H 
 
 . 
 

LIFE 
 
 AND CAMPAIGNS 
 
 OF 
 
 LIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J, JACKSON 
 
 (STONEWALL JACKSON.) 
 
 BY 
 
 PROF. R. L. DABNEY, B.D., 
 
 It 
 
 OF THE UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, VIRGINIA. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED WITH STEEL PORTRAIT AftD ELEVEN DIAGRAMS. 
 
 (RIGHT OF TRANSLATION RESERVED BY THE AUTHOR ) 
 
 BLELOCK & CO., 19 BEEKMAN STREET. 
 RICHMOND, VA., AND PHILADELPHIA, PA, NATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
 
 18GG. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1865, by 
 
 STERLING AND ALBRIGHT, 
 
 in the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the United States for the District of Cape Fear, in 
 North Carolina, and assigned by them to ELELOCK & Co., February, 1866. 
 
 SCRYMGEOUR, WHITCOMB & Co., 
 
 Stereotypes, 
 
 15 WATER STREET, BOSTON. 
 
tttt Witoow awfl 
 
 OF THE 
 
 SOUTHERN SOLDIERS WHO FELL 15 THE CAUSE FOR WHICH 
 JAGKSOM GAVE HIS LIFE, 
 
 is gcbicateb fottb profound Respect 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 342016 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 THE cause for which General Jackson fought and died, has been 
 overthrown. But it is believed that this fact has not diminished the 
 affectionate reverence for his memory, and interest in his exploits, felt 
 by those who labored with him in that cause. On the contrary, they 
 regard the events which have occurred since his lamented death, as 
 farther evidences of his genius and prowess. Although he who un 
 dertakes to write the history of an acknowledged failure usually has a 
 hopeless and discouraging topic, yet the lustre of Jackson s exploits 
 and character is too bright to be dimmed, even by disaster : and his 
 is universally admitted, by his friends and foes, to be a name so spot 
 less that it shines independent of the cause with which he was con 
 nected. 
 
 My chief motive for supplying this customary exordium to my book, 
 is the wish to answer the natural question in the reader s mind, what 
 right I suppose myself to have, to claim qualification for the task I 
 have assumed. My answer is, that it has been entrusted to me by the 
 widow and family of General Jackson, supported by the urgency of 
 his successor in command, Lieutenant-General Ewell, of his venerable 
 pastor, and of many other friends, in, and out of the army. One ad 
 vantage for my work, I may claim, which brings far more of responsi 
 bility than of credit to me, in the possession of the fullest collection 
 of materials. The correspondence of General Jacksoh with his family, 
 his pastor, and his most prominent friends in public life, has been in my 
 hands, together with copies of all the important official papers on file in 
 the War Department of the late Confederate Government. I have had 
 the advantage of the fullest illustrations of the battle-fields and the 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 theatre of war where General Jackson acted, from the topograph 
 ical department of the same government, and from careful personal 
 inspection. It was also my privilege to enjoy his friendship, although 
 not under his orders, during the campaign of Manassa s, in 1861 ; and 
 to serve next his person, as chief of his Staff, during the memorable 
 campaigns of the Valley and the Chickahorniny, in 1862. So that I 
 had personal knowledge of the events on which the structure of his 
 military fame was first reared. 
 
 My prime object has been to portray and vindicate his Christian 
 character, that his countrymen may possess it as a precious example, 
 and may honor that God in it, whom he so delighted to honor. It is 
 for this purpose that the attempt was made so carefully to explain and 
 defend his action, as citizen and soldier, in recent events. Next, it 
 was desired to unfold his military genius, as displayed in his cam 
 paigns. The prominent characteristic of General Jackson was his 
 scrupulous truthfulness. This Life has been written under the 
 profound impression, that no quality could be so appropriate as this,- 
 in the narrative which seeks to commemorate his noble character. 
 Hence, the most laborious pains have been taken to verify every fact, 
 and to give the story in its sober accuracy, and with impartial justice 
 to all. I am well aware that perfection is not the privilege of man, in. 
 any of his works ; and hence I must be prepared to be convinced, by 
 the criticisms of others, that I have not been wholly successful in this 
 aim. But I trust I have been so far successful, as to receive credit for 
 right intentions. And especially would I declare, that in relating the 
 share borne by General Jackson s comrades and subordinates in his 
 campaigns, I have been actuated by a cordial and friendly desire to do 
 justice to all. If I shall seem to any to have done less than this, it 
 will be my misfortune, and not my intention. 
 
 If my story presents the hero without any of those bizarre traits, 
 which the popular- fancy loves to find in its especial favorites, it is 
 hoped that the picture will be, for this reason, more symmetrical, 
 and if not so startling, more pleasing to every cultivated mind. 
 The reader may at least have the satisfaction of knowing that it 
 is the correct picture, save that no pencil can do justice to his 
 
PREFACE. Vli 
 
 devoted patriotism, his diligence, his courage, and the sanctity of his 
 morals. 
 
 The reader will note a certain polemic tone in the discussions \vhich 
 attend the narrative ; and while strict truthfulness has been studied, 
 candid expression has been given to the feelings natural to a partici 
 pant in the recent struggle. The explanation is, in part, this : that 
 the whole work was written before the termination of the contest ; the 
 first portion, containing all the controversial matter, was published in 
 Great Britain more than a year ago, and ha>3 been circulated in that 
 country and this ; and the remainder of the biography was in process of 
 publication when the Confederate armies surrendered. The animus 
 of iny book will not appear strange to any oxie who remembers, that 
 when it was published, my fellow-citizens were universally engaged in 
 a strenuous war against the United States, and I was myself in the 
 military commission of the Confederate States. The question may be 
 asked, i)oes not the termination of that contest by the complete 
 submission of the South, point out the propriety of modifying the tone 
 of the work ? After a careful consideration of this question, I have 
 been constrained to believe, that it was best to leave my original 
 work substantially untouched. As has been stated, the first eight chap 
 ters, containing all that is most controversial, had been irrevocably given 
 to the public, many months before the end of the war. To attempt to 
 recall and suppress it now, would appear rather a foolish scrupulosity 
 than sound wisdom. Nor would this course be consistent with the 
 interests of literature. It has been often said, that cotemporaries 
 cannot write impartial histories of their own times, because of their 
 too lively sympathy with the passions which agitate the actors. It is 
 more certainly true, that if cotemporaries do not write, with such 
 partiality or impartiality as they may, it will be impossible for any 
 other historian in posterity, to write a truthful narrative. None but 
 eye-witnesses and actors can contribute the facts, which are to be the 
 materials of future history. And their facts are esteemed by the 
 philosophic and judicial compiler of the subsequent age, as scarcely 
 more important than their animus. He wishes to know, not only 
 what men did, but how they felt, how the events transpiring 
 
Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 affected them, from what impulses and views they acted. While 
 he does not blindly adopt the passions of either party, it is these 
 which enable tym to reproduce the very complexion and color of the 
 times he describes. Hence, it is for the interests of historic truth that 
 those who describe cotemporary events, should give candid expression 
 to the emotions of their times. 
 
 It may also be asked : Does not the duty of promoting mutual for 
 bearance, and the restoration of good feeling between the sections 
 lately at war, require the suppression of controverted opinions, and of 
 accusations, which, however true, can now be urged with no good 
 result ? In answering this objection, I shall candidly acknowledge 
 myself utterly sceptical, both by temperament and conviction, of that 
 deceitful and glozing philosophy, by which it is dictated. There is no 
 true and solid basis for public well-being, but rectitude. The truth, 
 manfully spoken, can never be unwholesome. If the complaints of 
 the conquered section are just, then they ought to be stated and dis 
 cussed, until a stable foundation for peace, good government, good 
 feeling, and prosperity, is laid in just and magnanimous treatment. 
 If those complaints are unjust, still it is best that they be candidly 
 stated, respectfully listened to, and calmly discussed, as long as they 
 are sincerely entertained in the hearts of the sufferers : for only in this 
 way can they be eradicated. It is to me simply incredible, that a 
 people so shrewd and practical as those of the United States, should 
 expect us to have discarded, through the logic of the sword merely, 
 the convictions of a lifetime ; or that they could be deceived by us, 
 should we be base enough to assert it of ourselves. They know that the 
 people of the South were conquered, and not convinced ; and that the 
 authority of the United States was accepted by us from necessity, and 
 not from preference. Should they hear the Southern people now dis 
 claiming and reprobating the principles which are unfolded in my 
 book as the animating principles of General Jackson, they must in 
 evitably remember, that this Southern people, three years ago, was 
 unanimously applauding and inciting him in acting them out : so that 
 it would be self-evident to our conquerors, that we were either traitor 
 ously false to our darling hero, then; or are equally false to them, 
 
PREFACE. , iS 
 
 now. The people of the United States have too much shrewdness 
 ever to suppose, that thfe sons of the Revolutionary sires who, as their 
 comrades, assisted in winning liberty from the British Lion, and who 
 have recently given new proofs of their undegenerate manhood, are 
 spaniels, to be made affectionate by stripes. The people of the South 
 went to war, because they sincerely believed (what their political 
 fathers had taught them, with one voice, for two generations) that the 
 doctrine of State-sovereignty for which they fought, was absolutely, 
 essential as the bulwark of the liberties of the people. They have 
 been convinced by main force, that they are unable to save that doc 
 trine. The only way to make them truly loyal again to the govern 
 ment of the United States, is to convince them by just treatment, 
 that they went to war under a misapprehension, and that their lib 
 erties may still be securely and fully enjoyed under a consolidated 
 government. It would be only a useless and degrading concealment, 
 for the people of the South to profess a suppression of the honest con 
 victions upon which they have lately acted, either at the dictate of 
 deceit on their part, or of persecution on the part of their conquerors. 
 For these reasons, it has appeared to me every way most manly and 
 beneficial, to leave this explication and defence of General Jackson s 
 resistance to the Federal Government, as it was written during the 
 progress of the conflict. Its suppression would conceal nothing, and 
 deceive nobody : its publication will give to subsequent generations a 
 lively picture of the temper of the times. 
 
 But I am ready to add, with equal candor, that when I thus declare 
 boldly the principles upon which the Virginians of 1861 acted, I do 
 not intend to be understood as retracting that acquiescence in the 
 result of the arbitrament of the sword, and that submission promised 
 by me in common with almost the whole South. I have voluntarily 
 sworn to obey the government of the United States, as at present 
 established and expounded to us by force of arms. That oath it is my 
 purpose to keep. The Federal agent who administered it to me 
 taught me expressly that its obligation was of this extent, and no 
 more : that it did not bind me to think or say the principles on which 
 
X PREFACE. 
 
 I had acted were erroneous ; but to abstain, in future, from the asser 
 tion of them by force of arms. 
 
 It only remains to add a few words in explanation of the illustra 
 tions which accompany the text. It is earnestly recommended to the 
 attentive reader, that he shall connect his perusal of the descriptive 
 parts of the narrative with a careful study of the map of Virginia. 
 This is so accessible to all Americans, that it was thought superfluous 
 to burden this work with the expense of its insertion. A simple 
 diagram is inserted, to facilitate the comprehension of each of the 
 more important battles. These plates have been carefully prepared, 
 from actual inspections and surveys, made by Confederate engineers ; 
 but they are simplified by leaving out all except the most essential 
 lines and features. The intelligent reader, even though not a military 
 man, will readily apprehend, that the representation of the positions 
 of brigades and divisions of troops in action, by lines upon a diagram, 
 can only be approximately correct. The lines of ink are, of course, 
 stationary; the lines of troops in action are never long so. The 
 relative position assigned to two divisions on the diagram may be a 
 correct representation of their relation on the field of actual strife, for 
 a fleeting moment only ; a minute more may have changed it. The 
 diagram must, perforce, either contain both of two divisions at once, 
 which in fact only occupied the field successively ; or it must suggest 
 a still graver error, by the total omission of one of them. But if 
 these obvious considerations are borne in mind, and the illustrations 
 are studied in connection with the narrative, they will convey no 
 mistake, and will be found to represent, with general correctness, the 
 positions and movements of the Confederate troops. 
 
 ROBERT L. DABNEY. 
 
 UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, 
 VA., April 1, I860. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 PARENTAGE AND EARLY YEARS, 1 2S 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE CADET, 2940 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 IN MEXICO, ; . 41 58 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 LIFE IN LEXINGTON, ....... 59 124 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 SECESSION, . ... . . . . ,. 125176 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 FIRST CAMPAIGN IN THE VALLEY, . . 177^205 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 MANASSAS, . *. ^ .^ j% . . . . 206251 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 WINTER CAMPAIGN IN THE VALLEY, 1861-62, . 252286 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 GENERAL VIEW or THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1862, . 287 307 
 
COXTEXTS. 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 KEENSTOWN, 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 M DOWELL, 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WiNCHESTEE, 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 POET REPUBLIC, 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE RICHMOND CAMPAIGN, 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 CEDAK RUN, .... 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SECOND MANASSA S, 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 THE CAMPAIGN IN MARYLAND, 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 FEEDEEICKSBUEG, ...... 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 CHANCELLOESYILLE, ..... 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 DEATH AND BUEIAL, 
 
 PAGE 
 
 308331 
 
 332354 
 
 355392 
 
 393430 
 
 431485 
 
 486508 
 
 509541 
 
 542581 
 
 582659 
 
 660705 
 
 706742 
 
: LIFE OF : 
 IIEUT.-GEN. THOMAS J. JACKSON, 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE family from which General Jackson came, was founded 
 in Western Virginia by John Jackson, an emigrant from Lon 
 don. His stock was Scotch-Irish ; and it is most probable that 
 John Jackson himself was removed by his parents from the 
 north of Ireland to London, in his second year. Nearly fifty 
 years after he left England, his son, Colonel George Jackson, 
 while a member of the Congress of the United States, formed a 
 friendship with the celebrated Andrew Jackson of Tennessee, 
 afterwards the victor of New Orleans, and President ; and the 
 two traced their ancestry up to the same parish near London 
 derry. Although no more intimate relationship could be estab 
 lished between the families, such a tie is rendered probable by 
 their marked resemblance in energy and courage, as illustrated 
 not only in the career of the two great commanders who have 
 made the name immortal, but of other members of their houses. 
 John Jackson was brought up in London, and became a reputa 
 ble and prosperous tradesman. He determined to transfer his 
 
2 LIFE OF LIEIJT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 rising fortunes to the British colonies in America, and crossed 
 the seas in 1748, landing first in the plantations of Lord Balti 
 more. In Calvert County, Maryland, he married Elizabeth 
 Cummins, a young woman also from London, of excellent 
 character and respectable education. The young couple, after 
 the common fashion of American emigrants, proceeded at once 
 to seek for new and cheaper lands on which to establish their 
 household gods, and made their first home on the south branch 
 of the Potomac River, at the place now known as Moorefields, 
 the county scat of Hardy County. But after residing for a time 
 in this lovely valley, John Jackson, with his young family, 
 crossed the main Alieghany ridge into Northwestern Virginia, 
 where lands yet wider allured his enterprising spirit. He fixed 
 his home on the Buchanan River, in what was first Randolph, 
 but is now Upshur County, at a place long known as Jackson s 
 Fort, now occupied by the little village of Buchanan. Here he 
 spent his active life, and reared his family. 
 
 He is said to have been a spare, diminutive man, of plain 
 mind, quiet but determined character, sound judgment, and 
 excellent morals. His wife was a woman of masculine stature ; 
 and her understanding and energies corresponded to the vigor 
 of her bodily frame. When the young couple emigrated to the 
 Northwest, the Indians were still contesting the occupancy of 
 its teeming valleys with the white men. The colonists were 
 compelled to provide for their security by building stockade- 
 forts, into which they retreated with their families and cattle at 
 every alarm of a savage incursion. It is the tradition that, in 
 more than one of these sieges, Elizabeth Cummins proved her 
 self, though a woman, to have "the stomach and mettle of a 
 man," and rendered valuable service by aiding and inspiriting 
 the resistance of the defenders. In her industry and enterprise 
 was realized King Lemuel s description of the ways of the vir- 
 
ANCESTRY. 3 
 
 tuous woman : " She consideretli a field, and buyeth it ; with the 
 fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. Several patents 
 are still in existence, conveying to her, in her own name, lands 
 which were afterwards the valuable possessions of her posterity. 
 They have usually claimed .that the characteristics of their race 
 were largely inherited from her; that it was her sterling integ 
 rity, vigorous intellect, and directness of purpose which gave 
 them their type. 
 
 The picturesque country, which now became the home oi tne 
 Jacksons, descends gradually from the watershed of the Appala 
 chian range to the Ohio river, but is filled with ridges parallel 
 to the main crest, of which the nearest are also lofty mountains, 
 while the more western subside into bold and fertile hills. The 
 grander heights were covered with magnificent forests of spruce 
 and fir, intermingled with tangled thickets of laurel : but as the 
 traveller approached the Ohio, and the mountains sank into 
 swelling highlands, he found the ridges fertile, almost beyond 
 belief; the slopes, clothed to their tops with giant groves of 
 oak and chestnut, poplar, linden, beech, and sugar-maple ; the 
 hills, separated by placid streams flowing through smooth 
 valleys and meadows, and their sides everywhere filled with 
 beds of the richest coal. The waters which refresh this goodly 
 land flow northward, and compose the Monongahela, which 
 contributes its streams at Pittsburg, in Pennsylvania, to form 
 the Ohio in union with those of the Alleghany. The mingled 
 currents then turn southward, and form the western border of 
 Northern Virginia, separating it from the territory of Ohio. 
 As all highlands usually decline in elevation with the enlarge 
 ment of their watercourses, the northern part of this district, 
 embraced within the boundaries of Pennsylvania, is less rugged 
 than the southern. Settlements, therefore, naturally proceeded 
 from the smoother regions of Western Pennsylvania, into the 
 
4 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 hills of Northwestern Virginia ; and thus it came to pass that, 
 in the latter district, the northern counties were at first the 
 more cultivated, and the southern bore to them the relation of 
 frontiers. The emigrants found that they had not descended 
 very far from the loftier ranges of the Alleghany and Cheat 
 mountains before they left behind them the rigors of their 
 Alpine climate. Wherever the valleys were cleared of their 
 woods, they clothed themselves with the richest sward, and 
 teemed with corn, wheat, the vine, the peach, and all the pro 
 ducts of Eastern Virginia. But this fertile region could only 
 be reached from the east by a few rude highways, almost 
 impracticable for carriages, which wound their way among and 
 over the ridges of a wide labyrinth of mountains. 
 
 Hither the patriarch of the Jacksons removed before the war 
 of the American Revolution. In that struggle, he and his elder 
 sons bore their part as soldiers ; and at its close, they returned 
 to their rural pursuits. With the practical sagacity for which 
 the Scotch-Irish emigrant is always noted, he and his wife bent 
 their energies to founding fortunes for their children, by acquir 
 ing the most valuable lands of the country, while they were 
 unoccupied and cheap. In this aim they were successful, and 
 their numerous children were all endowed with farms, which 
 now make their holders wealthy. After a long and active life, 
 they removed to the house of Colonel George Jackson, their 
 eldest son, at Clarksburg, the county seat of Harrison County, 
 now a village of note on the southern branch of the great Bal 
 timore and Ohio Railroad, and about forty miles from the 
 Pennsylvanian border. The death of the old man, in this quiet 
 retreat, is thus recorded by one of the most distinguished of his 
 descendants, John G-. Jackson, of Clarksburg, Judge of the 
 Court of the United States for the Western District of Virginia. 
 He writes to Mrs. Madison, whose sister he had married, in 
 
DEATH OP JOHN JACKSON. 5 
 
 1801 : "Death, on the 25th of September, pi.t a period to the 
 existence of my aged grandfather, John Jackson, in the eighty- 
 sixth year of his age. The long life of this good man was 
 spent in those noble and virtuous pursuits, which endear men 
 to their acquaintance, and make their decease sincerely regretted 
 by all the good and virtuous. He was a native of England, 
 and migrated hither in the year 1748. He took an active part 
 in the revolutionary war in favor of Independence, and, upon the 
 establishment of it, returned to his farming, which he laboriously 
 pursued until the marriage of his younger son, when he was 
 prevailed upon by my father to come and reside near him ; there 
 he lived for several years with his wife, enjoying all his mental 
 faculties, and great corporeal strength, until a few days before 
 his death. I saw him breathe his last in the arms of my aged 
 grandmother, and can truly add, that to live and die as he did 
 would be the excess of happiness. 
 
 " He left a valuable real-estate at the entire disposal of the 
 widow, with the concurrence of all the natural heirs, as his lib 
 erality had been amply experienced by them all in his lifetime." 
 
 Elizabeth, his wife, survived him until 1825, beloved and 
 respected by all who knew her, and reached the extreme age of 
 one hundred and five years. Hers were stamina, both of the 
 physical and moral constitution, fitting her to rear a race that 
 were men indeed. The reader will be detained a moment, to 
 note the names and characters of her children, in order that the 
 springs of General Jackson s nature may be the better illus 
 trated, and also that his widely scattered kindred may be 
 enabled to ascertain their relationship to this world-famous 
 hero. The eldest son was George Jackson, who lived at Clarks 
 burg, the seat of justice for Harrison County, and was a promi 
 nent and influential man in the settlement of Northwestern 
 Virginia. Having taken part with his father in the Revolution- 
 
6 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEBAL JACKSOX. 
 
 ary "War, he became a colonel in the forces which, at the close 
 of the great struggle, expelled the Indians finally from his 
 district. Pie was one of the first delegates from Harrison 
 County in the General Assembly of Virginia, was a member for 
 that county in the State Convention by which Virginia accepted 
 the Federal Constitution, and was first delegate from his district 
 to the first Congress of the United States which sat under it. 
 After his father s death, he removed to Zanesville, Ohio, where 
 his life was ended. The second son was Edward, the grand 
 father of General Jackson, who, after several removals, fixed 
 his home on the west fork of the Monongahela, four miles north 
 of Weston, the present chief town of Lewis County. He was 
 a man of a spare and athletic frame, energetic character, and 
 good understanding, beloved and respected by his acquaintances. 
 Filling for a long time the place of surveyor for the great 
 county of Randolph, he acquired much valuable land, and left to 
 each one of his fifteen children a respectable patrimony. He, 
 with his father and elder brother, was actively engaged in the 
 Revolutionary and Indian wars. 
 
 The third son was Samuel Jackson, who emigrated to Indiana, 
 and left a numerous family near the town of Torre Haute. 
 The fourth and fifth sons, John and Henry, lived near the place 
 of their birth on Buchanan river; but of their many children, 
 several found their way to the extreme West. Each of these 
 five sons of John Jackson was twice married, and left a numer 
 ous progeny. There were also three daughters, who married 
 residents of the country, and left descendants bearing the name 
 of Davis, Brake, and Regar. 
 
 Talent and capacity were not limited to this second genera 
 tion. The sons of George Jackson deserve especially to be 
 noted among the men of the third generation. Of these, the 
 eldest was John G. Jackson, a lawyer of great distinction at 
 
JOHN JACKSON S POSTERITY. 7 
 
 Clarksburg. He succeeded his father in Congress, married first 
 Miss Payne, the sister of the accomplished lady who married 
 Mr. Madison, President of the United States; and then, the 
 only daughter of Mr. Meigs, Governor of Ohio, afterwards Post 
 master-General ; who was appointed first Federal Judge for the 
 district of West Virginia. This office he filled with distinction 
 until his death about the year 1825. He was a learned lawyer, 
 a man of great energy and enterprise, and sought to develop 
 the resources of his country by the building of iron furnaces 
 and forges, mills, woollen factories, and salt-works. These 
 endeavors absorbed large sums of money, and at his death left 
 his princely estate heavily embarrassed. The other sons of this 
 family were Edward, a respectable physician ; William L., a 
 lawyer, and father of a relative and cotcmporary of Genera) 
 Jackson ; Colonel William L. Jackson, late Lieutenant-Governoi 
 of the State, and then Judge of the Superior Court; and George 
 Washington, long a citizen of Ohio, and now an honorable exile, 
 by reason of political persecution, for his fidelity to his native 
 land. It was his son, Colonel Alfred Jackson, who, after serv 
 ing on the staff of the General, received a mortal wound in the 
 battle of Cedar Hun, and now lies near him, in the graveyard of 
 Lexington. 
 
 The character which the founders impressed upon their house 
 will now be understood. From their forethought and virtues, it 
 became the most noted, wealthy, and influential in their country. 
 They usually possessed the best lands and most numerous* 
 slaves, occupied the posts of influence and power which were in 
 the gift of their fellow-citizens, and sent some member of their 
 family to the General Assembly of their State, or the Congress 
 at Washington. They were marked by strong arid character 
 istic physiognomies, close family attachments, determination 
 and industry in their undertakings, and a restless love of adven- 
 
8 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 ture. Their race is now scattered from Virginia to Oregon. 
 More than one of them has been led, by his love of roving, to 
 the most secluded recesses of the Rocky Mountains, as explorers 
 and hunters. All of them were energetic and skilful to acquire 
 wealth, but not all of them were able to retain it. Many of 
 the second and third generations were noted for a passion for 
 litigation prompted not so much by avarice as by the love of 
 intellectual excitement, and by a temper intolerant of supposed 
 injustice ; and almost the whole race were utterly incapable of 
 resisting the fascination of machinen r . Every Jackson owned 
 a mill or factory of some sort many of them more than one, 
 where they delighted to exercise the ingenuity and resources of 
 the self-taught mechanic. In a country like theirs, of sparse 
 population, and more devoted to the rearing of cattle than of 
 grain, it may easily be conceived that these toys ministered 
 more to their possessors pleasure than to their wealth. Colonel 
 Edward Jackson, the grandfather of General Jackson, was, as 
 has been said, the second son of his parents. His second 
 marriage brought him nine sons and daughters. His first wife, 
 by birth a Hadden, bore three sons, George, David and Jona 
 than, and three daughters, of whom one married a gentleman 
 named White, and two, respectable farmers of German extrac 
 tion, named Brake. 
 
 Jonathan Jackson, the father of the subject of this work, 
 adopted the profession of law, having pursued his preparatory 
 studies in the family, and under the guidance of his distinguished 
 cousin, Judge Jackson of Clarksburg. His patronage induced 
 him to go to that place the last seat of his forefather s resi 
 dence to prosecute his calling. About the same time he 
 married Julia Neale, the daughter of an intelligent merchant 
 in the village of Parkersburg, in Wood County, on the Ohio 
 river. The fruits of this marriage were four children, of whom 
 
FATHER OF GENERAL JACKSON. 9 
 
 the eldest was named Warren, the second Elizabeth the third 
 Thomas Jonathan, and the fourth Laura. Thomas \\ as born in 
 Clarksburg, January 21, 1824. The early death of his parents 
 and dispersion of the little family, obliterated the record of the 
 exact date, so that General Jackson himself was unable to fix it 
 with certainty. Of these children none now live save the 
 youngest, who survives as a worthy matron in Randolph 
 County. 
 
 Jonathan Jackson, the General s father, is said to have been, 
 what was unusual in his race, a man of short stature ; his face 
 was ruddy, pleasing, and intelligent; his temper genial and 
 affectionate, and susceptible of the warmest and most generous 
 attachments. He was a man of strong, distinct understanding, 
 arid held a respectable rank as a lawyer. While he displayed 
 little of the popular eloquence- of the advocate, his knowledge 
 and judgment made him a valued counsellor, and his chief dis 
 tinction was as a Chancery lawyer. His patrimony was ade 
 quate to all reasonable wants; the lands which he inherited 
 from his father are now so valuable as to confer independence 
 on their present owners. But a temper too social and facile 
 betrayed him into some of the prevalent dissipations of the 
 country; incautious engagements embarrassed him with the 
 debts of his friends ; and high play assisted to swallow up his 
 estate. He at length became dependent wholly upon his pro 
 fessional labors, which yielded his family only a moderate sup 
 port, while he owned no real estate but the house in which he 
 lived. Not very long after the birth of his fourth child, and 
 when Thomas was three years old, his daughter Elizabeth was 
 seized with a malignant fever. He watched her sick-bed until 
 her death, with a tender assiduity which, combined with his 
 grief at the bereavement, and perhaps with his business troubles, 
 prostrated his strength ; and within a fortnight after his daughter 
 
10 LIFE OF LIEUT.- GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 he sunk, by the same disease, into a premature grave. This 
 unexpected end was all that was needed to complete the ruin of 
 his affairs. Out of their wreck absolutely nothing seems to 
 have been saved for his widow and babes. The Masonic Order, 
 of which Jonathan Jackson was an officer, gave to the widow a 
 little cottage of a single room. In this dwelling she applied 
 herself to the task of earning a living for herself arid Children, 
 by her needle and the labors of a little school. 
 
 She is represented as a lady of graceful and commanding 
 presence, spare, and above the ordinary height of females, of a 
 comely and engaging countenance. Her mind was cultivated 
 and intelligent; and it is probable that much of the talent of 
 her children was inherited through her. Her constitution had 
 pulmonary tendencies, which were evidently entailed on her 
 distinguished son. Her mind was sprightly, and her tempera 
 ment mercurial, at one time rising to gaiety under the stimulus 
 of social enjoyment, and at another sinking to despondency 
 under the pressure of her troubles. But her character was 
 crowned with unaffected piety. While her parentage and edu 
 cation would have inclined her to the Presbyterian persuasion, 
 the difficulty of reaching their ministrations caused her to 
 become a member of the Wesleyan or Methodist communion. 
 General Jackson always spoke of her with tender affection, 
 and traced his first sacred impressions to her lessons. When a 
 daughter was born to him a few months before his own death, 
 he caused her to be baptized with his mother s name, Julia 
 Nealc. In the year 1830, Mrs. Jackson, whose youth and beauty 
 still fitted her to please, married Mr. Woodson, a lawyer of 
 Cumberland County, Virginia, whom the rising importance of 
 the Northwest had attracted, along with many other Eastern 
 Virginians, to that country. He was a sort of decayed gentle 
 man, much Mrs. Jackson s senior, a widower, without pro- 
 
HIS MOTHER DIES. 11 
 
 perty, but of fair character, and of a popular, social turn. 
 The marriage was distasteful to Mrs. Jackson s relatives. They 
 threatened, as a sort of penalty for it, to take the maintenance 
 and education of the children out of the widow s hands, and 
 offered, as an inducement on the opposite side, liberal pecuniary 
 aid if she would continue to bear her first husband s name. But 
 love, as usual, was omnipotent. Upon her marriage to Mr. Wood- 
 son, his scanty resources compelled her to accept the protection 
 of her former husband s kindred for her children, which she had 
 at first declined as an infliction. The second husband s profes 
 sional success was limited, and he very soon accepted from his 
 friend, Judge Duncan, who had also intermarried with the Jack 
 son family, the office of Clerk of the Court in the county of Fay- 
 ette, which lies on the New River, west of Greenbrier. After one 
 year of married life, Mrs. Woodson s constitution sank upon giving 
 birth to a son ; two months after, she died, on the 4th of Decem 
 ber, 1831 ; and her remains await their resurrection not far 
 from the famous Hawk s Nest of New River. Her husband 
 announced her death to her friends in these words : "No Chris 
 tian on earth, no matter what evidence he might have had of a 
 happy hereafter, could have died with more fortitude. Per 
 fectly in her senses, calm and deliberate, she met her fate 
 without a murmur or a struggle. Death for her had no stin^; 
 the grave could claim no victory. I have known few women 
 of equal, none of superior merit." The infant, thus early 
 bereaved of her care, lived to man s estate, and died of pul 
 monary disease, doubtless inherited from his mother, in the 
 State of Missouri. Thomas, then seven years old, with his 
 brother and sister, had been sent for to visit his mother in 
 her sickness, and he remained to witness her death. To his 
 Christian friends he stated, long afterwards, that the wholesome 
 impression of her dying instructions and prayers, and of her 
 
f2 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSON. 
 
 triumph over the grave, had never been erased from his heart. 
 In his manhood, he delighted to think of her as the impersona 
 tion of sweetness, grace, and beauty ; and he could never relate, 
 without tenderness, the events of his departure from his uncle s 
 house, when she had him mounted behind the last of his father s 
 slaves, " good old Uncle Robinson," and recalled him so anx 
 iously, to give the last touch to the arrangements for his com 
 fort. She had no other legacy to leave him than her prayers ; 
 but these availed to shield him through all the untoward inci 
 dents of his orphanage and his eventful life; and they were 
 answered by the most glorious endowments of grace and virtue 
 which the heart of a dying parent could crave for a child, a 
 cheering instance of God s faithfulness to his people and their 
 seed. 
 
 The orphans thus thrown upon the wide world, received 
 shelter at first from their father s sisters, Mrs. White for whom 
 Thomas always cherished a tender gratitude and Mrs. Brake. 
 His home was with the latter, about four miles from Clarks 
 burg. He was then a pretty and engaging child, with rosy and 
 almost feminine cheeks, waving brown hair, and large pensive 
 blue eyes. It was said of him that, in the waywardness and 
 levity which are usually seen at his age, he never was a child. 
 The little fellow had a manly innate courtesy, and strange, 
 quiet thoughtfulncss, united with a determination beyond his 
 years, which drew wonder and love from his relatives. An 
 incident, which is most fully authenticated, occurring when 
 he was but eight years old, shows that nature made him, from 
 the first, of another mould from that of common men. He 
 appeared one day at the house of his father s cousin, Judge 
 John G. Jackson, in Clarksburg, and addressing Mrs. Jackson 
 by the title of aunt, which he usually gave her, asked her to 
 give him dinner. While he was eating it, he remarked, in a 
 
CHILDISH TRAITS. 13 
 
 very quiet tone, "Uncle Brake and I don t agree; I have quit 
 him, and shall not go back any more." His kind hostess re 
 monstrated against this purpose as a childish whim. He 
 listened most respectfully to all her reasoning, but returned to 
 the same resolute declaration, "No; Uncle Brake and I can t 
 agree ; I have quit, and shall not go back any more." It would 
 seem that the husband of his aunt, though an honest, was an 
 exacting man, and had made the mistake of attempting to 
 govern the orphan through force, instead of through his under 
 standing and conscience. And the singular child, having 
 concluded that his stay under his authority would never be 
 congenial, had calmly determined, with the same inexorable 
 will which he displayed in after years, to end the connexion at 
 once. From Judge Jackson s he went to a favorite cousin s, 
 lately married and living in her own house, and asked leave of 
 her to spend the night. In the course of the evening he 
 announced his purpose of leaving his home, and, after listening 
 respectfully to her remonstrances likewise, returned resolutely 
 to his old formula : " No ; Uncle Brake and I don t agree ; I 
 have quit there ; I shall not go back any more." Accordingly, 
 the next morning, he set out from Clarksburg alone, and trav 
 elled on foot to the former home of his grandfather, in Lewis 
 County, about eighteen miles distant, then belonging to Cummins 
 Jackson, the half-brother of his father. There he was kindly 
 received, and, in the affectionate protection of his uncle arid of 
 two maiden aunts, afterwards Mrs. Carpenter and Mrs. Hall, 
 then residing with him, found the home he wanted. It was the 
 more attractive to him that his elder brother, Warren, was now 
 sharing the same refuge. This remarkable man deserves our 
 notice, not only for his paternal kindness to the orphan, but for 
 the influence which he exerted, and for that which, contrary to 
 all human calculation, he failed to exert upon him. He was 
 
14 LIFE OF LlEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 then approaching middle life, a bachelor, of lofty stature and 
 most athletic frame, and full of all the rugged energy of his 
 race. The native powers of his mind, although not cultivated 
 by a liberal education, were so strong, that some of his acquaint 
 ances have declared him to be, in their opinion, the ablest man 
 they ever knew. His will was as strong as his understanding, 
 and his passions were vehement and enduring. As a friend, he 
 was steadfast, and generous, without stint; and, though forbear 
 ing and slow to take offence, as an enemy he was equally bitter 
 and unforgiving. Such was his liberality, that his poorer neigh 
 bors and dependants adored him. He never had political 
 aspirations for himself, but his unbounded influence usually gave 
 the honors of his country to the person whom he favored. 
 Yet his business morals, save when he was bound by his own 
 voluntary promises, which he always sacredly fulfilled, were 
 accounted unscrupulous; and he was so passionately fond of 
 litigation, that his legal controversies consumed a large part 
 of the income of a liberal estate and the earnings of his own 
 giant industry. He owned a valuable farm and mills, and was 
 one of the largest slaveholders in the county of Lewis. His 
 occupations were agriculture, and the preparation of lumber 
 and flour, diversified with the hardy sports of a forest coun 
 try. In this plain but plentiful home, Thomas lived until 
 he became a cadet of West Point, with one noted interval, 
 which shall be related. He received all the privileges of 
 a son of the family. The relation existing between him and 
 his uncle was, from the first, remarkable. He treated the little 
 boy more as a companion than as a child, soothing for him all 
 the ruggedness of his nature, imparting to him his plans and 
 thoughts as though to an equal and counsellor, making him his 
 delighted pupil in all the rural arts in which he was himself an 
 unrivalled adept, and always rather requesting than demanding 
 
his compliance with the discipline of his household. Tho child 
 was thus stimulated in the work of his own self-government 
 from a very early period, and left to an independence of action 
 more suited for a man. But he did not disappoint his uncle s 
 confidence. His peculiar method with the boy may perhaps 
 be accounted for in part by the singular temperament of the 
 race passionately attached to the idea of independence; in 
 part by the relaxation of parental restraints, which usually 
 prevails in new countries ; and partly by the profound sagacity 
 of the guardian, who saw at a glance the noble nature with 
 which he had to deal. He showed his affection, also, by 
 earnestly seeking for Thomas, as well as for his elder brother, 
 the best education he could place within their reach. He 
 required of them a regular attendance upon the country school 
 of the neighborhood, which Thomas was prompt to render; but 
 Warren chafed under its restraints. He was now a hardy lad 
 of fourteen years old, and, Jackson-like, began to feel his self- 
 reliance, and to find the bread of dependence irksome. His 
 discontent was probably increased by the consciousness that his 
 little brother was more the favorite than himself. He therefore 
 demanded that he should be allowed to seek his own fortunes, 
 and choose his own home. His uncle, characteristically, gavo 
 him leave to please himself; and he departed, after a few 
 months residence. But he also induced Thomas, partly by his 
 affection for him, and partly by the assumption of the authority 
 of a senior, to go with him. They resorted at first to the house 
 of Mr. Neale, a maternal uncle, a most respectable man, living 
 on the Ohio river, at that island which has been made famous 
 by the name and misfortunes of Blennerhasset, and the eloquence 
 of Mr. Wirt. This relative also received them with cordial 
 kindness. But Warren found that his love dictated the same 
 policy which the affection of Cummins Jackson had prompted, 
 
16 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 requiring them to pursue their studies diligently at school. He 
 soon wearied again of the restraint, and, taking his little brother, 
 the next spring he went down the Ohio river, and disappeared 
 from the knowledge of his friends for a time. In the fall of the 
 year they returned, by the charity of some steamboat-master^ 
 travel-soiled, ragged, and emaciated by the ague. Their story was 
 that they had floated down to the junction of the Ohio with the 
 Father of Waters, seeking adventures and a livelihood, until at 
 length they contracted to cut firewood for the furnaces of the 
 steamers, on one of the lonely islands of the Mississippi, near the 
 southwestern corner of Kentucky. Here the two children had 
 spent the summer alone, living in a temporary cabin, earning their 
 bread by this rough labor, amidst the dreary forests of cotton- 
 wood, and encircled by the turbid river ; until their sufferings from 
 the ague compelled them to seek a way homewards. How strange 
 a world this for the fair and pensive child of nine summers ! 
 But such was the sturdiness of his nature, that he seemed 
 scarcely to feel either its incongruity or its hardship. On 
 their return to their native region, Thomas declared that he 
 should go back permanently to the protection of his uncle 
 Cummins Jackson, because he had experienced his kindness 
 and loved his home. But Warren seemed still to feel some 
 repugnance, and preferred to seek a refuge with one of his 
 father s sisters, living near the old home of the family, on Bu 
 chanan river, Mrs. Isaac Brake. Here he was kindly received. 
 The comforts of Thomas s home soon repaired the ravages of 
 the ague in his body; but in Warren the disease had taken so 
 fatal a hold that it could not be exorcised; it passed into a 
 phase of pulmonary decline, and after a few years of lingering 
 sickness, which seemed to be sanctified to the production of 
 thorough gentleness and piety, it carried him to his grave in his 
 nineteenth year. None of the little family now remained save 
 
TRUTHFULNESS. 17 
 
 Thomas, sheltered under the stalwart but kindly arms of Iris 
 uncle, and the girl Laura, who received her nurture from her 
 mother s relatives in Wood County. Although they hence 
 forth never occupied the same home, and could not meet very 
 often, he always cherished for this sister the warmest affection. 
 The first pocket-money he ever earned for himself, he expended 
 wholly in buying her a dress of silk. It has been stated that 
 Thomas always received from Cummins Jackson the liberal 
 treatment of a son. Thenceforward his opportunities for edu 
 cation were just such as they would have been, had he been the 
 heir of such a citizen. Classical academies were unknown in 
 the country; and the sons of the most respectable persons,, 
 with the exception of a few who were sent Eastward for an 
 education, were content with the plain studies of a country 
 school. But the practical success and usefulness of many of 
 the sons of the soil, besides General Jackson, have given proof 
 that book-learning is by no means the only instrument of an 
 efficient education. He seems to have been at all times eager 
 for self-improvement. A worthy man, Mr. Robert P. Ray, 
 then taught an English school at Cummins Jackson s mills, 
 where Thomas, in company with the sons of the surround 
 ing landholders, received the usual plain education of the 
 country. Out of that school came several others who have 
 not only been respectable citizens of their district, but have 
 risen to influence as legislators or professional men. Thomas 
 showed no quickness of aptitude for any of his studies, 
 except arithmetic ; in this he always outstripped his school- 
 mates, seemingly without effort. In all other branches his 
 acquisitions were only made by patient labor. If he pro 
 fessed to be prepared for a recitation, all might be certain 
 that he was thoroughly prepared; from the first, the intense 
 honesty of his nature, and the sober judgment with which 
 
 3 
 
18 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 he preferred the substance to the name of an acquisition, 
 were singular. Nothing could induce him to leave a lesson 
 behind him unmastered. If .he had not been able to finish 
 a previous one at the same time with his class-mates, he 
 would continue to study it while tliey proceeded to the next, 
 and when called on for his share of the succeeding recitation, 
 he would flatly declare that he knew nothing about it, that 
 he had not yet had time to begin it, and that all his time had 
 been occupied upon the other. Thus he was, not seldom, nom 
 inally behind his class ; but whatever he once gained was his 
 forever ; and his knowledge, though limited, was perfect as far 
 as it went. His temperament at this time was cheerful, amiable, 
 and generous ; and his demeanor instinctively courteous. His 
 truthfulness was at all times proverbial. To an intimate friend 
 he once said, that so far as he remembered he had never violated 
 the exact truth in his life, save once. This instance was one 
 which many would justify, and most would palliate j but he 
 himself condemned it. While lieutenant of artillery in the 
 Mexican War, his company were ordered to proceed by a nar 
 row path through a dense thicket of " chapparal," which was 
 believed to be infested with guerillas. Jackson himself saw 
 the leaves of the shrubs riddled with fresh bullet-holes; and 
 the men were so intimidated by the dread of the unseen foe, 
 that when the head of the column approached the dangerous 
 spot it recoiled, and in spite of the expostulations of the officers, 
 refused to advance. At length the young lieutenant went alone, 
 far before his men, and waving his sword shouted to them : 
 You see there is no danger ; forward ! " Yet, as he confessed, 
 he knew at the moment that he was in extreme peril. At 
 school he was also noted for a strong sense of justice, which 
 made him as respectful towards the rights of others as tenacious 
 of his own. As long as he was fairly treated by his playmates, 
 
BODILY APPEARANCE AND HEALTH. 19 
 
 his temper was perfectly gentle and complying; but if he 
 believed himself wronged, his resistance was inexorable. In 
 his occasional combats with his fellows, while superior strength 
 might sometimes overpower him, it could never force him to 
 acknowledge defeat. The victor might cuff him until he desisted 
 from sheer weariness, but Thomas was still unsubdued, and 
 ready to renew the fight whenever his antagonist dared to assail 
 him. He was withal never moping nor surly, hut always ready 
 for the merry romp or play. He was not peculiarly swift of 
 foot, but he usually led his playmates in jumping and climbing. 
 When the school was divided into two companies for a game of 
 Bat and ball, or prisoners -base, he was always captain of one, 
 and.his side was sure to win. 
 
