Reminiscences
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(a L T N E A L D E S C E N D A N T O F K I N G J O H N I I I , O F P O L A N D ) W R I T T E N BY HIMSELF TO W H IC H IS A D D E D H IS P O P U L A R L E C T U R E‘T
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(,S'ECOND E D I T I O N ) W I T H I LLUSTRATI ONS PUBLI SHE R . G. S O B I E S K I L o s An g e l e s, Ca l.z księgozbioru
Jima Morrisse/a
Copynghted by JO H N SO B IESK I
To m y comrades in the United States Army, who served with me in behalf of national unity; to my comrades who served with me in Mexico in defense of th a t republic; and to those noble men and women with whom I have for morę than thirty years labored in behalf of the temperance and other reforms, this volume is dedicated.
T h e late D r. B enjam in J o w e tt o f t h e U niversity of Oxford once said: “ W e shall come in the futurę to teach alm ost entirely by bio g rap h y . W e shall begin with th e life th a t is m ost familiar to us, the life of Christ, and we shall m o rę and m orę p u t before our children th e g r e a t exam ples of p e r s o n s ’ lives, so th a t th e y shall have from th e b eg in n in g hero es and friends in th eir th o u g h t s .”
Ali intelligent ad u lts in recalling th e th in g s th a t most influenced th e ir early lives will appreci- ate th e wisdom of D r. J o w e tt’s prophecy. Multi- tudes of th e wisest and b e s t will testify th a t their first am bition for a noble life b e g a n with reading the life-story of some good m an or woman.
W h a t a ą u ic k en in g to faith and w hat an inspira- tion to rig h teo u s e n d ea v o r is th a t account in the eleventh ch a p te r of H eb rew s, of the “ g r e a t cloud of w itn e ss e s ” (m a rty rs “ of whom th e world was n o t w o r t h y ” ) “ who th r o u g h faith su b d u ed king- doms, w ro u g h t righteo u sn ess, * * s to p p ed th e m ouths o flio n s, w axed valiant in fight,” etc., etc.!
“ T h e glorious co m p an y of th e A p o stle s .” “ T h e goodly fellowship of th e P r o p h e ts .” “ T h e noble arm y of M a r ty r s .”
It is th e life an d exam ple of such th a t move the world.
VI Introduction.
M any millions of peo p le all over C hristendom have been thrilled with adm iration and moved to th a n k God and ta k e co u rag e at the story of the I olish p atrio t an d C hristian soldier, K in g John Sobieski, who in a m ig h ty b a ttle at th e g a te s of V ienna ( A. D. 1 6 8 3 ) rescued C hristendom front the terrible M osiem invasion. “ T h a t h e ro ’s victory, with his little arm y of Poles a g ain st ten times th e n u m b e r of T u r k s , ” says an E n g lish his- torian, “ catised all E u r o p ę to ring with the praise of Jo h n Sobieski and echo th e w ords chosen by Po p e Innocent for his te x t when the g r e a t news reac h ed R o m ę : ‘T h e r e was a m an sen t front God, w hose nam e was J o h n ’ ( J o h n 1 :6 ) . F o r Sobieski had not m erely delivered A u s tr ia — he had saved E u r o p ę .”
A n d th en again, how our youthful h e a rts have iteen stirred with rig h teo u s w rath ag ain st the oppressor, and warm s y m p a th y with th e oppressed, as we have read in our school-books o f th e down- fall of the Polish Republic, and the cruel partition of th a t country by the th r e e g r e a t powers, Prussia, Russia, and A u stria — this last nanied b ein g th e sam e country th a t P o l a n d s brave little arnty had delivered front I urk ish pillage and slau g h ter.
“ Oh, bloodiest picture in the book of time! Ilope, fora season, bade the world farewell, And Freedom shrieked as Kosciusko fell.”
M orę th an fifty y ears after th a t “ B attle of W a r s a w ” ( 1 7 9 4 ) which C am p b ell celeb rates in verse, in a n o th e r heroic effort for Polish freedom , C ount Jam es Sobieski, th e lineal d escen d a n t of K in g Jo h n III., fell as K osciusko and o th e rs had fallen. T h a t Ja m e s left an only child, a son six years old, nam ed Joh n , for his g ran d fath ers. T h is son, with an inborn e n th u siasm for liberty, having heard of free A m erica, soon after his fa th e r’s death found his way to this country. A n d h ere he has been for forty-five years, giving him self entirely to patriotic and h u m an e service: for th e first ten years in th e re g u la r U n ite d S ta te s arm y and th ro u g h m any b a ttles; th e n for two years helping Mexico to a re p u b lic ; a n d sińce th en as an A m erican citizen he has s p e n t his time in the halls of legisla- tion and th e field of reform en d eav o rin g to rescue th e weak and te m p te d and p ro te c t th e home from the drink demon.
In th ese p a g es is given for th e first time the life-story o f this very w o rth y son of P o la n d ’s patriot kings an d d e fen d e rs— a son who, if th a t people were free to choose, m ig h t to-day be ruler of a Polish Republic.
(P e rh a p s it o u g h t to be said, th a t while the au th o r of this book has especially r e ą u e s te d me to give this introduction, yet he has not b een consulted as to w hat I shall say a b o u t him here, and will not
Introduction.
r e a d this till he sees it in book form. If th e re be errors in it, I alone am responsible.)
A m ost u n as s u m in g man, it was only by much im p o rtu n ity th a t Colonel Jo h n S o b iesk i’s friends prevailed upon him to d ic ta te h is life-story for pub- lication. In fact, it w a s a l o n g time before his most in tim ate a c ą u ain tan ces learn ed m any of th e facts in his life th a t seem s tr a n g e r th a n fiction. T h e shrew d n e w sp ap er re p o r te r did not learn of his royal lineage till within recen t years, so th a t dur- ing the p ast twelve m onths for th e first tim e the g r e a t dailies an d some m ag azin e s have published sk etch e s of this “ royal Polish patriot, famed as a soldier and s ta te s m a n .” A lw ay s in love with dem ocracy and free g o v ern m e n t, and im bued with h a tre d of th e idea of aristo cracy and a titled nobility, in his earlier y ears he held it no credit in itself to be of kingly lineage, and k e p t the fact to himself. In E u ro p ę to-day th e ren o w n ed family of Sobieski is th o u g h t to be extinct ; because, from th e tim e this sole surviving m em ber, when a twelve- year-old boy, sec re te d him self in th e hołd of a vessel bound for A m erica, n o th in g has b een h eard o f him.
But “ blood will tell,” Ali of Colonel John S o b ie s k i’s acą u a in ta n c e s who have read th e story of K in g John III. in th e book en titled “ T h e W izard K i n g ” (now out of print), recognize a m a rk e d resem b lan ce in m an y particulars.
T h o u g h Colonel S obieski n ev er s a t in the schoolroom a d ay in his Iife, and never was trained and ta u g h t as were his fathers, except by his m o th er before h e r early death , yet he b e tra y s a nobly cultured ancestry. T h is is evident in a splendid physiąu e, in rare gifts of mind, and in m ost courteous b e a rin g and high morał character. H e is well ed u c a te d in th e tru e s t and b e s t sense. T ru e, he lacks much th a t he m ig h t have learn ed in our common schools, and at Oxford or H a r v a r d ; and nonę m orę r e g r e ts this th a n he. Never- theless, he has b een an intelligent ob serv er and an extensive r e a d e r all his life (th o u g h he h ard ly knows how h e learn ed to read ), and as necessity arose learn ed to talk in several different tongues, th o u g h d o u b tless not always according to th e dic- tionaries an d g ra m m a rs . But, as a wise and scholarly critic has recen tly rem a rk ed in refer- ring to th e late E v a n g e lis t Moody: “ G ram m atical and rhetorical niceties are not th e finał te st of intellectual g r e a tn e s s and g e n u in e cu ltu re.”
