- History's Newsstand Blog - http://blog.rarenewspapers.com -

The Traveler… Gen. Lee’s wagon train… Davy Crockett makes a monkey…

This week I traveled back to New York City by the means of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper of May 21, 1864 [1]. There I found on the front cover the illustration of “Rebel Attack on Gen. Lee’s Wagon train at Mansfield, LA., April 8”.  Davy Crockett Quote [2]“In the late reverses in Louisiana one of the most disgraceful points was the loss of the wagon train of Gen. Lee’s cavalry, which had been sent so far forward that it became impossible for the defeated cavalry to retreat. This led not only to the disgraceful rout of the men but also the capture of the train…”

Also in the issue was the following: “The celebrated David Crockett, on visiting a menagerie, was comparing the countenance of a monkey to that of one of his fellow-members of Congress. Turning, he saw the gentleman had overheard his remarks; so, to make matters pleasant, he said, ‘I do not know which to apologize to, you or the monkey.'”

~The Traveler

2 Comments (Open | Close)

2 Comments To "The Traveler… Gen. Lee’s wagon train… Davy Crockett makes a monkey…"

#1 Comment By Fred Sill On 05/19/2014 @ 10:25 pm

As an enthusiastic fan of your blog, I hope you’ll allow me to make a suggestion. With the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal coming up on the 15th of August, perhaps you could consider a blog item highlighting the event. For example, the Dec. 8, 1906 issue of “Harper’s Weekly has a marvelous cover photo of Teddy Roosevelt sitting in a steam shovel, taken during his visit to the isthmus to see for himself what the diggers were up to. The copy I purchased from you, along with others covering the construction period, is now on show in the permanent collection of the Museum of the Isthmian Canal, in Panama City, Panama. (My dad went down to Panama in 1907 to help dig it.) Sincerely, Fred Sill

#2 Comment By GuyHeilenman On 05/21/2014 @ 7:59 am

Hello Fred – This is a great idea. Thanks for the reminder (about the 100th anniversary) and the suggestion. 🙂 Guy/Tim