 "In all Western Virginia, the owners of land and their sons 
 were accustomed to labor on their farms with their own hands, 
 more than any population of equal wealth and comfort in 
 America. This was -the consequence partly, of the industrious 
 habits which the Presbyterian Scotch and Irish, the ruling caste 
 m those regions, brought from their native lands ; partly of the 
 fcoiflparative scarcity of labor, both slave and hired ; arid partly, 
 6f the absence of the abundant means of literary and profes 
 sional cultivation, which an older society offers to the wealthy. 
 Even in the households of slaveholders, like Cummins Jackson, 
 who in that country were few, the males, when not at school, 
 w.<re regularly occupied in rural labors, except in that large 
 allowance of time reserved for country sports. The reader 
 will thus understand that Thomas, although in no sense re 
 duced by his orphanage to a condition beneath that of the 
 youths around him, was occupied, like his uncle, in the works 
 of the farm and mills. Here he was always resolute and 
 efficient. One of his most frequent tasks seems to have been, 
 to transport from the woods the huge stems of the poplars and 
 
20 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 oaks, to be converted by the saw-mill into lumber. He became 
 thus a famous driver of oxen. If any tree was to be moved 
 from ground of unusual difficulty, or if it was more gigantic 
 than the rest, the party of laborers was put under his com 
 mand, and the work was sure to be effected. In this manner 
 his life was passed from nine to sixteen years of age, between 
 the labors of the school and of the farm. He was then, like 
 his father, of short stature, but compact and muscular. He was 
 capable of fatigue, and of indomitable physical endurance. 
 His bearing was unpretending, but manly and courteous. But 
 his constitution, even then, gave signs of infirmity. An obscure 
 disease of the stomach and other organs of nutrition had seized 
 upon him, harassing him with chronic irritations or prostrations 
 of the nerves, sleepless nights, and lassitude. A year or two 
 later, notwithstanding the means used to re-establish his consti 
 tution, these symptoms assumed the more ominous form of a 
 slight paralysis. The latter, however, wore away after a time ; 
 and, about his second year at West Point his system seemed to 
 escape a part of its burdens; he grew rapidly to a tall stature, 
 and thus, instead of remaining short, like his father, he was 
 conformed to the usual standard of his race. But the other 
 affection clave to him, like a Nemesis, during his whole youth 
 and the war with Mexico, and never relaxed its hold until after 
 he came to Lexington as Professor in the Military Institute, 
 when he subdued it by means of the waters of the alum springs 
 of Rockbridge, in connection with his admirable temperance. 
 His habits of uncomplaining endurance, and his modest reluc 
 tance to every display savoring of egotism, concealed the 
 larger part of these sufferings. It should be remembered, in 
 order that we may appreciate his capacity and energy, that his 
 arduous studies at the military academy, and his brilliant 
 
FIDELITY IN THE OFFICE OF CONSTABLE. 21 
 
 services in Mexico, were performed by him while hag-ridden 
 from time to time by this wretched tormentor. 
 
 The post of Constable in the northern half of Lewis County 
 became about this time vacant. His friends procured the 
 appointment for him, for two reasons : one was, that the life on 
 horseback, it was hoped, might remove his disease and give him 
 a firm constitution ; the other was, that the little salary of the 
 place might enable him to realize his ardent desire for a liberal 
 education. So general was the favor borne him, and the desire 
 to forward his aspirations for advancement, that the Court 
 winked at the irregularity of appointing a minor to this office, 
 accepting the suretyship of his uncle as a sufficient guarantee. 
 We now see the manly youth, with his account-book and bag of 
 bills and executions, traversing on horseback the hills of Lewis, 
 a county then so large that the major parts of five counties have 
 since been carved out of it. To readers who are not Virginians, 
 a word of explanation may be needed concerning the office of 
 Constable in our State. The Justices of the Peace, besides the 
 County Courts which they hold jointly, are authorized to decide 
 singly, in their own neighborhood, upon controversies for pro 
 perty or money, where the sum in dispute does not exceed 
 twenty dollars. Of this little court, the Constable is the execu 
 tive officer, serving its warrants, summoning its witnesses, and 
 carrying into effect its decisions. The Justice, as conservator 
 of the peace, may also issue his warrant for the arrest and ex 
 amination of any person suspected of crime, however grave; 
 and in this preliminary stage of proceedings, the Constable is 
 his agent. This officer is also charged with the regulating of 
 certain misdemeanors, and with the enforcement on slaves and 
 free negroes of the police regulations peculiar to their con 
 dition. He is, in a word, a sort of minor sheriff. 
 
 The countrymen of young Jackson testified that he filled this 
 
22 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEKAL JACKSON. 
 
 office with industry and fidelity. In everything he was scrupu 
 lously exact; his engagements were uniformly kept; and,, the 
 little claims intrusted to him for collection were always safe. 
 While never cruel in the exercise of the powers of his place-, 
 he strictly enforced upon others a punctual compliance with 
 their promises. In these duties his nerve was sometimes tried; 
 but he always carried his point. One instance may be related, 
 as illustrating his courage and resource. About two miles -from 
 the little village of Weston, the county seat of Lewis, there 
 lived a man, who, under a garb of great religiousness, con 
 cealed an unscrupulous character. Jackson held an execution 
 against his property for a little claim of ten dollars, which the 
 creditor had more than once urged him to collect. After 
 indulging the debtor for a time, and advising him rather to earn 
 or borrow the sum than suffer the sale of some article of his 
 property, he exacted from him a firm promise that, on a certain 
 day, he would meet him in Weston, and, without further trouble, 
 pay him the debt.. He then told the creditor that, on the even 
 ing of that day, his money would be ready for him. At the 
 appointed day, Jackson was in Weston, but no debtor appeared ; 
 and when the creditor came to receive his claim, he redeemed 
 his punctuality by paying it out of his own purse. He then 
 quietly remained in the village until the next morning, when, as 
 he expected, the delinquent appeared in the street with a very 
 good horse. It seems that there was, in their rude community, 
 a sort of lex non scripta, established by usage, and more sacredly 
 observed, perhaps, than many of the statutes of the Common 
 wealth, forbidding that any person should be taken by force, on 
 any plea, from the back of his horse, and justifying the most 
 extreme resistance to such a disgrace. Selecting a time, there 
 fore, when his debtor was dismounted, Jackson went up and 
 taxed him with his breach of promise, reminded him of his long 
 
MORAL STATE OP THE COUNTRY. 23 
 
 endurance of these deceptions, and was proceeding to seize the 
 horse to satisfy his execution. The other party, who had no 
 idea of ever paying his debts, resisted, and a furious fight began 
 in the street. During the engagement, he availed himself of a 
 momentary advantage, and remounted his horse. Here, now, 
 was a dilemma for the young representative of the law. On 
 the one hand, his adversary seemed safely enthroned in that 
 position which the sacred custom of the vicinage pronounced 
 unassailable. But, on the other hand, it was not in his nature 
 to accept defeat where his conscience told him he was in the 
 right. Clinging to the horse s bridle, he looked around, and 
 perceived at some distance the low-browed door of a friend s 
 stable standing open. To this he forced the horse, amidst a 
 shower of unregarded cuffs from his enemy, who found himself, 
 by these ludicrous tactics, placed between the alternatives of 
 being struck off by the lintel of the door, or else sliding from 
 the saddle and relinquishing the horse. He prudently adopted 
 the latter, and Jackson secured the prize triumphantly in the 
 stable, while yet he respected, at least in the letter, the common 
 law of the neighborhood. 
 
 But these occupations proved more favorable to the health of 
 his body than of his character. They necessarily separated 
 him much from home influences, and brought him acquainted 
 with the worst people of his vicinage. Nor could his home 
 influences be considered very auspicious. His aunts, before 
 this period, had married, and the establishment of his uncle 
 was that of a bachelor. Cummins Jackson, though temperate 
 and energetic, was himself utterly devoid of Christianity, of a 
 violent and unscrupulous character, and much given to assume, 
 in its ruder phase, the character of a sporting gentleman. He 
 kept race-horses, made up country race-matches, and employed 
 his nephew as his favorite rider, whenever he expected a close 
 
24 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 contest. It was the gossip of all the country-side, that if a 
 horse had any winning qualities in him, they would inevitably 
 come out when young Tom Jackson rode him in the race. 
 Moreover, the general morals of the community were loose, and 
 irregularities too often found most countenance from those of 
 highest station. The Christianity of the region was not influ 
 ential; ministers were few, and deficient ,in intelligence and 
 weight, being chiefly the most uncultivated members of the Bap 
 tist communion, or of the itinerant fraternity of the Methodists. 
 If the citizens saw anything of Episcopacy or Presbyterianism, 
 it was only from the transient visits and sermons of ministers 
 from a distance. The state of religious opinion was just what 
 the observing man would expect from such influences. The 
 profession of Christianity was chiefly confined to the more igno 
 rant classes; and among them Church discipline and Christian 
 morals were relaxed. Men of the ruling houses, like the Jack- 
 sons, were too often found to be corrupted by the power and 
 wealth, with which the teeming fertility of their new country 
 was rewarding their talents. Minds such as theirs, self-educated 
 by the activity and competition of their bustling times, were too 
 vigorous to acknowledge the intellectual sway of a class of 
 ministers who dispensed, for sermons, their crude notions of 
 experimental piety, in barbarous English. There were few 
 cultivated minds to represent the authority of the gospel. Con 
 sequently, most of the men of position were openly neglectful 
 of Christianity, and some were infidels. 
 
 No one will wonder, then, that as ^oung Jackson approached 
 manhood, his conduct became somewhat irregular. He was, as 
 he himself declared, an ardent frequenter of races, of " house- 
 raisings," and of country-dances. But still his industry re 
 mained; his truthfulness and honesty continued untarnished; 
 and the substantial foundations of integrity were never under- 
 
ASPIRATIONS. 25 
 
 mined in his nature. His irregularities were never more than 
 temporary foibles, and they yielded to the wholesome influences 
 of the first two years discipline at the military academy, and 
 to the encouragement of better prospects and gratified aspira 
 tions. During the first year s course, the " demerits " incurred 
 show some remains of his wilder habits; but even then his 
 comrades found in him nothing low or vile. And thencefor 
 ward he appeared at home, during vacations, perfectly exem 
 plary in his demeanor, and at the school, regular, laborious, 
 truthful, scorning everything base; modest, yet self-reliant; and 
 although inexperienced in some of the forms of society, ever 
 full of intrinsic dignity and Courtesy. 
 
 It is manifest that his nature was intensely ambitious and 
 aspiring. He thirsted eagerly for knowledge, and for well- 
 earned distinction. He knew himself to be a depressed scion 
 of a noble and influential stock ; and while he felt no morbid 
 shame at his poverty, he longed to reinstate himself in the fore 
 most ranks of the kindred, from which orphanage and destitu 
 tion had thrust him down. This was the ruling desire, the 
 purpose of his early manhood, and it gives us the key to many 
 of the singularities of his character; to his hunger for self- 
 improvement; to his punctilious observance, from a boy, of the 
 essentials of a gentlemanly bearing, even where he was ignorant 
 of its conventionalities; to the uniform assertion of his self- 
 respect. The wonder is, that the circumstances which sur 
 rounded him did not make him, simply, another Cummins 
 Jackson. The generous kindness of this uncle, the force of his 
 example, the similarity of the two in the strength and ardor 
 of their natures, and the impress of a will so energetic and 
 commanding, would seem naturally to tend to that result. But 
 the nephew appears to have imbibed all the good traits of the 
 uncle, and to have escaped the bad. How shall the formation 
 
 4 
 
6 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of such a character, in such a state of society, be explained? 
 "Was it not due to that noble constitution of his nature, that 
 reverence for the true and the right, that manly courage which 
 the Creator impressed upon it, for his own ulterior ends, 
 coupled with the purifying force of a Christian mother s teach 
 ings and prayers ? 
 
 Of this uncle General Jackson always spoke with grateful 
 affection ; as he was evidently his favorite nephew. Cummins 
 Jackson displayed his restless love of adventure by going, 
 when he was forty-nine years old, to seek gold in California. 
 He was also impelled in part by disgust at the persecutions of 
 some of his neighbors, with whom, his feuds had become ^per 
 fectly inveterate. His ample farm and competency could, not 
 detain him; he crossed the plains with a well-equipped company 
 of gold-hunters, of whom he was recognized as the chief, .in 
 1849, and died the autumn of that year in the wilds of ^the 
 mining region. Had he made a will, it is believed that General 
 Jackson would have been a chief heir; but death disappointed 
 such generous purposes if he had them. ; and his estate is 
 destined to be divided among almost a hundred nephews and 
 nieces. 
 
 It will be best here to anticipate so much as will be 
 necessary, to complete the history of young Jackson s .offi 
 cial life in Lewis. The law requires the county court to 
 take bond and security of every constable to the amount 
 of not less than two thousand dollars, for the faithful trans 
 action of all the business committed to him. When a cred 
 itor places any claim in the hands of such an officer for 
 collection, he usually exacts a. receipt from him acknowledging 
 the trust undertaken, and the amount and nature of the dcinaudv 
 The officer thus incurs a responsibility from which he must 
 absolve himself, either by collecting and paying over to him; the. 
 
THOMAS RESIGNS HIS OFFICE. 27 
 
 amount of the claim, or by making every lawful effort to do so, 
 arid showing that it was impracticable, by reason either of the 
 insolvency or evasion of the creditor. When the hope of an 
 immediate appointment, as cadet of the Military Academy, was 
 suggested, young Jackson s abiding desire for a liberal education 
 forbade his hesitating for any smaller concerns. He instantly 
 resigned his place. It chanced that this was a season of strin 
 gency in the currency of the region, and his uncle found himself 
 unable at the time to raise ready money for his outfit. By his 
 advice, Thomas sold such claims for cash as could be thus 
 disposed of, and transferred the remainder of his papers and 
 business to him for adjustment. It would appear that even 
 these prompt means failed to realize enough for his expenses. 
 One can readily conceive that a boy of eighteen, with all his 
 punctuality, would not be a thoroughly methodical accountant. 
 So, when the settlements with suitors were made, in the absence 
 of that personal recollection on which he largely relied, the 
 more greedy succeeded in making him their seeming debtor for 
 more than he had left in his uncle s hands. The consequence 
 was, that a few suits were brought against the latter, as his 
 security, for the payment of sums thus claimed. He, indeed, 
 probably regarded this as rather good luck than ill, as it gave 
 him additional occasion to exercise his restless mind in his 
 beloved work of litigation ; and his generosity to Thomas made 
 him cheerfully pay the deficit. On the return of Thomas from 
 West Point, he looked thoroughly into these transactions, and 
 demanded a more accurate settlement of his accounts. To one 
 claimant, for whom he had collected a variety of small sums at 
 different times, thus making a somewhat intricate series of 
 transactions, he said that this party ought to be able to remem 
 ber the receipt of various payments on account, for which the 
 written evidence was now lost; and that when the recollection 
 
28 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 was distinct and undeniable, he should insist on having credit. 
 He required his antagonist to go over the whole account on 
 this plan. When he sought to avoid allowing payments, which 
 Jackson well knew had been made, by saying " he had no recol 
 lection of them, " the latter would reply, " Yea, but you must 
 recollect them ;" and, by his firm countenance and reference to 
 attendant circumstances, would constrain his unwilling party to 
 make the just admissions. In this way he forced him to allow 
 in Court sundry abatements of his claim. Finally, all the sums 
 for which, as constable, he was bound to any one, were fully 
 paid either by him or his uncle. 
 
THE CADET. 29 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CADET. 
 
 In 1841, the Hon. Samuel Hays was elected delegate, from 
 the district to which Lewis County belonged, to the Congress 
 of the United States. During his term, the place of cadet 
 in the military academy at West Point became vacant. This 
 famous school was founded and sustained by the Federal Gov 
 ernment, and contained as many pupils as there were Con 
 gressional districts. These were treated as soldiers in garrison 
 from the time they entered, and not only instructed and drilled, 
 but fed, clothed, and paid by the public. The appointments 
 were made by the Secretary of War, upon the nomination 
 of the member of Congress, representing the district from 
 which the application came. It may be easily comprehended 
 that his recommendation was usually potential. As the scien 
 tific education given was thorough, and nearly the whole 
 expense was borne by the Government, the place was much 
 sought by the sons of the most prominent citizens. Mr. Hays, 
 upon consultation with judicious friends, had given the nomina 
 tion to a fatherless youth, of sprightly mind and good habits, 
 whom his neighbors desired to help upward in the world. He 
 had been appointed, had gone to West Point, and upon observ 
 ing the condition of the cadets from without, had concluded 
 that the restraints and military discipline of the place would be 
 too irksome for his tastes. He therefore left the village with- 
 
30 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 out reporting to the authorities of the school, and returned 
 home to resign his appointment. This occurred in the summer 
 of 1842. The self-indulgence of this youth, and the contrasted 
 energy and hardihood of Jackson, bore fruits which may well 
 be pondered by every young man. The former was consigned, 
 by the rejection of the providential occasion for self-improve 
 ment, to a decent mediocrity, from which his name has never 
 been sounded by the voice of fame. The latter, by his manly 
 decision, made of the same opportunity " a tide, which, taken, 
 at the flood, led on to fortune." There was then living in the 
 village of Weston a German smith, one of those neighborly, 
 ingenious, gossiping men, who are as busy in ; discussing 
 their neighbors affairs as in repairing their implements of 
 labor. Just at the time when the young man who has 
 been mentioned returned to the country, relinquishing his 
 West Point nomination, it so chanced that Cummins Jackson 
 had occasion to go to this smith, for the repair of some of the 
 machinery of his mill. The good man said to him, informing 
 him of the indiscretion of his young neighbor, "Here now 
 is a chance for Tom Jackson, as he is so anxious for an 
 education." The uncle replied that, on his return home that 
 evening, he would mention it to Thomas, and recommend him 
 to seek the appointment. When he did so, the young man 
 caught eagerly at it; and the result was that the next morning 
 he went to Weston, and applied to his influential friends for 
 their support in an application to the Honorable Mr. Hays, then 
 in Washington. All had known his industry, his integrity, and 
 his honorable aspirations. All sympathized warmly with him 
 in the latter. Nearly every prominent person connected with 
 the courts of the place concurred in his testimonial. To one 
 gentleman, a lawyer of influence, and a connection of his family, 
 he resorted for a more confidential letter. This person asked 
 
JACKSON APPLIES FOR CADETSHIP. 31 
 
 him if he did not fear that his present education was too scanty 
 to enable him to enter the military academy, or to sustain him 
 self there. His countenance sank with mortification for a 
 moment, then raising his head, lie said, with a look of deter 
 mination, " I know that I shall have the application necessary 
 
 . toigucceed; I hope that I have the capacity ; at least I am deter- 
 mined to try, and I wish you to help me to do this." The letter 
 
 iwas written, with a hearty commendation of his claims to Mr. 
 Hays, and a full description of his courageous spirit. These 
 letters were despatched to Washington ; and, meantime, Thomas 
 applied himself diligently to reviewing his studies for entrance 
 
 -into the academy, under the gratuitous teaching of a lawyer of 
 Weston, Mr. (afterwards Judge) Edmiston. In due time a reply 
 Came from Mr. Hays, promising to use his influence in his favor. 
 Some one then suggested, that as the session at West Point had 
 commenced, and as it was always safest to give personal atten 
 tion to one s own interests, it might be best for him to go 
 immediately to Washington, instead of waiting for the result of 
 the -application, and be ready to proceed at once, if successful, 
 tO- ihis destination. Thomas declared his preference for this 
 course, and departed without a day s delay. Borrowing a pair 
 of saddle-horses and a servant from a friend, he hastened to 
 Clarksburg, to meet the stage-coach which plied thence to Win 
 chester and Washington. His garments were homespun, and 
 his whole wardrobe was contained in a pair of leathern saddle 
 bags. When he reached Clarksburg the stage had passed by, 
 bnt^hc pursued it, and at its next stopping-place overtook it, 
 and proceeded to Washington city. Presenting himself thus 
 before the Honorable Mr. Hays, he was kindly received ; and 
 his patron proposed that he should go at once, with the stains 
 of hie travel upon him, to the office of the War Minister to 
 procure his appointment. He presented him to that minister 
 
32 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 as a mountain youth, who, with a limited education, had an 
 honorable desire of improvement. The Secretary was so much 
 pleased with the directness and manliness of his replies, that 
 he ordered his warrant to be made out on the spot. When 
 Mr. Hays proposed to take him to his lodgings, for a few days, 
 that he might see the sights of the metropolis, he declined, 
 saying that as the studies of the academy were in progress, it 
 was best for him to be in his place there, and that he should 
 be content with a general view from the top of the dome of 
 the Capitol. Having looked upon this panorama for a while 
 he descended, and declared himself ready for West Point. 
 Mr. Hays wrote to the authorities there, asking them, at 
 the suggestion of some friend, to make the utmost allow 
 ance practicable in the preliminary examination for his de 
 fective scholarship, arid in favor of his good character. And 
 Jackson stated to his friends that this indulgence was very 
 kindly extended to him, and that without it, he would scarcely 
 have been able to stand the test. He entered West Point, 
 Jul} 7 , 184-2, being then eighteen years old. He had not attained 
 his full stature, but was muscular in his frame, and of a fresh, 
 ruddy countenance. His demeanor was somewhat constrained, 
 but, by reason of its native dignity, always pleasing. The 
 fourth-class men at this school were called by their comrades 
 plebes, were subjected in many respects to restraints peculiar to 
 their rank, were made to perform the menial duties of sweeping 
 the barrack-grounds, and such-like, under the inspection of their 
 more advanced fellow-students, and were severely drilled in 
 their military exercises. It was thus the authorities proposed 
 to form a soldierly subordination and hardihood. The infliction 
 of practical jokes upon new-comers has always been carried to 
 extremity in this school. The professors themselves seemed to 
 connive at it as a useful discipline of the temper j and, by a 
 
ENTERS WEST POINT. 33 
 
 fixed usage of the cadets, he who grew restive under the tor 
 ment only subjected himself to tenfold sufferings. Resistance 
 was vain. The third-class man, lately among the plebes, sought 
 his revenge from the body of new-comers below him, and from 
 victim became tormentor, with all the zest and ingenuity of a 
 practitioner just graduated in the art of teasing. When they 
 saw the country youth arrive, with his saddle-bags, in his home 
 spun garments, they promised themselves rich sport with himj 
 but they speedily learned their mistake. Such was his courage, 
 his good temper, and the shrewdness and savoir-faire, acquired 
 during his diversified life in the country, that they were quickly 
 glad to leave him for more easy subjects. 
 
 It would be obviously unfair to judge his capacity by his 
 earlier acquisitions at West Point. His literary preparation 
 was defective. Although his rural occupations had given a 
 valuable cultivation of his powers, he lacked the facility of 
 taking in knowledge, which arises from practice ; nor was his 
 apprehension naturally quick. He once stated to a friend that 
 he " studied very hard for what he got at West Point." The 
 acquisition of knowledge with him was slow, but what he once 
 comprehended he never lost. Entering, with such preparation, 
 a large and distinguished class, he held at first a low grade. 
 Generals M Clellan, Foster, Reno, Stoneman, Couch, and 
 Gibbon, of the Federal army ; and Generals A. P. Hill, Pickett 
 Maury, D. R. Jones, W. D. Smith, and Wilcox, of the Confede 
 rate army, were among his class-mates. From the first, he 
 labored hard. The same thoroughness and honesty which had 
 appeared in the schoolboy, were now more clearly manifested. 
 If he could not master the portion of the text-book assigned for 
 the day, he would not pass over it to the next lesson, but con 
 tinued to work upon it until it was understood. Thus it hap 
 pened that, not seldom, when called to the black-board, he 
 
34 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 would reply that he had not yet reached the lesson of the day, 
 but was employed upon the previous one. There was then no 
 alternative but to mark him as unprepared. A distinguished 
 student of the class next above him, now Major-General Whit 
 ing, rendered him valuable private aid, while all applauded his 
 sturdy effort. But at the examinations which closed his first 
 half-year s novitiate, the line which separated the incompetents, 
 and condemned them to an immediate discharge, was drawn a 
 very little below him. Nowise disheartened by this, but thank 
 ful that he had saved his distance, he redoubled his exertions. 
 At the end of his first year, in a class of seventy-two, he stood 
 45th in mathematics, 70th in French, had 15 demerit marks for 
 misconduct, and was fifty-first in general merit. In the next 
 class, the studies were more extended and abstruse ; but the 
 examination at the end of his second year showed him 18th in 
 mathematics, 52d in French, 68th in drawing, and 55th in 
 engineering studies ; while he had incurred 26 demerits, and 
 ranked 30th in general merit. 
 
 In the second class, he proceeded from pure mathematics to 
 chemistry and natural philosophy. His course was still more 
 decidedly improved, and placed him at the end of the year in 
 natural philosophy, llth; in chemistry, 25th; in drawing, 59th; 
 with no demerit for the year, and in general merit, 20th. In 
 the studies of the final year, he was 12th in engineering, 5th in 
 ethics, llth in artillery, 21st in infantry-tactics, and llth in 
 mineralogy and geology. His demerit marks were seven, but, 
 as he assured his friends, he might have wholly escaped these 
 by laying the delinquencies. charged to him upon comrades to 
 whom they rightly belonged. He preferred to bear the unde 
 served blame, rather than break silence against them. His 
 general standing as a graduate was 17th, notwithstanding the 
 less successful years at the beginning, which were taken into 
 
PROGRESS IN STUDY. 35 
 
 the account. An examination of these records will show a 
 steady progress ; and, if the deficient preparation of his begin 
 ning be considered, there is evidence of a scholastic ability and 
 acquirement very little below the highest. But scholastic 
 ability is not the real test of a great mind. It also appears 
 that he was usually least successful in a study when it was 
 novel. In the science of military engineering, for instance, his 
 first year s study placed him only 55th, but his last year 12th. 
 He seems never to have become an adept in drawing; indeed 
 nature had not gifted him with much of that manual dexterity, 
 which is here more essential than even taste and correctness of 
 eye. His greatest success was in ethics, where his grade was 
 5th a correct prognostic of that transcendent ability in states 
 manship and moral reasoning, which every great commander 
 must possess. His teachers and comrades judged his mind 
 sound and strong, but not quick. It was a frequent remark 
 among the latter, that if the course were two years longer than 
 it was, Jackson would assuredly graduate at the head of his 
 class. 
 
 His manners, when he appeared at West Point, have 
 been already described. When he returned upon furlough 
 to his friends, they noted a great and progressive change 
 in his person. The second year he grew, as it were by 
 a leap, to the height of six feet. His bearing, though still 
 deficient in ease, was punctiliously courteous and dignified. 
 He was scrupulously neat in all his appointments, and, in 
 his handsome cadet uniform, made a most soldierly appear 
 ance. At the military academy he was not morose, but re 
 served almost to shyness; fond of animated conversation 
 and of the collision of intellect, when alone with one or two 
 of his few intimates, but in a larger circle, a silent interested 
 listener. The society there was usually stratified very distinctly,, 
 
36 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 according to the classes. The fourth-class men, under the hum 
 ble title of plebes, were the fags of all above them. At each 
 stage of his advancement the cadet gained new privileges, 
 which made him look down, like a superior mortal, on the 
 younger. Hence the intimacies of the students were confined 
 to their own classes, save where some more aspiring youth, by 
 reason of distinguished scholarship or social advantages, sought 
 the society of those above him. But Jackson, in selecting his 
 few friends, disregarded all these bonds of caste, and most 
 frequently chose them from the classes below him. His favorite 
 recreation was walking; and almost every afternoon he might 
 be seen, with a single companion, striding rapidly over the 
 picturesque hills, or sitting upon one of the headlands which 
 overhang the waters of the Hudson. In these confidential 
 walks, his favorite topics were the graver subjects of moral 
 reasoning, mental science, ethics, politics. He had enjoyed no 
 collegiate training in these studies, the instruction in them at 
 the military academy was limited, and his favorite associate in 
 these discussions was a graduate of one of the Colleges which 
 made this branch of science prominent. Yet, although his 
 knowledge of the speculations of metaphysicians was limited, 
 his friend found his notions always original, and usually correct, 
 and his reasonings so ingenious and forcible, that he was never 
 an easy antagonist to overcome. One of the most pleasing and 
 noteworthy traits of his nature was his tenderness to the dis 
 tressed. A case of sickness or bereavement, among the younger 
 cadets especially, awakened all his sympathies ; and he would 
 devote himself to their help with a zeal so womanly, as to evoke 
 the gibes of coarser natures. Perhaps, his profound impressions 
 of the infirmity of his own frame quickened these sensibilities. 
 He seemed to be under a habitual fear of some chronic and 
 fatal disease, and began even then that rigid observance of such 
 
MORAL RULES OF CONDUCT. 37 
 
 laws of health as he apprehended to be suitable to him. One 
 of these rules was, never to bend his body in studying, lest the 
 compression of some of the important organs within should 
 increase their tendency to disease. Hence he sat always 
 bolt upright; his chair might as well have been without a 
 back. 
 
 It does not appear that Jackson was under the influence of 
 vital Christianity at West Point. Speculatively, he was a 
 believer; outwardly, he was observant of the decencies of 
 religion, and his morals were pure ; but the sacred impression 
 of his mother s piety and teachings was as yet dormant. The 
 most authentic disclosure of his moral nature at that time is a 
 code of behavior which he compiled for himself, and carefully 
 engrossed in a blank book (in a large, correct, formal hand 
 writing, that surprisingly contrasts with the indistinct, cursive 
 style of later years) under the title of " Maxims. These seem 
 to have been in part selected from books of that character, and 
 in part adopted from his own experience. They relate to 
 morals, manners, dress, the choice of friends, and the aims of 
 life. The standard of principle is simply that of a high secular 
 virtue, with such reference to religious responsibilities as every 
 thoughtful and reverent nature prompts. But they show already 
 that devotion to the sentiment of duty which his after-life mani 
 fested so grandly ; and they reveal the loftiest aims. It is plain 
 that he habitually nourished the honorable ambition to make 
 himself the very greatest of which his nature was capable*; and 
 that the limits which he assigned to this possibility were far 
 removed. Beneath his modest reserve and silence, so contrasted 
 with all the tricks of egotism, there burned the steady but 
 intense purpose, to place his character and his name high upon 
 the scale of true merit. Perhaps the most characteristic of 
 
38 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 these maxims is the following, written in a conspicuous place: 
 
 " YOU MAY BE WHATEVER YOU RESOLVE TO BE." 
 
 We shall see that this was, to him, a most practical dogma. 
 
 His temper was recognized at West Point to be inflexible, 
 without being petulant or aggressive. The only personal diffi 
 culty which he ever had with a fellow-student illustrates this 
 trait; and the contrasted destiny of the two antagonists may 
 well impress on every young man, the dreadfulness of base and 
 relaxed principles, and the value of integrity. The cadet who 
 was Jackson s sole enemy, resembled him in capacity and the 
 conditions of his career. He was an orphan, from the far 
 West, of rural training, of sound mind, and energetic and forci 
 ble character, capable of strenuous exertion, poor, and eager to 
 advance himself. His early education had been neglected. 
 Like Jackson he incurred the sportive malice of the students 
 on his arrival at the Academy, by his appearance of rusticity 
 and inexperience, and lie defended himself with so much cour 
 age and good sense, and made such progress in his studies that 
 all were at first inclined in his favor. There appeared no 
 reason why he and Jackson might not run parallel courses of 
 honor and usefulness. But,, in his second year, he disclosed a 
 laxity of principle, told less than the truth in order to evade 
 " demerits," and contracted degrading associations in the neigh 
 boring village. Jackson was one of the first to perceive his 
 lack o*f principle. One day his musket, which was always 
 scrupulously clean, was replaced by one in most slovenly order. 
 He called the attention of his captain (himself a senior cadet) 
 to this loss, and described to him his private mark by which he 
 identified his gun. That evening at the inspection of arms, it 
 was found in the hands of the student who has been described, 
 and when taxed with purloining it, the latter endeavored to 
 
GRADUATION. 39 
 
 shield himself by falsehood. Jackson had been indignant that 
 he should commit such an act from mere indolence, but now his 
 anger was unbounded. He declared that such a nuisance 
 should not continue a member of the Academy, and demanded 
 that he should bo tried by a court-martial, upon his information, 
 and expelled. It was only by means of the most persevering 
 remonstrances of his comrades, and of the professors, that he 
 could be induced to waive his right of pursuing the charge. 
 The event proved that his estimate was more correct than that 
 of his seniors. It was not long before his opponent was under 
 arrest for disgraceful conduct, violated his parole, and was 
 expelled on that account, a short time before he would have 
 graduated. He resorted to the new State of Texas, and 
 professed for a time to engage in the study of law. Not 
 prospering in this, he embarked for California, endeavored to 
 Bwindle the master of the ship out of his fare, and was sum 
 marily thrust ashore at Mazatlan, on the western coast of 
 Mexico, without money or friends. There he wandered into 
 the mountains, and attached himself to a roving tribe of the 
 Tuscon Indians, among whom his skill in savage warfare, rob 
 bery, and murder, raised him to a sort of chieftainship, and the 
 possession of half-a-dozen tawny wives. The last intelligence 
 which reached the civilized world concerning him was, that he 
 and his subjects had quarrelled concerning the murder of a 
 poor pedlar, whom he had slain for his wares; and his miser 
 able band, less savage than himself, had expelled him from their 
 society. Jackson, meantime, has filled two hemispheres with 
 his fame for every quality which is great and good. 
 
 The latter graduated at West Point, June 30th, 1846, being 
 then twenty-two years old; and, according to custom, received 
 the brevet rank of second lieutenant of artillery. The Mexican 
 War was then in progress, and General Winfield Scott was 
 
40 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 proceeding to take supreme command. The young lieutenant 
 was ordered to report immediately for duty with the 1st Regi 
 ment of Artillery ; and proceeded through Pennsylvania, down 
 the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans, which was 
 the rendezvous of the forces designed to reinforce the army in 
 Mexico, 
 
IN MEXICO. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN MEXICO. 
 