T h e story in th e following ch a p te rs is printed, with very few and slight chan g es, ju s t as it was dictated to an am an u en sis by th e a u th o r; and dictated, too, within a month, wholly from memory, and with scarcely any referen ce to books.
Colonel S obieski is an ideał orator. H e simply “ talks rig h t o n .” H e has never w ritten a linę of any of his n u m e ro u s łectures and ad d resses,
X Introduction.
and m ak es no w ritten notes in p r e p a rin g th e m — a most re m a rk a b le fact for one who has b een so co n stan tly on th e platform. H e is read y at a m o m e n t s notice to give a speech or talk on any subject with which h e i s familiar. F o r instance, a friend aslced for a copy o f a lecture th a t Colonel Sobieski had not delivered for ten years. H e com- plied with th e r e ą u e s t by d ic tatin g th e ad d ress exactly as delivered, th o u g h he had come to have different views sińce th a t time. H e is not a one- ideaed man, H e is continually su rp ris in g his inti- m ąte f rie n d s b y his varied rep erto ire. H e is ready, seem ingly, at any time, to p reac h a s e r m o n , conduct a funeral service, deliver a patriotic address, a Biblical or historical lecture, or m a k e a stum p s p eech ,— an d do it well,— alw ays sto p p in g when his auditors are say in g “ Go o n .” A n d w hat a fund of fact, and fresh s t o r i e s ! But d o n ’t ask him to tell “ th a t s to ry .” i en to one h e will not. It m ust
tell itself, as it were, when ;he w ishes to illustrate a point.
H e stan d s alm o st alone in b ein g so very radical an d o u tsp o k en in his convictions for reform, and yet so p o p u lar with peo p le of all classes and parties. The reason of this p o p u larity is th a t his natural kindness is always kindly ex p ressed , and he habit- ually sta n d s for fair play to everybody. G en ero u s even to his own h u rt,— he can h ardly say no to a cali for charity,— y et he is always strictly honest, and
faithful to prom ises. O n ce when an organization of which he was a m e m b er g o t so em b arrassed financially th a t a majority advised repudiation, “ Brother J o h n ” r o s e in his m ig h t with a t h u n d e r in g “ N o ; ” (for, th o u g h habitually g entle, he s p eak s with m ig h ty em p h asis on occasion). “ Give me two y e a rs ’ tim e ,” said he, “ and I ’ll raise th a t m oney (ab o u t $8,000) m yself r a th e r th a n have a goo d cause d isg raced by r e p u d ia tin g a j u s t d e b t.”
A n d he did it, th o u g h he im poverished himself in th e doing. It was j u s t like him.
F o r h abitual bu o y an cy of spirit, and for always seeing the ro ses r a th e r th an th e th o rn s in 1 ife’s pathway, his friends say th e y have never known his equal. H e is th e only man th e w riter ever heard say th a t he n ev er had “ th e b lu e s,” th o u g h he often suffers excruciating pain from th a t bullet- shot th ro u g h his body an d stornach— a wourid th a t the arm y su rg eo n s p ro n o u n ced m o rtal at th e time. A n d yet, sińce th e n he h a s tr a v e le d morę miles, and delivered m orę lectures to m orę people, th a n any one now living in A m e ric a ; but he says he never was weary from a d a y ’s work, th o u g h he has often been very sleepy and h u n g ry .
A lth o u g h he richly d eserv es a pension, he has never applied for it. W h y not? Because, he says, the g o v e rn m e n t has alread y too m any pen- sioners, an d he prefers to ta k e care of him self as long as he can. H e r e is a man who m ig h t have
X I I Introduction.
been a millionaire sińce com ing to A merica, but he has delib erately chosen to be as p oor in this w o n d s g o o d s as th e g r e a t M aster he loves to follow. H e was freąu en tly offered prom otion in th e U nited S ta te s army, for brave and m eritorious conduct, but he declined. H e was offered choice of any position with commission in th e Mexican aim y , but he p referred to be sim ply chief of stafł of th e co m m anding g en erał, E sco b ed o . A n d a f te r he had h elp ed lead th e arm y of th a t republic to victory, the M exican g o v ern m e n t, to show its g ra titu d e for his splendid service, te n d e re d him a tract o f several th o u san d acres of la n d ; b u t he would accept no co m pensation whatever, and re tu rn e d to his a d o p te d country to sp en d his life in plead in g for p u r e r m orals and j u s te r laws.
W h a t an inspiring exam ple o f unselfish devo- tion to the h ig h e st in terests of country and mankind! W h a t a h arv est of g o o d seed sown! A n d w h at a blessed reward, even in this lif e ! So th a t he may well say, as he does, th a t he would be h ap p y to live his y ears over again j u s t as h e has lived them.
W h ile this Polish-A m erican soldier lay bleed- m g on th e field of G e tty sb u rg , th e s u rg eo n said he m ust die, an d kindly advised him to m a k e his p eace with God. “ I ’ve had no fuss with G o d ,” was the read y reply, in th e b est E n g lis h th e y o u n g count knew.
Always at p eac e with his C reator, read y to serve and suffer for th e lowliest, te n d e r to little children. kind to d u m b animals, and cou rteo u s to every hum an bein g —
“ He wears the look of a man unbought,
* * * * * *
Yet touched and softened nevertheless With the grace ot Christian gentleness; The face that a child would climb to kiss; True and tender and brave and just, That man might honor and woman trust.”
J. L. D.
I L L U S T R A T I O N S .
King John Sobieski... Colonel John Sobieski... Colonel Sobieski’s F am ily ... Mrs. John Sobieski... Mary and John Sobieski... Mary Sobieski (at age of sixteen) Mary Sobieski (at age of twenty) Louie S. G ilhousen... Mrs. M. P. L e m e n ... Rev. J. G. L e m e n ... Col. Frank J. Sibley ... Mrs. Charlton Edholm Sibley . .
P A G E Frontispiece ... 1 ... 17 ... 33 ... 65 ... 97 ...113 ...129 ...161 ...193 ...225 ...241
p a g p;
M y b ir th — D e sc e n d a n t of K in g J o h n Sobieski— M y an cesto rs— F a th e r jo in s th e R e v o lu tio n — C ap tu red an d im p riso n ed — H is d e a th — M y m o th e r’s sum m ons to W arsaw — H e r in te rv ie w w ith th e viceroy— H er re fu sa l of th e p ro p o sitio n of th e viceroy— O ur b an - ish m en t.
CHAPTER I I ...
B an ish ed — J o u r n e y to th e fr o n tie r— R efu sal of th e A u stria n a u th o ritie s to le t u s la n d — Go to P osen— Or- d ered o u t b y th e P ru ssia n a u th o ritie s — Go to Brussels, B erne, M ilan— E x p u lsio n fro m M ilan— T h e case of C ap tain In g ra h a m — A rriv a l in E n g la n d — L ouis K o s s u th a n d H u n g a ry — M y u n cle Jo se p h B em — M y pledge to m y m o th e r o n h e r d e a th -b e d — M y p a re n ts Mjr m o th e r’s d e a th .
CHAPTER I I I ... 17
M y v o y ag e to A m erica— A rriv a l in A m erica— E n te r th e U n ited S ta te s a rm y — B a rra c k s a t Carlisle, P en n - sy lv a n ia — Jefferson b a rra c k s, S t. L o u is— S en t to F o rt L eav en sw o rth to jo in th e U ta h ex p e d itio n u n d e r G en eral A lb e rt S idney J o h n s to n — O ur jo u rn e y across th e p lains— F o rt B rid g er— T h e M orm ons— O rdered to New M exico— W a r w ith th e A p aches— R e tu rn to F o r t F illm ore, 1860.
