Gabriel Montegut, Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Mike Miller ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** ************************************************ Gabriel Montegut Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana Gabriel Montegut, politician, Houma, La., who is one of the most influential and popular men of Terre Bonne parish, was originally from New Orleans, where his birth occurred on the 30th of July, 1839. He received his literary education at the Sewickleyville academy, in Alleghany county, Penn., and he entered mercantile life as a clerk in New Orleans at the age of sixteen years, serving in that capacity until the breaking out of the Civil war. He supported the confederacy with all the ardor of his enthusiastic nature and assisted in organizing the "Orleans Guard battery" in the summer of 1861. He served as color bearer of his battery all through the war, except twelve months' service in Guy Dreux cavalry of Louisiana, and most of his service was under Gens. G. T. Beaure gard, Braxton Bragg and Joseph E. Johnston. He was in many hazardous places, and in some of the prominent engagements of the war--Chickamauga, Murfreesboro, siege of Charleston and elsewhere. At Averysboro two Napoleon guns on the confederate side were to be matched against three Parrott guns belonging to the federal army. The confederate guns being short of men, Mr. Montegut volunteered his services to act as No. 3 to one of the confederate guns. The battle was a most destructive one, and every man at his gun was killed or wounded except Mr. Montegut and the sergeant. His horse and nearly all the other horses were killed and several caissons of ammunition exploded. After the war Mr. Montegut located for a short time in New Orleans and in 1868 moved to Terre Bonne parish. There he engaged as a clerk, bookkeeper and insurance agent. He is a natural politician, and the earnestness with which he advocated democratic principles soon placed him high in the ranks of democratic leaders of the parish. Because of his peculiar fitness for the position and the strong local influence he would carry with him he was appointed superintendent of the New Orleans mint, by President Grover Cleveland in 1885. He served through that administration with honor to himself and to the satisfaction of the people. When the republican party regai ned power he promptly placed his resignation at the disposal of President. Harrison, to whom he wrote the following letter, to wit: New Orleans, La., March 20, 1889. His EXCELLENCY BENJAMIN HARRISON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, Sir: Now that your administration is fairly started, and believing it to be the duty of every democrat who occupies a federal office (whether said office is with or without a fixed tenure) under a commission from President Cleveland, to place his resignation at your disposal, I, acting under such conviction, do hereby place into your hands this my resignation as superintendent of the United States mint at New Orleans, to be acted upon by you at such time as in your own good judgment you shall deem meet and proper with due regard to the welfare of the service. And true to our common government (the greatest in the world) now symbolized by a union of forty-two states, until you take such action, accept from me the assurance that I shall, like an American should, remain faithful to my duties.
I am with high consideration, yours very respectfully, G. MONTEGUT, Superintendent United States Mint at New Orleans, La. So consistent was his letter with the situation, so honorable its tone, that many prominent men in politics commented upon its contents and commended it in the h ighest terms, and placed him in an attitude that commanded for him the respect of honorable men of all parties. His successor was not appointed for several months after the republican administration was inaugurated, and during this period superintendent Montegut had to rule the mint with an iron hand on account of the demoralization of the mint -personnel- caused by the change of the national administration. He slaved at his post, which he never abandoned or neglected a single moment until his successor was appointed, and difficult as was the situation Mr. Montegut forced a proper adjustment of the business, and when he abdicated the superintendency the mint showed evidences of having been managed by a master hand. Mr. Montegut is now one of the best-known and most influential democrats in southern Louisiana. He was a lottery man out and out and used his influence to have it carried at future elections. He is emphatically a man of the people and is the undisputed leader of the democratic party in Terre Bonne parish. Strong and wary in politics, kind and generous in private life, he is a clear-headed, well-balanced, honorable man. He has been the chairman of the democratic central committee for fifteen years. Mr. Montegut is related to the Montegut family of New Orleans. From Biographical and Historical Memoires of Lo uisiana, volume 2, pp. 262-263. Submitted by Mike Miller