 THE war of the United States against Mexico, beginning with 
 the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Pal ma in Western 
 Texas, had rolled its waves, under General Zachary Taylor, up 
 the Rio Grande, and into the province of New Leon. Monterey 
 was occupied after a sanguinary victory, and the advanced 
 forces had proceeded as far as Saltillo. But it was apparent, 
 at the end of 1846, that successes on this line of operations 
 would never bring peace, because it could only lead the arms 
 of the United States aside from the heart of their enemy s 
 strength. To reach the capital, a circuitous inland march 
 would have been necessary; while the overpowering navy of 
 the Union, if once Vera Cruz were occupied, would enable 
 them to base upon the sea-coast a direct and short line of 
 advance, by the great National Road. General Winfield Scott, 
 who had been sent out as commander-in-chief of the whole 
 forces, was therefore allowed to carry out his plan for organiz 
 ing a powerful land and naval force against Vera Cruz, early 
 in the year 1847. Most of the regular regiments were with 
 drawn from the command of General Taylor, and concentrated, 
 during the month of February, at the seaport of Tampico, 
 about two hundred and thirty miles north of Vera Cruz, "where 
 General Scott was also assembling his reinforcements. Young 
 Jackson s company of heavy artillery formed a part of the 
 
42 LIFE OF LIEUT. GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 latter. On the 24th of February, the commanding general 
 commenced the assembling of his forces at Lobos Island, a con 
 venient intermediate point, offering a roadstead for his numerous 
 ships unmolested by his enemies, a little north of Yera Cruz. 
 On the 9th of March, 13,500 land forces were disembarked in 
 one day from the fleet, upon the open beach near the city, with 
 out a single casualty. Young Jackson often referred to this as 
 a spectacle more grand and animating than man is often per 
 mitted to witness. The brilliant array proceeded to the land 
 under a cloudless sky, and in perfect order, in the innumerable 
 boats of the squadron, with colors displayed, martial music, 
 and the enthusiastic shouts of the soldiers, and by sunset the 
 whole force was paraded on shore, in order of battle. The 
 garrison of about four thousand partially organized troops were 
 in no condition to obstruct their advance. On March 13th, the 
 city was formally invested, and on the 29th it capitulated, with 
 all the garrison, after a heavy bombardment. In this service 
 Jackson, who had on March 3d received the commission of 
 second-lieutenant, bore his part, but no occasion for special 
 distinction occurred. Meantime President Santa Anna, whose 
 activity and genius deserved greater success than he was fated 
 to achieve, assembled a force of about twenty thousand men in 
 the province of San Luis Potosi, between the three points of 
 Saltillo, Yera Cruz, and the capital, proposing from this central 
 position to strike his assailants in succession. His first attack 
 was upon General Taylor, who had been left at the first place 
 of the three, with a little more than five thousand men, of whom 
 nearly all were volunteers levied since the beginning of the 
 war. The result was the battle of Buena Yista, in which, on 
 the 23d of February, that small force inflicted a bloody repulse 
 upon the Mexicans. 
 
 Santa Anna, having failed in this well-conceived attempt, 
 
JACKSOX ENTERS MAGRUDER S BATTERY. 43 
 
 reorganized and recruited bis forces, to resist the advance of 
 the Americans (now masters of Yera Cruz) on the capital. 
 General Scott having set out for the interior on April 12th, he 
 prepared himself for battle on the strong position of Cerro 
 Gordo, a few miles east of Jalapa, crowning a line of precipi 
 tous hills with barricades and field-works ranging along, and 
 commanding the great highway. After a reconnoissance effected 
 by Captain Robert E. Lee of the Engineers (in which Lieut.- 
 Col. Joseph E. Johnston of the cavalry received a severe 
 wound), General Scott determined to adopt a plan of assault 
 suggested by the former officer. This was to threaten the 
 whole front of the enemy, but to direct the main attack against 
 a hill at the western extremity of his position ; because this 
 post, if once seized by the Americans, commanded the only line 
 of retreat for the discomfited Mexicans, as completely as, they 
 supposed, their position commanded the great road. This vital 
 attack was confided to the veteran division of Twiggs, power 
 fully supported by artillery, the whole being brought in front of 
 the place to be assailed by an exceedingly rough and circuitous 
 route, planned by Lee. The attack was made April 18th, and 
 was completely successful. The Mexican army almost ceased 
 to exist. It lost all its ordnance and several thousand prison 
 ers; and the victory opened to Scott the town of Jalapa, the 
 powerful fortress of Pcrote, and the city of La Puebla, within 
 eighty-five miles of the capital. 
 
 It was in this assault that Captain John Bankhead Magruder, 
 commanding a light field-battery, won brilliant distinction. But 
 in such operations heavy artillery could only play a secondary 
 part. The place of second-lieutenant in Magruder s battery 
 was then to be filled, and most young officers shrank from it, 
 because the commander was considered as an exacting discipli 
 narian, and the service of that arm was full of hardship and 
 
44 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 exposure to danger. But the latter reason was the very one 
 which commended it to Jackson. He applied for, and quickly 
 obtained, a transfer to it; and this change marks the beginning 
 of his career of distinction. The old artillery, cumbersome in 
 moving and slow iii working, was usually posted at some per 
 manent point, and must needs remain there for the day. If the 
 tide of battle flowed towards it, it might render important 
 service ; if away from it, it was condemned to inactivity, and a 
 partial disaster could compel its surrender. But the rapid 
 manoeuvring of the light artillery in action was then a new 
 feature in American warfare. Its brilliant results at Palo Alto, 
 at Resaca de la Palma, at Bucna Vista, had delighted General 
 Taylor, and electrified the country. Jackson foresaw that this 
 arm of warfare was henceforth destined to be used in every 
 battle, and to be always thrust forward to the post of danger 
 and of honor. To a soul thirsting, like his, for distinction, this 
 was motive enough for preferring it. And he said that, deter 
 mined as he was to do his whole duty, and to consecrate himself 
 wholly to his functions as a soldier, he had no fears of being 
 unable to satisfy the rigidity of its captain. In this he was not 
 disappointed; he speedily became one of his favorite officers. 
 
 General Scott, after remaining at La Puebla to rearrange 
 and recruit his force, moved upon the city of Mexico with about 
 eleven thousand men, August 7, 1847. President Santa Anna, 
 meantime, had collected another powerful army, with abundant 
 munitions of war, and had created every practicable obstacle to 
 the approach of the city by the direct road. When the invader 
 reached the mountain ridge of El Pefion, which assists to 
 enclose the great basin in the centre of which the city stands, 
 he found it so well fortified, that it was manifest the attempt to 
 force his way through its defiles, would cost him a large part of 
 his army. Here the ingenuity of his engineers again came to 
 
COMBAT AT CONTRERAS. 45 
 
 his aid. They showed him that by turning to the left, a way 
 might be opened; practicable for artillery, by virtue of toil and 
 hardihood, across a country scored with rugged volcanic ravines, 
 to the southwest side of the city. This rendered the laborious 
 defences of the Mexicans useless. By August 19, this arduous 
 inarch was effected, and the head-quarters of the army were 
 advanced to the village of San Augustin, about eight miles to the 
 southwest of the city. No serious opposition was encountered, 
 because the Mexican generals had supposed that the impractica 
 ble ground would be a sufficient defence of their flank. 
 
 But Santa Anna hastened to repair his omission, and again 
 placed himself between the Americans and his capital, in a line 
 of defences, which, if less elaborate than those in its front, was 
 still formidable. Before San Augustin was the village of San 
 Antonio, which he entrenched and occupied ; at a considerable 
 distance to the west of it he crowned an insulated hill at Con 
 treras, with a strong detachment of infantry and artillery, and, 
 in the rear of this post, he placed his heaviest force at the little 
 village of Cherubusco, which he had also strengthened with 
 field-works. A force at least three times as large as the Amer 
 ican, with a hundred cannon, thus awaited their attack in 
 position of their own selecting. But Santa Anna had com 
 mitted the fatal blunder of choosing the two points which were 
 the keys of his whole front, San Antonio and Contreras, so far 
 apart, that they could not efficiently support each other. After 
 heavy skirmishing on the 19th of August, General Scott turned 
 the hill of Contreras by a night march, and at dawn, on the 
 20th, assailed it from the rear, either capturing or dispersing its 
 five thousand defenders in a combat of a few minutes duration, 
 and seizing all their cannon. The Mexican force at San An 
 tonio now found their communications violently threatened, and 
 could only save themselves by a hasty retreat upon Cheru- 
 
46 L1* E O* 1 LIEUT.- GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 busco, pressed by an active enemy. He advanced immediately 
 to the attack of this last position ; and as may be easily imag 
 ined, found its defenders assembled there in so confused a 
 manner, as to be ill prepared for a firm resistance. After 
 a sanguinary conflict of several hours, the village and entrench 
 ments were carried, and the enemy retired nearer the city. To 
 Magruder s battery was assigned an important post in front of 
 the enemy s works, at the distance of nine hundred yards. Be 
 fore long, his first lieutenant, Mr. Johnstone, was killed, and 
 Jackson thus became next in command to the captain, and took 
 charge of a section, or half of the battery ; which he so handled, 
 as to win from Magruder, the following commendation in his 
 report : " In a few moments, Lieutenant Jackson, commanding 
 the second section of the battery, who had opened fire upon the 
 enemy s works from a position on the right, hearing our fire 
 still further in front, advanced in handsome style, and being 
 assigned by me to the post so gallantly filled by Lieutenant 
 Johnstone, kept up the fire with great briskness and effect. 
 His conduct was equally conspicuous during the whole da} , and 
 I cannot too highly commend him to the Major-General s favor 
 able consideration." 
 
 In reward for his gallantry this day, he was honored with the 
 brevet rank of captain of artillery ; and his actual rank in the 
 company was henceforth that of first lieutenant. On the 8th 
 of September, a fierce combat was fought at a point still nearer 
 the city, called Molino del Rey, in which the Americans were 
 again victorious. In this affair, Jackson had no other part than 
 to protect the flank of the force engaged, from the insults of 
 the Mexican cavalry, which he accomplished by a few well- 
 directed shots. 
 
 One more obstacle remained between the victors and 
 their prize; but- this was the most formidable of all. The 
 
JACKSON AT CHAPULTEPEC. 47 
 
 Castle of Chapultepec, at first perhaps a monastery, was built 
 upon an insulated and lofty hill overlooking the plain which 
 extended up to the gates of the city, and commanding both the 
 causeways by which the Americans aimed to approach them. 
 The level country about the base of the mount was covered in 
 part with corn, and in part with groves, and intersected with 
 deep ditches, formed by the farmers for drainage and irrigation, 
 impassable for artillery, and nearly so for infantry. As a previ 
 ous examination of these was made impossible by swarms of 
 sharpshooters, they only disclosed themselves to the advancing 
 columns, when they arrived upon their brinks, shrouded as they 
 were by the luxuriant grain, or by hedges of the thorny cactus. 
 The castle was manned with a garrison, and around its base the 
 remains of the Mexican army was posted in entrenchments, 
 with batteries of cannon prepared to sweep every road which 
 approached. The Americans, cut off at the time from their dis 
 tant ships, found that the urgent want of supplies, which the 
 city alone could furnish them by its surrender, compelled them 
 to seek the reduction of this fort by some more speedy means 
 than a regular siege . It was determined to storm it by several 
 detachments, directed against its different sides, on the morning 
 of September 13th. Major- General Pillow, to whom Magru- 
 der s battery wns assigned, was directed to attack its west side, 
 while Worth, the most skilful of Scott s lieutenants, was to 
 march by a circuit beyond Pillow,, and assail the north. Ma- 
 gruder was ordered by his general to divide his battery, and ( 
 send one section forward, under Jackson, towards the northwest 
 angle, while he assailed another part. Two regiments of in 
 fantry, under Colonel Tronsdale, accompanied the former 
 section. The columns of attack advanced to the charge ; the 
 artillery, at every practicable point, striving to aid their approach 
 by pouring a storm of shot upon the Mexican batteries. When 
 
48 LIFE OF LIEUT.- GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 tlie detachment, which Magruder supported with the section 
 under his immediate command, had advanced so near the enemy 
 that his fire was dangerous to his own friends, he proceeded to 
 the front to join Jackson. The latter had been pushed forward 
 by Colonel Tronsdale, under whose immediate orders the plan 
 of the battle placed him, until he found himself unexpectedly 
 in the presence of a strong battery of the enemy, at so short a 
 range, that, in a few moments, the larger portion of his horses 
 was killed, and his men either struck down, or driven from 
 their guns by a storm of grape-shot; while about seventy of the 
 infantry were holding a precarious tenure of their ground in his 
 rear. Worth was just completing his detour, and bringing his 
 veterans into connection with this party, when perceiving the 
 desperate position of Jackson s guns, he sent him word to 
 retire. He replied that it was now more dangerous to with 
 draw his pieces than to hold his position ; and that if they 
 would send him fifty veterans, he would rather attempt the cap 
 ture of the battery which had so crippled his. Magruder then 
 dashed forward, losing his horse by a fatal shot as he 
 approached him, and found that he had lifted a single gun 
 across a deep ditch by hand to a position where it could be 
 served with effect; and this he was rapidly loading and firing, 
 with the sole assistance of a sergeant; while the remainder of 
 his men were cither killed, wounded, or crouching in the ditch. 
 Another piece was speedily brought over, and in a few moments, 
 the enemy was driven from his battery by the rapid and uner 
 ring fire of Jackson and Magruder. 
 
 By this time the storming parties had pierced the castle on 
 two sides, and the Mexicans were in full retreat upon the city. 
 Orders had been given to the artillery that when this juncture 
 arrived, they must pursue rapidly and scatter the disordered 
 columns of the retreating foe. The horses of Jackson s 
 
THE CITY TAKEN. 49 
 
 were nearly all slaughtered ; those of his caissons, being farther 
 in the rear, had partially escaped. To disengage the dead ani 
 mals from their harness and replace them with the others 
 would have consumed many minutes. The eager spirit of Jack 
 son suggested the attachment of his guns to the limbers of his 
 ammunition-boxes instead of their own, and the leaving of the 
 remaining caissons on the ground. Thus, in an instant, his sec 
 tion was thundering after the discomfited Mexicans towards the 
 gates of the city. The next morning, September 14th, two of 
 those gates on the southwestern side were forced, the American 
 army entered, and after some partial combats with the riflemen 
 in the houses and upon the roofs, quelled all opposition and 
 took possession of the capital. 
 
 Jackson had displayed qualities which could not fail to draw 
 the eyes of his commanders upon him. The outline which has 
 been given of his share in the battles, is sustained by the fol 
 lowing passages from the official reports of the Commander-in- 
 Chief, Generals Pillow and Worth, and his own captain. The 
 first says : 
 
 "To the north, and at the base of the mound (Chapultepec), 
 inaccessible on that side, the llth Infantry, under Lieut.-Colonel 
 Herbert, and the 14th under Colonel Tronsdale, and Captain 
 Magruder s field-battery, 1st Artillery (one section advanced 
 under Lieutenant Jackson), all of Pillow s division, had at the 
 same time some spirited affairs against superior numbers, driv 
 ing the enemy from a battery in the road, and capturing a gun. 
 In these, the officers and corps named gained merited praise. 
 Having turned the forest on the west, and arriving opposite to 
 the north centre of Chapultepec, Worth came up with the 
 troops in the road under Colonel Tronsdale, and aided, by a 
 flank movement of a part of Garland s brigade, in taking the 
 
50 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 one-gun breastwork, then under fire of Lieutenant Jackson s 
 section of Magruder s battery." 
 
 General Pillow says : 
 
 "Colonel Tronsdalc s command, consisting of the llth and 
 14th Regiments of Infantry, and Magruder s field-battery, en 
 gaged a battery and large force in the road, immediately on the 
 west of Chapultepec. The advanced section of the battery, 
 under command of the brave Lieutenant Jackson, was dread 
 fully cut up, and almost disabled. Though the command of 
 Colonel Tronsdale sustained a severe loss, still he drove the 
 enemy from his battery, and turned his guns upon his retreating 
 forces. Captain Magruder s battery, one section of which was 
 served with great gallantry by himself, and the other by his 
 brave Lieutenant Jackson, in the face of a galling fire from the 
 enemy s position, did invaluable service preparatory to the 
 general assault." 
 
 General Worth, though commanding a different division of 
 troops, gives the following tribute : 
 
 " After advancing some four hundred yards, we came to a 
 battery which had been assailed by a portion of Magruder s 
 field-guns, particularly the section under the gallant Jackson, 
 who, although he had lost most of his horses and many of his 
 men, continued chivalrously at his post, combating with noble 
 courage." 
 
 And Magruder thus recommends him for promotion : 
 
 " I beg leave to call the attention of the Major-General com 
 manding the division to the conduct of Lieutenant Jackson of 
 the 1st Artillery. If devotion, industry, talent, and gallantry 
 are the highest qualities of a soldier, then is he entitled to the 
 distinction which their possession confers. I have been ably 
 seconded in all the operations of the battery by him; and upon 
 this occasion, when circumstances placed him in command for a 
 
JACKSON A BREVET MAJOR. 51 
 
 short time of an independent section, he proved himself emi 
 nently worthy of it." 
 
 It is a singular coincidence, that this report of Captain Mag- 
 ruder was addressed immediately to one who has since had 
 disastrous occasion to verify its correctness. It was received 
 by Captain Joe Hooker, then acting as adjutant to General 
 Pillow, afterwards a Major-General in the Federal army, and 
 Commander at Chancellorsville. 
 
 For his conduct in the battle of Chapultepec, Jackson 
 received the brevet rank of Major. To this he had risen, 
 purely by the force of his merit, within seven months, from 
 the insignificant position of brevet second lieutenant. No 
 other officer in the whcle army in Mexico was promoted so 
 often for meritorious conduct, or made so great a stride in 
 rank. If the conduct which has been detailed be examined, it 
 will be found to contain every evidence of bravery, thirst for 
 distinction, coolness, and military talent. We see the young 
 Lieutenant, the moment the fall of his immediate superior 
 placed him in command of a detachment at Churubusco, await 
 ing no orders, but guided by the sound of his Captain s guns 
 on his left, emulously pressing forward towards the enemy. At 
 Chapultepec he is assigned to the post of honor and danger, 
 and advances with alacrity. When Colonel Tronsdale, to 
 whom he owed merely a momentary subordination, thrust him 
 into a position almost desperate, and he was well-nigh deserted 
 by his men, he refused to retire without orders. Comprehend 
 ing all the advantages and perils of his situation at once, he 
 proposed rather to exercise the further audacity of storming 
 the battery before him, than to attempt a disastrous retreat 
 exposed to its fire. And when the arrival of reinforcements 
 relieved him of his danger, he displayed his ready resource in 
 pursuing the defeated foe, where any other officer would have 
 
52 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 felt fully justified, in busying himself only with carrying the 
 shattered remains of his command to the rear. 
 
 Many years after, when his pupils were asking him the 
 details of the scene, he modestly described it; and one of them 
 exclaimed in astonishment, " Major, why did you not run, when 
 your command was thus disabled ? " He answered with a 
 quiet smile, "I was not ordered to do so. If I had been 
 ordered to run, I should have done so. But I was directed to 
 hold my position, and I had no right to abandon it. ? He con 
 fessed also to an intimate friend, that the order of Major- 
 General Pillow, separating his section, for the day, from his 
 Captain, had excited his abiding gratitude; so that, while the 
 regular officers were rather inclined to depreciate that general 
 as an unprofessional soldier, he loved him because lie gave him 
 an opportunity to win distinction. His friends asked him if he 
 felt no trepidation when so many were falling around him. He 
 replied, no; the only anxiety of which he was conscious in any 
 of these engagements, was a fear, lest he should not meet 
 danger enough to make his conduct under it as conspicuous as 
 he desired ; and as the fire grew hotter, he rejoiced in it as his 
 coveted opportunity. He also declared to those who were sur 
 mising the effect of the dangers of battle upon their spirits, 
 that to him it was always exalting, and that he was conscious 
 of a more perfect command of all his faculties, and of their 
 more clear and rapid action, when under fire than at any other 
 time. This, it will be remembered, was a distinguishing feature 
 in the character of Napoleon s celebrated lieutenant, Marshal 
 Ney. The Emperor was wont to say of him, that he was 
 worth little as a general, saw nothing, and could do nothing, 
 till he was enveloped in fire and smoke. Then he was all 
 energy, sagacity, genius. 
 
 After the quiet occupation of the city, Major Jackson became 
 
FORMS ACQUAINTANCE WITH SPANIARDS. 53 
 
 a part of the garrison, and resided there, in a state of pleasant 
 military leisure, until the diplomatists had matured a peace, and 
 the American army was withdrawn. This season of rest con 
 tinued several months. He was one of those who were quar 
 tered in the national palace, so that he used pleasantly to say, 
 that no one had come nearer than himself to realizing the 
 inflated predictions of the demagogues of the day in the United 
 States, that " their soldiers should lodge in the halls of the Mon- 
 tezumas." His duties were light, and easily despatched in the 
 early forenoon ; the climate was delicious ; every object around 
 him was full of grandeur or interest to his active mind; arid the 
 cultivated hospitality of the Castilians was alluring. It is well 
 known how easily the luxurious society of a capital can forget 
 national prejudices and humiliations, at the call of social enjoy 
 ment, and learn to consider the accomplished and courteous 
 professional soldier as no longer an enemy. Many Mexicans, 
 moreover, regarded the invading army rather in the light of 
 deliverers from a disorderly and oppressive government, than 
 of intruders and oppressors. Immediately after the occupation 
 of the city, therefore, the places of amusement were re-opened, 
 and frequented by a mingled crowd of Americans and Mexicans, 
 the ladies walked the streets in crowds, and the young officers 
 began to cultivate the acquaintance of the most distinguished 
 families. 
 
 To qualify himself for enjoying this society more freely, 
 Jackson, with a young comrade, addressed himself to the study 
 of the Spanish language. His active mind was, besides, incapa 
 ble of absolute repose, and he wished to improve his leisure 
 by acquiring knowledge. He was ignorant o f Latin, which 
 is not taught at West Point, and the only grammar of Span 
 ish he could find was written in that ancient tongue. Yet 
 he bought it, and nothing daunted, set himself to learn 
 
54 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the paradigms of the language from it; and by the help 
 of reading and constant conversation with the people, became 
 in a few months a good Spanish scholar. It was an amusing 
 trait of his character that he appeared afterwards proud of this 
 accomplishment, and fond of exercising it ; so far as his modest 
 nature could be said to make any manifestation of pride. He 
 ever took pleasure in testifying to the cultivation, hospitality, 
 and flowing courtesy of the Spanish gentry in Mexico ; and, like 
 Napier, among their kindred in their mother-country, acknowl 
 edged the fascination of their accomplished manners, and their 
 noble and sonorous tongue, and the indescribable grace and 
 beauty of their women. Having formed the acquaintance of 
 some educated ecclesiastics of the Romish Church (probably 
 of the order of Canons), he went, by their invitation, to reside 
 with them. He found their bachelor abode the perfection of 
 luxurious comfort. Upon awaking in the morning, the servants 
 brought him, before he arose from bed, a light repast, consisting 
 of a few diminutive spiced cakes, and a single cup of that 
 delicious chocolate which is found only in Spanish houses. He 
 then dressed, went out, and attended to the drill of his com 
 pany. Later in the morning, when the sun began to display his 
 power, he returned to a breakfast of coffee, fruits, and game. 
 The greater part of the day was then spent in study or visit 
 ing; and it closed with a dinner in which Parisian art vied 
 with the tropical fruits native to the climate in conferring enjoy 
 ment. One family especially among his Spanish acquaintances 
 extended to him a hospitality for which he was always grateful, 
 and it possessed the attraction of several charming daughters. 
 He confessed, years after, that he found it advisable to discon 
 tinue his visits there ; and when asked the reason, said with a 
 blush, that he found the fascination of some of the female 
 charms which he met there was likely to become too strong for 
 
RELIGIOUS ANXIETIES. 55 
 
 his prudence, unless he escaped them in good time. He declared 
 that if the people of the city had been equal to their beautiful 
 climate, in integrity and character, Mexico would have been the 
 most alluring home for him in the world. But while his taste 
 felt the charms of the Spanish grace and lofty courtesy, his 
 sturdy English sense and pure honor taught him the incompati 
 bility of a hollow and corrupt state of morals, and a debasing 
 religion, with all his radical principles j and so he firmly with 
 drew himself, before his self-respect was tarnished. 
 
 But we have now reached the most important era in Jackson s 
 life ; the beginning of a vital change in his religious character. 
 All the information which can now be gathered, points to the 
 devout Colonel Frank Taylor, commanding his regiment of artil 
 lery, as his first official spiritual guide. This good man was 
 accustomed to labor as a father for the religious welfare of his 
 young officers; and Jackson s manly nature seems to have 
 awakened his especial interest. During the campaign of the 
 summer, his instruction and prayers had produced so much 
 effect as to awaken an abiding anxiety and spirit of inquiry 
 in Jackson s mind. He acknowledged his former practical 
 neglect of this transcendent subject, and deplored the vague 
 ness of his religious knowledge. It seems to have been 
 almost a law of his nature even before it was sanctified, 
 that, with him, to be convinced in his understanding of a duty 
 was to set straightway about its performance. He resolved to 
 make the Bible his study, and with a characteristic independence 
 of mind, to take nothing, as to his own religious duties, from 
 prejudice, or from the claims of the various denominations into 
 which he saw the religious world divided. His attitude towards 
 all creeds and sects was at this time singularly unbiassed. His 
 parentage cannot be said to have belonged to any party in 
 religion; his youth had been passed in a household where 
 
56 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Christianity was practically unknown ; and his later education 
 was obtained among a great company of young men, assembled 
 from every church, under the slender instructions of an army 
 chaplain. His own religious knowledge was at this time 
 extremely scanty. Resolved to examine for himself and decide 
 conscientiously, he concluded that there was now a rare oppor 
 tunity to inform himself concerning one church at least, the 
 Popish, from a high and authentic source. He was surrounded 
 by educated Papists j and he determined to hear the very best 
 they could say in commendation of their system. He therefore 
 sought the acquaintance of the Archbishop of Mexico, intro 
 duced, probably, by his monastic friends, and had a number of 
 interviews, in which that prelate entered at large into an expla 
 nation of the Romish system. Jackson always declared that he 
 believed him a sincere and honest advocate of that Church, and 
 that he found him not only affable, but able and learned. He 
 also said that the system, as expounded by intelligent Roman 
 ists, was by no means so gross or so obnoxious to common sense 
 as is represented by the mass of decided -Protestants. The 
 truth is (and herein is the subtlety of that form of error), the 
 statements of doctrines are so artfully drawn up by the well- 
 trained doctor of the Romish Church, that they may bear always 
 two phases of meaning; the one more decided and gross, the 
 other more akin to the evangelical truth. When, for instance, 
 Rome requires her teachers to say that, in the sinner s justifica 
 tion, the " meritorious cause " is the righteousness of Jesus 
 Christ, while the " formal cause " is the personal holiness in 
 wrought by the grace of the gospel in the Christian s soul ; the 
 words in the hands of a Janscnist, may be made almost to mean 
 that precious truth which every evangelical Christian, in every 
 church, embraces in substance, that our acceptance before God 
 is only in the merits of the Redeemer ; while, in the hands of a 
 
RELIGIOUS ANXIETIES, 57 
 
 self-righteous Jesuit, they will teach essentially a Pharisaic 
 dependence on our own observances. So the doctrine of per> 
 ance and absolution, in the instruction of the former, will be 
 made to mean little more than that the minister of God s church 
 is commissioned to publish therein His mercy to the truly peni 
 tent soul; while, in the teachings of the latter, it will encourage 
 the ignorant to believe, with a gross literality, that the priest, 
 and the priest alone, can forgive sins. Doubtless, in the case 
 of Jackson, the skilful polemic saw that his mind was too clear 
 and strong to be hoodwinked by the darker phase of these 
 dogmas. But with all the casuist s plausibility, he failed to 
 commend Popery to his convictions. The inquirer departed 
 unsatisfied, clearly convinced that the system of the Bible and 
 that of Rome were irreconcilable, and that the true religion of 
 Jesus Christ was to be sought by him elsewhere. 
 
 These studies seem to have left Jackson s mind for a long 
 time in a singular state. His progress towards the full light 
 was extremely gradual. He was henceforward conscientious, 
 and more than ever punctilious about the purity of his life; he 
 never remitted his interest in the great question of his own sal 
 vation; yet, for more than two years after, he still remained in 
 suspense. He apparently had no clear persuasion of his own 
 acceptance before God, and no settled conviction as to* the 
 branch of the Church which he should select as his own. 
 
 His residence in Mexico, however, was not long protracted. 
 On March 5, 1848, an armistice was concluded for two months 
 between General Scott and the Mexican authorities; and on 
 May 26th, a treaty of peace was finally ratified. The military 
 occupation of the city and territory was therefore terminated as 
 speedily as possible; and on the 12th of June, the last of the 
 United States forces left the capital to return home. Major 
 Jackson s command was sent to Fort Hamilton, a post situated 
 s 
 
58 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 upon Long Island, seven miles below New York city, and com 
 manding the approach to its harbor, known as the Narrows. 
 Here we must follow his quiet career for a time through the 
 monotonous life of a garrison, diversified by occasional resorts 
 to the society of a great city. 
 
LIFE IN LEXINGTON. 59 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 LIFE IN LEXINGTON. 
 
 THE narrative of Major Jackson s introduction into the mili 
 tary academy of the commonwealth of Virginia at Lexington, is 
 naturally preceded by a relation of the few incidents of his resi 
 dence at Fort Hamilton. His life here was uneventful, save in 
 his spiritual progress. The duties of the garrison fell lightly 
 upon him; his rank as an officer of artillery entitled him to 
 keep a horse, arid thus indulge his passion for equestrian exer 
 cise ; and the society of the post, enlivened by the presence of 
 the superior officers families, was attractive. Best of all, his 
 Christian friend and father, Colonel Taylor, was residing near 
 him, and continued to extend to him his pious advice. To him 
 he ever after looked up, as one of the chief instruments of God 
 in bringing him to a saving knowledge of the truth. Another 
 spiritual guide now presented himself, in the chaplain of the 
 garrison, the Rev. Mr. Parks. This gifted man was also an 
 alumnus of the military academy at West Point, and a distin 
 guished scholar. His religious zeal had led him to forsake the 
 life of a soldier for that of a minister of the gospel in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. In this communion he rose to 
 distinction as a pulpit orator, and professor in their college, Ran 
 dolph Macon, in Virginia. But his ecclesiastical views having 
 undergone a change, he took orders in the Episcopal Church ; 
 and, as a clergyman of that communion, had, at one time, a post 
 
60 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON". 
 
 at West Point, and, at another, at Fort Hamilton. His ardent 
 nature found much that was congenial in Jackson s. Under his 
 ministry, the latter arrived at a comfortable hope of salvation, 
 insomuch that he felt it his duty and privilege to apply for 
 baptism, which he had never received. His conscientious 
 inquiries into the claims of the different denominations of 
 Christians were still continued, without, however, bringing him 
 to any final conclusion. Popery he had examined, and rejected 
 as anti-scriptural. Episcopacy he admitted to be an evangeli 
 cal system; but some of its features he was unwilling to accept 
 as of scriptural authority. This state of mind he explicitly 
 avowed in asking for baptism at her door, stating that he should 
 consider himself, if he obtained that privilege, not a member of* 
 the Episcopal denomination, but of the catholic body of Christ j 
 and that, if ever his conscience and judgment were satisfied as 
 to the most scriptural form of the Church, he should feel him 
 self perfectly free to join it, whether it should be that or some 
 other. But as his separation from civil life, and the society of 
 other Christians, deprived him of the means of comparing and 
 judging at that time, he felt that it was his duty, meanwhile, to 
 assume, in the appointed rite, the name and service of the 
 Redeemer, who, he hoped, had saved him. On this understand 
 ing, the Rev. Mr. Parks baptized him, and admitted him to his 
 first communion. 
 
 After a residence of about two years at Fort Hamilton, Major 
 Jackson was transferred to Fort Meade. near Tampa Day, on 
 the west coast of Florida. It is probable that the feebleness 
 of his health, by no means invigorated by the fatigues and 
 exposures of Mexico, was one motive of this change of resi 
 dence. His abode at this post seems to have been as unevent 
 ful as it was short, for he rarely made any allusion to it. On 
 the 27th of March, 1851. he was elected Professor of Natural 
 
PROFESSOR IN THE MILITARY ACADEMY OF VIRGINIA. 61 
 
 and Experimental Philosophy and Artillery Tactics in the Mili 
 tary Academy of Virginia. This school, founded about twelve 
 years before, upon the model of the one at West Point, had 
 grown nearly to the distinction of its prototype, and was now 
 attended by several hundred young men from Virginia and 
 other Southern States. It is placed near the village of Lexing 
 ton, in the county of Rockbridge, one of the most fertile and 
 picturesque districts in the great valley of Virginia. Its castel 
 lated buildings, grandly situated on a commanding yet grassy 
 eminence, overlook the country for many miles, and, on the east, 
 confront the Blue Ridge Mountains, which form the boundary 
 of the district on that side. The salubrity of the climate, and 
 the intelligence of the society, graced also by the faculty of 
 Washington College, have always made Lexington an attractive 
 residence. The prosperity and growth of the Military Institute 
 calling for another instructor in this department, the eyes of its 
 governors were directed to Major Jackson, by his high charac 
 ter, scholarship, and brilliant career in Mexico. Other names 
 were submitted by the Faculty of West Point, among which 
 may be mentioned those of General George 13. M Clellan, Gen 
 eral Reno, and General Rosecranz of the present Federal 
 armies, and the distinguished General G. W. Smith of the Con 
 federate army. Cut the high testimonials given to Major Jack 
 son, and his birth as a Virginian, secured the preference of the 
 visitors, who elected him by a unanimous vote. The fortunate 
 issue of their selection illustrates the wisdom of that rule so 
 often violated by the people of the South, to their own injury 
 and reproach, to give the preference, in all appointments of 
 trust, to citizens " to the manor born." The salary offered him 
 was the modest sum of twelve hundred dollars, with commuta 
 tion for quarters. 
 
 Jackson was no lover of garrison life, and accepted this 
 
62 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEtfERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 place promptly. He afterwards explained to an intimate 
 friend, that while campaigning was extremely congenial to 
 his tastes, the life of a military post in times of peace was 
 just as repulsive; that he perceived the officers of the army 
 usually neglected self-improvement, and rusted, in trivial amuse 
 ments, at these fortresses ; and that, on the recurrence of a 
 war, the man who had turned, with a good military reputation, 
 into the pursuits of a semi-civilian, and who thus vigorously 
 prosecuted his mental improvement, might expect even more 
 promotion in the army than those who had remained in the dull 
 tread-mill of the garrison. But he declared that he knew war 
 to be his true vocation, that his constant aim in life would ever 
 be the career of the soldier, that he only accepted a scholastic 
 occupation during peace, and that he was mainly induced to 
 this by the military character of the chool, and by the oppor 
 tunities which, as professor of the art of the artillerist, he 
 would enjoy of continuing his practical acquaintance with his 
 chosen calling. He therefore repaired to the Military Institute 
 in July, 1851; and in this honorable retirement spent nearly 
 ten years. 
 
 The department of instruction committed to him, embraced 
 the theory and practice of gunnery, and the sciences of mechan 
 ics, optics, and astronomy. These were taught in part by 
 experiment, and in part by the application of mathematical an 
 alysis. To determine the theories of light and of motion, and 
 the doctrines of astronomy, he employed the most abstruse and 
 refined applications of gcometr\ r , and of the calculus of flux 
 ions. The cadet was introduced from the simpler studies of 
 pure mathematics to this arduous course, and, consequently, it 
 was generally feared and disliked by him. Indeed, it may well 
 be questioned, whether the minds of most youths have sufficient 
 maturity, at the age when they usually complete their second 
 
HIS SUCCESS. 63 
 
 year in the military school, to grapple with these discussions 
 successfully. The major part of the classes were, probably, 
 overcome by the demands made upon their powers of abstrac 
 tion and logic, and floundered along, in the rear of their in 
 structor, catching only occasional glimpses of the recondite 
 truth. Major Jackson had never been a teacher, nor had the 
 bustle of the life into which he plunged, at his first step from 
 West Point, left him much opportunity to review these abstruse 
 studies. When asked by a friend (after his success had long 
 been assured) whether he had not been diffident of himself in 
 undertaking so untried and arduous a course of instruction, he 
 replied, " No ; he expected to be able to study sufficiently in 
 advance of his class j for one could always do wliat he willed to 
 accomplish." 
 
 His career as a professor was respectable, but never popular. 
 None doubted the strength of his mind, nor his thorough schol 
 arship, nor his conscientious industry, nor his justice and im 
 partiality. But, while all his better students were accustomed 
 to assert his thorough competency, discontent with his labors 
 was not infrequent, both among his pupils and the alumni of 
 the school. To all the better intellects of his class he com 
 municated accurate scholarship, and the thoroughness of his 
 mental drill was most useful. But the laggards lagged very far 
 in the rear, and he was unsuccessful in bringing them up. This 
 resulted, as has been already intimated, in part from the difficult 
 nature of his department; but in part also from the constitution 
 of Jackson s mind. He lacked some of the peculiar tact of 
 the eminent teacher; and this was precisely because of the 
 greatness of his endowments as a soldier and commander. 
 The perceptions of his mind were so vigorous and distinct, 
 and seized so exclusively on the main points of consideration, 
 that all conclusions were with him perfectly defined. Hence 
 
64 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 there was, to him, but one formula of words which gave an 
 exact expression to his thought. If one complained that his 
 comprehension was imperfect, and asked for another statement, 
 Jackson had no answer to make save to repeat his first formula. 
 Now. to the leader, whose function it is to give orders to be 
 obeyed, this trait is invaluable. In the teacher, whose work is 
 to assist the comprehension of weaker minds, it is a defect. 
 The very force and clearness with which Jackson s mind moved 
 along from its premises to its conclusions, made it improbable 
 that it would travel any second path, less plain than the one 
 first perceived by his strong intuition. Hence, he lacked versa 
 tility and powers of elucidation. His intolerance of laziness, 
 also, concurred to make the youth of defective comprehension 
 dissatisfied with his teachings. But in the art of examining, 
 one most essential to the efficiency of the teacher, he was emi 
 nent. His questions were always fair, always well chosen to 
 eviscerate the subject, and always put in words carefully 
 selected words absolutely perspicuous, and true to the thought 
 he aimed to propound, without the use of one superfluous 
 phrase. If the pupil said he did not comprehend the point of 
 the inquiry, Jackson was sure to repeat precisely the same 
 words, with yet more deliberation. He held that when the 
 form of the question was already perspicuous, an inability to 
 comprehend it was, in fact, evidence of an inability to answer 
 it. It may easily be conceived that this method was not likely 
 to be peculiarly pleasing to an indolent youth, who, coming half 
 prepared to his recitation, desired to extract a hint to assist his 
 own ignorance, in the shape of a " leading question" from the 
 teacher. 
 
 Another cause which detracted from Jackson s success as a 
 teacher of the natural sciences, was the lack of practical skill 
 in performing physical experiments. As has been remarked, he 
 
HIS EYESIGHT IMPAIRED. 65 
 
 was not gifted with much of the minute manual dexterity which 
 goes to the making of a skilful artisan or musician ; nor had his 
 mind that "mechanical turn" which Sir Walter Scott declared 
 to be, in his opinion, the usual index of a little trumpery under 
 standing. His experiments were not brilliant, and sometimes 
 they resulted in ludicrous blunders, at which he laughed as 
 heartily as any of the lads of his class. 
 