CHAPTER IV ... 38
Second e n iistm e n t— O rd ered to F o rt L eav en w o rth News of L in c o ln ’s electio n — O rd ered E a s t w ith L ie u te n a n t A rm iste a d o n re c u itin g service— B rook lyn, New Y o rk — D r. V an D y k e ’s g re a t serm o n in defense of sla v e ry — H e a r H e n ry W a rd B eecher rep ly — H ear W endell P h illip s o n J o h n B ro w n ’s d e a th — O rdered to W a sh in g to n — Closing scenes in A m erican Congress b efo re L in c o ln ’s in a u g u ra tio n — In a u g u - ra tio n of Mr. L incoln— B eginning of th e Civil W ar.
C H A P T E R 1... 1
. C ontents
W a sh in g to n a f te r th e s u rre n d e r of F o r t S u m te r— M an iiestatio n ev ery w h ere of S o u th e rn s y m p a th y — E n tra n c e of N o rth e rn tro o p s— C hange of public sen- tim ent. G a th e rin g of th e U n io n a rm y — O rganizing th e arm y — M arching in to V irg in ia— B a ttle of Buli R u n — O ur d e fe a t— R e tr e a t to W a sh in g to n — D em or- a lizatio n of th e a rm y a n d people.
C H A P T E R V ...
CHAPTER VI...
A rriv al of G eneral M cClellan a t W a sh in g to n — B ring- ing o rd e r o u t of chaos— P re p a ra tio n fo r th e defense of th e c ity — C om plete d efensive w orks erected a b o u t th e c ity — L incoln calls fo r five h u n d re d th o u s a n d m en- G eneral M cClellan m a d ę th e co m m an d er-in chief of th e a rm y — O rg an izatio n of th e A rm y of th e P o to m a c — P e n in s u la r C am paign— O ur a rriv a l a t ^ o r »rfess M onroe— B a ttle b etw een th e M on ito r an d th e M errim ac.
CHAPTER V II...
C a p tu re of N orfolk— D e stru c tio n of th e M errim ac—■ Siege of ^ Y o rk to w n — B a ttle of W illia m sb u rg — O ur so jo u rn m th e C h ick ah o m in y sw am p s— B a ttle of F a ir O aks— Seven d a y s ’ b a ttle in f r o n t of R ichm ond — O ur r e tr e a t to H a rris o n ’s L an d in g
CHAPTER V III...
T h e a rm y a t H a rris o n ’s L a n d in g — O ur corps ordered tc- re-enforce P o p e— D e fe a t— M cClellan ag ain in com- m a n d — M arch in to M ary lan d — B a ttle of S o u th M o u n tam — B a ttle of A n tie ta m — M cClellan rem oved B u rn sid e in c o m m an d — B a ttle of F red erick sb u rg .
CHAPTER IX ...
M arch ag a in S tu c k in th e m u d — G eneral B urnside superseded b y G eneral H o o k er— R e o rg an iz atio n of th e a rm y — A d v an ce ag ain o n th e fo e— B a ttle of C hancellorsville— C harge of th e E ig h th P e n n sv lv a n ia
110
115 CHAPTER X ... 90
T h e d e a th of S tonew all Ja c k so n , a n d its effect on th e C onfederate a rm y — L ee’s m a rc h in to th e N o rth W e follow h im — A rriv a l on th e field of G e tty s b u rg T h e B a ttle — T h rillin g d e sc rip tio n of P ic k e tt’s charge W ounded— A fa ith fu l c o m rad e— T a k e n to th e hospi- ta l fo r th e m o rta lly w o u n d ed , n e a r H ag ersto w n — T a k e n to th e h o sp ita l a t W a sh in g to n — R ap id reco v ery __R ejo in m y c o m p a n y — O rd ered b efo re C asey’s ex-am in in g b o a rd — C om m issioned colonel of a colored re g im e n t— M v d e c lin a tio n — R ejo in m y co m p an y Crossing th e R a p id a n — R e tr e a t— W in ter ą u a rte rs .
CHAPTER X I...
R e o rg an iz atio n of th e A rm y of th e P o to m a c Pre- p a ra tio n fo r th e c a m p a ig n of 1864— G ra n t v isits us O pening of th e c a m p a ig n — B a ttle of th e W ilderness T errib le s la u g h te r— C hanging of o u r b ase to P e te rs b u rg — Siege of P e te rs b u rg begun.
CHAPTER X I I ...
I n te re s t in th e stru g g le fo r lib e rty in M exico— In te r- view w ith th e M exican m in is te r, R om ero Com- m ission to ra ise m en to go to M exico T a k e a vaca- tio n fo r a co u p le of m o n th s— Go to N ew O rleans ln - fo rm ed b y th e U n ite d S ta te s a u th o ritie s t h a t we will be a rre ste d if w e p ro ceed to M exico— A rrested Dis- ch arg ed on p aro le of h o n o r— D e te rm in e d to go a t every h a z a rd — F in a lly en terM ex ico b y w a y of Sonora.
CHAPTER X I I I ... ■ ...
A rriv al in c a m p of p a tr io ts — T h e ir little a rm y D ifferent n a tio n a litie s— T h e c h a ra c te r of th e M exican m easer— I tr u s t th e m an d fin d th e m reliab le— W h at we h ad to e a t— T h e w ay th e c o n te s t w as carried on— A th rillin g a d v e n tu re .
CHAPTER XIV... 130
T h e m eetin g w ith G eneral E sco b ed o — B ecom e a m em - b er of h is Staff— T h e F re n c h ra p id ly leav in g th e c o u n tr y — N ews arriv e s t h a t th e last d e ta c h m e n t of F ren ch h a s le ft, an d t h a t M axim ilian h a s le ft th e c ity of Mexico a n d gone o u t to Q u eretaro , w here h e proposes to m a k e h is la s t s ta n d — H is cap tu re, tria l, d e a th — My im pressions of th e M exican lead ers and th e ir corps.
C ontents.
T h e su m m o m n g of a m ilita r y com m ission to tr y M axim ilian— U n iv ersal d e m a n d fo r h is d e a th — F o u n d g u ilty an d se n ten ced to d e a th , w hich w as to ta k e place w ith m five d a y s of h is se n te n c e — T h e tr ia l of Gen- erals M iram on a n d M ejia— E ffo rts m a d ę b y th e dif- fe re n t E u ro p e a n n a tio n s an d th e U n ite d S ta te s g o v e rn m e n t to sav e M ax im ilian — T h e re fu sa l— H is d e a th — R eflections. C H A P T E R XV... CHAPTER X V I... M y im pressions of P re s id e n t J u a re z , E scobedo an d Diaz. CHAPTER X V II...
M y re tu rn to th e U n ite d S ta te s — Visit d iffe re n t p o in ts m th e U nited S ta te s — F in a lly s e ttle d o w n in M inne s o ta — B ecom e a re fo rm e r in p olitics— E le c te d to th e leg islatu re In tro d u c e th re e re fo rm m easures.
CHAPTER X V III...
I m e e t Miss W illard — E s tim a te of h e r pow er as a U eader— M y m a rria g e to L y d ia G e rtru d ę L em en — M y w ite s fa m ily — O ur ch ild ren , M ary a n d Jo h n .
CHAPTER X IX ... 179
N o m in ated fo r G o v ern o r of M issouri— L ith ia Springs A ssem bly H on. W m . E . M ason— G ood T e m p la r Or- A h a p p y life— E d u c a tio n , religious yiews,
CHAPTER X X ...
Som e of m y co-w orkers in refo rm s—J o h n R ussel__ J o h n P S t. J o h n — Col. F ra n k J . S ibley— Mrs. C harl- to n E d h o lm Sibley.
CHAPTER X X I...
C elebration of th e F iftie th A n n iv e rsa ry of m y a rriy a l in A m erica— A ddresses a n d le tte r s fro m p ro m in e n t refo rm ers— R e c e n t e y e n ts in m y fam ily .
