed his wife good-by
and said he would be gone fortnight. He was
gone four years."
During those four years he rose to the height
of his military ambition and sank to the depths.
Within short time after Manassas he was
definitely "in bad" with Davis and the secretary
of war; Benjamin. He was sent to the Depart
ment of the West as second in command to AL
bert Sidney Johnston. At the Battle of Shiloh
or Pittsburg Landing a bullet struck down
Johnston and the command devolved upon
Beauregard. But with certain victory in sight,
when he could have annihilated Grants army,
he ordered the fighting stopped. He retreated
to Corinth leaving Grant in possession of the
field.
After Shiloh the whisperings against Beaure-
gard began. There began to be doubts as to the
greatness Of the hero of Sumter and the victor
of Manassas. But he did score a victory of
sorts in his skillful execution Of Corinth when
Halleck might have crushed him. Despite this
fact he was relieved of his command and sue
ceeded by Gen. Braxton Bragg one Of Davis
pets
The illness which had troubled him since the
beginning of the war made long leave of alb
sence necessary and after he had somewhat re-
gained his health he was placed in command at
Charleston again. There he successfully re-
sisted Federal attack aimed at this breeding
place of secession" In 1864 he was serving un-
der Lee in resisting the sedge hammer strokes
of Grant around Richmond At Petersburg he
beat off an attack which saved Richmond for
nine more months. A year later after Lee had
surrendered, there was dramatic meeting be-
tween Davis and Beauregard Davis was plead
ing for continuance of the war. But Beaure-
gard and Gen. Joseph Johnston told him plainly
that it no to struggle longer against
the inevitable
So Johnston surrendered to Sherman and the
war was over. With only S115 in his pocket
Beauregard started back to Louisiana. In New
Orleans he found himself still a hero to his peo-
pie But in the years that followed the hero
worship, even in Louisiana, faded. There was
the matter of the Louisiana lottery, the gam
bling scheme which was so bitterly assailed as
nation Its directors needed the association of
some man whose greatness Of name would lend
character and dignity to the lottery and Ger
tify TO the fairness of the drawings.
Finally they got such names two Of them.
One was Gen. Jubal A. Early and the other was
Gen. Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard 1.-The
South astonished a little shocked S. :.
and made apologies for her distinguished sons.
-. But though it apologized for him and
tried to forget his association with the octopus,
it never really forgave him. 1t was not the
thing for Civil war general to do"
Came the 1905. The Civil war was becoming
a dim memory. Most Of the great figures In it
were dead Only few fingered on. among them
the Great Creole. In his seventy-dfth year the
old illness assailed him. He felt as If knives
were sticking in his throat; he could feel the
pulse of fever behind his eyes. Sometimes. In
the evening. his officers would come to his quar-
tiers to cheer him up. The fire leaped and
roared. and those who liked whisky had a nip
or two, and Stuart sang in his great booming
voice. Perhaps, as be went up the stairs
the echo of Stuarts song went softly into his
darkened room, perhaps the dark was poignant
with the ghosts of men in weathered gray. And
perhaps as he fell asleep, there was the past
again. and the days of golden glory when his
name was banner In the Southern sun. Or
perhaps there was nothing - only quiet and
the ceasing of his heart and the peaceful com
ing of the end"
&c sy Western Newspaper Union-l