 One of the most painful consequences of his ill health was a 
 weakness of the eyes, which rendered reading by any artificial 
 light injurious, and threatened total blindness. This infirmity 
 was not usually revealed by any visible inflammation, but rather 
 affected the nerves of vision. He made it a conscientious duty, 
 as well as found it a necessity, to forego all reading after night 
 fall, except the short portion of the Scriptures with which he 
 invariably closed the day. But as the hours of daylight were 
 necessarily much occupied with the duties of the class-room, 
 the drill, and the Faculty, this deprivation of the quiet hours of 
 night, which most scholars find so precious, was a serious diffi 
 culty, and imposed on him a peculiar method of study. During 
 that part of the day which remained after his morning recita 
 tion, he carefully read over the text of the subjects which he 
 wished to study for the next day, fixing the outlines of the dis 
 cussion in his retentive memory. After devoting the remainder 
 of his afternoon to domestic or social duties, he took his frugal 
 supper, and proceeded to complete the studies of the morning 
 without lamp, book or diagram, either pacing the floor of his 
 chamber, or quietly seated with his face to the wall. In this 
 mental review, he passed over every link of the logic of the 
 discussion, completed its method in his own mind, and assured 
 his perfect recollection of it, so as to be prepared to teacli it on 
 the morrow. This study completed in one or two hours, he 
 pleasantly wheeled his chair towards the fire, removed the 
 
66 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 injunction which ho laid, at beginning, against addressing con 
 versation to him, and passed into whatever topic engaged the 
 attention of his family. His instructions in the class-room were 
 accordingly conducted without ever referring to books, although 
 very closely conformed to them. Not only was his recollection 
 of their contents perfect, but even of the place upon the page 
 where each proposition might be found. Now, when his depart 
 ment of instruction is remembered, which involved the constant 
 use of the most refined mathematical analysis, and discussion 
 of figure, dimensions, motions, and relations of bodies in space, 
 which most minds comprehend with difficulty, even by the aid 
 of diagrams and models, the best scholar will best understand 
 how astonishing was the exercise of memory, abstraction, 
 imagination, and logical power in these studies. Some may 
 notice with incredulity the word imagination, included in this 
 enumeration, and may rejoin, that Jackson was notoriously 
 unimaginative and prosaic. If the name of this noble faculty, 
 the imagination, be degraded, as it is popularly, to express 
 the habitude of employing many tropes, either invented, or 
 recollected and borrowed, in the expression of the thoughts, 
 then it is conceded that ho was not imaginative. He was 
 not prone to indulge his fancy; but, whether through inca 
 pacity, the reader will perhaps discover. If, however, imagina 
 tion is used in its proper sense, to express the creative power 
 of the mind, the ability to reproduce in the chambers of the 
 soul, and without the aid of sensation, the elements of concep 
 tion, and to combine them, with a vivid distinctness, in new 
 relations, then Jackson had the faculty in great strength. And, 
 hence, it becomes true, that there is no better cultivation of this 
 faculty, than in the distinct comprehension of the subjects of the 
 applied mathematics, in their higher branches, by this purely 
 mental study. The great mathematician may not be accustomed 
 
HIS IMAGINATION. 67 
 
 to bedizen his discourses with similes concerning purling brooks 
 and silvery moonbeams ; * but he can map out in conception the 
 great circles of the heavens, equinoctial and ecliptic, with the 
 orbits of the planets, and grasp the related movements of the 
 worlds in his thought, as they wheel in intricate, yet orderly 
 labyrinths j a task under which the feeble mind of the poetaster 
 collapses in hopeless confusion. The former knows how to 
 body forth, with the distinctness of actual vision, the combina 
 tions of all the elements of thought which the mind gathers, in 
 her illimitable excursions beyond the regions explored by the 
 senses. He can so produce, before his thought, things that are 
 not seen, and things that shall be, with the palpable reality of 
 things that are seen, and of things that are, as to awaken by 
 them all the strong emotions of the soul, which in natures less 
 noble wait upon the actual information of sensation. And this 
 is most essentially that faculty of the intellect which raises man 
 from the sensuous animal toward the all-knowing Spirit, in 
 whose image he is made. This is the faculty which, in the great 
 statesman and commander, groups the data for the inspection of 
 the profound judgment, which enables him for the clear compre 
 hension of vast and multiplex affairs, and which ministers to his 
 soul the stimulus of grand resolves. 
 
 One can now comprehend how valuable was the training 
 which Jackson s mind received, in these meditations without 
 book upon abstract truths, for his work as a soldier. Command 
 over his attention was formed into a habit which no tempest of 
 confusion could disturb. His power of abstraction became un 
 rivalled. His imagination was trained and invigorated, until it 
 became competent for grouping the most extensive and complex 
 considerations. The power of his mind to endure its own ten- 
 
 * Purpureus, late qui splendcat, unus et alter 
 Assuitur pannus. Hon. Ad Pisones. 
 
68 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 sion, in the labors of reflection and volition, was drilled like 
 the strength of the athlete. His self-concentration became un 
 surpassed. Having fixed upon his mind the positions of his 
 forces and of the enemy s, and the relations of the routes, rivers, 
 mountains and fortresses, by the inspection of a map ; he could 
 study all the possible combinations of movements as he rode, 
 rapt in thought, at the head of his columns, with as much 
 maturity as though alone in his chamber. Hence, in part, it 
 resulted, that while no commander gave more scope to his own 
 versatility and resource in the progress of events, there was 
 never one whose foresight was more complete. Nothing emerged 
 which had not been considered before in his mind; no possi 
 bility was overlooked ; he was never surprised. 
 
 Jackson s life at the military school in Lexington was regular, 
 and marked by few incidents. It was, however, the season when 
 his personal character received its shape. It therefore appears 
 a suitable place in this narrative, to proceed with its delineation, 
 illustrating it by the few events of the period. 
 
 He was, without doubt, of a nature intensely ambitious and 
 aspiring. The depression of his poverty and orphanage, in his 
 youth, had only stimulated this passion in him. The evidences 
 of its existence have been already given, in his zeal for military 
 distinction during the Mexican War, and for scholarship at West 
 Point, as well as in his ulterior purposes of life. To his inti 
 mate friend he once remarked, that the officer should always 
 make the attainment of rank supreme, within honorable bounds, 
 over every other consideration. Some sacrificed advancement 
 to convenience, to secure service in a post where residence was 
 pleasant, or to evade the authority of a harsh or unpopular 
 superior ; but his rule had been to secure promotion, if possible, 
 at the cost of all such considerations ; because, with the ad 
 vancement in rank, the chances for distinction must usually 
 
HIS AMBITION. 69 
 
 improve. But his love of truth and rectitude was too strong 
 and instinctive to permit his thirsting for any other than 
 deserved distinction. He drew broadly the mark between 
 notoriety and true fame. His passion deserved, as nearly as 
 any man s could, the poet s description as 
 
 "The last infirmity of noble minds." 
 
 Yet it was, as he himself avowed, an infirmity ; that is to say, 
 it was unquestionably an unsanctified principle, and inconsistent 
 with Christian holiness as it is in the breasts of all natural 
 men. His Christian character was then in its germ, and the 
 spirit of the military profession in which he had long been 
 immersed, far away from all churches and their influences, 
 blinded him to the nature of his aspirations. Yery soon, he 
 listened to no other than a sanctified ambition. In June, 1854, 
 the Visitors of the University of Virginia held an election for 
 Professor of Mathematics, to succeed Mr. Courtenay, himself an 
 alumnus of West Point, who had long filled that place usefully 
 and respectably. This University was the first in America,, in 
 the thoroughness of its instructions, and the dignities and emol 
 uments of its professors. Jackson presented himself as a can 
 didate, and procured many testimonials in support of his claims 
 from persons of distinction, in which they concurred in ascrib 
 ing to him competent scholarship, while they dwelt on his ener 
 gy, devotion to duty, and courage. Among these were many 
 teachers of the West-Point Academy, and Lieut.-Col. Robert E. 
 Lee, then its Superintendent. When Jackson mentioned his 
 project to his friend, he said to him : " Have you not departed 
 here from what you told me, upon coming to this military school, 
 was the purpose of your life ? " [He referred to the declaration 
 that war was his proper vocation.] Jackson, who seemed never 
 to forget his own most casual remarks, or to overlook the obli- 
 
70 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 gallon to maintain consistency with what he had once said, 
 replied, " I avow that my views have changed." He then pro 
 ceeded to explain, that while he should ever retain the same 
 conviction concerning his own adaptation to the soldier s life, 
 his convictions concerning war as a pathway to distinction were 
 greatly modified ; and that he would now by no means accept a 
 commission in any war which the United States might wage, 
 irrespective of its morality. He had never, he said, while an 
 ungodly man, been inclined to tempt Providence by going in 
 advance of his duty ; he had never seen the day when he would 
 have been likely to volunteer for a forlorn hope, although indif 
 ferent to the danger of a service to which he was legitimately 
 ordered. But now, that he was endeavoring to live the life of 
 faith, he would engage in no task in which he did not believe he 
 should enjoy the Divine approbation; because, with this, he 
 should feel perfectly secure under the disposal of Divine Provi 
 dence ; without it, he would have no right to be courageous. 
 If, then, his country were assailed in such a way as to justify an 
 appeal to defensive war in God s sight, he should desire to 
 return to military life; but unless this happened, he should 
 continue a simple citizen. But as such he regarded it as every 
 man s duty to seek the highest cultivation of his powers, and the 
 widest sphere of activity within his reach; and therefore he 
 desired to be transferred to the State University. In this 
 desire, however, he was disappointed ; another gentleman was 
 elected, and he acquiesced with perfect cheerfulness. 
 
 In politics, Jackson was always a Democrat. This term, in 
 Virginia, always had reference more to the principles of Federal 
 polity, the assertion of the sovereignty and reserved rights of 
 the States, and the strict limitation of those of the Central 
 Government, with the advocacy of a simple and unambitious 
 exercise of its delegated powers, which were inculcated by Mr. 
 
HIS POLITICS. 71 
 
 Jefferson, than to a government for the individual States, strictly 
 popular, and founded on universal suffrage. To the latter, the 
 most of the Virginian statesmen of the States Rights school 
 were no friends ; and the State-constitution of South Carolina, 
 the most thoroughly democratic of all the States as to Federal 
 politics, is the farthest removed from literal democracy. But it 
 is probable that Jackson would have accepted the name of a 
 Democrat in more of its literality than the statesmen we have 
 described. In Federal politics he was certainly a strict con- 
 structionist of the straitest sect. He voted with his party 
 uniformly. To political discussions, in conversation, he was not 
 given ; and, while exceedingly exact in maintaining candor, he 
 would usually content himself, when assailed by a political 
 opponent, with a firm and polite declaration that he could not 
 concur in his opinions, relapsing then into a silence from which 
 no pertinacity could tempt him. With one or two intimates he 
 conversed on public measures freely and with animation. And 
 they always found his thoughts original and profound. He read 
 little of the political journals; had there been no other reason 
 for his disregard of them, his conscientious belief that it was 
 his duty to employ his feeble eyesight in more important things, 
 would have prevented him. His political opinions were, there 
 fore, very far from being the echo of other men s He approached 
 each subject from his own point of view, and this was usually 
 found to be as conclusive as it was original. 
 
 Unaffected modesty was imprinted upon his countenance, and 
 every trait of his manners. No man ever lived who was further 
 removed from egotism. Even his most intimate friend never heard 
 him mention his own brilliant military career, of his own accord ; 
 nor did he ever speak of his family or kindred, many of whom, 
 by their talents and social position, might have afforded topics 
 for a boastful man. Yet his self-reliance was strong j as was 
 
<- LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 proved by his favorite maxim. Mentioning to a friend, one day 
 the omission in his academic education at West Point, which 
 left him ignorant of Latin, he added: "But I think it probable 
 that I shall some day repair this, and become as familiar with 
 that language as with the Spanish." His friend replied, that 
 perhaps he might acquire a partial knowledge of it by great 
 effort ; but it was generally held, that one who had not imprinted 
 the forms of the language on the plastic memory in childhood, 
 could never repair that loss, so as to become a familiar master 
 of the tongue. He answered, " No ; if I attempt it, I shall be 
 come a master of the language j I can accomplish whatever I 
 will to do." When he was a candidate for the Chair of Mathe 
 matics in the University of Virginia, one of his few intimates 
 suggested a fear that he had mistaken his own capacities, in 
 seeking that place ; because the method of teaching there was 
 so largely by lecture ; whereas his method was by the use of 
 text-books ; and he must be aware that he had little facility in 
 extempore discourse. He acknowledged that he well knew that 
 fact, and never dreamed of becoming eloquent; but, said he, 
 u by effort I shall succeed as a lecturer, for I can accomplish 
 anything I will to perform." It may be added, that there is no 
 instance known in which he failed of realizing his boast. 
 
 The strength of his will was shown in his unfailing punctu 
 ality, in the vigor of his self-discipline both bodily and mental, 
 and in the energy of his actions. Among other improvements 
 of his powers, he determined that lie would acquire the art of 
 speaking in public. To this end he became a member of the 
 11 Franklin Society," a respectable literary association in Lexing 
 ton endowed with a handsome hall and library where the 
 gentlemen of the town and of its scholastic institutions met for 
 forensic debates, and other intellectual exercises. Here he was 
 always a punctual attendant, and always spoke in his turn. His 
 
SUCCESS AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER. 73 
 
 first essays were as painful to his audience as they probably 
 were to himself; confused, halting, and frequently ending in an 
 abrupt silence, when the power of controlling his thoughts for 
 the time deserted him. Thus arrested by his own embarrass 
 ment, he would sit down, nowise abashed ; and so powerful was 
 the impress of his modesty and manly purpose upon his fellow- 
 members, that none were ever seen to smile at these failures, 
 although sometimes repeated a second and a third time, in the 
 same evening. At a suitable moment he would rise again, and 
 renew his effort, perhaps to end it with a similar painful halt. 
 But before the close of the debate he would succeed in ex 
 pressing the substance of what he had in his mind. By this 
 dogged resolution, he gradually learned to control his diffidence, 
 and became an effective speaker. His manner was rapid and 
 emphatic, his thoughts marked by great directness, and his dis 
 course began and ended with exceedingly little of exordium and 
 peroration. So complete was his success, that he was said to 
 have made, in a popular assemblage of his neighborhood, one of 
 the most effective speeches ever heard. It was but ten minutes 
 long ; but it produced unanimity in an assembly before divided. 
 He might have said, like the patriarch of IJz, " Unto me men 
 gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel : after my 
 words, they spake not again." 
 
 During nearly his whole life in Lexington, Jackson was a val 
 etudinarian, and his regimen of body contributed no little to his 
 character for singularity. He was ever scrupulously neat, and 
 having, in one of his vacations, visited a hydropathic establish 
 ment in New England with supposed benefit, he became after 
 wards a still greater votary of cold water. He seems to have 
 studied physiology and the laws of health in the same conscien 
 tious and business-like manner in which he performed all his 
 tasks, and to have formed his own conclusions as to diet from 
 10 
 
74 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 observing his own sensations. When these results were reached, 
 he followed them out with an absolute self-denial, and without a 
 particle of regard to their singularity. Yet, unlike most inva 
 lids, he was as catholic towards others as he was strict to him 
 self; and, allowing each person to be a law unto himself, never 
 denounced their indulgences as excesses, because they would 
 have been such if committed by him. Some of his self-denying 
 customs appeared very odd to those around him ; but their de 
 fence may be found in the fact, that this temperance repaired an 
 enfeebled constitution, and made it capable of great endurance. 
 The most learned physiologists now admit, that the surd antip 
 athies and appetencies of the corporeal tastes are often the most 
 profoundly accurate indications of the wants of the system. 
 Thus, when Jackson for a season refused the least trace of any 
 thing saccharine in his food, his conduct was probably wiser 
 than that of the observers who called him whimsical. It is 
 noteworthy that, at all times, he preferred the simplest food, 
 and that he lived absolutely without any stimulant ; using neither 
 tea, coifee, tobacco, nor wine. This abstinence, however, was 
 from principle, not from insensibility. Thus, reconnoitering the 
 enemy s front on an occasion, in the winter of 1862, when pru 
 dence forbade the use of fire, he became so chilled, that his 
 medical attendant, in real alarm for his safety, urged him to 
 take some stimulant. There was nothing at hand except ardent 
 spirits, and so he consented to take some. As he experienced a 
 difficulty in swallowing it, and it seemed to produce the sensa 
 tion of choking, his friend asked if it was very unpleasant. 
 "No," said he; "no, I like it; I always did; and that is the 
 reason I never use it" At another time he took a long and 
 exhausting walk with a brother officer, who was also a temperate 
 and God-fearing man. The walk terminating at his quarters, 
 he proposed to General Jackson, in consequence of their fatigue, 
 
HIS HEALTH. 75 
 
 to join him in a glass of brandy and water: "No," said he; "I 
 am much obliged, but I never use it; I am more afraid of it 
 than of Federal bullets." What a rebuke is here to that vain 
 conceit and pride of character, which resents the friendly 
 caution, and the call to watchfulness as disparaging to one : s 
 strength. This mighty man of God acknowledged that he was 
 afraid of temptation. " When he was weak, then was nc 
 strong." How many a young man would have escaped the 
 drunkard s grave if he had acted on this manly philosophy ! 
 Jackson always professed his ability to exert an absolute con 
 trol over his appetites ; and declared that he could feel little 
 sympathy with suffering in others, which was caused by self- 
 indulgence. When the people about him complained of head 
 aches, or other consequences of imprudence, he would say : " Do 
 as I do ; govern yourself absolutely, and you will not suffer. 
 My head never aches ; if a thing disagrees with me, I never 
 eat it." 
 
 His hours were early and regular ; and rare must be the 
 social obligation which induced him to depart from them. For 
 in all these regulations, imposed on himself for the preservation 
 of his health, he was accustomed to argue, that having deter 
 mined any rule to be necessary, he was under a moral obligation 
 to observe it. In vain did any friend plead that the one instance 
 of relaxation in his system could not possibly work an appre 
 ciable injury. His uniform answer was: "Perfectly true; but 
 it would become a precedent for another, and thus my rule 
 would be broken down, and health would be injured, which 
 would be a sin." Thus he carried out his self-denial in the use 
 of his eyesight so rigidly, that even a letter received on Satur 
 day night, if it was only one of compliment or friendship, was 
 not read by him until- Monday morning; for his Sabbaths were 
 sacredly reserved from the smallest secular distractions. If his 
 
76 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 friend exclaimed, "Surely, Major, your eyes would not be injured 
 by the reading of one letter now; " his answer was, "I suppose 
 they would not; but if T read this letter to-night, which it is 
 not truly necessary to do, I shall be tempted to read something 
 else that interests me to-morrow night, and the next, so that my 
 rule will be broken down. Then rny eye-sight will undoubtedly 
 be injured. But if I thus incapacitate myself, by acts not really 
 necessary, for my duties to my employers and my pupils in the 
 institute, I shall commit sin." And once, when his most intimate 
 friend knew that he had received a letter of affection late on 
 Saturday night, the question was asked, as they were walking to 
 church on Sabbath morning, " Major, surely you have read your 
 letter ? " " Assuredly not," said he. " Where is it ? " asked his 
 friend. "Here," said he, tapping the pocket of ins coat. 
 " What obstinacy ! " exclaimed his friend. " Do you not know 
 that your curiosity to learn its contents will distract your atten 
 tion from divine worship, far more than if you had done with 
 reading it? Surely, in this case, to depart from your rule 
 would be prouiotive of a true Sabbath observance, instead of 
 injurious to it ? " " No," answered he, quietly, " I shall make 
 the most faithful effort I can to govern my thoughts, arid guard 
 them from unnecessary distraction ; and as I do this from a 
 sense of duty, I expect the divine blessing on it." Accordingly, 
 he afterwards declared, that his soul was on that day unusually 
 composed and devout, and his spiritual enjoyment of the public 
 and private worship of the day peculiarly rich. 
 
 Under a similar sense of moral responsibility, he acquitted 
 himself punctually of all social obligations. When a single 
 man, he went into society as frequently as other young men of 
 regular habits, saying that he was constrained to do so by a 
 sense of justice and humanity ; for when an acquaintance took 
 the trouble to prepare an entertainment, and honored him with 
 
SENSE OF MORAL RESPONSIBILITY. 77 
 
 an invitation, to attend, where no duty interposed, was the only 
 equitable return due for the kindness. In such assemblages he 
 was never entirely at ease ; but it may be said with truth, that 
 there, as everywhere, his courtesy was perfect. No attention 
 due to the host and hostess was ever omitted ; no salutation 
 ever failed to meet the most polite return; the very slightest 
 favor never went without thanks. No female ever came short 
 of her fair share of the attentions of the other sex, that he did 
 not at once relinquish his own preferences, and devote himself 
 to her entertainment. But when his early hour of retirement 
 came, no allurements could detain him; and sometimes the 
 ingenious plans laid by fair enemies to keep him, which he 
 was too courteous to break through, placed him for a moment 
 in amusing embarrassment. One of his most rigid rules was, 
 never to eat a morsel after his frugal supper. Hence, in the 
 refreshments offered at a later hour, he refused to have any part, 
 to the distress of his hostesses. Amidst the clatter of china and 
 conversation, and the sparkle of wines and ices, the tall form of 
 the Major stood firm ; polite, yet constrained ; in the gay throng, 
 but not of it. When a friend urged him at least to avoid the 
 awkwardness of the position for himself and the hostess, by seem 
 ing to participate, his answer was that he did not consider it 
 truthful to seem to do what he was not really doing. Indeed, his 
 care not to transgress the strict truth seemed to others exces 
 sive. He never talked at random, even in the most unguarded 
 moment, or on the most trivial subject. All his statements 
 were well-considered. On rare occasions something might have 
 escaped him which he regarded as an exception ; and then, it 
 mattered not how unessential the subject of it might be, and 
 how impossible it might appear that any actual evil could 
 emerge out jf his mistake, he made it a part of the serious 
 business of the next day to give a full explanation. 
 
78 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 His person was tall, erect, and muscular, with the large hands 
 and feet characteristic of all his race. His bearing was pecu 
 liarly English; and therefore, in the somewhat free society of 
 America, was regarded as constrained. Every movement was 
 quick and decisive; his articulation was not rapid, but distinct 
 and emphatic, and, accompanied by that laconic and perspicuous 
 phrase to which it was so well adapted, it often made the 
 impression of curtness. He practised a military exactness in 
 all the courtesies of good society. Different opinions existed 
 as to his comeliness, because it varied so much with the condition 
 of his health and animal spirits. His brow was exceedingly 
 fair and expansive ; his eyes were blue, large, and expressive, 
 reposing usually in placid calm, but able none the less to flash 
 lightning. His nose was Roman, and exceedingly well chiselled ; 
 his cheeks ruddy and sunburnt; his mouth firm and full of 
 meaning ; and his chin covered with a beard of comely brown. 
 The remarkable characteristic of his face was the contrast be 
 tween its sterner and its gentler moods. As he accosted a 
 friend, or dispensed the hospitalities of his own house, his 
 serious, constrained look gave place to a smile, so sweet and 
 sunny in its graciousness, that he was another man. But hearty 
 laughter, especially, was a complete metamorphosis. His blue 
 eyes then danced, and his countenance rippled with a glee and 
 abandon literally infantile. This smile was indescribable to 
 one who never saw it. Had there been a painter with genius 
 subtile enough to fix upon his canvas, side by side, the spirit of 
 the countenance with which he caught the sudden jest of a child 
 romping on his knees, and that with which, in the crisis of battle, 
 he gave his generals the sharp and strident command, " Sweep 
 the field with the bayonet 1 " ho would have accomplished a 
 miracle of art, which the spectator could scarcely credit as true 
 to nature. 
 
POPULAR ESTIMATE EXPLAINED. 79 
 
 In walking, liis step was long and rapid, and at once suggested 
 the idea of the 1 dismounted horseman. It has been said that he 
 was an awkward rider, but incorrectly. A sufficient evidence 
 of this is the fact that he was never thrown. It is true that on 
 the march, when involved in thought, he was heedless of the 
 grace of his posture; but in action, or as he rode with bare 
 head along his column, acknowledging the shouts which rent the 
 skies, no figure could be nobler than his. His judgment of 
 horses was excellent, and it was very rare that he was not well 
 mounted. 
 
 Such was the man as he left the quiet walks of the Military 
 Academy, in the spring of 1861, to begin a career which was 
 to fill the world with his fame. Most of those who were con 
 versant with him were unconscious of his power. A few inti 
 mates, indeed, were well aware of his capacity, and predicted 
 for him an exalted destiny (for which they were usually held to 
 be as singular as Jackson himself) ; but, with the many, he 
 passed for a sensible, odd man, of undoubted courage, energy, 
 and goodness ; competent to a respectable success in anything 
 to which he might bend his determined will, but to nothing 
 more. Yet the cadets of his school gloried in his military 
 prowess, of discussing which they were never weary ; and the 
 universal feeling among them was, that if ever they were called 
 into actual service, he was the man whom they would prefer for 
 their leader. The incorrect estimate which the many formed of 
 him can be readily explained. Major Jackson was a man whom 
 it was no easy matter to know ; not because he sought to hide 
 himself from scrutiny, nor because he was in the slightest degree 
 covert in what he said or did, but because there was a breadth 
 and depth of character about him, that would never be suspected 
 by the superficial and bigoted. He was pre-eminently modest, 
 and inexpressibly opposed to self-display, and equally consider- 
 
80 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON". 
 
 ate of the taste and character of those with whom he held inter 
 course. He moulded his share of that intercourse accordingly. 
 His scrupulous and delicate politeness made it always his aim 
 to render others easy and comfortable in his presence. His 
 first thought on meeting with them seemed to be what subjects 
 of conversation would be most familiar to their thoughts, and 
 most consonant to their feelings. He never introduced a sub 
 ject merely because it was one with which he was most at home, 
 or on which he could best exhibit his talents, or parade his 
 information. With a clergyman or lady, he never introduced 
 party politics or military science. Having led the conversa 
 tion, with polite deference to that topic upon which his guest 
 seemed best fitted to shine, he became usually an attentive but 
 almost silent listener, and made no disclosure of his own stores 
 of knowledge, or of profound and original reflections on the 
 same subject ; although they were often far more complete than 
 those of the person whom ho thus accepted as an instructor. 
 And had not subsequent facts evinced his superiorit} 7 , his ac 
 quaintance would have felt it almost incredible that one who 
 was so well qualified to speak with confidence, should so entirely 
 suppress the desire to speak. Thus many a minister of the 
 gospel has been led by him to speak on ethical, ecclesiastical, 
 or theological subjects, and has carried away the impression 
 that the modest soldier, although almost ignorant of the alpha 
 bets of those sciences, had at least the merit of. an earnest 
 appetite for the knowledge of them, when in truth Jackson had 
 read as much upon them as he had, and with more close atten 
 tion, and possessed more matured opinions concerning them, 
 The young person of literary tastes would be led to talk of the 
 British classics, or the great writers of romance, and would 
 leave him with the belief that he was innocent of all classical 
 reading, except the great masters of holy writ; for his honesty 
 
SOCIETY IN WHICH HE MOVED. 81 
 
 was so strict, that if his knowledge of any author or literary 
 fact were taken for granted, he would never rest in a tacit acqui 
 escence, but would stop his interlocutor to undeceive him ; by 
 declaring his ignorance. Yet, while his feeble eye-sight and 
 conscientious improvement of time had forbidden a promiscuous 
 course of literary reading, he had studied the most important 
 poets and historians with far more thorough judgment and taste 
 than he permitted his young friends to divine. 
 
 In the sphere which of right belonged to him, he rarely if ever 
 asked advice. No man knew his proper place better, or held it 
 more tenaciously ; and no man ever accorded this right to others 
 more promptly or scrupulously. As a member and officer of 
 the Church, he was eminently deferential to his pastor, as his 
 superior officer. But, as a commander in camp, he would no 
 more defer to the judgment of that pastor, than to that of the 
 humblest of his own soldiers. 
 
 Americans being inordinately given to speech-making an 
 art which has acquired importance from their popular institu 
 tions have set an overweening value upon eloquence as a test 
 of ability ; but Jackson professed to be no talker. He had no 
 peculiar gift for teaching ; yet teaching was, at Lexington, his 
 profession. In finding a solution of the erroneous estimate of 
 Jackson to which we have referred, something is also to be 
 attributed to the character of the little society in which he 
 moved. It was cultivated, but limited in extent ; and, accord 
 ingly, it had its own closely-defined standard, by comparison 
 with which every man was tried. In a society more cosmopol 
 itan, such characters as Jackson are less apt to be misappre 
 hended, because it consists not of one, but of many coteries, and 
 because contact with diversified forms of talent and cultivation, 
 gives breadth and tolerance to the views. This is but saying, 
 in substance, what the voice of Fame has since pronounced, that 
 11 
 
82 LIFE OF LIEUT.- GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the wider the arena on which he acted, the greater his capacity 
 appeared. 
 
 But there were always a few, and they the most competent to 
 understand a gifted nature, who declared Jackson to be a man 
 of mark. To these chosen intimates he unbosomed himself, 
 modestly, yet without reserve. His views of public affairs were 
 broad, and elevated far above the scope of the party journals 
 which assumed to dictate public opinion. His mind was one 
 which would have made him a subtile and profound jurist. The 
 few who attributed to him this type of intellect, had their esti 
 mate fully sustained, by the manner in which he discussed those 
 numerous questions of a judicial nature which claim the atten 
 tion of the leader of great armies. In the interpretation of 
 orders and army regulations ; in the settlement of rank between 
 competing claimants; in the proceedings of courts-martial; in 
 the discrimination between military and civil jurisdiction, which 
 is often so difficult; his mind always approached the question 
 from an original point of view, and rarely did it fail to be 
 decisive to every attentive understanding. But it was especially 
 in the discussion of military affairs that the mastery of his 
 genius appeared. When these topics were introduced, his mind 
 assumed its highest animation, he disclosed a knowledge which 
 surprised his auditors, and his criticisms were profound. . One 
 instance may be noted among many. In the summer of 1856, 
 he employed his long vacation in a European tour, in which he 
 visited England, France, and Switzerland. During this journey 
 lie carefully examined the field of Waterloo, and traced out 
 upon it the positions of the contending armies. When he 
 returned home, he said that although Napoleon was the greatest 
 of commanders, he had committed an error in selecting the 
 Chateau of Hougomont as the vital point of attack upon the 
 British line, it .should have been the village of Mont St. Jean. 
 
JOINS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 83 
 
 This opinion has subsequently been corroborated by high 
 authority in the military art. 
 
 But the most important feature of Jackson s character was 
 the religious ; and this is the most appropriate topic for illustra 
 tion at this place, because it was mainly developed at Lexington. 
 His peculiar posture towards Christianity upon coming there, 
 lias been described. He had been baptized, upon professign of 
 his faith, by an Episcopal clergyman, but refused to be consid 
 ered as committed to Episcopacy. In this state of opinion hs 
 had been admitted, at least once, to the communion of the Lord s 
 Supper. While his religious knowledge was defective, and his 
 Christian character consequently failed at that time in symmetry, 
 it was sincere and honest, and, from the purity of his morals 
 and his devotional habits, it was consistent. 
 
 Upon removing to Lexington, where the Christian people 
 were divided among the Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Wesleyan 
 Methodists, and Baptists, he at first attended the public worship 
 of all their churches indiscriminately, listening with exemplary 
 respect and attention. But after a time he discontinued this 
 promiscuous worship. The pastor of the Presbyterians was the 
 Rev. William S. White, D. D., a venerable man, who speedily 
 became so intimately related to the religious life and tenderest 
 affections of the great soldier, that an allusion to his devout 
 eloquence, genial heart, and apostolic piety, is unavoidable in 
 this narrative. Jackson sought an introduction to him in the 
 autumn of 1851, and very soon paid him a confidential visit in 
 his study, to lay before him his spiritual interests. He told him 
 the steps he had taken, and declared his hope of his acceptance 
 with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ; but said that he had 
 not then been able to determine with what branch of the Church 
 to connect himself. Popery he had examined under the most 
 favorable auspices, and he had been constrained to reject it as 
 
84 LIFE OF LIEUT.- GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 an apostasy from the system of Holy Writ. Of Episcopacy lie 
 had learned something from his friends Colonel Taylor and the 
 Rev. Mr. Parks, whose religious principles and feelings he, to a 
 great extent, approved and embraced; but with some of the 
 features of that system he was not satisfied. lie had given 
 equal consideration to the claims and peculiarities of other 
 branches of the Church. lie now, for the first time, had a fair 
 opportunity to observe the genius and working of Presbyteri- 
 anism under its better auspices; and he found its worship 
 congenial to his principles, and desired to know more of its 
 character. 
 
 The result of his inquiries was, that on the 22d of November, 
 1851, he was received, by profession of his faith, as a member 
 of that church. His accession in that mode was an avowal that 
 he came in, not as one transferred from some other denomina 
 tion in the visible church to the Presbyterian, but as a new 
 recruit from the world without. He did not, however, take this 
 step until he had thoroughly studied the catechisms and Confes 
 sion of Faith, which constitute the doctrinal standards of that 
 church. To some things embodied in these standards he strongly 
 objected ; and these objections he stated with the utmost clear 
 ness and frankness, not only to the pastor but to several intelli 
 gent laymen of the church. His chief difficulty was found in 
 the great truth of God s absolute sovereignty, in His purposes 
 regarding the calling and government of His church. His 
 opinions, at that time, leaned strongly to the system known as 
 Arminianism, nor were they immediately changed. Being 
 informed, however, that the Presbyterian Church expected uni 
 formity of belief on these points, of none but its officers, and 
 only exacted of its private members a profession of those vital 
 doctrines of redemption, in which all Christians agree, he pre 
 ferred to adopt it as his own. Many months after, in conversa- 
 
HIS DIFFICULTIES SOLVED. 85 
 
 tion with an intimate friend, he disclosed so serious a difficulty 
 in his views concerning the doctrines of God s decree and 
 sovereign providence, that the latter concluded with the half- 
 jocular remark, " Major, if you have these opinions, you had 
 better become a Methodist." This suggestion, the intense hon 
 esty of his nature made him take seriously; and he answered, 
 " If you think so, then come with me, and let us see Dr. White 
 about it." They went to the pastor s study, and had a long 
 interview, as candid as it was kind. At the end of it the latter 
 remarked, " Well, Major, although your doctrinal theory is not 
 in perfect accord with ours, yet in your practical life you are so 
 good a Presbyterian, that I think you may safely remain where 
 you are." In this conclusion he acquiesced; and it was not very 
 long before all his difficulties gave way before his honest, per 
 sistent, and prayerful inquiries. He became one of the firmest 
 though least bigoted advocates of the Calvinistic as distinguished 
 from the Arminian scheme. 
 
 In these proceedings, his candid and eclectic spirit was char 
 acteristic, and honorable to himself, as well as a valuable testi 
 mony to the denomination which he selected. It would be hard 
 to find a man reared in a Christian country, more uncommitted 
 than he was, by education and association, to any sectarian 
 preference. His conscientiousness would not permft him to 
 decide the matter as so many do, by the accidents of social 
 relations, convenience, or taste. He made his church connection 
 the subject of deliberate comparison, serious stud} , and prayer ; 
 and what Christian can justify himself for acting in any other 
 way ? It may be assumed, therefore, that Jackson s conclusion 
 was dispassionate, and that he believed it to be the result of the 
 force of truth. To make this remark in an aggressive party 
 spirit against other denominations which Jackson passed over, 
 in selecting the Presbyterian, would be most inconsistent with 
 
86 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON". 
 
 his liberal and just temper towards them all j for he was as 
 catholic in his heart as he was decided in his principle. But to 
 demand the suppression of this fact in his life would be yet 
 more invidious on the other hand. That would be an extrava 
 gant temper indeed which would impose, in narrating the truth, 
 a reserve which left upon Jackson s memory the implication that 
 he was either not honest, or not intelligent in his ecclesiastical 
 opinions. It is hoped that Presbyterians will not be so foolish 
 as to claim that all the good and great are of their communion, 
 or to hold that its true honor depends upon man, however 
 exalted he may be. 
 
 It may be safely declared, that, from the beginning, Jack 
 son s religious character was strictly sincere, and consciennous, 
 above that of most Christians. This was a trait to be expected 
 from the operation of the Holy Spirit upon a nature so decided 
 in temper and clear in judgment as his. But his opinions 
 concerning Christian duties were not wholly free from defect. 
 It would have been wonderful indeed if they had been perfectly 
 correct, when he was reared with so little instruction, and when 
 his manhood had been moulded under the very peculiar moral 
 influences of the military caste. But his exactness in perform 
 ing what he perceived to be his duty, was always the same ; 
 some things which he afterwards saw to be obligatory, he had 
 at first failed to see in this light. His aspirations for honor 
 able fame were at first less chastened than became a saint. 
 His deliberately expressed feelings concerning the resenting of 
 injuries, were inconsistent with those inculcated by the law 
 of love, as understood by the best Christians. While his con 
 viction of the sacredness of the Sabbath was, from the begin 
 ning, unusually clear, his interpretation of the exceptions made 
 for " works of necessity " differed somewhat from those current 
 among evangelical Christians. But never was the healthy 
 
STRICTNESS OF CONSCIENCE. 87 
 
 and cleansing influence of a right conscience over the under 
 standing, more clearly displayed than in him. The head could 
 not long remain misguided, when presided over by so guileless 
 a heart. He very soon attained the most firm and distinct 
 perceptions of duty, which differed usually from those of the 
 great body of God s best people, only in being more strict. 
 One of the most marked traits of his religious character then, 
 was conscientiousness. It ruled in every act and word; in 
 things great, and things minute ; in his social relations, and his 
 most unrestrained remarks ; in the regulation of his appetites ; 
 in his observance of the courtesies of life ; in the disposition of 
 his time and money. Duty was with him the ever present and 
 supreme sentiment. Such was his dread of its violation, that 
 no sin appeared to him small ; and the distinction between great 
 and little obligations, which most Christians make the pretext 
 for a certain remissness of conduct, seemed scarcely to have any 
 place in his mind. To him, all duties were great, however 
 trivial the affairs about which they were concerned, in human 
 judgment. The prominent trait of his mind was the sentiment 
 of reverence directed supremely to God, as the standard of 
 perfection, the rightful source of all authority, and the embodi 
 ment of infinite greatness. It was this sentiment, in its lower 
 aspects, which constituted his remarkable spirit of subordination. 
 As God s nature and will were to him the standard of that 
 which is right, and the fountain-head of obligation, so, whenever 
 he found a fellow-creature clothed by the sanction of right, with 
 legitimate authority over his conscience, he honored and obeyed 
 him within his proper sphere, as a bearer of a delegated portion 
 of the majesty of heaven ; and his respect became a religious 
 sentiment. Hence as a soldier no man was so prompt and 
 exact in his military obedience ; as a citizen none cherished so 
 sacred a reverence for law, and for the offices of its magistrates 
 
88 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 As a Christian layman, he honored and obeyed the pastor who 
 had care of souls ; and, while there was no man so little priest- 
 ridden, there was none who so punctually paid to the ministers 
 of religion, the captains in God s sacramental host, however 
 humble in person and talents, deference for their work s sake. 
 
 Instances of his conscientiousness have already been given, 
 but many others may be added. His convictions of the sin 
 committed by the Government of the United States, in the 
 unnecessary transmission of mails, and the consequent imposition 
 of secular labor on the Sabbath day, upon a multitude of per 
 sons, were singularly strong. Llis position was, that if no one 
 would avail himself of these Sunday mails, save in cases of true 
 and unavoidable necessity, the letters carried would be so few 
 that the sinful custom would speedily be arrested, and the guilt 
 and mischief prevented. Hence, he argued, that as every man 
 is bound to do whatever is practicable and lawful for him to do, 
 to prevent the commission of sin, he who posted or received 
 letters on the Sabbath day, or even sent a letter which would 
 occupy that day in travelling, was responsible for a part of the 
 guilt. It was of no avail to reply to him, that this self-denial 
 on the part of one Christian would not close a single post-office, 
 nor arrest a single mail-coach in the whole country. His 
 answer was, that unless some Christians would begin singly to 
 practise their exact duty, and thus set the proper example, the 
 reform would never be begun ; that his responsibility was to see 
 to it that he, at least, was not particeps criminis ; and that 
 whether others would co-operate, was their concern, not his. 
 Hence, not only did he persistently refuse to visit the post-office 
 on the Sabbath day, to leave or receive a letter, but he would 
 not post a letter on Saturday or Friday which, in regular course 
 of transmission, must be travelling on Sunday, except in cases 
 of high necessity. And believing, as he did, in the special 
 
VIEW OF SABBATH MAILS. 89 
 
 superintendence of Providence over all affairs, and His favor 
 able oversight of the concerns of those who live in His fear, he 
 delighted to recount the fact, that God had always protected him 
 and his affairs in this particular, so that he had never suffered 
 any loss or real inconvenience by these self-imposed delays. 
 One instance he related with peculiar satisfaction. It was, that 
 proceeding on the Sabbath day to Divine worship with a Chris 
 tian associate, his friend proposed to apply at the post-office for 
 his letters, on the plea that there was probably a letter from a 
 dear relative, whose health was in a most critical state, and 
 might, for aught he knew, demand his immediate aid. But he 
 dissuaded him by the argument, that the necessity for departing 
 in this from the Sabbath rest was not known, but only suspected. 
 They went together to church, and enjoyed a peaceful day. On 
 the morrow it was ascertained there was a letter to his friend,* 
 from his afflicted relative, announcing a most alarming state of 
 disease ; but there was also a later one, arrived that day, cor 
 recting all the grounds of distress, and stating that the health 
 of the sufferer was restored. " Now/ said Jackson, " had my 
 friend causelessly dishonored the Sabbath, he would have suf 
 fered a day of harrowing anxiety, which the next day s news 
 would have shown utterly groundless ; but God rewarded him 
 for his obedience, by mercifully shielding him from this gratuitous 
 suffering: He sent him the antidote along with the pain." 
 