TH E RISE AND FALE OF TH E POLISH RE-PUBLIC... 230 POEM—JOHN SO BIESKI... 202 POEM__KINO JOHN SOBIESKI, 1683... 260
My birth— Descendant of K ing John Sobieski— My ancestors— Father joins the Revolution—Captured and imprisoned— His death —My mother’s summons to Warsaw—Her interview with the viceroy— Her refusal of the proposition of the viceroy—Our banishment.
I was boru in W arsaw , Poland, S e p te m b e r lOth, 1842. M y father was C o u n t J o h n Sobieski, the son of J a m e s S obieski who lost his life in the R evolution in Poland of 1830 an d 1831, and a lineal d escen d a n t of K in g John Sobieski who is known in history as Jo h n III., b ein g m yself sixth in th e direct linę th ro u g h th e oldest sons of oldest sons of th a t g r e a t w arrior monarch. My m o th eP s rnaiden nam e was Isabella Bem, of the celebrated Bem farnily, so noted for th eir patriot- ism. H e r oldest half-brother serv ed u n d e r the g re a t N apoleon, and was in m ost all of the stru g - gles for liberty in E u ro p ę, from 1815 until his death in 1853.
My father was ed u ca ted in th e schools of Poland, F ra n c e and G erm an y , g r a d u a tin g from the university at H e id e lb e r g in 1840, when he was about tw enty y ears of age. Im m ed iately upon his g rad u atio n he re tu rn e d to his native country, enter- ing th e service with th e ra n k of coloneł in the Polish co n tin g en t of th e R u ssian army. H e r e he was serving a t th e o u tb r e a k of the insurrection in 1846, which insurrection he e n te re d into at once
with all th e en th u siasm of one of the Sobieski race. H e p articip a ted in several battles of tliat contest, was w ounded, captured, and imprisoned, an d was finaiiy ex ecu ted by th e R u ssian govern- m e n t M arch lOth, 1848.
T h e e state of my father was situ a ted ab o u t one h u n d red and tw enty miles from W arsaw , an d as soon as th e insurrcction b ro k e out, my m o th er with h er b oy— m yself—a t once rep aired to th e estate, which was one of the la rg e st in Poland, compris- ing two h u n d red th o u s a n d acres of land. My m o th er learn ed th a t my father had been w ounded and captured by the R u ssian army, and supp o sed th a t th e y had p u t him to death, as she did not h ear of him ag ain for m orę th a n a year.
But all this tim e my father was suffering th e horrors of a R u ssian prison. F o r some th irteen m onths he was s tr u g g lin g for existence in th a t prison, w ithout a b ath or a ch an g e of clothing, in a celi infested with verm in of every description. O n e day he was visited by a R u ssian officer, who informed him th a t it h a d b een d ecre ed by the R ussian g o v e rn m c n t th a t he m u st suffer death. T h e officer told my father that, if he had any reason- able re ą u e s t to make, it would be g ran te d . H is only r e ą u e s t was th a t he m ig h t be privileged to see his wife and boy.
* O n e day my m o th e r was su rp rised by receiving a visit from a d e ta c h m e n t of C ossack soldiers, who,
in the nam e of the Czar, o rd e re d h er to g e t read y and follow them.
N o t know ing w hither we w ere bound, in our own carriage, driven by our own servant, we pro- ceeded with the soldiers. I re m e m b e r th e jo u rn ey well. It was in th e la tte r p a r t of F e b ru a ry or the first of March. In th a t n o rth country winter had not a b ated any of its rigor, so I re m e m b e r the severe cold and th e g a y tra p p in g s of the soldiers. W e could not have b een m orę th an two days mak- ing th e trip, s to p p in g now and th en for a few min- utes rest, and for refreshm ents. W e arrived in W arsaw at night.
T h e next m orn in g we w ere o rd ered to a p p e a r before th e viceroy of Poland, who was a b ru th e r of the. emperor. H e was a man no ted for his savagc and unfeeling naturę. But, to my m o th e r ’s aston- ishment, he received h er with every to k e n of respect and regard, and seem ed, indeed, almost friendly. H e told my m o th e r th a t he had an unpleasant d u ty to perform, and would do it just as g en tly and as kindly as possible. H e informed my m o th er th a t my father was still living, but th at he would be ex ec u ted the next m orning ; and th a t h er father and h e r two y o u n g e r b ro th e rs were in the sam e prison with my father, and would be executed a t th e sam e time with him. H e said that he now h ad a pro p o sitio n to m a k e to her, and he hoped th a t she would consider it c a re fu lly ;
4
Life of Colonel John Sobieski.th a t she would not let an y sen se of w rong she th o u g h t she had suffered p rev en t h er from m a k in g a wise decision, as th e futurę welfare of h e rs e lf and child was in h er own hands, and d e p e n d e d upon h er answer. H e said th a t the e m p e ro r had author- ized him to m a k e her this p r o p o s itio n : T h a t if she would consent to have h er boy ta k e n from h er th a t day, conveyed to an institution u n d e r th e direc- tion of the G re e k C hurch, w h ere he would be care- fully g u ard ed , in stru cted and ed u ca ted u n d e r th e supervision of th e te a c h e rs of th e G r e e k Church, ( t h e object of th e R u ssian g o v e rn m e n t b ein g to nationalize me, th a t is, to m ak e me an a d h e r e n t of th e R u ssian g o v e r n m e n t ), as s u rin g h er th a t ev ery th in g should be d one for his welfare and cul- ture, and th a t she should have the privilege ol occasionally visiting him ;— if she would consent to this and ta k e th e o ath of fidelity to th e em peror, she m ig h t re tu rn to th e es ta te u n restrain ed and enjoy it until h e r son arrived at his majority, when he would come into possession of it h im s e lf : but, on the o th e r hand, if she refused this proposition, th e n on the morrow a decree would be issued in the nam e of th e em peror, exp ellin g h e r and h e r son forever from Poland u p o n the p en alty of death, should she or h e r son ever return, or e n te r any territory controlled by th e C z a r ; and th a t our es ta te s and all o f our b elo n g in g s would be forever confiscated to th e Czar.
T h e viceroy very kindly offered my m o th er proper time to consider th e proposition, and
b e g g e d her to ta k e th e time. But my m o th er without any hesitation told him such a proposition would not reąu ire time for th o u g h t or considera- tion. H e r mind was alread y m ad ę up. S h e said : “ Sire, you can tell th e e m p ero r for me, th a t h e can ta k e from us our estate, he can ta k e from us all we possess in th e worłd, banish me and my child from our native land, h om e and kindred, to dwell in foreign lands am o n g s tran g ers. I may be compelled to b e g b re a d for myself and boy, b u t I will go, and IT1 teach my boy th a t he is a Pole, and to love liberty and to d esp ise tyranny, and to revere and cherish the cause which his father cherished and died for, and to h a te with u ndying h atre d th a t nation and sov ereig n who m u rd ere d his father and kin and despoiled his country, an d sent us into exile. ”
W h e n my moth-er had th u s spoken, we w ere dismissed from th e p resen ce of the viceroy, and were then ta k e n to see my fath er in th a t terrible prison d u ngeon. T h o u g h fifty-one years have elapsed sińce then, and I have p assed th ro u g h many scenes, yet th a t terrib le picture has never been effaced from my memory. In a smali room without a single ray of sunlight, and with b u t a few s tra g g lin g rays o f daylight, we found my father. T h e dirt and filth were appalłing—
indescrib-6 Life of Colonel John Sobieski.
able. H ow he had ex isted for m orę th a n th irteen months, it was beyond our co m p reh en sio n to con- ceive. N o th in g b u t his splendid constitution had sustained him. F o r six hours we w ere p e rm itte d to be with him. T h o s e six hours w ere s p e n t in loving- caresses and counsel. P ro m p tly a t th e expiration of th e tim e we w ere su m m o n ed forth. T h e p a rtin g was such as you m ig h t have ex p ec ted o f a brave man and a brave woman know ing th a t tliey should never m e et ag ain till th ey should m e et in the land of spiritS. My m o th e r a t once m ad ę the re ą u e s t th a t she m ig h t be p e rm itte d to visit h er father and b rothers, as th e y were confined in the sam e prison. T h is was refused, and we were th en ta k e n back to our hotel. T h e n ex t m o rn in g my father and g ra n d fa th e r w ere execu ted . M y fath e r was not quite tw en ty -e ig h t years of a g e at the time of his death.