 He always acted on the principle that he was as really bound 
 to report the condition of himself and his family to his pastor, 
 as the latter was to minister to their spiritual wants. In passing 
 through several seasons of domestic sorrow, he called for his 
 instructions and sympathy with equal delicacy and promptitude. 
 Again, he called one evening to say to Dr. White, that in the 
 sermon preached the preceding Sabbath, he had not been able 
 to discover whether the discussion of a certain duty, was to be 
 12 
 
90 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 regarded in the light of mere advice, or as authoritative. If it 
 was the former ; he was not clear that he should regard the duty 
 as obligatory on him ; but if the latter, then whatever his per 
 sonal preferences might be, he should feel bound to comply with 
 it, inasmuch as he could not plead conscience against doing it. 
 Thus his pastor was to him the spiritual officer, under whose 
 "orders " he was, and whom he therefore felt bound to obey, in 
 all his admissible commands, for the sake of the authority and 
 discipline of the spiritual host. 
 
 He engaged one clay, with a Christian friend, in a conversa 
 tion on the Hebrews system of religious oblations, and was 
 much interested in the assertion that, while the tithe was no 
 longer enjoined, by express precept, on God s people under the 
 new dispensation, the usage of worshipping God with stated 
 "offerings, of our substance was in no degree abrogated; and 
 that the tenth was probably, in most cases, a suitable proportion 
 to be self-imposed by Christians, for this voluntary thank-offering. 
 After much inquiry and friendly discussion, Jackson closed the 
 conversation. The next day, on meeting his friend, he said that 
 he had convinced him of a duty, not hitherto as fully understood 
 as it should have been; and, with his usual courtesy, thanked 
 him for the benefit thus conferred. Thenceforward he scrupu 
 lously gave a tenth of his whole income to charitable uses (until 
 he adopted a greatly enlarged ratio). 
 
 The Presbyterians and other evangelical churches in Virginia, 
 have long had the usage of meeting about the middle of the 
 week in a social assemblage, under the superintendence of the 
 pastor, for the especial purposes of concerted prayer and praise. 
 This custom has had the happiest effects, in promoting devo 
 tional habits, and fraternity and sympathy, among the Christian 
 people. Jackson was, of course, from the beginning, the most 
 punctual of attendants on these meetings. The prayers were 
 
HE PRAYS IN PUBLIC. 91 
 
 usually offered, under the pastor s direction, by the elders of 
 the church, or other experienced Christians. Dr. White took 
 occasion, in his Sabbath instructions,"-to enforce the advantages 
 of these meetings, and said something of the duty of those who 
 could appropriately lead the devotions of others, to render their 
 aid in that way, overcoming, if necessary, false shame. In the 
 course of the week, Jackson called to ask him if he thought him 
 one of the persons to whom the latter exhortation was applica 
 ble. He proceeded to say that he was unused to all forms of 
 continuous public speaking ; that his embarrassment was ex 
 treme, especially upon so sacred a topic, in expressing himself 
 before a crowd ; and that he had therefore doubted whether it 
 was for edification for him to attempt the leading of others at 
 the throne of grace. Yet, he knew that, inasmuch as these 
 concerts of prayer were of eminent utility, the general duty of 
 participating in their exercises was indisputable, as to Christian 
 heads of families, and other suitable persons. " You," he said, 
 " are my pastor, and the spiritual guide of the church j and if 
 you think it my duty, then I shall waive my reluctance, and 
 make the effort to lead in prayer, however painful." He closed 
 by authorizing him to call upon him for that service, if he 
 thought proper. And his diffidence in all this was so clearly 
 unaffected, that no mortal could have mistaken it. After a 
 time, the pastor called upon him to pray. He obeyed, but with 
 an embarrassment so great, that the service was almost as 
 painful to his brethren as it obviously was to himself. The 
 invitation was not repeated for a number of weeks, when, 
 meeting Dr. White, he noted that fact, and indicated that he 
 supposed the motive for sparing him was an unwillingness to 
 inflict distress through his excessive diffidence. The good 
 minister could not but admit that he had thought it best not to 
 exact so painful a duty of him, lest his comfort in the meeting 
 
92 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON". 
 
 should be seriously marred. " Yes/ ; said Jackson, " but my 
 comfort or discomfort is not the question j if it is my duty to 
 lead my brethren in prayer, then I must persevere in it, until I 
 learn to do it aright; and I wish you to discard all considera 
 tion for my feelings in the matter." He was again called on ; 
 he succeeded in curbing his agitation in a good degree and, 
 after a time, became as eminent for the gift, as lie was for the 
 grace of prayer. 
 
 Another instance of his courage in doing good was given 
 soon after he connected himself with the Presbyterian Church. 
 Visiting his native country during a vacation, he perceived that 
 infidel opinions were prevalent among many, and had infected 
 several of his friends and relatives. He was anxious to do 
 something to remedy this evil, but knew not what was best. 
 He held private conversations with some, and gave tracts to 
 others, but this only increased his anxiety to attempt something 
 on a larger scale. He accordingly determined to announce a 
 brief course of public lectures on the evidences of Christianity, 
 notwithstanding his diffidence and inexperience as a public 
 speaker. They were delivered in a church in the village of 
 Beverley, Randolph county, where his only sister resided ; and 
 as he declared, his success greatly exceeded his expectations. 
 It may be supposed that curiosity to see the novel spectacle of 
 the young soldier and professor discussing such a theme, 
 attracted many. But his argument was declared to be excellent, 
 and his manner far from bad, by the most competent hearers. 
 Doubtless the impression of his evident modesty, sincerity, and 
 courage, was more valuable than would have been the most 
 learned discussion from a professed divine. The interest 
 aroused in his mind concerning the evidences of Christianity 
 led him, on his return to Lexington, to ask of Dr. White leave 
 to collect a class of young men for the study of this subject in 
 
SABBATH-SCHOOL FOR NEGROES. 93 
 
 connexion with the Sabbath school. This class he taught with 
 his accustomed earnestness and fidelity, and several of them 
 served under him as soldiers in the war. 
 
 He next proposed to gather the African slaves of the village 
 in the afternoon of the Sabbath, and speedily he had a flourish 
 ing school of eighty or a hundred pupils, with twelve teachers; 
 the latter of whom were recruited from among the educated 
 ladies and gentlemen of the place. This he continued to teach 
 successfully from 1855 until the spring of 1861; when he 
 reluctantly left it to enter the army. And to the end of his 
 life, he inquired of every visitor at the camp from his church at 
 home, how his black Sabbath-school was progressing; and if tho 
 answer was favorable, he did not fail to express his gratitude. 
 But no other person could sustain it as efficiently as he did. 
 His health required him to spend most of his vacations in 
 journeys ; and, upon setting out, he was accustomed to leave his 
 school in the charge of some member of the church, for the 
 time. On his return, he usually found it dwindled from eighty 
 to fifty scholars ; but his efforts soon restored it to its wonted 
 prosperity. His method was to make the sessions extremely 
 short, continuing from three P. M. to a quarter to four p. M. At 
 a quarter to three the bell was rung, and precisely at three 
 o clock he began. The exercises were first, singing and prayer, 
 and then a brief, pointed, and perspicuous exposition of an 
 assigned passage of the Scriptures, addressed by him to the 
 whole school. The several teachers then took charge of their 
 classes, and devoted the rest of the session to teaching them 
 orally the Shorter Catechism, or some other suitable formula of 
 truth. The exercises ended with the singing of a hymn, previ 
 ously committed to memory, by the whole school, and a short 
 prayer. Once a month he made a report of the punctuality and 
 demeanor of each pupil, calling in person at the houses of their 
 
94 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 masters for tins purpose; and if any servant was frequently 
 absent or inattentive, he was sure to inquire into the cause 
 during the week. 
 
 The African character is ever dilatory. In his native jungle, 
 the negro has no conception whatever of the value of time ; and 
 in his civilized state, he retains too much of this weakness. 
 Hence, at all religious meetings which they frequent, they are 
 usually found arriving at every moment, from the beginning to 
 the very close. Jackson speedily began to experience the same 
 annoyance, and the lack of punctuality was unhappily counte 
 nanced by some of his teachers. He gave notice that the bell 
 would ring the next Sabbath a quarter of an hour before the 
 opening as usual, and that when the assigned moment arrived, 
 he should lock the doors and proceed immediately to the duties 
 of the school. Accordingly, the next Sunday, precisely at three 
 o clock, he locked the doors and commenced. Knocks were 
 unheeded ; and when, at the conclusion, the doors were opened, 
 there was found a group in the street, consisting of a number 
 of servants and a few mortified-looking ladies and gentlemen, 
 whom he saluted as he passed on his way with his customary 
 politeness. There was no more lack of punctuality. 
 
 While thus exacting in his discipline of the school, he was 
 rendered extremely popular among all the more serious servants 
 by these labors for their good. He was indeed the black man s 
 friend. His prayers were so attractive to them, that a number 
 of those living in his quarter of the town, petitioned to be 
 admitted -on Sabbath nights, along with his own servants, to his 
 evening domestic worship. Before making them an answer, he 
 called on Dr. White and stated their request to him, asking his 
 sanction, and declaring that the assent of the masters of those 
 servants must, of course, be also a necessary condition of his 
 
A CHRISTIAN MASTER. 95 
 
 gratifying them. The approbation of the pastor and the 
 masters was gladly given. 
 
 To his own slaves, he was a methodical and exact, but con 
 scientious master. Absolute obedience was the rule of his 
 household; and if he found chastisement was necessary to 
 secure this, it was faithfully administered. He required all his 
 slaves to attend the domestic worship of his family morning and 
 evening; and succeeded, where so many Christian masters have 
 found entire success apparently impossible, in securing the 
 presence of every one. After his household was scattered by 
 his absence in the camp, he found time to write to those to whom 
 his servants were hired, inquiring into their spiritual state, 
 urging their employers to see that they attended church regu 
 larly, and giving minute directions for their welfare. On hear 
 ing of the death of one of his female servants, he wrote 
 expressing his gratitude for the attentions bestowed upon her 
 in her illness and at her burial. 
 
 It may be accepted as a significant dispensation of Provi 
 dence, that Jackson, the best type of the Christian master in 
 the South, should be made the hero of this war for Southern 
 independence. The people of the Southern States will cheerfully 
 consent that this holy man, with his strong convictions of the 
 righteousness and beneficence of their form of society, may stand 
 forth to the world as their exemplar. He had no pretensions 
 to a righteousness more righteous than that of prophets, apostles, 
 and Jesus Christ. His understanding was too honest to profess 
 belief in God s inspired Word, and yet hold that relation to be 
 a sinful one, which Moses expressly allowed and legislated for; 
 which the Bible saints sustained to their fellow-men; which the 
 Redeemer left prominent and unrepealcd amidst his churches, as 
 well as in secular society ; and which the apostles continued to 
 sanction, by admitting those who held it, without any disclaimer, 
 
96 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 or pledge of reformation or repentance, to church membership 
 and church office. His conscience was too sensitive to tolerate 
 known sin ; at any prompting of conscience or interest. It will 
 be a difficult problem for those who revile us, if they remember 
 how gregarious vices are, and how surely even a sin of ignorance 
 pollutes the soul and grieves the Holy Spirit, to explain how 
 this most decided of slaveholders came to be so eminent for 
 sanctitj r , and so richly crowned with the noblest graces and joys 
 which God ever conferred on man. Especially, let the happy 
 condition which the benevolence of such masters confers on their 
 servants, be contrasted with that degradation and ruin to which 
 our enemies intentionally consign them. Southern masters, with 
 very few exceptions, provide generously for the welfare of their 
 servants, at the prompting of affection, conscience, self-respect, 
 and interest, while they exact only a moderate labor; and many 
 of them, like Jackson, strive conscientiously for their spiritual 
 good. Northern anti-slavery men, under the pretence to the 
 negro of being his disinterested liberator, seduce him from his 
 protector, and leave him, without provision for body or soul, 
 either to perish in pestilential indolence, or to wear out his 
 frame in the severest toils, in entrenchments or factories, under 
 the compulsion not of stripes, but of a bayonet in the hands of 
 a brutal foreign mercenary. Not seldom does this hypocrisy 
 find its candid and exact expression, in the conduct of the more 
 shameless of our invaders; when the same men, after wheedling 
 the servants with fine promises, pretended sympathies, and the 
 terms " brother, sister," pass from their cabins to the master s 
 dwelling, to insult him with the declaration that they despise the 
 Africans as much as they hate him, and have no other purpose 
 in seducing them from his service except to t: humble his Vir 
 ginian aristocracy." 
 
 On the 26th of December ; 1857, Major Jackson was uuani- 
 
JACKSON A DEACON. 97 
 
 mously elected a deacon of his church. The reader will bear in 
 mind that the Presbyterians, following what they believe to be 
 the primitive institute of the Apostles, assign the care of souls 
 to the order of Presbyters alone, of whom some rule only, and 
 some also labor in word and doctrine ; while the Deacon s func 
 tion is " to serve tables," or, in other words, to collect and dis 
 burse the money and alms of the church, and to distribute to the 
 destitute. This humble office Jackson promptly assumed at the 
 call of his brethren, and fulfilled its duties with his accustomed 
 fidelity. He was the best deacon the church had. The system 
 of that congregation concerning almsgiving was unusually com 
 plete. Monthly, the deacons met for consultation, and the distri 
 bution of their labors. Every two months, a collection was 
 solicited from all the people for some charitable or pious use ; 
 and for this purpose, to each deacon was allotted a district, in 
 which he visited personally every adult worshipper, or at least 
 every householder, at his own home, explained the object to be 
 furthered, and received the gifts of the benevolent. At the 
 monthly meetings, Jackson was always present. His idea of the 
 duty was aptly expressed by his reply to a brother deacon, who 
 excused his absence by saying that he had not time to attend. 
 "I sec not." said he, "how, at that hour, we can possibly lack 
 time for this meeting, or can have time for anything else, seeing 
 it is set apart for this business." His regularity in calling upon 
 the pastor to relate the result of his diaconal labors, or, in his 
 phrase, " to report," was perfectly military. Indeed his concep 
 tion of the matter was, that he came to him, as his superior, for his 
 orders. At one collection the gifts were solicited for the Ameri 
 can Bible Society, and Jackson sallied forth, armed with the list 
 of names for his district, furnished him by the clerk of the con 
 gregation. When he came to the pastor to report, he had a 
 number of additional names written in pencil-marks at the foot 
 
 13 
 
98 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of his list, with small sums opposite to them. " What are these ?" 
 asked the good Doctor. " Those at the top," said Jackson, "are 
 your regulars, and those below are my militia." On examining 
 the names, they were found to be those of the free blacks of the 
 quarters, all of whom he had visited in their humble dwellings, 
 and encouraged to give a pittance of their earnings to print 
 Bibles. He argued that these small sums were better spent thus 
 than in drink or tobacco ; that the giving of them would elevate 
 their self-respect, and enhance their own interest in the Holy 
 Book; and that they being indebted to it as well as others, 
 hould be taught to help in diffusing it. 
 
 There was another trait of his religious character so conspic 
 uous, that it demands here full illustration, his constant recog 
 nition of a particular Providence. No man ever lived who 
 seemed to have a more practical and living sense of this truth of 
 Christianity. He earned, indeed, thereby, the title of supersti 
 tious, from some of the unthinking, and of fatalist from others. 
 But he was neither : his belief in the control of Divine Providence 
 was most rational and scriptural. The only difference between 
 him and other enlightened Christians here was, that his faith 
 was "the substance of things anticipated, and the evidence of 
 things not seen;" while theirs is, so largely, an impractical 
 theory. That doctrine is, that God s special providence is over 
 all his creatures and all their actions, to uphold and govern 
 them ; and that it is over His children for their good only. BY 
 that omniscient and almighty control all events are ordered, 
 permitted, limited, and overruled. There is no creature so 
 great as to resist its power, none so minute as to evade its 
 care. But yet, by a mode which is perhaps beyond the cogni 
 zance of the human reason, it secures the action designed by 
 God s intelligent purpose, from each created agent, in strict 
 conformity with its nature and powers. The Christian doc- 
 
HIS BELIEF IX PROVIDENCE. 99 
 
 trine of Providence does not reduce the universe into a pan 
 theistic machine, with God for the sole power and only real 
 cause of its every motion. It teaches that the property which 
 creatures have of acting as second causes is real, that their 
 powers are actual powers, inherent in them, and not merely 
 seeming; conferred, indeed, by God, as Creator, and regulated 
 in each specific action by his perpetual superintendence; yet, 
 when conferred, intrinsic and efficient in the created agents, 
 whenever the suitable relations or conjunctions for their action 
 have place. And especially when those creature-agents are ra 
 tional, voluntary spirits, does God by His providence order the 
 rise of those free purposes in them, which his eternal plan 
 includes, in strict conformity with their free agency. 
 
 The doctrine of Fate is, that all events, including the acts of 
 free agents, are fixed by an immanent physical necessity in the 
 series of causes and effects themselves ; a necessity as blind and 
 unreasoning as the tendency of the stone towards the earth, 
 when unsupported from beneath; a necessity as much controll 
 ing the intelligence of God as of creatures; a necessity which 
 admits of no modification of results through the agency of 
 second causes, but renders them inoperative and passive as the 
 mere stepping-stones in the inevitable progression. The doc 
 trine of Providence teaches that the regular, natural agency of 
 second causes is sustained, preserved, and regulated by the 
 power and intelligence of God, and that, in and through that 
 agency, every event is directed by His most wise and holy will, 
 at once according to his plans and to the laws of nature which 
 He has ordained. Fatalism tends to apathy, to absolute inaction ; 
 a belief in the Providence of the Scriptures, to intelligent and 
 hopeful effort. It does not overthrow, but rather establishes the 
 agency of second causes ; for it teaches that God s method and 
 rule of effectuating events only through them (save in the case 
 
100 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 of miracles), is as steadfast as His purpose to carry out His 
 decree. Hence this faith produces a combination of courageous 
 serenity, with cheerful diligence in the use of means. Jackson 
 was as laborious as he was trustful, and laborious precisely 
 because he was trustful. Everything that preparation, care, 
 forecast, and self-sacrificing toil could do to prepare and earn 
 success he did. And therefore it was that God, without whom 
 "the watchman waketh but in vain," usually bestowed success. 
 His belief in the superintendence of God was equal to his indus 
 try. In every blessing or calamity of private life, as well as in 
 every order or despatch announcing a victory, he was prompt to 
 ascribe the result to the Lord of Hosts ; and these brief devout 
 ascriptions were with him no unmeaning formalities. In the very 
 flush of triumph he has been known to seize the juncture for the 
 earnest inculcation of this truth upon the minds of his subordi 
 nates ; and, in the anxieties of great and critical moments, his 
 soul drew composure and assurance from it. Especially did he 
 love to recognize the hand of God in the results of strategy and 
 battles. While the most pains-taking of commanders, he well 
 knew that in these great operations many things must be done 
 beyond the oversight of the commander, each of which by the 
 manner of its performance may absolutely determine the event. 
 Hence when the issue was according to his prayers, he recog 
 nized the presence of an Eye more comprehensive than that of 
 any creature, and ascribed all wisdom, power, and glory to it. 
 
 His perpetual recurrence to this special providence was dis 
 played in his prayers for the divine guidance of his own judg 
 ment. It was well known that he was accustomed to seek this 
 guidance not only in general terms, but most directly and par 
 ticularly on specific occasions. And the frequent answers which 
 he seemed to receive to these prayers, suggested to the unreflect 
 ing the idea of his actual inspiration. 
 
DOCTRINE OF PROVIDENCE. 101 
 
 He would have modestly given an explanation less supersti 
 tious, and more scriptural. Mind has its natural laws as well as 
 matter, to be learned in the same way, by correct induction from 
 our observations ; and they are just as regular in their operation 
 as those of the stars, the waters, or the vegetable world. For 
 instance, conception follows conception in our thinking, by certain 
 laws of suggestion, which we ascertain and know, at least to a 
 good degree. By another law, the volition put forth upon a 
 conception, in the act of spontaneous attention, tends to fix and 
 brighten that conception before the mind, in preference to any 
 other competing suggestion, just as regularly as sunlight pro 
 motes chemical action in matter. Now, the very doctrine of 
 Providence is, that the God who conferred upon spiritual sub 
 stances these laws and powers of causation, as their inherent 
 properties, regulates their action in strict consistency with their 
 nature, with a constant superintendence. The mode may be 
 inscrutable to us, even as all His workings in providence are ; 
 but the fact is taught by the Scriptures and experience, and the 
 consistency of it with our own reasonable and voluntary nature, 
 as is assured to us by our consciousness. Now then, when God, 
 in answer to prayer, leaving the mind to act strictly according to 
 all its natural laws, yet gives such providential supervision to its 
 functions, as to order that the judgment shall, of itself, come to a 
 prosperous conclusion, why should men be more incredulous, or 
 suppose a more supernatural interference, than when God 
 answers the prayers of his people with "fruitful seasons, and 
 rain from heaven," through the regular course of those meteoric 
 laws, which before brought drought and blight? No devout 
 reader of the Scriptures can refuse the conviction that Satan, as 
 a personal agent, has some mode consistent with the laws of 
 mind, by which he often modifies the suggestions which arise, 
 and thus the free determinations of the judgment and will. This 
 
102 LIJE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 fact assists us to establish, and in part illustrates, the contrasted 
 fact of God s providential concern in the thoughts and purposes 
 of the children of men. 
 
 There was at least one influence which Jackson s faith and 
 habits of prayer in this matter exercised upon his judgment, 
 which may be made intelligible to every virtuous mind. It was 
 the cause of an intense sincerity of motive. He who goes before 
 the Searcher of hearts with petitions for His light and guidance, 
 can scarcely cherish there those corrupt and double purposes 
 which he knows must be equally clear to His intelligence and 
 hateful to His holiness. There is then, an obvious natural in 
 fluence which makes the very act of prayer as "the euphrasy 
 and rue " to purge the mental vision. But faith teaches us that 
 there is, moreover, a divine answer to prayer ; and in what form 
 is the Christian s heart more familiar with this gracious power 
 from above than in the purifying and chastening of its affections ? 
 Jackson was made by God s Spirit the most disinterested of 
 men, in all his efforts to judge and act aright in His service. 
 No collisions of guilty desire with conscience, no side-views of 
 selfish ambition, no itchings of avarice, no sensuality, no crav 
 ings for notoriety, no weakness of moral cowardice remained to 
 disturb or jostle the steady adjustments of his judgment. The 
 functions of his understanding were actuated by one supreme 
 emotion, the sentiment of duty ; a motive-power as pure as forci 
 ble, and hence they were almost perfectly correct and true, and 
 at the same time full of intense vigor. His " eye was single, 
 and his whole body was full of light." This is the best expla 
 nation which can be given of that almost infallible judgment in 
 practical affairs, which he never failed to display, whenever he 
 felt it his duty to examine and decide. And this refers his 
 greatness primarily to his Christianity ; a solution which Jackson 
 
EFFECT OF PRAYEK. 103 
 
 would have been himself most prompt to offer, if his modesty 
 had permitted him to recognize greatness in himself. 
 
 Prayer implies a Providence. For if God hath not a present 
 means of influencing the course of natural events, it is a waste 
 of breath to petition for His intervention. Hence it will be 
 anticipated, that he who was so clear in his recognition of Prov 
 idence was also eminently a man of prayer. This was one of 
 the most striking traits of Jackson s religious character. He 
 prayed much, he had great faith in prayer, and took much delight 
 in it. While his religion was the least obtrusive of all men s, 
 no one could know him and fail to be impressed with the regu 
 larity of his habits of private devotion. Morning and night he 
 bent before God in secret prayer, and rare must be the exigency 
 which could deprive him of this valued privilege. There was in 
 him an unusual combination of courage and modesty in this duty. 
 If the presence of others was unavoidable, it had no effect what 
 ever, be they who they might, however great or profane, to cause 
 him to neglect his secret orisons. Yet, it is presumed, no one 
 ever had the idea of ostentation suggested who witnessed one of 
 the sacred scenes. He was accustomed, during the active cam 
 paigns, to live in a common tent, like those of the soldiers. 
 Those who passed it at early dawn and at bed-time were likely 
 to see the shadow of his kneeling form cast upon the canvas by 
 the light of his candle ; and the most careless soldier then trod 
 lightly and held his breath with reverent awe. Those who were 
 sceptical of the sincerity of other men s prayers, seemed to feel 
 that, when Jackson knelt, the heavens came down indeed . into 
 communion with earth. 
 
 This spirit of prayer was manifested by the change which it 
 wrought in his whole manner. Everywhere else his speech was 
 decided and curt ; at the throne of grace all was different j his 
 enunciation was soft and deliberate, and his tones mellow and 
 
104 LIFE OF LIFUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 supplicatory. His prayers were marked at once by profound 
 reverence and filial confidence, and abounded much in ascrip 
 tions of praise and thanks, and the breathings of devout affec 
 tions towards God. Besides his punctual observance of his 
 private and domestic devotions, and of the weekly meetings for 
 social prayer, he was accustomed to select from time to time 
 some one Christian, with whom he held stated seasons of devo 
 tion, in order to avail himself of the promise, " that if two of 
 you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall 
 ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven." 
 And his partners in these fellowships were selected, not so much 
 for their social as for their spiritual attractions. This narrative 
 would be unjust to the truth, arid to the memory of one of God s 
 most honored servants, if it omitted the mention of the chief 
 instrument for cultivating in him this spirit of prayer. When 
 Major Jackson became a member of the congregation in Lex 
 ington, there was among its presbyters a man of God, whose 
 memory yet smells sweet and blossoms in the dust, John B. 
 Lyle. He was a bachelor, of middle age, well connected, but 
 of limited fortune, who devoted nearly the whole of his leisure 
 to the spiritual interests of his charge. He was constantly the 
 friend of the afflicted, the restorer of the wayward, the counsel 
 lor of the doubting, a true shepherd of the sheep ; and his inner 
 Christian life was as elevated as his outward was active. To 
 him Jackson early learned to resort for counsel; for his spiritual 
 state was not, at first, marked by that established comfort and 
 assurance which shed such a sunshine over his latter years. 
 He confessed to Mr. Lylc great spiritual anxieties, and seasons 
 of darkness. The good man taught him that connexion between 
 hearty obedience and access to the throne of grace, which is 
 declared by the Psalmist when he says: "If I regard iniquity 
 in my heart, the Lord will not hear rne." It was largely due to 
 
JACKSON NO INDEPENDENT. 105 
 
 his guidance, that Jackson attained to that thoroughness which 
 marked all his subsequent Christian life. Henceforward, like 
 Joshua and Caleb, " he had another spirit with him, and followed 
 the Lord fully." His pious counsellor taught him by his exam 
 ple, by his instructions, and by suitable reading which he placed 
 in his hands, to cherish a high value of prayer, and to expect, 
 according to the scriptural warrant, a certain answer to it. 
 
 This prayerfulness was a profound inward spirit yet more 
 than it was an outward manifestation. How he compelled his 
 own diffidence to pray with others, under a sense of duty, has 
 been described. But he was never forward to assume the lead 
 of others at the throne of grace, where his station did not 
 obviously make it proper. It has been said of him, that he was 
 as often found leading his men in the prayer-meeting as in the 
 field of battle ; and those who knew not whereof they affirmed, 
 have loved to represent him as a sort of Puritan Independent, 
 of the school of Cromwell, Harrison, and Pride, assuming the 
 functions of a preacher among his troops. No Christian could 
 possibly be further from all such intrusions, both in principle and 
 in temper. When called on by proper authority to lead his 
 brethren in social prayer, he always obeyed. But he loved best 
 to mingle with his rough and hardy soldiers, in the worship of 
 God, as a simple lay-worshipper ; with them to sit in the seat 
 of the learner, with them to sing, with them to kneel, and with 
 them to gather around the Lord s table. He would not pro 
 nounce the blessing over the plain food of his own mess-table, 
 if a clergyman, or even an older Christian than himself, were 
 present to do it. His whole nature and convictions were pene 
 trated by a reverence for all constituted authority, and for right 
 order in Church and State ; the license of Independency was at 
 least as opposed to his tastes as the restrictions of Prelacy. 
 
 It was in the secret communings of his heart that this spirit bf 
 14 
 
106 ^IPE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 prayer was most prevalent. Devotion was the very breath of 
 his soul. Once only was he led to make a revelation of these 
 constant aspirations, to a Christian associate peculiarly near to 
 him j and his description of his intercourse with God was too 
 beautiful and characteristic to be suppressed. This friend ex 
 pressed to him some embarrassment in comprehending literally 
 the precept to " pray always/ and to " pray without ceasing/ 
 and asked his help in construing it. He replied that obedience 
 ought not to be impracticable for the child of God. " But how/ 
 said the other, "can one be always praying?" He answered, 
 that if it might be permitted to him, without suspicion of religious 
 display, he would explain by describing his own habits. He 
 then proceeded, with several parentheses, deprecating earnestly 
 the charge of egotism, to say that, besides the stated daily 
 seasons of secret and social prayer, he had long cultivated the 
 habit of connecting the most trivial and customary acts of life 
 with a silent prayer. "When we take our meals," said he, 
 " there is the grace. When I take a draught of water, I always 
 pause, as my palate receives the refreshment, to lift up my heart 
 to God in thanks and prayer for the water of life. Whenever I 
 drop a letter into the box at the post-office, I send a petition 
 along with it, for God s blessing upon its mission and upon the 
 person to whom it is sent. When I break the seal of a letter 
 just received, I stop to pray to God that He may prepare me 
 for its contents, and make it a messenger of good. When I go 
 to my class-room, and await the arrangement of the cadets in 
 their places, that is my time to intercede with God for them. 
 And so of every other familiar act of the day." " But," said his 
 friend, " do you not often forget these seasons, coming so 
 frequently ? " " No," said he, " I have made the practice habitual 
 to me ; and I can no more forget it, than forget to drink when I 
 
HE PRIZED f CHRISTIAN INTERCESSION. 107 
 
 am thirsty." He added that the usage had become as delightful 
 to him as it was regular. 
 
 He had a higher and more unaffected sense of the value of the 
 prayers of other Christians than of his own. To one who did 
 not know how abhorrent all cant and pretence were to the sin 
 cerity and truthfulness of his nature, the frequent assertions of 
 this feeling in his letters would almost appear as unmeaning 
 verbiage. He never seemed to let slip an opportunity to urge 
 Christians to prayer, for the Church and for their country. Here 
 are examples, which only express his habitual language and spirit. 
 Writing to a near Christian connexion, he says : 
 
 "My DEAR SISTER, Do not forget to remember me in prayer. 
 To the prayers of God s people I look with more interest than 
 to our military strength. In answer to them, God has greatly 
 blessed us thus far, and we may sanguinely expect him to con 
 tinue to do so, if we and all His people but continue to do our 
 duty." 
 
 He usually concluded his letters to his pastor during his cam 
 paigns, thus : 
 
 "And now, present me affectionately to all my friends and 
 brethren, and say to them, the greatest kindness they can show 
 me is to pray for me." 
 
 When he had completed the series of brilliant victories in the 
 Yalley of Virginia, having utterly routed five Federal generals 
 ro quick succession, he entered upon a forced march of more than 
 a hundred miles, to join the armies below Richmond. When 
 about half of this march was completed, he stopped to rest his 
 army during the Sabbath; and one use which ho made of the 
 respite was to write to his pastor upon two subjects. One was 
 the supply of chaplains for the army; and the other may be 
 stated in his own words : 
 
 " I am afraid that our people are looking to the wrong source 
 
108- LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 for help, and ascribing our successes to those to whom they are 
 not due. If we fail to trust in God, and to give Him all the 
 glory, our cause is ruined. Give to our friends at home due 
 warning on this subject." 
 
 To another friend he wrote, Dec, 5, 1862 (eight days before 
 the great battle of Fredericksburg) : 
 
 " Whilst we were near Winchester, it pleased our ever-merciful 
 Heavenly Father to visit my command with the rich outpouring 
 of His Spirit. There were probably more than one hundred 
 inquiring the way of life in my old brigade. It appears to me 
 that we may look for growing piety and many conversions in the 
 army ; for it is the subject of prayer. If so many prayers were 
 offered for the blessing of God upon any other organization, 
 would we not expect the Answerer of prayer to hear the peti 
 tions, and send a blessing ? " 
 
 And again, January 1, 1863 : 
 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND, Your last letter came safe to hand, and 
 I am much gratified to see that your prayer-meeting for the 
 army is still continued. Dr. White writes that in Lexington 
 thp.y continue to meet every Wednesday afternoon for the same 
 purpose. I have more confidence in such organizations than in 
 military ones as the means of an early peace, though both are 
 necessary." 
 
 In the autumn of 1861, after the first battle of Manassas, his 
 pastor, with another venerable minister, visited his brigade at 
 his invitation, to preach to his soldiers, and to lodge in his quar 
 ters. They arrived at nightfall, and found the Commander-in- 
 Chief on the spot, communicating in person some important 
 orders. General Jackson merely paused to give them the most 
 hurried salutation consistent with respect, and without a mo 
 ment s dallying passed on to execute his duties. After a length 
 of time he returned, all the work of the evening completed, and 
 
HIS PRAYER FOR H/S PASTOR. 109 
 
 renewed his welcome with a beaming face, and warm abandon of 
 manner, heaping upon them affectionate attentions, and inquiring 
 after all their households. Dr. White spent five days and nights 
 with him, preaching daily. In the General s quarters, he found 
 his morning and evening worship as regularly held as it had 
 been at home. Jackson modestly proposed to his pastor to lead 
 in this worship, which he did until the last evening of his stay ; 
 when, to the usual request for prayers, he answered, " General, 
 you have often prayed with and for me at home, be so kind as 
 to do so to-night." Without a word of objection, Jackson took the 
 sacred volume, and read and prayed. "And never while life lasts," 
 said the pastor, " can I forget that prayer. He thanked God for 
 sending me to visit the army, and prayed that He would own 
 and bless my ministrations, both to officers and privates, so that 
 many souls might be saved. He gave thanks for what it had 
 pleased God to do for the church in Lexington, to which both 
 of us belong, especially for the revivals He had mercifully 
 granted to that church, and for the many preachers of the gospel 
 sent forth from its membership. He then prayed for the pastor, 
 and every member of his family, for the ruling elders, the dea 
 cons, and the private members of the church, such as were at 
 home, and especially such as then belonged to the army. He 
 then pleaded with such tenderness and fervor, that God would 
 baptize the whole army with His Holy Spirit, that my own hard 
 heart was melted into penitence, gratitude, and praise. When 
 we had risen from our knees, he stood before his camp fire, with 
 that calm dignity of mien and tender expression of countenance 
 for which he was so remarkable, and said, Doctor, I would be 
 glad to learn more fully than I have yet done, what your views 
 are of the prayer of faith. A conversation then commenced, 
 which was continued long after the hour of midnight, in which, it 
 
110 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 is candidly confessed, the pastor received more instruction than 
 he imparted." 
 
 But perhaps the most impressive exhibition of his prayerful 
 spirit was that which was sometimes witnessed on the field of 
 battle. More than once, as one of his favorite brigades wad 
 passing into action, he had been noticed sitting motionless upon 
 his horse, with his right hand uplifted, while the war-worn 
 column swept, in stern silence, close by his side, into the storm 
 of shot. For a time, it seemed doubtful whether it was mere 
 abstraction of thought, or a posture to relieve his fatigue. But 
 at length those who looked more narrowly were convinced by 
 his closed eyes and moving lips, that he was wrestling in silent 
 prayer for them ! His fervent soul doubtless swelled witli the 
 solemn thoughts of his own responsibility and his country s 
 crisis, of the precious blood he was compelled to put in jeopardy, 
 and the souls passing, perhaps unprepared, to their everlasting 
 doom ; and of the orphanage and widowhood which was about 
 to ensue. Recognizing the sovereignty of the Lord of Hosts, he 
 interceded for his veterans, that "the Almighty would cover them 
 with his feathers, and that his truth might be their shield and 
 buckler." The moral grandeur of this scene was akin to that 
 when Moses, upon the Mount of God, lifted up his hands while 
 Israel prevailed against Amalek. 
 
 The Christian reader will easily comprehend that one so con 
 scientious, and believing, and devout, was a happy man. He 
 had, while in Lexington, his domestic bereavements, and he felt 
 them as every man of sensibility must ; but the consolations of 
 the gospel abounded in him at those seasons. His habitual 
 frame was a calm sunshine. He was never desponding, and 
 never frivolous. It is manifest, that in all the later years of his 
 religious life, his soul dwelt continually in the blessed assurance of 
 his acceptance through the Redeemer ; and this steady spiritual 
 
HIS SPIRITUAL JOY. Ill 
 
 joy purified and elevated all his earthly affections. It is the 
 testimony of his pastor, that he was the happiest man he ever 
 knew. The assurance that "all things work together for good to 
 them that love God, to them who are the called according to his 
 purpose," was, to him, a living reality. It robbed suffering of 
 all its bitterness, and transmuted trials into blessings. To his 
 most intimate Christian associate, he was one day expressing his 
 surprise that this class of promises did not yield to other Chris 
 tians a more solid peace. The suggestion arose in the mind of 
 his friend hereupon to try the extent of his own faith, with the 
 question, whether the trust in God s love, and purposes of mercy 
 to his own soul, would be sufficient to confer on him abiding 
 happiness under the privation of all earthly good. He answered, 
 "Yes; he was confident that he was reconciled and adopted 
 through the work of Christ; and that therefore, inasmuch as 
 every event was disposed by omniscience guided by redeeming 
 love for him, seeming evils must be real blessings ; and that it 
 was not in the power of any earthly calamity to overthrow his 
 happiness." His friend knew his anxious care of his health, and 
 asked, " Suppose, Major, that you should lose your health irre 
 parably, do you think you could be happy then ? " He answered, 
 "Yes; I should be happy still." His almost morbid fear of 
 blindness was remembered, and the question was asked : " But 
 suppose, in addition to chronic illness, you should incur the total 
 loss of your eyesight; would not that be too much for you?" 
 He answered firmly, "No." His dislike of dependence was 
 excessive ; he was therefore asked once more : " Suppose that, in 
 addition to ruined health, and total blindness, you should lose all 
 your property, and be left thus, incapable of any useful occupa 
 tion, a wreck, to linger on a sick-bed, dependent on the charities 
 of those who had no tie to you, would not this be too much for 
 your faith ?" He pondered a moment, and then answered in a 
 
112 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 reverent tone : "If it were the will of God to place me there, 
 He would enable me to lie there peacefully a hundred years." 
 
 Such was the man, as he appeared to those who knew him best. 
 The attempt has been made to enable the reader to sec his 
 Christian character just as it manifested itself, without conceal 
 ing, abating, or exaggerating any traits. Some of these will be 
 pronounced by many to be singular, and some, perhaps, little 
 worthy of applause or imitation ; for, among those who observed 
 it for themselves, there were not a few who regarded his con 
 science about little things as over-scrupulous, if not morbid. 
 And some affected to regard him as a sincere, odd, weak man, 
 to be admired for his honesty, but for little else. Whether his 
 particularity concerning what have been called " the minor 
 morals," was unreasonable, or whether it was but the rectitude 
 which the Saviour inculcates, when He says, " He that is faithful 
 in that which is least, is faithful also in much," may be left to 
 each Christian to decide for himself, with the remark, that this 
 strictness in little duties was attended with most noble fruits in 
 the graver concerns of his life, and that God crowned this relig 
 ious character, such as it was. with peculiar honor. In view of 
 these facts, it is hoped there will be many to join in the prayer, 
 that, if Jackson s was a morbid conscience, all Christians may be 
 infected with the same disease. 
 
 He has been often compared to Cromwell and to Havelock, 
 but without justice in cither case. The latter he certainly 
 resembled in energy, in directness, in bravery, and in the vigor 
 of his faith; but his spiritual character was far more symmetrical, 
 mellow, and noble. His ambition was more thoroughly chastened. 
 He had risen to a calm and holy superiority to all the glitter of 
 military glory, to which Havelock never attained. Had Jackson 
 reared sons to succeed to his name, he would never, like him, 
 have directed them to the bustling pursuits of arms in preference 
 
COHPAKISONS. 113 
 
 to the sacred office of the gospel ministry. He would have said 
 that, if his sons were clearly called by the providence of God to 
 fight, and even to die, for the necessary defence of their country, 
 then he should desire to see them brave soldiers ; but that other 
 wise, his warmest wish for them would be, that they might share 
 the honor of winning souls, the calling which he most coveted for 
 himself. Nor had he, either in manners or character, any of that 
 abnormal vivacity which made Haveiock as peculiar as he was 
 great. The field on which his military genius was displayed, 
 and the armies he wielded, were so large compared with those 
 of the British captain, that a comparison on this point would be 
 equally difficult and unfair. 
 
 To liken Jackson to Cromwell is far more incorrect. With 
 all the genius, both military and civic, and all the iron will of the 
 Lord Protector, he had a moral and spiritual character so much 
 more noble that they cannot be named together. In place of 
 harboring Cromwell s selfish ambition, which, under the veil of a 
 religiousness that perhaps concealed it from himself, grew to the 
 end, and fixed the foulest .stain upon his memory, Jackson 
 crucified the not ignoble thirst for glory which animated his 
 youth, until his abnegation of self became as pure and magnani 
 mous as that of Washington. Cromwell s religion was essen 
 tially fanatical ; and, until it was chilled by an influence as malign 
 as fanaticism itself the lust of power, it was disorganizing. 
 Every fibre of Jackson s being, as formed by nature and 
 grace alike, was antagonistic to fanaticism and radicalism. 
 He believed indeed in the glorious doctrines of providence 
 and redemption, with an appropriating faith; he believed in 
 his own spiritual life and communion with God through Hia 
 grace, and lived upon the Scripture promises ; but he would 
 never have mistaken the heated impulses of excitement for 
 the inspirations of the Holy Ghost, to be asserted even beyond 
 15 
 
114 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 and against His own revealed word; nor would he have ever 
 presumed on such a profane interpretation of His secret will, 
 as to conclude that the victory of D unbar was sufficient proof, 
 without the teachings of scriptural principles of duty, of the 
 righteousness of the invasion of Scotland. There -was never, 
 in Jackson s piety, a particle of that false heat which could 
 prompt a wish to intrude into clerical functions. Every in 
 stinct of his soul approved the beauty of a regular and right 
 eous order. His religion was of the type of Hampclen, rather 
 than of the Independent. Especially was his character unlike 
 Cromwell s, in its freedom from cant ; his correct taste abhorred 
 it, Sincerity was his grand characteristic. With him profes 
 sion always came short of the reality; he was incapable of 
 affecting what he did not feel ; and it would have been for him 
 an impossibility to use speech with the diplomatic art of con 
 cealing, instead of expressing, his true intent. His action, like 
 Cromwell s, was always vigorous, and at the call of justice could 
 be rigid. But his career could never have been marked by a 
 massacre like that of Drogheda, or an execution like that of the 
 King. The immeasurable superiority of his spiritual life over 
 that of Cromwell, may be justly illustrated by the contrast be 
 tween their last days. The approach of death found Cromwell s 
 religion corrupted by power and riches, his faith tottering, his 
 communion with God interrupted, las comfort overclouded ; and 
 at last he faced the final struggle with no better support for his 
 soul than a miserable perversion of the doctrine of the perse 
 verance of the saints, by which he claimed the comfort of a 
 former assurance, long since forfeited by backslidings. But the 
 piety of Jackson continually repaired its benignant beams at 
 the fountain of divine light and purity, becoming brighter and 
 brighter unto the perfect day. His nature grew more unselfish, 
 his aims more noble, his spirit more heavenly ; while his eager 
 
HIS EUROPEAN TOUR. 115 
 
 feet ran with ever hastening speed and joy in the way of godli 
 ness to its close. And his end, sustained by the peaceful tri 
 umphs of faith, was rather a translation than a death. 
 
 This portraiture of Jackson s character will be concluded with 
 some notice of his domestic life in Lexington. Thus the foliage 
 will be added to the crown of the column, lest the reader should 
 err by assigning to it a Doric severity. After two years resi 
 dence at the Military Academy, he was married to Eleanor 
 Junkin, the daughter of the president of the adjoining college, 
 on August 4th, 1853. The memorials of his short connexion 
 with this accomplished lady are scanty; but enough is known 
 to show that he was a tender husband. After fourteen months 
 of married life he lost her by death,* and the bereavement 
 was peculiarly harrowing, because it came without warning, 
 and just as he hoped the circle of his domestic joys was to 
 be completed instead of ruptured. It is related that his grief 
 was so pungent, as not only to distress, but seriously to alarm 
 his friends. Yet even then he was most anxious not to sin by 
 questioning in his heart the wisdom and rectitude of God s deal 
 ings with him. His endeavors after self-control were strenuous, 
 and he never for a moment lost the dignity of the Christian in 
 his grief. But for a long time his taste for secular occupations 
 and pleasures was lost, and his only aspirations pointed to the 
 other world. During this season of discipline his health suffered 
 seriously, and his friends induced him, in the summer of 1856, to 
 make a European tour, in the hope that the spell might be 
 broken which bound him in sadness. He visited England, 
 Belgium, France, and Switzerland, spending about four months 
 among the venerable architectural remains, and mountain scenery 
 of those countries. This journey was the source of high enjoy 
 ment to him. But the opposition of his nature to all egotism 
 was as strikingly shown here as elsewhere; he was no more 
 
116 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 inclined to speak of his travels than of his exploits. It was only 
 at rare times, when with some intimate friend who could ap 
 preciate his sentiments, that he launched out, and related with 
 enthusiasm his delight in the grandeur of the mediaeval temples 
 and the Alps ; of York Minster and Mont Blanc. He returned 
 from this holiday with animal spirits and health completely 
 renovated. Although he resorted no more to society, he re 
 sumed his scientific occupations with zest, and his religious life 
 again became as sunny and cheerful as was his wont. A little 
 incident attending his arrival at home illustrates the temper of 
 the man. The full session of the military school had begun, at 
 which time he had promised to return. His classes were await 
 ing him ; week after week passed, and everybody wondered that 
 the exact Major Jackson had not returned to his post. At 
 length he reached Lexington unexpectedly ; and his first act was 
 to visit the family of his deceased wife. After the first joyful 
 greetings and explanations of his delay, a sister exclaimed: 
 " But, Major, have you not been miserable, have you not been 
 perfectly wretched since the beginning of the month?" "Why, 
 no ! " said he, with amazement ; " why should I be ? " " You 
 know," she replied, " that you are so dreadfully punctual, and as 
 the session had begun, and the time you promised to return had 
 passed, we just supposed you were beside yourself with impa 
 tience." " By no means," he replied ; " I had set out to return 
 at the proper time; I had done my duty; the steamer was 
 delayed by the act of Providence ; and I was perfectly satisfied." 
 He was married again, on July 15th, 1857, to Mary Anna 
 Morrison, the daughter of Dr. R. H. Morrison, an eminent 
 Presbyterian divine of North Carolina, and niece of the Honora 
 ble William Graham. This lady, with one living daughter, born 
 in November 1862, survives him. Another infant, born in the 
 early years of this marriage, was cut off at the age of a month. 
 
DOMESTIC AFFECTIONS. 117 
 
 In no man were the domestic affections ever more tender and 
 noble. He who only saw the stern self-denying soldier in his 
 quarters, amidst the details of the commander s duties, or on the 
 field of battle, could scarcely comprehend the gentle sweetness 
 of his home life. There, the cloud which, to his enemies, was 
 only night and tempest, displayed nothing but the " silver lining" 
 of the sunlight upon its reverse ; and that light came chiefly from 
 the Sun of righteousness. He was intensely fond of his home, 
 where all his happiness and every recreation centred. As his 
 foot crossed its threshold, care lifted itself from his brow, his 
 presence brought cheerfulness, and, by his example of childlike 
 gaiety, he allured its inmates to every innocent enjoyment. His 
 tongue, elsewhere so guarded in its speech, seemed to luxuriate 
 in a playful variety of terms of endearment borrowed often from 
 the Spanish, which he always said was richer and more expres 
 sive in these phrases than the English and in these he loved to 
 address, and be addressed by the members of his family. In his 
 household^ the law of love reigned j his own happy pattern was 
 the chief stimulus to duty ; and his sternest rebuke, when he 
 beheld any recession from gentleness or propriety, was to say, 
 half tenderly, half sadly : " Ah, that is not the way to be happy I" 
 
 It was in his own house, also, that the social aspects of his 
 character shone forth most pleasingly to his acquaintances. 
 Although the most unostentatious of men in his mode of living, 
 he was generous and hospitable. Nowhere else was he so uncon 
 strained and easy, as with the guests at his own table. A short 
 time after his second marriage, he wrote thus to a near friend : 
 
 "We are still at the hotel, but expect, on the 1st of January, 
 
 to remove to Mr. s house as boarders. I hope that in 
 
 the course of time we shall be able to call some house our home ; 
 where we may have the pleasure of receiving a long visit from 
 you I shall never be content until I am at the head of an 
 
118 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 establishment in which my friends can feel at home in Lexington, 
 I have taken the first important step by securing a wife capable 
 of making a happy home. And the next thing is to give her an 
 opportunity." 
 
 Before very long these purposes were realized ; he was settled 
 in his own house, where he delighted to entertain his select 
 friends with unpretending but substantial comfort. An instance 
 of his considerate kindness will show his character better than 
 many words. One of his friends, having occasion to take his 
 little daughter of four years upon a considerable journey without 
 the attendance of its mother, called on the way to spend the 
 night with Major Jackson. At bed-time, he proposed that Mrs. 
 Jackson should take charge of the little one for the night ; but 
 the father replied that she would not be contented with a com 
 parative stranger, and would give least trouble if he kept her in 
 his own bosom. At a dead hour of the night, he was awakened 
 by a gentle step in the room, and a hand upon his bed. It was 
 Jackson, tenderly adjusting the bed-clothes around the infant s 
 face ] and when the father spoke, he replied that, knowing she 
 was accustomed to a mother s watchfulness, he had lain awake 
 thinking of the danger of her becoming uncovered and catching 
 a cold ; and had thought it best to come to his chamber and see 
 that all was safe. This was also the mighty hand which guided 
 the thunders of war at Sharpsburg and Chancellorsville ! 
 
 Upon becoming the proprietor of a house with a garden, and 
 soon afterwards of a farm of a few acres, his rural tastes revived 
 in full force. He devoted his hours of recreation to gardening 
 with Ins own hands, and was, from the first, very successful. 
 Indeed, the ability of his mind displayed itself, as in Washington, 
 by the practical skill with which he handled everything which 
 claimed his attention. His vegetables were the earliest and 
 finest of the neighborhood. His stable and dairy were stocked 
 
REGULARITY OP LIFE. 119 
 
 well and cared for in the best possible manner. His little 
 farm of rocky hill-land was soon perfectly enclosed and tilled, 
 and became a fruitful field. He used to say that the bread 
 grown there, by the labor of himself and his slaves, tasted 
 sweeter than that which was bought. Although he seemed to 
 be absolutely indifferent to wealth, and gave from his modest 
 means with an ungrudging hand, yet they grew under his energy 
 and practical sense, as it were in spite of his generous profusion. 
 The chief cause which he would have assigned for this prosper 
 ity, was the blessing of Him who declares that " the liberal soul 
 shall be made fat." The secondary causes, which his neighbors 
 assigned, were the moderation of his own habits, and the sound 
 ness of his judgment, which never admitted a mistake or a 
 useless waste. 
 
 His life here was so methodical, that its picture may be taken 
 from that of one day. He always rose at dawn; and his first 
 occupation was secret prayer, followed, if the weather permitted, 
 by a solitary walk. His family prayers were held at seven 
 o clock, summer and winter, and all his domestics were rigidly 
 required to be present. But the absence of no one was allowed 
 to delay the service. Breakfast then followed, and he went to 
 his class-room at eight o clock. Here he was usually engaged 
 in instruction until eleven o clock, when he returned to his 
 study. The first book which engaged his attention was the 
 Bible, which was not merely read, but studied as a daily lesson. 
 The time until dinner was then devoted to his text-books. Be 
 tween that meal and supper, the interval was occupied by his 
 garden, his farm, or the duties of the church. The evening was 
 devoted first to the mental review of the studies of the day, 
 made without book, and then to literary reading or conversa 
 tion, until ten o clock, p. M., when he retired. He never chose 
 works of fiction, but the classic historians and poets of the 
 
120 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEIIAL JACKSON. 
 
 English tongue ; but this avoidance of works of mere fancy was 
 from principle, not from indifference. If he was once entrapped 
 into an interest in their narrative, be betrayed all the keenness 
 of the veteran novel-reader ; and only restrained it from a sense 
 of the duty of husbanding bis time. As the weakness of his 
 eyes forbade the use of them at night, these readings for recrea 
 tion were usually by some member of the family, while he sat 
 an interested listener and critic. And such was the tenacity of 
 his memory, that what was thus acquired was never parted 
 with. 
 
 But the best conception of his domestic character will be 
 gained from his own words ; and, to enable the reader to form 
 this, a few extracts will be given from his correspondence with 
 his wife, so selected as to disclose his interior life, but not to 
 violate the proprieties of a sacred relationship. 
 
 April 18th, 1857, upon hearing of the painful death of the 
 son of a friend, greatly lamented by his .parents, he says : "I 
 wrote to Mr. and Mrs. - a few days since; and my prayer 
 is that this heavy affliction may be. sanctified to them. I was 
 not surprised that little M. was taken away, as I have long 
 regarded his father s attachment to him as too strong; that is, 
 so strong that he would be unwilling to give him up, though God 
 should call for His own. I am not one of those who believe 
 that an attachment ever is, or can be absolutely too strong for 
 any object of our affections ; but our love for God may not be 
 strong enough. We may not love Him so intensely as to have 
 no will but His." 
 
 "April 25th, 1857. It is a great comfort to me to know, 
 that though I am not with you, yet you are in the hands of One 
 who will not permit any evil to come nigh to you. What a 
 consoling thought .it is, to know that we may, with perfect 
 confidence, commit all our friends in Jesus to the care of our 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 121 
 
 Heavenly Father, with an assurance that all shall be well with 
 them." 
 
 . "I have been sorely disappointed at not hearing from you 
 this morning j but these disappointments are all designed for our 
 good. In my daily walks I think much of you. I love to stroll 
 abroad after the labors of the day are over, and indulge feelings 
 of gratitude to God for all the sources of natural beauty with 
 which He has adorned the earth. Some time since my morning 
 walks were rendered very delightful by the singing of the birds. 
 The morning carolling of the birds, and their notes in the even 
 ing, awaken in me devotional feelings of praise and gratitude, 
 though very different in their nature. In the morning, all ani 
 mated nature (man excepted) appears to join in active expres 
 sions of gratitude to God; in the evening, all is hushing into 
 silent slumber, and thus disposes the mind to meditation. And 
 as my mind dwells on you, I love to give it a devotional turn, by 
 thinking of you as a gift from our Heavenly Father. How de 
 lightful it is, thus to associate every pleasure and enjoyment with 
 God the Giver I Thus will he bless us, and make us grow in 
 grace, and in the knowledge of Him, whom to know aright is 
 life eternal." 
 
 "May *lth, 1857. I wish I could be with you to-morrow at 
 your communion [the Sacrament of the Lord s Supper] . Though 
 absent in body, yet in spirit I shall be present, and my prayer 
 will be for your growth in every Christian grace." 
 
 " I take special pleasure in the part of my prayers, in which I 
 beg that every temporal and spiritual blessing may be yours, and 
 that the glory of God may be the controlling and absorbing 
 thought of our lives in our new relation. It is to me a great 
 satisfaction, to feel that God has so manifestly ordered our 
 union. I believe, and am persuaded, that if we but walk in 
 His commandments, acknowledging Him in all our ways, He 
 16 
 
122 LIFE OF LIEUT.-CEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 shower His blessings upon us*. How delightful it is, to feel 
 that we have such a Friend, who changes not ! I love to see and 
 contemplate Him in everything. The Christian s recognition of 
 God in all His works, greatly enhances his enjoyment." 
 
 "May 16th, 1857. There is something very pleasant in the 
 thought of your mailing me a letter every Monday, and such 
 manifestation of regard for the Sabbath must be well-pleasing 
 in the sight of God. that all our people would manifest 
 such a regard for His holy day ! If we would all strictly observe 
 all His holy laws, what would not our country be ? 
 
 "When in prayer for you last Sabbath, the tears came to my 
 eyes, and I realized an unusual degree of emotional tenderness. 
 I have not yet fully analyzed my feelings to my satisfaction, so 
 as to arrive at the cause of such emotions, but I am disposed to 
 think that it consisted in the idea of the intimate relation exist 
 ing between you, as the object of my tender affection, and God, 
 to whom I looked up as my Heavenly Father. I felt that day as 
 though it were a communion-day for myself." 
 
 "June 20th, 1857. I never remember to have felt so touch- 
 ingly as last Sabbath, the pleasure springing from the thought of 
 ascending prayers for my welfare, from one tenderly beloved. 
 There is something very delightful in such spiritual commu 
 nion." 
 
 Mrs. Jackson being absent upon a distant visit, he wrote, 
 April 13th, 1859:- 
 
 " Is there not comfort in prayer, which is not elsewhere to be 
 found?" 
 
 "Home, April 2(M, 1859. Our potatoes are coming up. 
 .... We have had very unusually dry weather for nearly a 
 fortnight, and your garden had been thirsting for rain till last 
 evening, when the weather commenced changing, and to-day we 
 nave had some rain. Through grace given me from above, I felt 
 
CORRESPOXDEXCE. 123 
 
 that rain would come at the right time, and I don t recollect 
 having ever felt so grateful for a rain as for the present one. 
 
 " Last evening I sowed turnips between our pease. 
 
 " I was mistaken about your large garden-fruit being peaches ; 
 it turns out to be apricots ; and I enclose you one which I found 
 
 on the ground to-day. And just think ! my little has a tree 
 
 full of them. You must come home before they get ripe." 
 
 He playfully applied the pronoun your to all the common 
 possessions of his family when addressing his wife. It was "your 
 house/ "your garden/ "your horse/ "your husband/ or ; more 
 generally, "your liombre," and even "your salary." 
 
 "May llth j 1859. I wrote you this morning that you must 
 not be discouraged. All things work together for good to 
 God s children. I think it would have done you good to hear 
 
 Dr. on this last Sabbath : l No affliction for the present 
 
 seemcth to be joyous, but grievous ; nevertheless, afterward, it 
 yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them who are 
 exercised thereby. See if you cannot spend a short time each 
 evening after dark in looking out of your window into space, and 
 meditating upon Heaven with all its joys unspeakable and full of 
 glory ; and think what the Saviour relinquished in glory when he 
 came to earth, and of His sufferings for us ; and seek to realize 
 with the Apostle, that the afflictions of the present life are not wor 
 thy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 
 
 " Try to look up and be cheerful, and not desponding. Trust 
 our kind heavenly Father, and by the eye of faith see that all 
 
 things with you are right, and for your best interest The 
 
 clouds come, pass over us, and are followed by bright sunshine ; 
 so, in God s moral dealings with us, He permits us to have 
 trouble awhile, but let us, even in the most trying dispensations 
 of His providence, be cheered by the brightness which is a little 
 ahead. 
 
124 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 " Try to live near to Jesus, and secure that peace which flows 
 like a river." 
 
 "Home, May \1th, 1859. I have had only one letter this 
 week ; but l hope springs immortal in the human breast. So you 
 see that I am becoming quite poetical, since listening to a lecture 
 
 on that subject last night by , which was one grand failure. 
 
 I should not have gone ; but as I was on my way to see Capt. 
 
 at Major s, I fell in with them going to the lecture, 
 
 and I could not avoid joining them. After the lecture, I returned 
 with them and made my visit, and, before committing myself to 
 the arms of Morpheus, your clock, though behind time, struck 12 
 A. M., so I retired this morning instead of last evening. I send 
 you a flower from your garden, and could send one in full 
 bloom, but I thought that this one, which is just opening, would 
 be in a betta; state of preservation when you get it." 
 
 "October 5th, 1859. I am glad and thankful that you re 
 ceived the draft and letters in time. How kind is God to His 
 children especially ! I feel so thankful to Him that He has 
 blessed me with so much faith, though I well know that I have 
 not that faith which it is my privilege to have. But I hayc been 
 taught never to despair, but to wait, expecting the blessing at 
 
 the last moment Such occurrences should strengthen our 
 
 faith in Him who never slumbers." 
 
 Such was the peaceful and pure life in which the clays of 
 Jackson glided by at Lexington. But the time was short. 
 Events were ripening which called him into scenes more stirring, 
 and to deeds that have brought his name before the world, and 
 shed an imperishable lustre on his memory. 
 
SECESSION, 125 
 
 CHAPTER V . 
 
 SECESSION. 
 
 THE type of Major Jackson s political opinions has been 
 already described, as that of a States -Rights Democrat of "the 
 most straitest sect." This name did not denote the attachment 
 of those who bore it to the dogmas of universal suffrage and 
 radical democracy, as concerned the State Governments; but 
 their advocacy of republican rights for these Governments, and 
 a limited construction of the powers conferred by them on the 
 Federal Government. Their view of those powers was founded 
 on the following historical facts, which no well-informed American 
 hazards his credit by disputing: That the former colonies of 
 Great Britain emerged from the Revolutionary War distinct and 
 sovereign political communities or commonwealths, in a word, 
 separate nations, though allied together, and as such were recog 
 nized by all the European powers: That, after some years 
 existence as such, they voluntarily formed a covenant, called the 
 Constitution of the United States, which created a species of 
 government resting upon this compact for its existence and 
 rights ; a government which was the creature of the sovereign 
 States, acting as independent nations in forming it: That this 
 compact conferred certain defined powers and duties upon the 
 Central Government, for purposes common to all the States 
 alike, and expressly reserved and prohibited the exercise of all 
 other powers, leaving to the States the management of their own 
 
126 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 affairs. They, therefore, did not sacrifice their nature as sover 
 eignties, by acceding to the Federal Union; but, by compact, 
 they conceded some of the functions of an independent nation, 
 particularly defined, to the Central Government, retaining all the 
 rest as before. These facts and this inference were uniformly 
 held by the Commonwealth of Virginia at all times, being sol 
 emnly asserted when she joined the copartnership, and frequently 
 reaffirmed by her Government down to the present day. They 
 were, in substance, embodied in the Constitution of the United 
 States itself, by a formal amendment, immediately after it went 
 into effect. Since the, era of the elder Adams, when the central 
 izing doctrine was utterly overwhelmed by the election of Mr. 
 Jefferson, they have been professed in theory, though often 
 violated in act, by every Administration of whatever party it- 
 might be, and by nearly every State. 
 
 The party of the States -Rights usually taught, from these 
 principles, that the Federal Government ought to continue what 
 it was in the purer days of Washington and Jefferson, unambi 
 tious in its claims of jurisdiction, simple and modest in its bear 
 ing, restricted in its wealth and patronage, and economical of 
 expenditures, save in the common defence against external ene 
 mies. They held that all acts of legislation which interfered with 
 those functions appropriate to the States as Commonwealths, 
 and all those acts which turned aside from the general interests 
 common to the States alike, to promote particular or local 
 interests, were partial, usurping, and in virtual violation of the 
 spirit of the Constitution. Among these, they classed all bounty 
 laws designed to favor the inhabitants of a section, all protective 
 tariffs, the chartering of a vast Banking Corporation in one of 
 the States, and all meddling with the institution of domestic 
 slavery in the States. They also held that the very Government, 
 being the creation of commonwealths which acted as independent 
 
CREED OF STATES RIGHTS. 127 
 
 nations in forming it, and originating in a covenant wliicli they 
 voluntarily formed as such, derived its whole authority from its 
 conformity to the terms of that covenant : that, if the covenant 
 were destroyed, the Government was destroyed, and its rightful 
 title to allegiance from any person was annihilated that being 
 gone which was the sole basis of it; and that, in the dernier 
 ressort upon any vital instance of usurpation, the States them 
 selves must be the judges whether the covenant was destroyed, 
 and judges too of the necessity and nature of their redress. 
 This right, to be exercised, indeed, under those moral obligations 
 which should govern all international intercourse, they held to be 
 inherent in the States as originally sovereign ; while to suppose 
 their federal compact divested them of it was preposterous, and 
 what was, in the nature of the case, impossible. It would 
 represent their voluntary act in acceding to the covenant as a 
 political suicide. And it would have been equally preposterous 
 for the Federal Constitution formally to confer it ; it would have 
 been the absurdity of the offspring s attempting to confer on its 
 own parent the rights of paternity. Hence the absolute silence 
 of the Federal Constitution concerning tin s inalienable right of 
 the States was logically consistent, and is as incapable of imply 
 ing anything against, as for, its just exercise. How natural 
 and fair this construction is, may be shown by the argument of 
 the great English moralist, Paley, against the theory which founds 
 the government of States over individuals upon the fiction of a 
 social compact. He reasons unanswerably, that if this were so, 
 the violation of the original compact by the government of a 
 commonwealth, in any one point, would destroy the binding force 
 of that covenant on the other party, the citizen, and so annihilate 
 all right to allegiance. Whence we should reach the. ruinous 
 and absurd proposition, that any one unconstitutional act in the 
 ruler would release every citizen, in the future, from all rightful 
 
128 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 obligation to obey any law he enjoined, just or unjust. The 
 argument is perfectly sound against the theory of a social con 
 tract between individuals, because the government of a State 
 over them is not founded on any such contract, but on the 
 ordinance of God. But in the case of the United States the 
 fact was precisely opposite, for the whole Central Government 
 actually did originate avowedly in " a social contract," to which 
 the parties were States instead of persons. So that Paley s 
 deduction is, in this case, perfectly true. But its results are, 
 here, in no wise absurd or disorganizing ; because the creation 
 of the Federal Government did not originate a social order or 
 civic life for the States, and its destruction, therefore, would not 
 destroy nor even relax it. The jurisdiction of the States them 
 selves older and more sovereign societies, indestructible save 
 by the hand of political murder from without preserved and 
 regulated the whole social order ; and the few functions which 
 had been by them lent to the Federal Government, upon the fall 
 of the latter, would not perish, but naturally revert to the States 
 which had granted them. In the integrity of their powers, 
 therefore, was the civic life of the American people. 
 
 The conception which the fathers of the Federal Constitution 
 formed of their confederation, was that of a Common Agent for 
 the equal benefit of the parties confederated, exercising no pow 
 ers except those derived from their consent, and neither possess 
 ing nor needing any guarantee for those powers as against the 
 parties, the States, save the obvious beneficence towards them 
 of all its action. The Union was not a prison owned by some 
 despot, within which the unwilling inhabitants were to be kept 
 by force, making residence there the infliction, and escape the 
 privilege ; it was to be the home, created for their common hap 
 piness by a family of freemen, where residence would be the 
 privilege, and exclusion the penalty ; where each member of the 
 
TRUE THEORY OF FEDERAL UNION. 129 
 
 brotherhood abode only because he chose to do so; and yet 
 there was no danger that the membership would be prematurely 
 dissolved, because the advantages of its just and beneficent rules 
 would insure on the part of each member the desire to continue 
 in it ; and the threat of exclusion would be the sufficient disci 
 pline to reduce a capricious party to reason. And such was the 
 Federal Union during the life of its founders; a government 
 more deeply seated in the love of its people, and therefore 
 stronger than any in Christendom ; more productive of public 
 wealth and happiness in its action ; weak for aggression against 
 the rights of its citizens, yet powerful for their defence against 
 external enemies. In this point was intended to be the essential 
 wisdom of its structure ; that, being forbidden to enforce, by the 
 strong hand, even its legitimate will (much more its illegal) 
 upon the parties to it, the States, it was compelled to foster 
 the motive &r compliance by making its authority a minister 
 of good only, and not of evil. Thus did our patriotic fathers 
 attempt to solve the problem, hitherto unsolved, of securing the 
 freedom of the parts, and yet giving sufficient unity to the whole, 
 for protection against unprincipled power from without. Had 
 all the parts possessed public virtue enough to understand and 
 keep their obligations, the American Union would have contin 
 ued a great, because a benign government. But with this great 
 balance-wheel of free consent struck from its fabric, it became 
 at once the most mischievous, cruel, and impracticable of all 
 institutes, a centralized democracy, owning no law save the ca 
 price of the numerical majority. 
 
 The States Rights party could prove that their conception of 
 the government was the true one, not only by the closest deduc 
 tion of reasoning, but by notorious facts. One of these was, 
 that the framers of the Constitution themselves left the Federal 
 Government unclothed with any powers of coercion over the 
 17 
 
130 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 States, not from oversight, but of set purpose. The proposal 
 to give this power was made by one, and was rejected by the 
 rest. In this, the men who were afterwards .claimed as the lead 
 ers of the party of centralization, such as Alexander Hamilton, 
 agreed precisely with the men who thenceforward asserted the 
 rights of the States, represented by Mr. Madison.* All agreed 
 in declaring, that to give such a power over States, was inconsis 
 tent with the nature of the government designed, would infallibly 
 corrupt it, and would make it justly odious to the States, and 
 impracticable to be maintained, save by the utter banishment of 
 republican freedom out of the land. What more complete proof 
 is needed of this truth, than the fact displayed in 1SG1, that in 
 the very attempt to coerce States, the Constitution immediately 
 perished? The Constitution was therefore, of purpose, left 
 silent as to any such power ; and on the completion of the docu 
 ment, the lack of it was expressly avowed in the words : " The 
 powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, 
 nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States 
 respectively, or to the people." 
 
 Another fact was, that when the State "of Virginia, then the 
 leading one in fame, power, and the ability of her statesmen, gave 
 her reluctant and chary adhesion to the Federal Union, she 
 coupled it, in the very act accepting the Constitution, with this 
 condition : that she should be for ever free to retract her adhe 
 sion, whenever she found the Union inconvenient, of which 
 juncture she was to be sole judge ; and to resume her separate 
 independence, unmolested. Her reception upon these declared 
 
 * In the Convention on the 31st May, 1787, Madison declared that " the use 
 of force against a State would be more like a declaration of war, than an inflic 
 tion of punishment, and would probably be considered by the party attacked, 
 as a dissolution of all previous compacts : a Union of States containing such an 
 ingredient seemed to provide for its own destruction." In one of the debates on 
 the New York State Convention, Hamilton said, " To coerce a State would be 
 one of the maddest projects ever devised." We have lived to see an attempt to 
 coerce not one State but eleven. 
 
SECESSION IMPLIED IN ORIGIN OP UNITED STATES. 131 
 
 terms, the only ones upon which she would have entered, was 
 virtually a promise that her condition should be granted. Nor 
 was she the only State which made the same reservation. New 
 York and Rhode Island, the latter the smallest, and the former 
 the most powerful State, next to Virginia, both now among the 
 covenant-breakers, which are persecuting the Old Dominion with 
 a malignant treachery, for claiming her covenanted right, accepted 
 the Union on the same condition. Their admission on such 
 terms not only seals their right to retire at their option, but also 
 demonstrates that all the other States understood the compact as, 
 of course, implying such a right. The attempt has been made to 
 break the force of this fact, by the miserable subterfuge : That 
 Virginia, New York, and Rhode Island, only stipulated for this 
 right to retire if they found the Union inconvenient, because 
 they feared it might prove a failure ; and that since its splendid 
 success, that condition had become antiquated, and expired. It 
 would be enough to expose this unprincipled sophism, to ask, how 
 long a time might not be required to demonstrate that the Union 
 had been successful ? Do not the events which are now transpir 
 ing, keep that question yet in suspense: leading the most ex 
 perienced minds in Europe to doubt whether such a scheme of 
 government is not impracticable ? But the very point of the 
 stipulation made by Virginia was, that she was to judge for her 
 self, when, and how far, the Union proved inadequate to confer 
 those benefits she sought under it. And, if anything further is 
 needed to explode the wretched pretext, it is found in the fact, 
 that Virginia has always taken express care that this condition 
 in her covenant should not grow antiquated, by re-affirming it 
 from time to time, to this day, in the most formal manner. 
 
 It is thus abundantly proved that the right of the States to 
 retire from the Federal Union, when the compact was broken, 
 was inherent in them; and that the Constitution could neither 
 
132 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 give nor take away this privilege. The same thing appears 
 equally from the manner in which the Colonies first acquired 
 their independence. Their revolution was a secession from the 
 British Empire. They declared themselves to be the only right 
 ful judges of its necessity. So that every shadow of claim which 
 they have to their present position is derived from the doctrine 
 that the people of a commonwealth are entitled to change their 
 form of government whenever they judge it necessary for their 
 welfare. Nothing, therefore, can be more monstrous than the 
 attempt of the States of the North to obstruct the exercise of 
 this right by an inhuman war j when it is only by its exercise 
 that they themselves exist. 
 
 Once more ; the formation of the United States under their 
 present Constitution, was an act of secession from the confed 
 eration previously existing. It was made all the more glaring 
 by the fact, that the articles of Confederation had very recently 
 been perfected, and had been accepted by all the States, with 
 the express injunction "And the Union shall be perpetual." 
 That confederation did not dissolve itself: it did not grant its 
 members leave to desert it, and form a new combination ; on 
 the contrary, it claimed an immortal existence. Yet one, and 
 another, and another State deserted it to enter the new Union, 
 when it saw fit ; and one, Rhode Island, did not transfer itself 
 from the old compact to the new, for three years. Yet neither 
 the new nor the old conic deration dreamed of assailing the 
 other : both recognized the sovereign rights of the States, to 
 secede or to accede. Accession to the new could only take place, 
 by means of secession from the old Union ; which had precisely 
 the same claims to the adhesion of its members. So that, when 
 Washington and his illustrious associates of the Convention of 
 1787, proposed a new Constitution to the States, they were 
 proposing secession. 
 
OBJECTIONS BEFITTED. 133 
 
 It is plain, then, that to speak of a State committing treason 
 against the Government of the United States, is just as absurd 
 as to describe a parent as being guilty of insubordination to his 
 son. There might be injustice or violence ; there could be no 
 treason. To speak of resistance organized by the sovereign 
 States against the Federal Government as rebellion, is prepos 
 terous. It was just as easy for Great Britain to rebel against 
 Austria, while they were members of the great coalition against 
 Napoleon. He who pretends to liken the secession of Virginia 
 from the Union, to a rebellion of the county of York or Kent 
 against the British throne, a simile advanced by the chief 
 magistrate of the United States himself, is either uttering 
 stupid nonsense or profligate falsehood; for the relations in 
 the two cases have no ground in common, on which the 
 pretended analogy can rest. What English county possessed 
 sovereignty or independence, or in the exercise of such powers 
 entered into any union or confederation ? 
 
 It is objected again, that the admission of the right to retire 
 from the Union renders its authority a rope of sand, and its 
 character as a government a mere simulacrum, which dissolves 
 at the first touch of resistance. The triumphant reply of Vir 
 ginians is, that our State has always had this right as a condi 
 tion of her membership in the Union ; and yet this Government 
 was to her, for eighty years, anything else than a "rope of 
 sand." It was a bond which held her for that period in firm 
 affection and loyalty, which nothing but the most ruthless des 
 potism could relax, which retained its strength even when it was 
 binding the State to her incipient dishonor and destruction. It 
 is a strange and disgraceful proposition to be asserted by Re 
 publicans, that no force is a real force except that which is sus 
 tained by an inexorable physical power. It would seem that, 
 with its assertors, honor, covenants, oaths, affections, enlightened 
 
134 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 self-interest, are only a rope of sand. The truth is, that the 
 physical power of even the most iron despotisms reposes on 
 moral forces, and if these are withdrawn from beneath, the 
 most rigid tyranny becomes but a simulacrum, which dissolves at 
 the touch of resistance. How much more, then, must all free 
 governments be founded on the affections, the common interests, 
 and the consent of the governed? While the Government of 
 the United States conciliated these, it was strong and> efficient 
 for good; when they were gone, it became impotent for good, 
 and existed only for evil. This was all the strength which its 
 founders ever meant to assign it, or which its nature permitted ; 
 if this species of strength failed it, then that fact was the evi 
 dence that it had ceased to fulfil the purposes of its creation, 
 and ought to perish. 
 
 It has been urged, that if the right be denied to the United 
 States to coerce a seceding State, it is equivalent to the absurd 
 proposition, that the Union never had any other title to the alle 
 giance of any State than its own caprice chose to yield it ; that 
 unless the right forcibly to resist secession is granted to the 
 former, the right to withdraw for any cause, or for no cause, is 
 asserted for the latter. This dilemma was charged upon Mr. 
 Buchanan, the last President of the United States, when he ven 
 tured to reaffirm the established doctrine of the Constitution, 
 that it gave Congress no power to coerce a State. Such pre 
 tended reasoners can never have heard of the well-known class 
 of imperfect rights in ethics ; they cannot conceive that a suffer 
 ing Christian may have a claim in morals upon the alms of his 
 fellow- Christian, and yet not have a moral right to take relief 
 by force of arms. The right of the United States to the adhe 
 sion of the States, while the compact with them was faithfully 
 kept, was precisely one of these imperfect rights. Their inher 
 ent right to withdraw for just cause, and to judge for themselves 
 
OBJECTIONS KEFUTED. 135 
 
 when that cause exists, does not imply a right to withdraw for 
 no cause, or for a trivial cause, any more than the fact that the 
 Christian must be left free in giving alms to the distressed, im 
 plies that he has a right to withhold alms from every person, 
 however distressed. It is asked what guarantee the Union 
 would then have against the secession of its members for trivial 
 causes, or mere caprice ? The answer is : It would have as 
 guarantee the force of public opinion, habits, and affections, 
 and above all, the fact that in every capricious secession the 
 larger share of the inconveniences would fall upon the seceding 
 member. If the Federal. Government were equitable and ben 
 eficent, this safeguard would be always omnipotent. 
 
 Akin to this is the objection, that if the Union may not forcibly 
 prevent the secession of a State, then it has no rightful mode of 
 self-protection against any wrongful acts which the departing 
 member may commit in her exit, such as appropriating the 
 common property, or against any detrimental or even destructive 
 use which she may make of her independence afterwards. But 
 is not this State, the moment she resumes her separate indepen 
 dence, bound by the comity of nations to her former partners, as 
 any other nation is ? Just as any other independent neighbor 
 may be required so to exercise its sovereignty as not to infringe 
 the sovereignty of others, in the same way may she be, even by 
 force of arms. But then the coercion must be applied only to 
 compel her to act as a just equal and neighbor ; not to enforce 
 by violence a union which, in its very nature, can only be volun 
 tary. 
 