Before we left W a r s a w my m o th er learned th a t her y o u n g e r sister, w hośe a g e was twenty, and who had been a rre s te d and im prisoned some m o n th s before, had b een s en ten c ed to Siberia for tw enty years a t hard labor. L ater, we m et with a bishop of th e G reek C hurch, who was p re s e n t at th e d e p a rtu re of my a u n t for Siberia, who described h e r departure, chained to a g a n g o f convicts, w hose com pany she was to m arch in for tw en ty -e ig h t h u n d red miles, all of which m u st be m ad ę on foot. S he was never heard of afterward. S he probably died or was m u rd e re d by the C ossack soldiers en route.
CHAPTER II.
Banislied—Journey to the frontier — Refusal of the Austrian authori- ties to let us land—Go to Posen — Ordered out by the Prussian authorities — Go to Brussels, Berne, Milan—Expulsion from Milan—The case of Captain Ingraham—£.rrival in England—Louis Kossuth and Hungary— My uncle Joseph Bem— My pledge to my mother on her death-bed— My parents— My mother’s death.
T w o or th re e days after my fa th e r’s execution, my m other and I were placed in a sleigh, and u nder escort of C ossacks were s tarted tow ard th e frontier. W e w ere driven out w ithout any p rep aratio n at all, for my m o th e r never d ream ed when she left our an ce stral home, th a t she was never to return. S h e to o k but a limited am o u n t of money, and left all of h er diamonds, valued at morę th an half a million of dollars. S he often said th a t if she had ta k e n th e s e alo n g with her, th ey would have secu red h e r support, or furnished her all the revenue she m ig h t have need ed .
A fter days of jo u rn ey in g , we arrived on th e frontier of Galicia, th e p a r t of Poland ab so rb ed by Austria. W e were h alted by the A u strian a u th o ri ties, who in a few hours informed us th a t our presence was not desirable. F ro m th en ce we went to th e province of Posen, known as Prussian Poland. A fter so jo u rn in g th e re for a few weeks, we were one m orn in g perem p to rily o rd ered o u t of the country.
8
Life of Colonel John Sobieski.T h e reaso n for our ejection both by the A ustrian and the P russian au th o rities was eyidsnt. Both of those countries w ere b ein g rent a t th a t time by revolutionary m ovem ents, and, as we were political exiles, we w ere looked upon with suspicion and dread.
F ro m th e n ce we w ent to the city of Brussels, in Belgium. A fter so jo u rn in g th e re some weeks, we w ent to Berne, Switzerland, th e beautiful Capi tal of th a t country. H e r e we rentained for morę th a n a year, my rnother te a c h in g a school of young ladies, in la n g u ag es, musie, and painting.
F ro m th e re we w ent in 1850 to Milan, Italy. My m o th eF s health h ad b e g u n to fail her, and sh e w ent to Milan, w h ere she had some friends, and where it was th o u g h t h er h ealth would be better.
O n th e way we visited R o m ę. I still have a recollection of the E te r n a ł City. Much as I enjoyed its walks and drives, my p le asu re was g re a tly m a rre d by the p oor b eg g a rs , who seerned to m e et us in sw arm s at every turn.
A fter living in Milan for so m e th in g over a year, an event occurred th a t h a s te n e d our d ep artu re. C ap tain D u n can N. Ingraham , of th e U nited S ta te s navy, while cruising in th e M ed ite rra n e a n Sea, had en te re d th e little T u rk ish town of Smyrna, where he learn ed th a t an A m erican citizen by the nam e of M artin K o sz ta had a d ay or two before
bccn scized on th e s tr e e ts a.nd ta.ken a.boa.1 d nn
A ustrian ship of war, placed in łrons, and held as a prisoner.
T h e h istory of M artin K o sz ta had been this: H e was a H u n g a r ia n , an d h ad ta k e n p a r t in the revo!ution u n d er K o ssu th . H e su cceed ed in mak- ing his escape after th e failure of th e revolution, and came to th e U n ited S tates, w h ere he had tak en out his naturalization papers. H is health failing him, he r e tu r n e d to E u r o p ę and took a journey up th e M ed iterran ean . T h e steam er, or ship, sto p p ed at Sm yrna, w here he w ent ashore. Sm yrna being a n eu tra l port, no d o u b t he con- sidered him self perfectly s a f e ; and so he was, as far as international law was concerned. But in some way he w as reco g n ized ; and th e A ustrian com m ander b ein g informed of his presence, he was arrested and ta k e n a b o ard the A u strian ship, and no doubt would have b een re tu rn e d to A u stria or H u n g a ry and execu ted .
Captain In g rah am , on le arn in g of his arrest, went alongside of th e A u strian ship and a s k ed if Martin K o sz ta was aboard. H e was at once informed th a t he was not and had not been. C a p tain In g rah am th en w ent ashore, w here he was informed th a t K o sz ta w a s aboard th a t ship, as the ship h ad b een w atched every m o m en t from th e time he h a d en te re d it. In g ra h a m th en w ent alongside th e A u strian vessel an d asked the sam e
I O Life of Colonel John Sobieski.
ąu estio n a g a i n ; and ag a in K o s z ta ’s p resence was denied.
H e retu rn e d ashore, w h ere he m et the admirał, or com m odore (for th e re w ere th re e A u strian ships o f w a r lying in the harbor). H e s a id t o th e admirał: “ I have been credibly informed th a t an A m erican citizen by th e n am e of M artin K o sz ta has been arre s te d upon th e se s tr e e ts and ta k e n aboard your flag-ship, and is now held as a prisoner. I have been to your ship twice, an d twice th e c o m m an d er of your ship has lied in my face and denied th e re was any such person a b o a r d .”
T h e adm irał answ ered by s a y i n g : “ M artin K oszta is a subject of his M ajesty Francis J o s e p h ; and is held a priso n er on board my flag-ship, and you can see him if you so d e s ir e .”
C aptain In g ra h a m im m ediately w ent aboard th e A u strian ship. W h e n M artin K o szta was b ro u g h t before him in irons, K oszta was a s k e d if he was an A m erican citizen. Fle said he was. H e was asked if he d e m a n d e d the protection of th e A m erican g o v ern m e n t. H e said he did. H e was informed th a t he should have it. H is release was at once d em an d ed , b u t th e A u stria n s refused to give him up. C ap tain In g r a h a m th e n g av e th em tw enty-four hours time to release and resto re the prisoner, and said if he was not released at the end of th a t time, he woułd open his g u n s upon the A ustrian ship. But th e A u stria n s laughed him to
. -nrn, a s t h e y had th ree ships, th r e e men, and th re e ■ uns, to the A m e ric a n s ’ one. T h e ship th a t Cap- t lin In g rah am co m m an d ed was the sloop of war St. Louis.
W h e n the n ex t day d aw n ed th e re was g re a t excitem ent and stir in the little T u rk ish town. People g a th e re d on th e hilltops overlooking the bay, w atching with d eep in terest ev ery th in g going on in th e harbor.
Now, before the expiration of the time, the g overnor cam e to C ap tain In g ra h a m and th a n k e d him for his willingness to p ro tect th e neutrality of his port, but said that, with their sup erio r arma- ment, the A u strian s would sink him in a short time.