 The clamor concerning the inconvenience and loss which the 
 remaining United States experience by the just secession of a 
 part, in the diminution of territory, departure from natural 
 boundaries, severance of rivers and mountain chains, and 
 interruptions of advantageous commerce, admits of an easy 
 
136 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 answer to any honest mind. In all this, the North is but paying 
 the righteous penalty of the wrongs which justify the secession 
 of the South. If the former does not like the loss, why did it 
 commit the crime ? Do the territories, the boundaries, the 
 mountains, the rivers of Virginia belong to her, or do they 
 belong to a parcel of States without her, which never claimed to 
 be more than her co-ordinates ? 
 
 An excellent proof of the justice of all these reasonings may 
 be seen in the fact, that the most of those politicians at the 
 North who now deny them, were the violent assertors of them, 
 when they considered themselves aggrieved. So obvious were 
 they, that the most did not dare to deny their application to the 
 Southern States, in case they demanded the right of withdrawal. 
 The general opinion was, that in that case the Constitution 
 would require them to allow us to go in peace. But after the 
 thirst for plunder and revenge was awakened, and frantic 
 passions had seized on the minds of the North, all this was 
 changed, and sophistical pretexts were sought for war. 
 
 Such were the doctrines which the party of the States rights 
 had always maintained, and to which Major Jackson was com 
 mitted by the firmest convictions. If they appear to the reader 
 to present the conception of a government very singular, very 
 far removed from all European ideas, or even very impracticable, 
 still, if he has a particle of fairness of mind, he will see, at a 
 glance, that his estimate of the government has nothing what 
 ever to do with the righteousness or propriety of the action 
 taken by the advocates of States rights. This species of fed 
 eration, bo it wise or foolish, good or bad, was the one to which 
 they were actually bound in covenant. This, and no other form 
 of government, was what they had pledged themselves to obey. 
 In this way they had uniformly explained the obligations which 
 they considered themselves as assuming. This explanation had 
 
FEDERAL USURPATIONS. 137 
 
 been at first accepted by all parties ; Virginia, declaring it in 
 the sovereign act by which she made herself a member of the 
 Federal Union, and repeating it in her famous resolutions of 
 1798-99, had never ceased to reiterate her claims; and in this 
 she had been followed by the other Southern States, her sisters 
 and daughters. 
 
 Secession, then, was no dishonest after-thought, suggested by 
 a growing sectional ambition, but the ancient, righteous remedy, 
 to which the Southern States were reluctantly driven, by a long 
 course of treachery and oppression. Ever since 1820, they had 
 seen with grief that the true balance of the Constitution was 
 overthrown, the Government centralized, and the rights of the 
 States engrossed by the Federal Congress. It was equally clear 
 that the practical advantages of these usurpations were all inur 
 ing to the North against the South. A bounty on fisheries was 
 granted from the first, which was as plainly for the partial 
 advantage of New England, as though the tax-gatherer had, 
 with his own hand, plucked the money out of the pockets of the 
 rest of the citizens, to place it in theirs. This bounty, varying 
 from one to two millions annually, and continued for eighty 
 years, will account for the transfer of many hundreds of millions 
 to New England from the other States. The Northern were 
 maritime States ; the Southern were, by population, climate, 
 habits, and geographical position, inclined to agricultural pur 
 suits. A code of navigation laws was immediately passed, 
 which operated as a perpetual tax on Southern industry, for the 
 bribing of Northern adventure upon the seas. Under the first 
 President, the Constitution was violated by the assumption of a 
 power in Congress to create an overshadowing Banking cor 
 poration, -with special privileges, within the territory of a State; 
 and this bank being, moreover, immediately employed as the 
 agent for funding and paying the Federal debt contracted for 
 
 18 
 
138 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 the War of Independence; at once, and irrevocably, removed the 
 financial centre from the Southern States, the richer portion, and 
 paying the larger share of the taxes, to the poorer North, which 
 paid less. A system of partial taxation by tariffs was also com 
 menced, for a motive glaringly unconstitutional, namely, to foster 
 local enterprises for home manufactures, seated almost exclu 
 sively in the Northern and Middle States. These tariffs were 
 constantly pressed to a more exorbitant height, throwing 
 millions of unequal burden annually upon the South ; and 
 never for one moment were they removed, although sometimes 
 they received a momentary and deceitful relaxation, when the 
 South seemed about to awake to a stern demand for justice. 
 
 But the chief sectional outrage was that aimed against the 
 property of the Southern States in the labor of the African race, 
 held to servitude within them. As soon as the Confederation 
 began to acquire new territory, the Northern States disclosed a 
 fixed purpose of sectional aggrandizement therein, by means of 
 the general and ignorant prejudice against the African race, 
 and the institution of slavery. Finding African labor unsuited 
 to their climate, they had extinguished slavery among themselves 
 from motives purely pecuniary, not generally by the emancipation 
 of their slaves, but by selling them to the South. And the ten 
 dency of the landless population of Europe to flow to the 
 Western Continent, showed them an indefinite supply of labor, 
 population, and wealth; while a relative expansion of the 
 Southern States was absolutely forbidden by the extinction of the 
 slave-trade; a measure in which the South heartily concurred, 
 against their obvious sectional interests, because of their con 
 viction of the immorality of the traffic. The plan of the North 
 was to engross the whole of the new territories for their popula 
 tion, by the exclusion of African labor ; and the contest, which 
 began from the very first, was never relaxed. But the South 
 
KANSAS-NEBRASKA LAW. 139 
 
 was then too powerful to be oppressed with entire success. After 
 a threatening contest in 1820, concerning the admission of Mis 
 souri as a slave State, she was received as such; but the South 
 unwisely permitted her entrance to be coupled with an enact 
 ment, that thenceforward all territory to the north of the Southern 
 boundary of that State, latitude 36 30 , must be settled by white 
 labor, while the remnant to the south of it might be settled by 
 slave-labor. But in 1849, upon the acquisition* of new territory 
 from Mexico, the State of California was immediately closed 
 against the South, though lying in part south of that line ; and 
 the intention was boldly declared thenceforward to engross the 
 whole territory for the North. So flagrant a wrong, coupled 
 with the perpetual agitation of abolition in the States, and the 
 perpetual, unrestrained theft of slaves by Northern interlopers, 
 naturally inflamed the resistance of the South to an alarming 
 height. After many discussions, a delusive pacification was made, 
 chiefly through the influence of the veteran politician, Henry 
 Clay, and Senator Douglas of Illinois. The sum of the measures 
 adopted, under their advocacy at different times, was, that, on the 
 one hand, the South should acquiesce in engrossments of terri 
 tory already committed, and that, on the other, laws should be 
 passed, in accordance with the Constitution of the United States, 
 to prevent negro-stealing. As to the territory yet lying unap 
 propriated, the Missouri Compromise (of 1820) was declared to 
 be, as it was indeed, unconstitutional and null ; and the apparently 
 fair principle was adopted, of leaving the common territory open 
 to immigration from all sections alike, and allowing the people 
 settled there to decide for themselves, whether the State which 
 grew up should exclude African labor or not. The latter subject 
 was apparently disposed of in the Kansas-Nebraska law, the 
 favorite project of Senator Douglas. 
 
 But no sooner was this law passed, than the South found that, 
 
140 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 while it " kept the word of promise to the ear/ it was designed 
 " to break it to the sense." The whole free-soil party, a majority 
 of the whole North, openly proclaimed that they disdained to 
 obey it ; just as the whole Abolition party, now nearly a majority, 
 defied the law against negro-stealing. (Here was an instance 
 of insubordination, sufficient of itself to justify the secession of 
 the South.) But more: under the Kansas-Nebraska law, the 
 practical question immediately emerged : How, and when, the 
 people settling upon a common territory should exercise the 
 discretion of determining whether African labor should have 
 place in the State there growing ? The one party, aptly called 
 that of squatter-sovereignty, said that they should wield this 
 power as soon as they began to assemble there. This assured 
 the victory in every case to the North, because landless free 
 labor will, of course, ever anticipate capital and slave labor in 
 mobility. The other party, including all the South, said, with 
 obvious truth, that the people of the new State could only 
 exercise the power of deciding for or against the African labor, 
 when they became a State, a true populus, a full formed political 
 society. To claim the opposite, was to make the rights of 
 American citizens rights recognized by both State and Federal 
 Constitutions dependent on the caprice of any rabble of 
 paupers, foreigners, and free negroes, the majority of whom 
 would probably not be citizens at all, assembled by sufferance 
 upon the common domain. These territories, they argued, were 
 the joint property of the United States; and, therefore, while 
 held as such, should be administered (as usual in the case of 
 territories) by Congress, for the impartial benefit of all the 
 owners. No man becomes a citizen of the United States, save 
 as he is the citizen of some State. To the citizens of all the 
 States, therefore, those territories should belong ; and whenever 
 any of these chose to exercise his right of emigrating to a new 
 
KANSAS-NEBRASKA LAW. 141 
 
 part of the common domain, it was the duty of Congress to 
 follow his person and all his lawful possessions, with the impar 
 tial shield of legal protection. The same equal measure should 
 be meted out to the clock-factory of the Connecticut man, and 
 the African labor of the Carolinian, when transported to the 
 common domain. And this would not be intrusion into the 
 sovereignty of a new State, as to its admitting or excluding 
 African labor ; because the moment it becomes a State, Congress 
 withdraws, and leaves it, if it sees fit, to expel every African from 
 its borders. The South saw clearly enough, that if this just view 
 prevailed, they would still win no practical gain but merely pre 
 serving their honor. The emigration of white labor is mobile, 
 quick, adventurous ; that of the slave-owner is cautious, sensitive, 
 and slow. The North, by virtue of its actual numerical superior 
 ity, and its European immigration, stood ready to pour in thou 
 sands, where the South could only furnish hundreds, for the new 
 lands. The South had disinterestedly cut off its corresponding 
 means of increase, by assenting to, and even demanding the ex 
 tinction of the African slave-trade. Hence, it well knew, that, in 
 claiming the constitutional construction of the Kansas-Nebraska 
 law, it was making a demand which could save it nothing but 
 its rights ; and that, practically, every territory, .fertile enough 
 to be worth seeking, would henceforward be occupied by exclu 
 sive white labor, and belong to the North. They could justly 
 inquire of the latter, " Why enforce a useless aggression, to win 
 what is already virtually yours, where the only actual result is 
 to fix a stigma of subjection upon us, your constitutional equals ? 
 Is it to teach us significantly that henceforth we are to be your 
 slaves ? " But the odious construction was generally adopted 
 by the North ; and at length, even the author of the law, Senator 
 Douglas, deserted his own ground, and accepted it, becoming 
 thus the leader of the larger number of Northern Democrats. 
 
142 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSOX. 
 
 The long course of usurpation and aggression has now been 
 traced near to its culminating point. The lawless events in 
 Kansas helped to illustrate these differences, and to embitter 
 the passions ; but their description need not detain us. Mean 
 time, the children of the South may say with pride and truth, 
 that, on their side, the covenant of the Confederation was 
 always observed. There have been at the South many corrupt, 
 and some factious persons. Individuals have often asserted 
 Southern rights in an intemperate, and sometimes in a wicked 
 mode. But it will ever remain the glory of the South, that in 
 no instance did any Southern State, or prevalent political party 
 of the South, ever commit itself to any usurpation of power, 
 through the Federal Government, to any sectional ends, or to 
 any unconstitutional breach of the compact with the other 
 sections, save perhaps in the instance of nullification a defen 
 sive one. Our detractors are defied to produce from history 
 one exception to this illustrious record. Moreover, although 
 the South knew that the Federal institutions were all working 
 partially, and against them, they constantly sustained the honor 
 and common interests of the Confederation, with a loyalty 
 unknown at the North ; pouring out their blood in every war, 
 and perpetually contributing, from their scantier resources, the 
 major part of the support of the Government. They were con 
 servative by temper, and determined to be faithful to their 
 engagements to the end. 
 
 The reader will now be prepared to understand the political 
 conclusions adopted by Major Jackson, in common with the most 
 of his fellow-citizens. Secession has been so often charged 
 upon us as a grave crime, that the defence of his memory 
 demands these explanations. The chief lesson of his life would 
 be neglected, were not the solution of the fact given, that the 
 purest and holiest of men became the hero of the war for 
 
THE JOHN BROWN RAID. 143 
 
 Southern independence. The statement has been insinuated that- 
 Jackson was seduced by factitious influences into the advocacy 
 of a cause condemned by his own conscience ; but the assertion 
 that he was capable of this is a slander equally against his head 
 and his heart. His political opinions were maturely formed, 
 and were exceedingly fixed. Few who witnessed the deferential 
 silence with which he listened to the talk of more dogmatical 
 acquaintances, were aware how distinct and firm his conclu 
 sions were. He was pre-eminently given to forming his own 
 rcsglves. especially upon every question of duty; and, even 
 where he listened to advice, it was weighed with a sturdy 
 independence equal to his politeness. In 1856, the question of 
 free-soil had assumed somewhat of its angry importance, and 
 the defection of the professed supporters of the rights of the 
 States at the North had begun, under the pretext of squatter- 
 sovereignty. To the few friends to whom Jackson spoke of his 
 own opinions, he then declared that the South ought to take its 
 stand upon the outer verge of its just rights, and there resist 
 aggression, if necessary, by the sword; that, while it should do 
 nothing beyond the limits of strict righteousness to provoke 
 bloodshed, yet any surrender of principle whatever, to such 
 adversaries as ours, would be mischievous. 
 
 In the Fall of 1859, the first angry drops of the deluge of 
 blood which was approaching, fell upon the soil of Virginia. 
 The event known as the John Brown Raid occurred at Harper s 
 Ferry, in which that Border assassin endeavored to excite a 
 servile insurrection and civil war, from that point. He and all 
 his accomplices, save one, were either slain, or expiated their 
 crime upon the scaffold. As his rescue was loudly threatened, 
 a military force was mustered at Charleston, the seat of justice 
 for Jefferson county, to protect the officers of the law in 
 the exercise of their functions. Virginia then had scarcely 
 
144 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 any regular force, except the cadets of her military school. 
 They with their officers were accordingly ordered to this place ; 
 and Major Jackson went with them, leading his battery of light 
 pieces. His command, while there, was conspicuous for its per 
 fect drill and subordination ; and he diligently improved their 
 time, in manoeuvring them upon the roughest ground to be 
 selected in that beautiful region. He was a spectator of the 
 stoical death of Brown, and gave his friends a graphic account 
 of the scene. 
 
 This mad attempt of a handful of vulgar cutthroats, and its 
 condign punishment, would have been a very trivial affair to the 
 Southern people, but for the manner in which it was regarded 
 by the people of the North. Their presses, pulpits, public 
 meetings and conversations, disclosed such a hatred to the South 
 and its institutions, as to lead them to justify the crime, involv 
 ing though it did the most aggravated robbery, treason, and 
 murder to deny the right of Virginia to punish it ; to vilify the 
 State in consequence with torrents of abuse perfectly demoni 
 acal j to threaten loudly the assassination of her magistrates for 
 the performance of their duty; and to exalt the blood-thirsty 
 fanatic who led the party, to a public apotheosis. The pretext 
 for this astounding outrage upon public opinion was, that it was 
 the right of masters to property in the labor of their slaves, 
 which John Brown sought to assail through this career of rapine 
 and blood ; a right, nevertheless, recognized by the laws of nearly 
 every State in the Union, when at least as virtuous and Christian 
 as now ; by the laws of Virginia, and by the Federal Constitu 
 tion itself, to which all alike avowed a common allegiance. And 
 while this insult was eagerly given by every professed Abolition 
 ist, they were seconded by so many of the free-soil party, that it 
 was doubtful if the secret sympathizers did not constitute a 
 majority of the Northern people. When the people of tho 
 
SCHISM OF THE DEMOCRATS. 145 
 
 South witnessed these things, it caused a shock of grief and indig 
 nation. The most sober men saw in the event, insignificant in 
 itself, a symptom of momentous importance, and recognized the 
 truth that the grand collision was near at hand. Loyalty to 
 the Union was, however, still unbroken ; and the purpose was 
 universal, to act only on the defensive, and to fulfil to the end 
 every obligation of the Constitution. 
 
 Major Jackson spent the summer vacation of 18 GO in New 
 England, in the pursuit of health. On his return, he said he 
 had seen and heard quite enough in the North, to justify the 
 division which had just occurred in the Democratic party, and 
 which resulted in the defeat of Douglas and the election of 
 Lincoln; a division, he predicted, which would render the 
 dissolution of the Union inevitable. This great schism among 
 the Democrats was perfected in the spring of 1860, when 
 they met in the city of Charleston, South Carolina, in grand 
 caucus, to select a candidate for the office of President, to be 
 presented for the votes of their party. The two sections then 
 pressed their rival interpretations of the Kansas-Nebraska law, 
 which had been left ambiguous by the similar caucus in 
 Cincinnati, four years before. The Democrats of the South 
 demanded that the party should propose no candidate, unless 
 he held their view, that the people of a territory should not 
 interfere with slavery in the public domains until they became 
 a sovereign State ; and that, meantime, African labor and white 
 labor should enjoy common and equal privileges. The Demo 
 crats of the North, with a few exceptions, boldly avowed the 
 doctrine of squatter-sovereignty. Various attempts were made 
 at conciliation, but the utmost which the Northern party would 
 concede was, a promise to abide by the decision which might be 
 made upon that question afterwards, by the Supreme Court of 
 the United States. This was rejected as nugatory, because that 
 
 19 
 
146 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 Court had already decided, in the famous Dred-Scott case, as in 
 others, that the legislature of the settlers in a territory had no 
 right to impair the property of citizens of the United States in 
 their slaves, residing among them ; and that it was the duty 
 of the Federal Government, in all its departments, to protect 
 these rights of its citizens. If those partisans had ever intended 
 to be governed by the authority of that pure and exalted 
 tribunal, these questions would have been already settled for 
 them; and the hope which they harbored was manifest, so to 
 change the membership of that Court, in time, as to exact of it 
 an ex parte decision which would strip the South of all legal 
 defences. After a stormy discussion and an adjournment to 
 Baltimore, the caucus was severed into two fragments, of which 
 the Southern, with a few Northern Democrats, nominated John 
 C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, then the vice-President ; and the 
 other, Senator Douglas. To the former of these, called Breck 
 inridge Democrats, Major Jackson adhered yith his usual quiet 
 decision, speaking little concerning his political opinions, save 
 to a few intimates, but voting in every case for men of this 
 shade of opinion. 
 
 Meantime the party of the free soil, or as they called 
 themselves Republicans (impudently assuming the name of the 
 party founded by Jefferson, whose every principle in Federal 
 politics they outraged !) nominated a purely sectional ticket, 
 headed by Abraham Lincoln of Illinois. Their opponents called 
 them Black Republicans ; aptly expressing at once their ncgro- 
 philism, and the monstrous nature of their pretensions. Their 
 platform of principles embodied, on the old issues of politics, the 
 most oppressive Federal usurpations ; and on the question of the 
 rights of the South in the common domain (the territory out of 
 which future States, should be formed), roundly declared that the 
 North should henceforward engross absolutely the whole. It is 
 
BLACK REPUBLICAN PLATFORM. 147 
 
 true that they proposed to appease the alarm of the South, by 
 declaring that the Federal Government had no power to interfere 
 directly with slavery in the States. But how little solace any 
 reasonable mind would discover in this deceptive pledge could 
 be seen in the fact, that Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Seward, who, 
 though not the candidate, was the coryphaus of the party, had 
 declared that these United States could not exist part free and 
 part slave ; that there was an irrepressible conflict between the 
 two systems ; and that slavery in the States must therefore be 
 put under a process of extinction. He was simply a fool who 
 could not sec what all this meant in the mouths of the advocates 
 of a pretended "higher law;" which these men interpreted into 
 a license to violate their own official oaths, and to disobey the 
 precepts of a constitution they had sworn to support, where 
 they were adverse to their prejudices ; while they swallowed its 
 emoluments, and enforced the parts advantageous to themselves 
 against their fellow-citizens with unrelenting rigor; and all 
 under pretence of conscience for God s revealed law. This, 
 doctrine Mr. Seward had openly proclaimed from his place as a 
 Senator; and it had been generally accepted as the ethics of 
 the party. The whole amount of the guarantee which the 
 Lincoln platform gave the South was, that the Black Republi 
 cans, if victors, would refrain from issuing an immediate edict 
 of abolition, in glaring violation of the Constitution. But, after 
 depressing and weakening the South for a few years, by other 
 usurpations and exactions, and plying against slaveholders all 
 the artillery of Federal power, it was expected that she would 
 become too weak to resist an amendment of that Constitution, 
 laying all her rights at the feet of the tyrant section. Indeed, 
 this plan was everywhere proclaimed by the populace, more 
 candid than their demagogues. Another significant fact was 
 that the open Abolitionists, who had previously run their own 
 
148 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 candidate for President, giving him at each quadrennial period 
 a small, but increasing vote, now went over in a body to the 
 support of Lincoln. 
 
 The result of the election, held in November, 1860, was that 
 Lincoln became President by a vote of the States strictly sec 
 tional (i. e. y not a single State in the South voted for him), and 
 in the North he failed to carry New Jersey. Of the popular 
 vote he received about 1,800.000, while Douglas received about 
 1,276,000, and Mr. Breckinridge. 812,000. The Whig party, 
 retaining their old organization, cast about 735,000 votes for 
 Senator Bell of Tennessee. Thus the popular vote for Lincoln 
 included less than half of all the citizens ; and that for Douglas, 
 if joined to that for Mr. Breckinridge, would have been larger 
 than the vote for Lincoln. But this fact brought no consolation 
 to the South. The party of squatter-sovereignty in the North 
 had also become manifestly a free-soil party. It was true they 
 used the delusive catch-word of non-intervention with slavery; 
 and adduced the specious plea of " popular sovereignty " to 
 cloak the odious pretension, that an accidental rabble of adven 
 turers, who might probably not be citizens at all, should over 
 step the sacred authority of Constitution, Congress, Supreme 
 Court, and sovereign States, to trample upon a right of recog 
 nized citizens. Their cry of " no intervention either way," was 
 explained by them to mean, that Congress should become dere 
 lict to its positive duty of protecting everywhere the equal 
 rights of all the citizens, in order that a mob might be free 
 to intervene, most fatally, against a part. They openly argued 
 at home that their scheme was the more politic, because it effec 
 tually deprived the South of every inch of the common domain, 
 while it was better concealed against constitutional objections. 
 The South perceived it to be, in the strong phrase of one of her 
 
EFFECTS OF ELECTION IN THE SOUTH. 149 
 
 statesmen, " but a short cut to all the ends of the Black Repub 
 licans." 
 
 During the canvass, many patriotic voices were raised at the 
 South, and a few at the North, in solemn remonstrance. Our 
 enemies were reminded that Washington, Jefferson, and the 
 other fathers of the Government, had predicted, that the triumph 
 of a sectional party in the Confederation would be the knell of 
 its existence; and that their own best statesmen had declared 
 the South neither would nor could remain in the Union, under a 
 domination so utterly subversive of the objects of the Union. 
 But such was the temper of the Northern people, that warnings 
 only inflamed their arrogance. And when they ascertained that 
 they had elected their candidate, they burst forth, in belief of 
 their irresistible power, into declarations of purposes of usur 
 pation and tyranny so monstrous, that many just men at the 
 North wrote eagerly to their Southern friends, to hasten and 
 seek their only safety in a separate independence. In the 
 South, at a distance from these scenes, few indeed compre 
 hended their full danger, but all were painfully aroused, and 
 many prepared for immediate defence. At the head of the 
 latter was the State of South Carolina. Immediately after 
 Lincoln s election was known, her Legislature called a sov 
 ereign convention of the people, which, on the 20th of De 
 cember, 1860, formally retracted the connexion of the State 
 with the Union, and resumed its independence. This action 
 was had without discussion, and with perfect unanimity; the 
 people of that State were convinced that the season for dis 
 cussion had passed, and the season for action had arrived. 
 But, in all the other Southern States, while there was no respect 
 able party anywhere which wavered in the purpose of vigorous 
 resistance, there was a division of opinion concerning the time 
 and mode of commencing it, denoted by the terms, Separate 
 
150 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Secession, and Co-operative Secession. The advocates of tho 
 former prevailed at first in the planting States, bordering upon 
 the Gulf of Mexico ; of the latter, in the States lying next to the 
 Free States, and in Virginia. With these Major Jackson sympa 
 thized. Although this class of patriots embraced many shades of 
 opinion, their distinctive views were these : That while the 
 sectional action, arid especially the temper of the Northern 
 people, would justify before God and man an immediate separa 
 tion, yet it was not politic to make it upon this provocation, 
 because the South was so unprepared for that tremendous war 
 winch would probably follow. It was further contended that it 
 would give her enemies the pretext unfair, indeed, yet plausi 
 ble to rob her of a part of her moral strength, by charging her 
 with a factious appeal from the polls to violence, prompted only 
 by the loss of the powers and emoluments of office : That, 
 inasmuch as this iniquitous election was yet made under the 
 forms of the Constitution, it would be better to await the first 
 aggression which plainly violated it, in form as well as in fact, 
 and make that the signal of resistance : That the power of our 
 enemies dictated the necessity of acting only in concert, so that 
 the Southern cause might possess the full strength arising from 
 the union of all these States : And that, since the collision of 
 one with the Federal Government would inevitably decide the 
 question of peace or war for all, and no State would stand idly, 
 and see her Southern sisters crushed in detail by the common 
 enemy, however erring by a generous precipitation, both courtesy 
 and justice required that they should only act in concert. The 
 advocates of immediate separate secession replied, that this act 
 was, in its nature, that of a State acting sovereignly, and there 
 fore singly : That, although the South was unprepared, yet it 
 was best to act at once, because the time consumed in consulting 
 and preparing, would be so improved by our enemies in the 
 
SECESSION, IMMEDIATE OR CO-OPERATIVE. 151 
 
 work of corrupting, intimidating, and encroaching, with all the 
 potent enginery of the Federal Government in their hands, that 
 the South would soon be disabled for any resistance : That, if 
 action were postponed until full concert were secured, it would 
 be postponed indefinitely ; the partial apathy of the people under 
 so many wrongs, having shown that nothing would effectually 
 rousB them except the precipitating of the issue: And that the 
 South had nothing to fear, because the unwarlike character of 
 the North would deter them from attacking a chivalrous and 
 determined people, and the preciousness of the Southern com-, 
 merce would speedily procure from abroad potent mediation. 
 It is plain, also, that some of the Carolinians were not unwilling 
 to seize that accidental power, of committing their neighbors to 
 a forcible resistance without asking their assent, which has becu 
 explained above ; and therein they gave serious offence to many 
 of their friends in Virginia. 
 
 It is not important that the historian should decide whether 
 the advocates of immediate or of co-operative secession were 
 right. The purpose to coerce South Carolina illegally was, at 
 once, indicated by the retention of the strongest work com 
 manding her chief city and harbor, Fort Sumter ; and the man 
 ner in which this threatening act was accompanied, aggravated 
 the indignation of the people. On the 9th of January, 1861, 
 Mississippi left the Union ; Alabama and Florida followed on 
 the llth; Georgia on the 20th ; Louisiana on the 26th; and 
 Texas on the 1st of February. On the 9th of February, a 
 Provisional Government of the six seceding States was insti 
 tuted at Montgomery, in Alabama, with Jefferson Davis for 
 President, and Alexander H. Stephens for Vice-President. 
 
 Meantime the border Slave States, headed by Virginia, while 
 declaring that they would not remain passive spectators of an 
 attempt to chastise the seceding States for thus exercising their 
 
152 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 unquestionable right, continued in the Union, and made strenuous 
 efforts at conciliation. The General Assembly of Virginia pro 
 posed a conference of the Free and Slave States by their ambas 
 sadors, to devise some terms of mutual concession. This body 
 met in Washington, February 4th, and the members of Congress 
 from the Border States continued their anxious exertions to 
 mediate in the Federal Legislature. But every attempt was 
 utterly vain. No sooner had the Peace Conference, as it was 
 called, assembled, than it was found that the Commissioners from 
 the North, instead of coming with the moderate and dispassion 
 ate wisdom of statesmen, to heal the wounds of their country, 
 were as full of the virus of party as the demagogues who had 
 led the popular elections. Nothing was done, save to devise a 
 deceptive compromise to be recommended to the Congress, a 
 compromise so worthless, that the larger number of the Southern 
 Commissioners refused to accept it. But even this the Congress, 
 now under the domination of a Black Republican majority, dis 
 dained to grant, and almost to notice. The Legislature of 
 Virginia had also called together a Convention of the people, 
 containing delegates from every city and county. So far was it 
 from the purpose of the people to precipitate themselves rashly 
 into violent measures, that when this Convention met, only about 
 twenty-five of its members advocated immediate secession. The 
 remainder (with the exception of a few, who afterwards disclosed 
 their original slavish intentions by their treason) were, on the 
 one hand, unwilling to sacrifice the last hope of peace, until 
 driven to self-defence by intolerable usurpations, but, on the 
 other, resolved to maintain the rights of the South intact, and to 
 resist every attempt of the United States to coerce the seccders 
 by unconstitutional violence. Their expectation of being able 
 to remain in the Union was slight, but they were resolved that 
 the guilt of extinguishing this spark of hope, and compelling a 
 
THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE MEDIATE. 153 
 
 separation, should rest upon their assailants. To tliis number 
 adhered Major Jackson, with the larger part of the Christian 
 people of the State, of all political parties. They had hailed 
 the assembling of the Peace Conference with a gleam of hope, 
 but when its consultations ended so abortively, nearly all 
 accepted the stern conclusion, that nothing remained except that 
 alternative between base submission or resistance, in which no 
 honest man ever hesitates. 
 
 Still, they were reluctant to despair of the Union. They 
 appreciated the infamy which would attach to the Christianity of 
 America, if, after all its boasts of numbers, power, influence, and 
 spirituality, it were found impotent to save the country from 
 fratricidal war. Their cry was, " Christians to the rescue !" 
 They asked : Should there not be enough of the power of love in 
 these millions of the professed servants of the Prince of Peace, 
 to renew the bonds of friendship; to say to the tempests of 
 passion, " Peace, be still ;" to keep down the hands which sought 
 their brothers throats, and rather to receive the sword into their 
 own bosoms than allow their common country to be slain? 
 They said, as long as there was a spark of life, yea, even though 
 it were uncertain whether this spark was but an illusion, it would 
 be better to wait till it was extinguished by necessity, than incur 
 all the miseries of the extreme remedy, when it was possible 
 that they might afterwards be haunted by the remorseful dis 
 covery, that it was invoked without sufficient cause. They 
 determined that the mountainous aggregate of crime and woe 
 which impended of a ruined Constitution, of cities sacked, of 
 reeking battle-fields, of scattered churches, of widowed wives 
 and orphaned children, of souls plunged, unprepared, into hell 
 should not be chargeable to them. None strove more earnestly 
 to deprecate the crime than Major Jackson. A month before the 
 catastrophe, he called upon his pastor, and spoke substantially 
 20 
 
154 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 as follows : "If the general Government should persist in 
 the measures now threatened, there must be war. It is pain 
 ful to discover with what unconcern they speak of war, and 
 threaten it. They seem not to know what its horrors are. I 
 have had an opportunity of knowing enough on the subject, to 
 make me fear war as the sum of all evils. Should the step be 
 taken which is now threatened, we shall have no other alterna 
 tive ; we must fight. But do you not think that all the Christian 
 people of the land could be induced to unite in a concert of 
 prayer, to avert so great an evil ? It seems to me, that if they 
 would unite thus in prayer, war might be prevented, and peace 
 preserved." To this his pastor promptly assented, and promised 
 to do what he could to bring about the concert of prayer he pro 
 posed. " Meantime," said he, " let us agree thus to pray." And 
 henceforward, whenever he was called on to lead the devotions 
 of others, one petition prominently presented and fervently 
 pressed, was, that God would preserve the whole land from the 
 evils of war. 
 
 Between the leading Christians of the North and those of 
 Virginia, several pacific communications passed, to some of which 
 Jackson s name was appended, although with but faint hope of 
 good results. On the Northern side, the actors were cither impo 
 tent to carry out the fraternal feelings which they professed, 
 against the prevalent fury, or else their overtures were only like 
 the deceitful caresses with which the driver soothes a restless 
 horse, while the harness is fastened on his neck. It was clearly 
 perceived, that while these smooth-sounding missives were sent, 
 invoking the Christian forbearance of the South, it was expected 
 that all the forbearance should be on that side ; and not one of 
 the pacificators had the honesty or courage to propose that the 
 simple expedient should be tried, for healing the unholy strife, 
 of yielding to the South her just rights. While pretended 
 
WAR WITH SOUTH CAEOLINA. 155 
 
 meetings of sympathy were held for Southern wrongs, no prac 
 tical measure was taken, and Black Republican majorities 
 increased at every election. But the Christian people of Vir 
 ginia strove to avert the storm with a generous sincerity, more 
 glorious than their subsequent heroism in breasting it. Their 
 influence was felt in the magnanimous efforts of the old Com 
 monwealth to stand in the breach between the angry elements. 
 They entreated her to endure wrongs, until endurance became 
 almost a vice, to hold out the olive-branch after it had been 
 spurned, to study modes of compromise and conciliation, until 
 the verge of dishonor was touched, to refuse to despair of the 
 Republic when hope had departed from all others, and to 
 decline even acts of self-defence, which might provoke collision, 
 until the cloud had risen over her very head. So reluctant was 
 Virginia to behold the ruin of the Union she had so loyally 
 adorned, that many of her sons and her allies were driven 
 almost to fury by the nearness of the danger, and the taunts of 
 her enemies. 
 
 But these were madly hurrying to take upon their own heads 
 all the guilt of the giant crime, and thus to unite Virginia as one 
 man, and render her justification as clear as the sunlight. The 
 State of South Carolina had been soliciting, first of Mr. Buchanan 
 and then of Lincoln, an equitable settlement of all questions in 
 dispute between her as an independent power, and the Federal 
 Government. Especially had she demanded that Fort Suinter, 
 the only post in her territory held by that Government, should 
 be restored to her on the obviously just ground, that being 
 designed only for her local protection against foreign aggres 
 sion, when she relieved the central administration of that func 
 tion, it had no longer any concern in her fortresses. The 
 attempt was made, first, to amuse and deceive her ambassa 
 dors, by declarations which cannot be correctly named by any 
 
156 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 term short of this that they were a series of reiterated, 
 falsities, uttered by the Secretary of State ; and this attempt at 
 official treachery was rendered more loathsome by his ingen 
 iously prostituting the sanctity of the ermine of the Supreme 
 Court, to give credit to his assurances. But, on the 8th of 
 April, a powerful armament being ready to reinforce the intru 
 sive garrison of Fort Sumter, the mask was removed, and the 
 Governor of South Carolina was bluntly informed that it should 
 be done, " peaceably if they could, forcibly if they must." The 
 Confederate authorities had not been hoodwinked ; and they 
 proceeded, on the 12th and 13th of April, to reduce the post by 
 their forces under General Beauregard. Thus the Federal 
 Government assumed the guilt of the first military aggression. 
 
 But they did not stop here : on April 14th, Lincoln made a 
 proclamation, without the authority of a shadow of law from 
 Congress, declaring war against South Carolina and the Con 
 federate Government, and calling upon the States for seventy- 
 five thousand soldiers to invade them. The Governors of all 
 the Southern States, except Maryland, refused compliance. In 
 Virginia all remains of hesitation were instantly extinguished j 
 the Convention, which was in session, on the 17th of April, 
 passed an ordinance resuming the separate independence of the 
 State j and the Governor immediately began to prepare for 
 war. On the fourth Thursday of May, at an election held with 
 perfect respect for the freedom of opinion, the people of Virginia 
 ratified this separation almost unanimously, except in a part of 
 the north-western counties, where the intrusion of a foreign 
 element had corrupted the public sentiment. 
 
 Virginia was recognized on all hands as the leader of the 
 border Slave States. Her enemies evidently mistook her mag 
 nanimous forbearance and struggles for peace, as signs of con 
 scious weakness. They said, the old "Mother of States and 
 
SPIRIT OF VIRGINIA. 157 
 
 statesmen " was decrepit; that her genius was turned to dotage, 
 that her breasts were dry of that milk which suckled her Hen 
 rys and "Washingtons. They thought her little more than a 
 cowering beldame, whom a timely threat would reduce to utter 
 submissiveness. And thus they dared to stretch over her head 
 the minatory rod. But when the tyrant tried the perilous ex 
 periment, he was startled by a result as unexpected as that 
 which followed the touch of Ithuriel s spear. She, whom he 
 thought a patient, hesitating, helpless paralytic, flamed up at the 
 insolent touch, like a pyramid of fire, and Virginia stood forth 
 again in her immortal youth, the unterrified Commonwealth of 
 1776, a Minerva radiant with the terrible glories of policy and 
 war, wielding that sword which ever flashed before the eyes of 
 her aggressors, the " Sic semper Tyrannis." * The point of 
 farthest endurance was at length passed; her demands for 
 constitutional redress were all refused ; her too generous con 
 cessions of right, met by a requisition for the unconditional 
 surrender of honor and dignity j her forbearance abused to col 
 lect armaments and equip fortresses on her borders, and on her 
 own soil, for her intimidation j the alternative forced upon her, 
 cither to brave the oppressor s rod, or to aid him in the destruc 
 tion of her sisters and children, for no other cause than that 
 they contended nobly, if too rashly, for rights common to them 
 and her ; and to crown all, the Constitution of the United States 
 was rent in fragments by the assumption of the President to 
 levy new forces, to wage war, without authority of any law of 
 Congress, and to coerce sovereign States into adhesion, in the 
 utter absence of all intentions and powers to that effect, in the 
 Federal compact. Hence, except in the breast of a few traitors, 
 there was now but one mind and one heart in Virginia. In one 
 week, the whole State was converted into a camp, and the 
 
 * See the Seal of the Commonwealth. 
 
158 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 gauntlet of deathless resistance was flung back with high dis 
 dain. 
 
 The world has learned to consider Jackson as the hero of the 
 Virginia of 1861. The Commonwealth is proud to accept him 
 as her representative man ; and the attitude which he held was 
 the true type of hers ; as he stood conscientious, cautious, but 
 fearless, pure and unselfish in motive, elevated in principle, 
 with an eye raised in religious faith to the righteous heav 
 ens, awaiting the signal from the Divine approval for his re 
 sistance, profoundly sad for the mournful necessity, yet as 
 sternly resolved to defend the right. In all classic and sacred 
 story, there is no spectacle more affecting and sublime than 
 that presented by this Christian man, and his Christian 
 people, in this emergency. They did not share the delusion, 
 cherished by many of the immediate Secessionists, that the 
 North would be restrained from striking; but they knew the 
 history of passion and fanaticism enough to expect a fearful 
 war. They saw the mighty beast gathering his forces for the 
 bound upon his prey, yet they calmly stepped before his jaws. 
 How grandly docs the action of Virginia contrast with that 
 of Maryland and Kentucky, which, professing attachment to the 
 right, subsided into a pitiful "neutrality," that was, in fact, slavish 
 co-operation with their enemies ; the one, on the plea that the 
 military highway to the tyrants capital lay through her heart; 
 and the other, on the ground that one-third of her border was 
 only separated by a great river from the assailants ! The defec 
 tion of Kentucky left Virginia exposed on three sides to her 
 invaders, and one of these the sea, vexed with the countless keels 
 of the enemy ; while his mercenaries had stolen, and now held 
 her greatest place of arms, Fortress Monroe, which commanded 
 the approach to the wharves of her chief sea-port and her capital 
 city. Her border lay under the muzzles of the cannon which 
 
HIGH POSITION OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES. 159 
 
 frowned from the ramparts of Washington, and it was plain, to 
 friend and foe / that her smiling fields must be the chief arena for 
 trampling armies. But these men did not quail on account of 
 this ; having taken counsel only of God and the right, Virginia 
 stepped into " the imminent deadly breach/ baring her own fair 
 bosom to the fiercest strokes of the swords lifted against her 
 sisters. 
 