T h e answ er of C ap tain In g rah am w as: “ I know my duty and shall do i t ; and unless the prisoner is released, I will open my g u n s upon th e m a t the time specified.”
H e now steam ed his ship into b e tte r position, where he could b ear directly upon th e flag-ship of the Austrians. Q u a r te r s w ere beat, g u n s ioaded, and every m an was at his p o st ; C aptain In g rah am was on th e q u arter-d eck , with watch in hand, waiting for the expiration of the time, when, ju s t five m inutes before th e expiration of th e time, a boat was let down from the A u stria n ship, the prisoner was su rre n d e re d to the F re n c h consul, and by the F re n c h consul released and placed a free man upon the s tre e ts from which he h ad been
12 Life ot Coionel John Sobieski.
ta k e n : and th e m onarchs of E u ro p ę had learn ed for the first tim e ; th a t th e y o u n g R epublic of th e W e s t was s tro n g e n o u g h and b rav e ■ e n o u g h to p ro tec t h er people everyw here, and would do it at every hazard, even th o u g h such citizens m ig h t be of foreign birth.
It was while re tu r n in g from the M ed ite rra n e a n th a tC a p t a in In g ra h a m called at Milan. A dem on- stratio n was m a d ę in his honor by th e peo p le of th a t city, and especially by th e political exiles who were th e n resid in g there. T h is g re a tly offended th e g o v ern m en t, and th e viceroy, A rc h d u k e Maximilian, a t once o rd e re d th e expulsion of all th e political refugees resid in g in th a t city, an d for- b ad e th e m resid in g in a n y p a rt of Italy th a t was u n d er th e A u strian governm ent.
I re m e m b e r C ap tain In g ra h a m well. I rem em - b er th a t as he p assed u n d e r th e window of th e hotel w here my m o th e r and I were stan d in g an d w aving our handkerchiefs a t him, he raised his eyes and bow ed an d smiled upon us. T h a t m o m en t he was forever p h o to g ra p h e d upon my heart. T h a t was forty-eight years ago, and yet, if I w ere gifted with the p o w er of an artist, I could easily p u t him upon canvas, so vivid is my m em ory of him. H e was a So u th Carolinian, and an ideał S o u th ern er in every resp ect ; tali, dark, and hand- som e,— a typical, splenclid specim en of th e A m e r i can sailor, of which brave body Paul Jones,
S tep h en D ecatur, Jo h n R o d g ers, C om m odore Pen-y, A dmirał F a r r a g u t, D ew ey, Sam pson, Schley, and H o b so n are r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s ; men who have madę the A m erican navy glorious ev ery w h ere and for all time to come.
T h e viceroy who d ecreed our b an ish m en t, as I have alread y stated , was A r c h d u k e Maximilian, the b ro th er of th e e m p ero r of A ustria. H e him- self afterward played the imperial act in a farce in Mexico. I shall refer to him again, later in my story.
My m o th er now p ro cee d ed with me to E n g lan d , th at glorious old land of liberty. I was now old enough to ap p re c ia te w h at th a t word liberty m e a n t ; and oh, how I rejoiced to be am o n g the generous, w a rm -h earted ,' liberty-loving people of th at country! F o r all classes, from th e q u een to the peasantry, show ed in terest in our behalf.
Some m o n th s after our arrival in E n g lan d , Louis K ossuth, who h ad b een liberated from his prison in T u rk ey , to g e th e r with my uncle, G en eral Joseph Bem, visited E n g lan d . I rem e m b er K o ss u th w e ll: he was th e n in his prime. I re m e m b e r his p a ttin g m e on th e ch eek and telling me th at some day I, too, would fight for liberty. No man in E n g la n d ever received g re a te r ovations than did he. F ro m th e re he p ro cee d ed to America, w h ere still g r e a t e r honors aw aited him. C o n g ress g av e him a vote of welcome to th e land.
I 4 Lite of Colonel John Sobieski.
<*\
A m erican s tatesm en like W e b s te r , S um ner, D o u g las, Seward, and H ale, voiced th e sen tim e n t of C o n g ress an d of th e peo p le in w elcom ing to th ese shores the g lo rio u s cham pion of liberty. A fter a few m o n th s he r e tu r n e d to E u r o p ę and so u g h t to in terest som e of th e nations th e re in b eh alf of his country. F a d in g in this, alm ost b ro k en -h earted , he re tire d to G enoa, Italy, where he s p e n t th e re s t of his days.
A fter A u stria received its s tu n n in g defeat at th e hands of F ra n c e , an d ag ain a t the han d s of Prussia, by which it lost its place as the h ead of the G erm an States, th e y s o u g h t to conciliate H u n g a r y by co n ced in g to h er nil she strove for u n d er K o ssu th : a diet of h e r own, a ministry, and a constitution. T h is seem e d to conciliate H u n g a r y : b u t it did not K o ssu th , who said th e re could be no reliance upon A u stria ; th a t he could not trust th e H o u se of H a p s b u r g s , for th ey would b e tra y H u n g a r y w h en ev er it would p ay th e m to do it. A u stria rescinded its d ecre e of b an ish m en t of K o ssuth, resto red his p ro p e rty to him, and he was elected a m e m b er of th e H u n g a r ia n D ie t; b u t stdl he would not return, s ay in g th a t he could only live in free H u n g a ry , or not at all. So he died in G enoa, in March, 1894, at th e a g e of ninety-tw o, beloved and m o u rn ed by all who love liberty, p atrio tism and consistency.
My uncle Jo se p h Bem, who served u nder Kossuth, had led a life of rare devotion. H e had foimht for liberty alm ost everyw here : w h erev er th e cause of liberty was in peril, h e en te re d into it with all the en th u siasm he d isp lay ed w hen fighting for his own country. H e re tu rn e d to T u rk e y , as he saw u n m istakable signs of a com ing conflict betw een th a t country and Russia. H e becam e naturalized as a T u rk , was raised to the ra n k of pasha, reo rg an ized h er arm y upon the m odern plan, and, while rig h t am id st his work, suddenly died in D ecem b er, 1853. It was su p p o sed he was poisoned by som e one in th e p ay of Russia. But he lived lo n g e n o u g h to p u t T u r k e y on such a good military footing as to en able h er arm y to beat th e R u ssian arm y in every b attle th a t occurred th e y ear afterward.
A fter living ab o u t six m onths in E n g lan d , my m o th e r’s h ealth had failed so rapidly, th a t it was d eem ed b e s t th a t we be se p a ra te d . So I was placed in the family of a Polish g e n tle m a n by the name of Zolaski. M y m o th er continued to decline rapidly, and in S ep te m b er, 1854, she died. S he was tw enty-nine a t th e tim e of h er death.
I do not know much ab o u t th e personal appear- ance of my father, as he died when I was so young. But th o se w hom I have m et who did know him, d escrib ed him as b ein g tali, with a mass of black curly hair, large, flashing, black eyes, and
i 6 Life of Colonel John Sobieski.
very h an d so m e,— a th o ro u g h soldier. My m o th er I re m e m b e r very well. She was of m edium height, would w eigh p e r h a p s one h u n d red and tw en ty pounds. S he had beautiful, d ark au b u rn hair; h er eyes w ere d a rk brown, not very large, but te n d e r and beautiful. I have had people say to me, ‘‘ W h a t a beautiful wom an your m o th er i s !” It may be a s k ed by th o se who know me, why I did not inherit som e of the goo d looks of either my father or m y m other. T h a t seem s to be one of th o se th in g s th a t we c an ’t account for.
M y m o th er did one th in g for me th a t I shall always re m e m b e r with g ra titu d e . S he m ad ę me p le d g e to h er on th e day of h e r d eath, th a t I would never, as long as I cherished h e r m emory, drink stro n g drink, gam bie, or ta k e the nam e of God in vain; and I have never in the slig h test d e g r e e violated this pled g e. It has proven to me of m orę estim able value than any w ealth she could possibly have left me. W h e n she died she left me in a land of stran g ers, w ith o u t.a penny, and, as it were, w ithout friends. But th a t p le d g e has k e p t me th ro u g h th o se y ears w hen I was in th e army, when I was young, te m p te d and tried. T h e love which I cherished of a noble m em ory m ad ę m e stro n g ag ain st every t e m p t a t i o n ; and all th a t I am, and all I expect to be, and all the goo d th a t 1 have accomplished in fighting th e liąuor traffic,— all belong- to her.o
C H A P T E R III.
My voyage to America—Arrival in America—Enter the United States army—Barracks at Carlisle, Pennsylvania—Jefferson barracks, St. Louis— Sent to Fort Leavenworth to join the Utah expedition under General Albert Sidney Johnston—Our journey across the plains— FortB ridger— The Mormons—Ordered to New Mexico—War with the Apaclies—
Return to Fort Fillmore, 1860. •
A t th e time of my m o th e r ’s d eath I was adopted into th e family of P rofessor Kałoski, of Liverpool. ' T h e y w ere very kind to me, and I shall always rem e m b er th e m with sincere affection, and re g re t th a t I repaid th em so poorly for all th eir kindness to me. Professor K alo sk i’s wife was an English lady of rare accom plishm ent and beauty, who, before and after my m o th e r ’s death, did all for me th a t a m o th er could have done.
Professor K aloski cam e of one of P o lan d ’s noblest families. In th e u p risin g for liberty in 1830, he e n te re d enthusiastically into the struggle, and when it failed, lost all, and was com pelled to go into exile. H e cam e to A m e ric a and was for sonie two or th r e e y ears an in stru cto r at Annapolis, our naval school. Before com ing to this country he had lived in E n g la n d for a y ear or so, where he m e t th e beautiful woman who after- ward becam e his wife. It was she, I suspect, who drew him back to E n g la n d , w here he m arried
i8
Life of Colonel John Sobieski.and settled down. H e was a strong, stern man by naturę, yet kind of heart. H e was all to me that. a fath er could have been.
But while I was co n te n t in this lovely home, my m o th er had told me ab o u t A m e r i c a ; of it being a land of liberty, w here oppression by the g o v e rn m e n t was n ev er k n o w n ; of W as h in g to n , Jefferson, F ranklin, gmd all th o se splendid heroes who m ad ę this republic a land w h ere th e re was com plete eąu a lity before th e law. It becam e to me my ideał land ; and I shall never forget my d elig h t and joy, when I b eh eld for the first tim e th e beautiful flag of this republic in th e port of Liverpool.
In the fali of 1854, or rather, D ecem ber, 1854, th e U n ited S ta te s ship of war, C onstellation, C ap tain Jo h n C ravens com m anding, carhe into Liverpool. C ap tain Jo h n C rav en s had been a pupil a t A n n ap o lis when P rofessor K aloski was instructor, and a g r e a t friendship had sp ru n g up b etw een them. H e freąu en tly visited the hom e of Professor K aloski while in Liverpool, and in th at way I becam e a c ą u ain ted with him.
4 'h ere was a yo u n g m idshipm an by the nam e of A bbot, who freąu en tly accom panied him. A g r e a t a c ą u ain tan ce and friendship sp ra n g up b etw een us, th o u g h he was some th ree or four years older th an I. H e was a whole-souled, free- hearted, careless yo u n g fellow, always d o ing a lot
of reckless things, and y et loved by evGfybody. H e could say an y th in g or do an y th in g , even on ship- board, with all of its rigid discipline, w ithout punishment, bey o n d now an d th e n a severe repri- mand. T o him I im p a rte d my g r e a t desire to come to America. H e p e rs u a d e d me to let him sm u g g le me ab o ard th e ship, which he did, down in the sick bay, w h ere I was d re s s e d as a y o u n g sailor, and a sick one a t th a t ( an d th e m ost of the time it was literally t r u e ) ; and in this way I was successfully concealed untii we w ere e n terin g the harbor of N ew York, w hen my p resen ce was m adę known to the com m ander, Cravens. H is astonish- m ent and a n g e r w ere bey o n d b o u n d s ; but he soon got over both of th e m and becam e very kind to me, for he was a noble, g o o d man. H e w anted to know of me w h at I d esired to do. I told him I w anted to be a s o l d i e r ; th a t all of my ancestors had been, and I w ished to be.
H e said, “ W hy, my d e a r boy, you are not big enough ; w hat could you d o ? ”
I said, “ Sir, I can blow the b u g le as well as a n y o n e ; and you have a boy ab o ard the ship who blows the bugle for th e marines, who is not any larger or older th an I.”
“ W e ll,” he said, “ we will see what we can d o .”
Som e days after he came to me and took me to G overnors Island, w h ere I was introduced to
20 Life of Colonel John Sobieski.
the co m m an d er of th e p o s t; h ere a b u g le was b r o u g h t in an d I was a s k ed to give th e m som e musie on it. I did so, and it was highly satisfac- tory. C ap tain C rav en s th e n b eca m e my g u ard ia n , an d enlisted m e in th e U n ite d S ta te s service A pril 26th, 1855. T h is noble man was lost a t sea d u rin g the Civil W ar, off C a p e H a tte r a s , serving the flag which he loved so well.
A fter rem a in in g on G o v e rn o rs ’ Island a few weeks, I was s e n t to Carlisle b a rra c k s Pennsyl- vania, w here I was to be in stru c ted fu rth er in musie, drilled and disciplined, and co n v erted into a soldier. I could sp eak or u n d e rs ta n d b u t a few words of th e E n g lish to n g u e ; b u t I rap id ly picked it up, and in a few m o n th s could u n d e rs ta n d nearly ev ery th in g th a t was said to me, and m a k e all my w ants and desires known.
A circum stance occurred shortly after g o in g to Carlisle, th a t did much to s e t me forever a g a in st th e evils ol s tr o n g drink. U p to this time, I had never know n m uch of an y th in g a b o u t intoxicating liąuor. I had seen people drink winę, but had never seen an y b o d y d ru n k th a t I knew of. In the b arrack s th e re a t Carlisle was a s e r g e a n t by th e n am e of W a r m in g h a m , as fine a specim en of a man, physically, as I ever saw ; a perfect soldier. I rem em ber, as yo u n g as I was, how I u sed to adm ire his fine looks and w onder if I would ever be as fine looking a soldier as he. O ne d ay the
men w ere paid off, and S e r g e a n t W a rm in g h a m th at afternoon w en t over to town. I r e m e m b e r as he passed out th e g a te in his clean, new uniform, with his white gloves, my ad m irin g eyes followed him far as I could see him. H e did not come back th at n ig h t— indeed, it was several days before he did come back ; and w hen he did r e tu r n — w hat a looking m a n ! H e was b ro u g h t back by two policemen— drunk, crazy, cu rsin g and raving. H e was placed in a celi, w h ere I hearcl his ravings for days afterward. H e was finally court martialed, reduced to th e ranks, an d set to work a b o u t the g rounds with a bali and chain. W h e n I used to look out upon his b lackened, bruised face, looking so wicked and d e s p e ra te , and I was told th a t the cause of it all was s tr o n g drink, it so tu rn ed me ag ain st th a t dreadful b ev era g e, th a t I have never ceased to h a te it from th a t d ay to this, and shall hate it as long as I łive.
A fter a while I was o rd e re d to Jefferson bar- racks, n ear St. Louis. Jefferson b arrack s at th a t time was quite a rendezvous.
It was while I was at Jefferson barracks th a t I saw G eneral Lee, th e n Colonel Lee, on th e staff of G eneral Scott. H e cam e to the b arrack s on a to u r of inspection. W e w ere several days g e ttin g in trim for his visit. I r e m e m b e r him. well. H e was a very h an d so m e man at th a t time, probably betw een forty-five and lifty years ol a g e ; a perfect
22 Life of Colonel John Sobieski.
soldier in his m a n n e rs an d bearing. H is refined face and m an n ers I shall never forget. L ittle did I th in k at the time, th a t in so few years I should be fighting an arm y of which he would be th e com- m ander.
T h e c o m m an d er of the p o st at th a t time, and, indeed, of th a t d e p a rtm e n t, was G en eral H a rn e y , a t th a t time one of the b e s t know n and p opular men in the service. H e had served in th e arm y m orę th a n a ą u a r t e r of a c en tu ry ; in Florida, in Mexico, and on the plains. H e was a typical frontier s o ld ie r; strong, b rav e and d a r in g ; hated and feared by th e In d ian s as no o th e r man. A t the o p en in g of th e Civil W a r he was still in com- m and of th a t d e p a rtm e n t. H e a d h ere d to the F e d e ra l g o v ern m en t, b u t b ecau se of som e act of his at the o p e n in g o f th e war, and p e rh a p s to m a k e way for a y o u n g e r man, he was retired.
I re m e m b e r a circum stance while a t Jefferson b arracks, th a t g av e m e all the exp erien ce with tobacco th a t I ever had. Som e boys who were musicians w en t up to St. Louis. T h e y d ran k b eer and w anted me to ; upo n m y refusal to do so th ey m a d ę fun of me and called me a “ g i r l ” . I stood th a t as well as I could, b u t felt it deeply. T h e n th e y offered m e a cigar. I th o u g h t I would com- prom ise with th e m on that, b u t r e g r e tte d afterward th a t I did. W e sat an d ta lk ed and sm oked, and I grew dizzy, th e n sick, and th en b e g a n to throw
up. I not only g o t sick, but I g o t awfully sick. T h e first hour I was really afraid I was g o in g to die; and th e next hour I was afraid I w ouldn’t die. T h e boys to o k me into th e r e a r of the saloon, and laid me on a cot w h ere the o th e r to p e rs usually lay when too d ru n k to p ro m en ad ę. Finally, th e boys sta rte d me back to th e b arracks. W h e n we arrived at th e b arrack s ' my red cheeks were all gone: I was so w eak I had to be led. I was taken to my room and was laid upon m y bed.
A few m inutes afterward th e se rg e a n t of the g u ard came in and said : “ W h e r e is th a t drunken musician ? ”
My com rade said, “ H e is not drunk, b u t he is sick from sm o k in g a cigar. ”
“ I know better, ” said the s erg ean t, “ let me see h i m . ”
H e came along to my b ed sid e and said: “ A re you dru n k ? ”
I said, “ N o sir, I n ev er d ran k any liąuor in my life, but I sm o k ed a cigar and I ’m afraid I ’m g o in g to die. ”
H e said, “ Oh, h— ! y o u ’11 be, all rig h t in the morning. I ’11 excuse you from roll-call to-night.
I was all rig h t in th e morning, but I cam e to this conclusion : th a t two th in g s which m an y men consider absolutely necessary for th eir h ap p in ess and welł being, w hiskey and tobacco, for-some
rea-24
Life of Colonel John Sobieski.son or other, w ere never in ten d ed for me ; so I bade th e m adieu forever.
I was shortly after this, in the sp rin g of 1857, o rd e re d to F o r t L eav en w o rth , which was bein g p r e p a r e d to s u p p ress th e trouble th e n brew ing in U ta h with th e M ormons. In th e winter before, C o n g re s s had passed s tr in g e n t laws for th e sup- p ression of polygam y. T h is was d one at the d cm a n d — or practically at the d e m a n d — of th e whole nation, which was shocked a t the develop- m e n t of p o ly g am y in one of our territories, and it was d eterm in e d , a t w h a te v e r cost to th e nation, th a t it should be su p p resse d . Yet, as I dictate th e se words to-day, we learn th at a tr e a ty has been m ad ę with the so-called S u łtan of Sulu, th a t not only p erm its poly g am y in one of our newly acąu ired Philippine Islan d s,— not only p erm ittin g it,— b u t th e sacred hon o r o f th e nation is p led g ed th a t it shall never be interfered with. It has been th e proud b o ast of our country for thirty years or morę, th a t we n eith er to le ra te d p o ly g am y nor s la v e r y ; and now we do both. It only shows w hat territorial g r e e d will do for a nation.
T h e co m m a n d e r of the expedition was Colonel A lb ert 8 id n e y Jo h n sto n . Colonel Jo h n sto n was one of th e b est known and most c o m p eten t men of our army. Born in K en tu ck y , I believe, he had fought for liberty in th e Texan arm y a g a in st Mexico, had risen to distinction in th e arm y of the
little republic, and g ain ed additional laurels in our w arw ith Mexico. H e was a m an of a k in d h eart and noble b earin g ; very dignified, w ithout b ein g a t all au stere ; w inning in his ways, and loved by all who came in co ntact with him. A t the o u tb rea k of our Civil W a r, it is said by those who knew him best, th a t his sy m p ath y was actually with the national g overnm ent. H is S o u th e rn birth and relations caused th e F e d e ra l g o v e rn m e n t to tr e a t him with suspicion and coolness. It was m orę th an his sen- sitive n atu rę could s ta n d ; so he resig n ed his com- mand, settled his accounts with our governm ent, and w ent over to the South. H e was killed at the battle of Shiloh, April, 1862, and in his d e a th the South lost one of h er ab lest com m anders.
T h e second in com m and was Colonel Alexan- der, who, d u rin g th e Civil W a r, was th e chief of G eneral L e e ’s Staff. A n o th e r p ro m in en t officer was M ajor V an D o rn , who was afterw ard a distin- guished g en era ł in th e C o n fe d e ra te army, and was assassinated by a g riev e d h u s b an d in Mississippi. A n o th e r was C a p ta in H an co ck , our ąu a rte r- master, afterw ard so d is tin g u ish ed in th e Union army a s c o m m a n d e r o f th e S econd A rm y Corps, and one of the m ost celeb rate d g e n era ls of our army. H e was th e D em o cra tic can d id ate for p resid en t in 1880, and cam e n ear b e a tin g Garfield for th at high position. O th e r s w ere F itz Jo h n P orter, after ward a distinguished co m m an d er of th e Fifth A rm y
2 Ó Life of Colonel John Sobieski.
C o rp s; C ap tain J. B. M ag ru d er, afterw ard a dis- tin g u ish ed C o n fed era te c o m m a n d e r ; and M ajor B eau re g ard , the g r e a t S o u th e r n generał.
H o w often I have seen th e se men e atin g to g e th e r at the sam e m ess! Y e t only a brief period of four years p as s e s away, and we see th em lead in g brigades, divisions, corps, and armies a g a in st each o th e r in th e m ig h tie st conflict the world has ever seen.
A n incident occurred a few da.ys before our m arch from F o r t L eavenw orth, th a t was very amus- ing, especially as I look back upon it now. O ne day I was acting as o rd erly for C ap tain H ancock, our q u arte r-m aster, when M ajor B e a u re g a rd came to H an co ck and said he hacl received sonie books from France, recently, on en g in eerin g , and th ey w ere very valuable volum es; and a s k ed if he could have permission to ta k e th em along on the train. H an co ck ask ed him how m a n y books he had.
“ Oh, ” he said, “ q uite a box of them. I sup- pose th e y would weigh a h u n d re d pounds, box and all. ”
H ancock replied, say in g th a t he would be glad to acco m m o d ate him, b u t th e o rd er was im perative not to ta k e an y th in g along, excep t th a t which was absolutely essential for th e welfare of th e expedition.