 History will some day place the position of these Confederate 
 States, in this high argument, in the clearest light of her glory. 
 The cause they undertook to defend was that of regulated, con 
 stitutional liberty, and of fidelity to law and covenants, against 
 the licentious violence of physical power. The assumptions they 
 resisted were precisely those of that radical democracy, which 
 deluged Europe with blood at the close of the eighteenth century, 
 and which shook its thrones again in the convulsions of 1 848 ; 
 the agrarianism which, under the name of equalit}^ would subject 
 all the rights of individuals to the will of the many, and acknow 
 ledge no law nor ethics, save the lust of that mob which happens 
 to be the larger. This power, which the old States of Europe 
 expended such rivers of treasure and blood to curb, at the begin 
 ning of the century, had transferred its immediate designs across 
 the Atlantic, was consolidating itself anew in the Northern States 
 of America, with a wealth, an organization, an audacity, an 
 extent, to which it never aspired in the lands of its birth, and 
 was preparing to make the United States, after crushing all law 
 there under its brute will, the fulcrum whence they should extend 
 their lever to upheave every legitimate throne in the Old World. 
 Hither, by emigration, flowed the radicalism, discontent, crime, 
 and poverty of Europe, until the people of the Northern States 
 became, like the rabble of Imperial Rome, the colluvies gentium. 
 The miseries and vices of their early homes had alike taught 
 them to mistake license for liberty, and they were incapable of 
 
160 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 comprehending, much more of loving, the enlightened structure 
 of English or Virginian freedom. The first step in their vast 
 designs was to overwhelm the Conservative States of the South. 
 This done, they boasted that they would proceed, first, to engross 
 the whole of the American continent, and then to emancipate 
 Ireland, to turn Great Britain into a democracy, to enthrone Red 
 Republicanism in France, and to give the crowns of Germany to 
 the Pantheistic humanitarians of that race, who deify self as the 
 supreme end, and selfish desire, as the authoritative expression 
 of the Divine Will. This, in truth, was the monster whose 
 terrific pathway among the nations, the Confederate States 
 undertook to obstruct, in behalf not only of their own children, 
 but of all the children of men. 
 
 To fight this battle, eleven millions, of whom four millions 
 were the poor Africans, lately feeble savages, prepared to meet 
 twenty millions. The gigantic adversary was not impeded by 
 distance, but lay everywhere alongside his proposed victim, 
 ready to grasp him with his long arms. He held prepared, a 
 veteran army of twenty thousand men, a navy, and vast arsenals 
 and armories; while the Confederate States had everything 
 Co create. He had the administration of all the departments 
 of a government ; he had revenues, a treasury recruited perpet 
 ually with the gold of the modern Ophir, and huge accumulations 
 of financial wealth : they had none. In his favor was a great 
 commercial marine, second to none in the world, and manufac 
 tories teeming with productive labor fostered by the previous 
 oppression and taxation of the South ; while she had agricultural 
 communities, possessing only the rudiments of commerce and 
 of the arts. And to sustain these elements of Northern power, 
 there was the well-known pertinacity of the Yankee character, 
 infuriated now by a sectional hatred all the more incredible 
 because unprovoked, and by a fanaticism set on fire of hell. 
 
ODDS AGAINST CONFEDERATES. 161 
 
 But had this been all the odds which the Confederate States 
 had to meet, their prowess would, before this, have ended the 
 contest. The ships of the Federals, availing themselves of the 
 avarice and injustice of Europe, made all the workshops, ship 
 yards, and factories of the Old World tributary to their malice. 
 The radicals, the proletaires, the robbers, the outlaws, of all 
 other lands, flocked to their standards, taught by their ready 
 instincts that their cause was the same. One-half of the 
 prisoners of war, registered by the victorious armies of the 
 South, have been foreign mercenaries. Mr. Smith O Brien, 
 warning his race against the unhallowed enterprise, declares that 
 the Moloch of Federal ambition has already sacrificed two 
 hundred thousand Irishmen to it. And still, as the flaming 
 sword of the South mows down these hireling invaders, fresh 
 hordes throng the shores. Last, our country has towage this 
 strife, only on these cruel terms, that the blood of her chivalrous 
 sons shall be matched against the sordid streams of this cloaca 
 populorum. In the words of Lord Lindsay, at !Flodden Field, 
 we must play our " Rose Nobles of gold, against crooked 
 sixpences." 
 
 So that the Confederate States, while, in truth, fighting for the 
 cause of the world, have the whole world to fight against. But 
 how has their heroism been regarded from without ? It must be 
 declared (and this fact completes the grandeur of their attitude), 
 that while thus bleeding for the common behoof of mankind, 
 they have received aid from none, even idle sympathy from 
 few, and only neglect and injustice from the governments of 
 Europe. Men have seen fit to adopt the slanders of our 
 known enemies as the only description of our institutions, and 
 have refused us the poor privilege which even the criminal lias, 
 of being heard before he is condemned. The word slave-owner 
 has been the talisman to evoke everywhere an ignorant prejudice, 
 
 21 
 
162 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 too conceited to learn correction ; and men have been willing to 
 accept the rendering which it suits the malice of our enemies to 
 give, falsely, as they know that we are contending, not to pre 
 serve our own freedom, but to perpetuate the bondage of our 
 fellow-men, unjustly enslaved. It is by this device our enemies 
 have sought to hide the enormity of their attacks, and to rob us 
 of even the sympathy of mankind. The Confederate States 
 have, indeed, never complained of the refusal of aid to fight their 
 battles, for they have never asked it. But they have a right to 
 complain, that the interested slanders of their enemies should be 
 echoed abroad without even examination ; that the moral support 
 of a recognition should be withheld, when it is a historical fact that 
 the independence of several of those same States was recognized 
 by all Europe eighty years ago, and, as is known to all the 
 world, has never since been forfeited ; that the maritime law, so 
 recently and solemnly established for all nations, should be com 
 pelled to receive a new and deceitful interpretation for the 
 benefit of our enemies, the moment it began to apply in our 
 favor ; and that a pretended neutrality should be so observed, as 
 to make every advantage accrue to them. The people of the 
 South well know, that, if they are overwhelmed, the greedy 
 democracy, whose threats have exacted from the European gov 
 ernments these shabby compliances, will make them in due time 
 rue their short-sighted injustice ; but this is the concern of their 
 people ; ours is to endure, and to strive to the death. 
 
 The great career of Jackson is identified with the cause of 
 Southern independence. To this he committed himself with 
 solemn prayers and searchings of heart, ready, if he should die 
 in this quarrel, to present his soul confidently before the judg 
 ment-bar, and ask the Divine approval. In it he wrought all his 
 world-famous exploits. In it he died, professing in the last 
 struggle the same confidence in the righteousness of the war. 
 
MERITS OF THE CASE. 163 
 
 If then the secession of Virginia was a crime, Jackson was the 
 most amazing of self-deceivers, or the most profound of hypo 
 crites. Therefore, his character cannot be appreciated, nor its 
 fame receive its just estimate from history, without a full under 
 standing of the merits of the case. This is the reason that the 
 reader s attention has been so largely occupied with an exposition 
 of it, and for this reason he is besought to weigh these conclud 
 ing arguments. 
 
 First, The most determined anti-slavery man, if he have fair- 
 ness of mind, will grant, when he understands the case, that 
 African slavery is not the cause, but only the occasion, of the 
 Southern resistance. The cause for which this people contend is 
 constitutional right. It is but a circumstance that the right to 
 the labor of their slaves happened to be the particular in which 
 the sacred authority of law was assailed j and it may be asked, 
 How can it appear that the object of the South was to perpetu 
 ate the bondage of the African, unless it appear that the object 
 of Northern aggression was to end that bondage ? But the 
 Black Republican party expressly declared, that they proposed 
 no interference with slavery in the States. Their defenders can 
 only rescue them from this logical dilemma, by imputing to them 
 deliberate falsehood on this point. They only proposed to limit 
 the African population to its present home, so that their policy 
 would not have made one slave less in. all America, unless by so 
 enhancing the miseries of their condition as to exterminate a 
 part. Nor would the demand of the South, that the African 
 race should be allowed to labor in the new domain, if granted, 
 have made one slave more in all America, unless it had done it 
 by ameliorating their condition, so as to save some alive who 
 otherwise would have perished. Clearly, then, the policy of 
 free-soil was not friendship to the black man, but only enmity to 
 his white protector, and desire to rule over him. 
 
164 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 But further, Black Republicanism is a system of intense hos 
 tility to the African race. Its inconsistency can only be equalled 
 by its inhumanity. It persists in saying, contrary to the Consti 
 tution of the United States, that the African is a citizen of the 
 Union; but it forbids these black fellow-citizens to enjoy the 
 common territory in any form. It says they must not come as 
 slaves, in the mode best adapted to their present welfare (as the 
 most of the Black Republicans admitted). It says also, that 
 they must not come as free negroes ; for every Black Republican 
 State, formed out of the national territory, with perhaps a single 
 exception, has legislated sternly and absolutely against the immi 
 gration of this unfortunate class j and, of course, new States to 
 be formed under the same creed, may be expected to do the 
 same. In a word, Black Republicanism always means, that the 
 African shall not exist at all on American soil. The uniform 
 shibboleth of the party was the assertion, that this continent must 
 belong exclusively to the white race. The proposal universally 
 made by its demagogues to the agrarian hordes whom they 
 deceived, was not: "Let us overthrow the institutions of the 
 South, in order that you may share its industry with free negro 
 competitors;" but, "Let us overthrow the institutions of the 
 South, in order that you may exclude the negro from its indus 
 try, and take his place." If they were pointed to the wretched 
 and waning caste of free blacks in the North, as proof that this 
 race cannot thrive in competition with the whites, without the 
 protection of domestic slavery, and asked what was to be the 
 destiny of the millions of Africans, when their policy of free- 
 soil was everywhere established ; the usual answer was a sar 
 donic shrug, and the sneering declaration, that this was no 
 concern of theirs. Others, more candid, pointed for answer, to 
 the fate of the Indian tribes, who have wasted to nothing before 
 the greater energies and crimes of the white race ; and coolly 
 
SOUTHERN RESISTANCE JUST. 165 
 
 said, that the Africans, deprived of the fostering shield of that 
 southern slavery, under which they were now thriving so happily, 
 must tend to extinction, under the pressure of their own miseries 
 and degradation ; and then the whole Union would be free, pros 
 perous, and glorious, (?) belonging to the white man alone. 
 Such was the hideous meaning of Black Republicanism, to 
 oppress and enslave the humane master, in order to exterminate 
 the contented and comfortable servant ! 
 
 Any honest man, who has been so unlucky as to imbibe the 
 false dogma, that the relation of master and slave is essentially 
 unrighteous, will therefore admit, if he knows the truth, that 
 the citizen of the Confederate States is not contending, in this 
 quarrel, to perpetuate an unjust oppression. He will say : " Be 
 the relation wrong as it may, it was not instituted by the Con 
 federates, nor at their option, but by the greed of the Federal 
 and British slave-traders, and the tyranny of Great Britain, 
 thrusting the Africans upon the unwilling colonies. These 
 citizens found it existing, recognized by the laws, guaranteed 
 by the Constitution which the people of the North were pledged 
 to observe, and which alone gave them any right to legislate for 
 the South. It was, therefore, natural, yea right, that they should 
 resist these usurpations; and the more, as they saw that the 
 motive was, not to exalt the slave, but to oppress the master ; 
 to trample upon the liberties of the latter, in order to visit upon 
 the former, a fate a thousandfold worse than slavery lingering 
 extermination." 
 
 But every citizen of the Confederate States, in the second 
 place, like General Jackson, would disdain to argue this cause 
 from the premiss, that the relation of the master to his slave is 
 unrighteous in itself. They assume the high position that this 
 relation is, for their circumstances, as innocent and lawful in 
 itself as any other relation of government, and recognized as 
 
166 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 such by God and sound ethics, as well as by all the laws of 
 their country. When pointed to the almost universal condem 
 nation of this proposition by the rest of Christendom, they 
 boldly declare, that this results from an exclusion of the South 
 ern people from a hearing in their own defence, and a perverse 
 and indolent reception from their enemies, of the most monstrous 
 tissue of slanders and falsehoods, which ever confounded a 
 human mind. The world has been told a myriad times 
 until the world believes it, that Virginian slavery makes a 
 human being a chattel, a piece of property, thus violating the 
 first intuitions of justice. Yet, all this is absolutely false; 
 every slave-law of Virginia treats the slave as a person, a 
 responsible, reasonable being, and not a thing ; the only prop 
 erty which the laws recognize in him, is the property in his 
 involuntary labor. And if the involuntary labor of a human 
 being cannot be property, then every parent, husband, and 
 master of an apprentice, in the civilized world, is made a trans 
 gressor. It is uniformly asserted that slavery proceeds upon 
 the assumption that it is the master s privilege to expend and 
 exhaust the labor, welfare, and very being of his fellow-man, 
 for his own selfish behoof, without equivalent; and that* hence, 
 it is a flagrant violation of that great law of love and equity, 
 the golden rule. All this is alsolutely false : this form of servi 
 tude is defended only on the ground, demonstrated so fully by 
 experience, that it secures for the servant the greatest practica 
 ble amount of well-being. The laws all make the duties and 
 benefits of the relation reciprocal, and oblige the master to 
 render to his servant a liberal return for his labor, in the form 
 of a life-long maintenance of himself and his family, secured 
 against every contingency of decrepitude and sickness ; just as 
 much as they oblige the servant to render his labor to his master. 
 That this is, in the general, a better recompense than the 
 
FALSEHOODS REPELLED. 167 
 
 African could win as a free negro, is the justification always 
 pleaded. 
 
 It has been charged that Virginian slavery makes the master 
 the irresponsible possessor of the chastity of the female slave. 
 This is again an absolute falsehood ; the law fences around the 
 chastity of the servant, even against the violence of her own 
 master, by the same sanctions which protect that of the white 
 lady. It has been charged that the laws of Virginia forbid the 
 slave to lift his hand for the defence of life or limb, in obedience 
 to the instincts of self-preservation, against any white man. 
 This is absolutely false ; while the laws require the servant to 
 accept the chastisement of his master, they recognize in him the 
 same discretion of self-defence, even against his owner, when 
 assailed in life and limb, which is granted to the white freeman. 
 It has been said that we prohibit the slave all access to letters, 
 and do not permit him to learn to read even the book of life. 
 This, again, is unminoled falsehood ; there is no law in Virginia, 
 forbidding a master to teach his slaves literature ; and as many 
 of them can read, and do read God s Word, as of the agricultural 
 peasantry of boasted England. It has been said that Virginian 
 slavery forbids the marital and parental relations among slaves, 
 consigning them to a brutal concubinage, like that of animals. 
 In the sense charged, this is absolutely false; conjugal and 
 parental bliss is as much recognized, and as little interrupted 
 among them, as among any people of the same civilization. It 
 has been said that their discipline and treatment are inhuman. 
 This is transcendently false. No peasantry on earth is treated 
 with as much humanity, and bears tasks so light. There are 
 instances of barbarity, even of murder ; but they are punished by 
 the laws and public opinion, at least as regularly as any crimes 
 against free persons in this country. Are there no cases of wife- 
 murder, and child-murder, in New and Old England? It 13 
 
168 LIFE 01 LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 assertecl ; in ten thousand forms, that slavery has degraded the 
 African : but this is also false :, it has civilized and elevated him, 
 more rapidly than any other philanthropy has raised any pagan 
 race in the world. 
 
 This introduces the affirmative truth, that the relation of 
 servitude is a righteous, because a beneficent one, for the African 
 among white men. Let the tree be known by its fruits. It has 
 conferred a higher physical well-being than is enjoyed by any 
 other laboring population, as is proved by their increase of 
 numbers, cheerfulness, and immunity from bodily infirmities. 
 The Virginian servant is lifted. in the scale of manhood so high 
 above his fellows of the African wilds, that, when by rare chance 
 he meets them, he is ashamed and indignant at the assertion of a 
 community of race. American servitude has made nearly half a 
 million out of four millions (one in eight) members of Christian 
 churches, from being, three generations ago, besotted Pagans. 
 All the Christian philanthropy of the rest of the world has not 
 done as much for heathendom. Our system has created an affec 
 tionate union between the two races, elsewhere so hostile, which 
 has astounded our enemies and the world, with their quietude in 
 these times of convulsion. 
 
 And when we look into the ethics of the relation, we find 
 that it was never suspected of immorality by any of the great 
 masters of moral science, classic or scholastic, nor by any of 
 the luminaries of the Church, patristic or reformed, until the 
 dogma of modern abolition was born of atheistic parentage, 
 amidst the radical disorganizes of France, in the Reign of 
 Terror. In the Word of God, the ^ouly infallible standard 
 of morality, that doctrine finds no support. Moses legalized 
 domestic slavery for God s chosen people, in the very act of 
 setting them aside to holiness. Christ, the great Reformer, 
 lived and moved amidst it, teaching, healing, applauding slave- 
 
SECESSION JUSTIFIABLE. 169 
 
 holders ; and while He assailed every abuse, uttered no word 
 against this lawful relation. His apostles admit slaveholders 
 to the church, exacting no repentance nor renunciation. They 
 leave, by inspiration, general precepts for the manner in which 
 the duties of the relation are to be maintained. They command 
 Christian slaves to obey and honor Christian masters. They 
 remand the runaway to his injured owner, and recognize his 
 property in his labor as a right which they had no power to 
 infringe. If slavery is in itself a sinful thing, then the Bible is 
 a sinful book. 
 
 Strong in the truth of God and history, the people of the 
 Confederate States therefore calmly breast the adverse opinion 
 of the world. They fortify their position by the fact that their 
 right to the labor of their slaves is not only protected by the 
 laws they inh erited from their fathers, but by the laws of God, 
 and by eternal rectitude. Had they been unable to assert the 
 latter truth, their resistance to anti-slavery aggressions would 
 have been proper ; because the Constitution, which alone united 
 the States, recognized and protected it. But now their attitude 
 is in every respect impregnable ; for God protects it as well as 
 the Constitution. To infringe the rights of slaveholders under 
 the laws, was therefore a usurpation, and a violation of the 
 primary compact. But a covenant broken by one party is 
 broken for the other. The Southern States therefore had the 
 clearest right to select their own redress. And especially is 
 their secession justified, when the malignant intentions of the 
 aggressors, and the ruinous nature of the wrongs they sought to 
 inflict, are considered. Their purposes were evidently ruthless ; 
 they intended nothing less than our destruction. He who has 
 observed the silent, yet potent influence of opinion on the con 
 duct of political bodies, well knows how absurd would be the 
 expectation, that the Southern people could consent to lie under 
 22 
 
170 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEKAL JACKSON. 
 
 the stigma of a social crime, and of a standing moral delinquency, 
 and yet expect to receive of their supercilious accusers, equal 
 and fair treatment in a political partnership. The sentiment of 
 contempt and superiority will inevitably express itself in at 
 tempted domination. Had the dogma, which asserted the immo 
 rality of our institutions, professed itself the most unpractical 
 abstraction, the South would have been wise and righteous in 
 saying to the North : " It is time to part ; we cannot live peace 
 ably together." 
 
 But that sentiment was intensely practical. It proposed no 
 less than to uproot our whole society, to plunder our citizens, at 
 one stroke, of more than a thousand millions of their property, 
 and thus to impoverish the whole land ; to hurl back the pros 
 perous and happy African race to barbarism, crime, and misery ; 
 to turn our plantations into one vast jungle, and our cities into 
 deserted ruins ; and to people this blighted region with a dis 
 pirited and disorderly medley of bankrupt whites, and degraded 
 black savages. The people of the South know the African 
 character. They have seen the bitter fruits of a general eman 
 cipation ; and they well know that this picture of the results of 
 Yankee usurpation would be verified in every lineament. If, 
 then, self-preservation can ever justify resistance, in this instance 
 it was a righteous, a sacred duty. Now the form of resistance 
 adopted by the Southern people was the most moderate and 
 equitable that could be conceived. A covenant repudiated by 
 one party is annulled for the other. It was the Constitution of 
 the United States alone, which constituted the Union, and gave 
 any right to the Northern States to legislate for the South. 
 When the former declared, as the North in substance did, that 
 their conscience forbade their fulfilling the obligations of that 
 covenant for the protection of slavery, the only conclusion to 
 which honesty could have led them was this: Let the parties 
 
ABOLITION NECESSITATED SEPARATION. 171 
 
 then separate, and restore to each other their mutual indepen 
 dence. And this was the very least which the most Christian 
 forbearance on the part of the South could ask. But this was 
 precisely what the South demanded, in claiming the right of 
 peaceable withdrawal. Technical justice would have authorized 
 her to say to the North: "You have bargained; you have ap 
 propriated the advantages of the bargain, and you shall be com 
 pelled to stand to its terms, whether you like them or not." It 
 would have sustained her in demanding reparation for the heavy 
 wrongs already sustained. It would have sanctioned her claim 
 to the properties of the Union, which the North had really de 
 serted, and not the South. But she asked none of these things ; 
 she made only the modest request to have her pledges restored, 
 since they were so irksome to her partner, and to be let alone. 
 But this the North refused ; their claim was that they should be 
 free to violate the mutual compact whenever its conditions were 
 irksome to their interests, or passions or caprice, and absolutely 
 vital to the rights of the South, while we, their equals, should 
 yet be held to it at the point of the sword, and under the threat 
 of the most atrocious outrages ever visited by barbarians on 
 their victims ! Was ever the ear of a just God vexed with 
 wickedness more monstrous than this ? " It is rank, and smells 
 to heaven." 
 
 But ? it is objected, the sectional party which had seized the 
 general government, disclaimed the purpose of forcible emanci 
 pation in the States ; and the South, in resisting, took counsel of 
 their own angry suspicions alone. The crushing refutation of 
 this plea is given by the developments of the Black Republican 
 party since. In three years, they have attempted to consummate 
 every outrage which the statesmen of the South imputed to their 
 ulterior intentions ; yea, they have left no tyranny or usurpation 
 untried, which the wildest suspicion could have imagined. Thus 
 
172 LIFE OF UEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 have they themselves justified the resistance of the South to God 
 and man, and made it clearer than the sun, that it was not one 
 whit too early or too strenuous. 
 
 The great charge made against the South by the Northern 
 Democrats was, that she had sought defence by leaving the 
 Union, instead of remaining in it, and trusting to their great 
 conservative party for the protection of their rights. Said they : 
 " We guarantee you, in the Union, every privilege which the 
 Constitution gives you ; but if you attempt to leave it, we become 
 your enemies." On this pretext that party have, with a base 
 ness beyond that of the Black Republicans, betrayed every 
 principle of their own creed, to join them in their persecution of 
 us. Our answer is in the question: Have they been able to 
 protect their own rights in that Union ? And, is this the extent 
 of our offence, that we were not willing to commit our precious 
 liberties to the sole guardianship of those who have surrendered 
 every right of their own, without one blow in their defence, 
 with a folly and poltroonery unexampled in the history of reptiles, 
 not to say of men, at the first demand of a despicable and upstart 
 despotism ? Never was there a rejoinder so biting or so right 
 eous as that which the cowardice of the Northern Democracy 
 puts into our mouths, against this, their favorite accusation. 
 For, which of the privileges of freemen is it which we have not 
 seen them betray in their own case ; freedom from illegal arrest, 
 the benefit of the writ of habeas corpus, liberty of speech, liberty 
 of printing, free and untrammelled suffrage, liberty of con 
 science in the worship of God, rights of property, or freedom of 
 their own persons from military rule ? 
 
 It has been clamorously asserted that the insolence of the 
 South in taking the aggressive by the first acts of violence, and 
 firing upon the national flag, left the Government no option, con 
 sistent with self-respect, save to resist. The statement is false. 
 
REDUCTION OF FORT SUMTEE AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENCE. 173 
 
 The violation of the Federal compact by the North, restored to 
 the South its inherent right to a peaceable withdrawal ; and they 
 who attempted to obstruct it were the first aggressors. The 
 first act of war was committed by the Government at "Washing 
 ton against South Carolina, when fortresses intended lawfully 
 only for her protection, were armed for her subjugation. That 
 act of war was repeated, when armed preparations were twice 
 made to reinforce these means of her oppression. And, at last, 
 when she was imperiously warned that these forcible aggressions 
 would be consummated, after a forbearance far greater than the 
 Confederate Government was bound to exercise, it proceeded to 
 what was an act of strict self-defence, the reduction of Fort 
 Sumter.* 
 
 * Fort Sumter has become so celebrated, both by its being the scene of the 
 first hostilities between the contending parties, and by the splendid and success 
 ful defence which it has since made in the hands of the Confederates, against 
 the fleet and armies of the North, that the whole story connected with its origi 
 nal capture deserves to be better known than it is, generally, in Europe. It was 
 on December 20, 1860, that the State of South Carolina, by the unanimous vote 
 of a Convention, called by her Legislature, formally seceded from the Union. 
 At this time Major R. Anderson was commandant of the Federal forces at 
 Charleston. His head-quarters were at Fort Moultrie on the mainland; Fort 
 Sumter, the strongest of all the defences, and placed in the middle of the bay, 
 not being occupied. A grand banquet was given in honor of the Ordinance of 
 Secession, on the evening of the day (Dec. 20), on which it passed. At mid 
 night, Anderson, who must have received secret orders how to act, having spiked 
 the guns, abandoned Moultrie, and conveyed all his men and stores to Sumter. 
 Next morning, to the amazement of the South Carolinians, they saw the Union 
 flag floating over it, and found Anderson in possession. As was to be expected, 
 this act of treachery greatly incensed them ; for the authorities of South Caro 
 lina had received a pledge from President Buchanan that the existing military 
 status should undergo no change in their State, during the expiring term of his 
 administration. That pledge was violated by this seizure and military occupa 
 tion of Sumter ; and, notwithstanding all remonstrances, Buchanan, probably 
 under the pressure of Northern clamor, refused to order Anderson back again 
 to Moultrie. The Secretary of War, J. B. Floyd, who had been a party to the 
 promise, felt his honor so compromised by this gross breach of faith, that he 
 instantly and indignantly resigned. Immediately after Mr. Lincoln had entered 
 
174 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 But, it is replied, the Seceding States made themselves 
 robbers, by seizing Federal ships, posts, arms, and money, by 
 violence ! It may be asked in rejoinder : Had the South no 
 share in these appliances, provided with her money, and, when 
 in her borders, having no other legitimate use than her defence ? 
 But she did not secede in order to commit a robbery. The 
 proof is, that her ambassadors haunted the gates of the Federal 
 Capitol for months, entreating to be permitted to make an 
 equitable settlement of all these properties, until they were 
 spurned away. And why were they forcibly seized, except that 
 she was well assured the purpose was entertained to employ 
 them for her ruin ? Our neighbor and partner attempts to 
 obstruct us in the prosecution of our unquestionable rights, by 
 
 on his office as President, in March 1861, Commissioners from the South pro 
 ceeded to Washington, to urge a peaceable separation, and to negotiate for the 
 transfer of Government property, and, in particular, for the removal of the 
 Federal garrison from Forts Pickens and Sumter. But under the pretext that 
 to treat \vith them avowedly and officially might embarrass the administration 
 of Mr. Lincoln, they were assured through an intermediate party, that all would 
 yet be well, that the military status of the South would be undisturbed, and 
 that Sumter would be evacuated. These assurances were given by Secretary 
 Seward himself, verbally and in writing, through Judge Campbell of the 
 Supreme Court ; but they were only meant to deceive. There never w r as any 
 intention to keep faith, or to evacuate Sumter. It was a dishonest manoeuvre 
 to gain time for collecting armaments, and preparing coercive measures. The 
 military reinforcement of Sumter was pronounced by General Scott, and other 
 advisers of Lincoln, to be impracticable, except by artifice or surprise. Hence 
 the deceit practised, to throw the Confederates off their guard. Meanwhile 
 unusual activity was perceptible in the Northern dockyards and depots. Even 
 down to the 7th of April, it was pretended that the evacuation would take 
 place. 
 
 On that very day, Judge Campbell, uneasy as to Mr. Seward s good faith, 
 wrote to him on the subject, and received the emphatic reply : Faith as to 
 Sumter fully kept wait and see" The very next day (April 8th) the expedi 
 tion started to convey " provisions to a starving garrison ; " but it consisted of 
 eleven vessels, with an aggregate force of 285 guns, and 2400 men. It arrived 
 in time to witness the bombardment and fall of Sumter on April 13th ; lying at 
 anchor, in the distance, during the action, and never firing a gun. The people 
 
THE SOUTH NO ROBBER. 175 
 
 brandishing a dagger before our eyes, purchased partly with our 
 money. When we wrench it from his hand to save our own 
 lives, shall he accuse us of stealing his dirk ? -Yet such was the 
 insulting nonsense which was everywhere vented to make the 
 South an offender for acts of self-defence, which the wicked 
 designs of the tyranny at Washington justified more and more 
 every day. 
 
 All the pretexts of coercion have thus been reviewed and 
 exposed. The crime of the North stands forth without excuse, 
 and black with every trait of guilt. Its motive, impiously 
 cloaked under the sacred profession of sustaining the law, was 
 to replace, by the more speedy means of the armed hand, that 
 legislative and commercial plunder which had been so long 
 practised, and to indulge a festering hatred. Its perpetrators 
 were the people who claimed the largest share of the light and 
 religiousness of the nineteenth century. Its victims were not 
 aliens, but countrymen, brethren, and fellow-citizens. Its conduct 
 
 of Charleston had put the intended surprise out of the question ; but the Lin 
 coln Administration, nevertheless, accomplished one great object for which they 
 had been scheming. They had procured the battle of Sumter ; they had got the 
 South to take^thc initiatory step of resistance. Henceforth the Federal Govern 
 ment, while in reality commencing a war which they had fully resolved upon, 
 could make it appear that they were involved in it by the force of circumstances, 
 rather than of their own choice, and that the South having fired the first shot 
 was responsible for all the consequences. Such was the impression produced, 
 and intended to be produced, in Europe ; while the attack on the national flag, 
 it was foreseen, could not fail to stir public sentiment to its lowest depth, and 
 create a united war party in the North. Hence it was enough that the Federal 
 forces in Sumter should make a mere show of resistance. Anderson accord 
 ingly just held the place as long as the rules of military honor required, and 
 then surrendered it unconditionally, without having lost a man ; whilst the 
 fleet looked on, at a distance, and never attempted to come to his aid. We are 
 entitled therefore to repudiate the charge of having commenced the war, by 
 making the first appeal to arms. Granted that the first shot was fired by the 
 South, the first military aggression was on the side of the North. The Federal 
 Government are responsible for all. 
 
176 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEKERAL JACKSON. 
 
 has embodied every barbarity which could be practised by Hun, 
 or Vandal, or Scythian. It has already shed more human blood, 
 and crushed more hearts, than any war of modern ages. Recit 
 ing all these aggravations, the people of the Confederate States 
 believe that no blacker national crime has challenged the 
 lightning of heaven s wrath; therefore it is, that among this 
 people, the best men are most resolved to resist it. If there 
 are any of the children of the soil who excuse it, they are either 
 the cowards, or the stupidly ignorant, or the mercenary, whose 
 souls are bartered for filthy lucre. Every pure and noble man, 
 like Jackson, every most devout soldier, the generous Southern 
 women, the virtuous and cultivated citizens, the incorruptible 
 judges of the law, the venerable and holy ministers of religion, 
 these have committed their lives, and fortunes, and sacred honor 
 to the defence of the Confederate States, as one man. 
 
FIEST CAMPAIGN IN THE YALLEY. 177 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 FIRST CAMPAIGN IN THE VALLEY. 
 
 THE reduction of Fort Sumter aroused at the North a general 
 paroxysm of fury and revenge. Wherever there was enough 
 of the spirit of moderation and justice to dissent, violent mobs 
 were collected, which intimidated not only the press, but the 
 pulpit, and exacted a pretended approval of the war-frenzy. 
 The cry was, that the flag of the Union had been insulted, the 
 Government assailed by treason, and the very life of the nation 
 threatened. But even then, the enormity of the purposed crime 
 of subduing free and equal States by violence, was so palpably 
 felt, that the public mind, passionate as it was, acknowledged the 
 necessity for a pretext. This was found in the false assertion 
 that the Confederate States had inaugurated war, and thus 
 justified a resort to force, a misrepresentation which has 
 already been refuted. It was claimed for the North, that its 
 temper was just and pacific; and the contrast between the 
 seeming calmness of her people before, and their tumultuous 
 excitement after the first conflict, was pointed to as proof that 
 they meditated no violence, and were only driven to a forcible 
 defence of the Government, by the wickedness of the South. But 
 the true explanation of the tempest is, that the North had just 
 awakened to the fact, of which it was incredulous before, that the 
 South was in earnest in the assertion of its rights. The difficulty 
 of believing this arose in part from the many concessions of right 
 
 23 
 
LIFE OF UEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 which the long-suffering South had made, from her long-continued, 
 but futile expostulations, together with the ill-judged and passion 
 ate threats which her wrongs had often provoked from some of 
 her politicians, and, in part, from the unspeakable vanity of the 
 North, and its overweening conceit of its own power. The whole 
 preparation of the Confederate States for self-defence, and the 
 solemn warnings uttered by Virginia and the other Border States, 
 were mocked at as only a new phase of political manoeuvre. 
 Often they affected a sort of good-natured forbearance, and spoke 
 of not " whipping the spoiled children back into the Union," until 
 they were obliged to do it. In the political slang which degraded 
 the deliberations of the Capitol, it was currently asserted that 
 those States could not be kicked out of the Union." But, now, 
 the North awoke out of this insane dream of delusion, to find 
 that the South meant, and always had meant, what it said. Two 
 purposes had long since grown up, and become fixed in the 
 Northern mind: One was, not to surrender the legislative 
 plunder which they had long gathered from the South, and which 
 would be lost to them by its independence j the other was, not to 
 make it contented in the Union, by a just concession of its rights. 
 So long as the South could be kept quiet by mock compromises 
 which secured it nothing, and by wheedling words, the North 
 was very willing to expend these cheap means for that end ; but 
 so soon as it learned that the South was at last in earnest in 
 asserting its rights, it became thoroughly in earnest also. The 
 ruthless purpose of domination was at once revealed. Not only 
 did the fragment of the Federal Government diligently prepare 
 for a great war, but the people and the States began to provide 
 munitions and raise troops, on a vast scale. 
 
 The prognostications indulged by speakers and newspapers, 
 were as vainglorious, as their purposes were revengeful. The 
 common language breather! threatening and slaughter, and 
 
PREPARATIONS FOB DEFENCE. 179 
 
 demanded the sack, ruin, and extermination of the Southern 
 people. To effect this, they thought the mighty North had only 
 to lift up its little finger. The South was disdainfully described 
 as poor, semi-barbarian, cowardly, unfurnished for war, and sunk 
 in effeminacy; and the common expectation was, that nothing 
 more was needed to wrap the whole country in the flames of a 
 servile insurrection, than the signal of a Yankee invasion. In 
 this spirit, equally fool-hardy and fiendish, the North rushed to 
 the tremendous conflict. 
 
 Before Virginia seceded, the sword had been definitively 
 drawn; indeed, it was this crime, which decided her to assert 
 her independence. The legislative act was therefore accom 
 panied, and immediately followed, by prompt preparations for 
 defence. 
 
 The only standing army which the State possessed, was a 
 single company of soldiers, who guarded the public property of 
 the Commonwealth at the Capitol. Her old militia system, 
 which only required three exceedingly perfunctory drills a year, 
 had, for some time, fallen into desuetude, and was just revived. 
 The State had no men, who possessed any tincture of military 
 training, except a few volunteer companies in her cities, and a 
 few hundred alumni of the military academies at West Point and 
 Lexington. Very few of these companies were armed. The 
 armory of the State was in decay, its machinery rusting, and its 
 arsenal only furnished with a few thousand muskets of anti 
 quated make. The enterprise of private citizens, and the spirit 
 of the country, more advanced than that of their rulers, had in 
 deed led to the arming of a number of volunteer companies, 
 after the attack of John Brown ; and for these, a few thousand 
 rifles had been purchased by the parties themselves. But the 
 authorities of the State now set themselves, in earnest, to repair 
 these omissions. The Convention, having passed the Ordinance 
 
180 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of Secession the 17th of April, proceeded to appoint a Council 
 of Three, to assist the Governor of the Commonwealth in his 
 military duties. Orders were issued to the volunteer companies, 
 which were springing into existence in every part of the State, 
 to assemble in camps of instruction. The manufacture of can 
 non, projectiles, and muskets was resumed. Colonel Robert E. 
 Lee, having resigned his commission from the Federal Govern 
 ment, had been invited to Richmond, immediately after the with 
 drawal of Virginia, and offered his services to his native State. 
 His high character, patriotism, professional knowledge, and exec 
 utive ability, were, fortunately, appreciated, and he was at once 
 appointed Major-General and Commander-in- Chief of all the 
 forces of the Commonwealth, by land and sea. Under his 
 vigorous and sagacious management, order instantly began to 
 arise out of chaos, and the excited masses of patriotic citizens 
 assumed the proportions of an army. The most important of 
 the. camps of instruction was that named after him, Camp Lee, 
 a mile beyond the western suburbs of Richmond. Here, several 
 thousands of volunteers were assembled; and, to provide for 
 their instruction, it was resolved to bring the more advanced 
 Cadets of the Military School from Lexington, to perform the 
 duties of drill-scrjcants. The senior teachers of the school 
 were already in Richmond, and this circumstance devolved the 
 duty of conducting the cadets thither upon Major Jackson. 
 
 The bursting of the storm, which he had so long foreseen, 
 found him calm, but resolved. About this time, a Christian 
 friend, in whose society he greatly delighted, passed a night with 
 him, and, as they discussed the startling news which every day 
 brought with it ; they were impelled to the conclusion that the 
 madness of the Federal Government had made a great and 
 disastrous war inevitable. The guest retired to his bed de 
 pressed by this thought, and, in the morning, arose harassed and 
 
HIS LABORS IN PREPARATION. 181 
 
 melancholy. But, to his surprise, Jackson met him at the morning 
 worship, as calm and cheerful as ever, and when he expressed 
 liis anxieties, replied, " Why should the peace of a true Chris 
 tian be disturbed by anything which man can do unto him? 
 Has not God promised to make all things work together for 
 good to them that love him ? " 
 
 The county of Rockbridge, like the rest of the State, was in 
 a blaze of excitement, and its volunteers were arming and hur 
 rying to the scene of action. Now it was that the hold which, 
 notwithstanding his reputation for singularity, Major Jackson 
 had upon the confidence of his countrymen, revealed itself. To 
 his practical wisdom and energy they looked, in every difficulty 
 of their organization and equipment. These calls, with the care 
 of the Military Academy, occupied all his time. On Wednes 
 day, April 17th, the presbytery of Lexington met in his church 
 to hold its semi-annual session. These meetings, with their 
 frequent opportunities for public worship and preaching, and 
 their delightful hospitalities, have ever been, in Virginia, reli 
 gious festivals. Major Jackson had been anticipating this 
 reunion with great pleasure, and was preparing to entertain 
 some of its members in his house. But the absorbing occupa 
 tions of the week deprived him of every opportunity to attend 
 either their meetings, or their worship. As he retired to rest 
 on Saturday night, he remarked that he hoped for a quiet 
 Sabbath-day, in which it would be his privilege to worship 
 undisturbed, and to participate in the sacrament of the Lord s 
 Supper, which was to be dispensed in the church ; and he re 
 quested that politics and the troubles of the country might be 
 banished from their conversation, that he might enjoy communion 
 with God and his people undisturbed. But at day-break, on 
 Sabbath morning, April 21st, an order arrived from the Gov 
 ernor of the State, to march the Cadets that day for Richmond. 
 
182 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Having given his wife some directions touching his own prepa 
 rations for the journey, he immediately hurried to the Institute, 
 and busied himself in the arrangements for his pupils departure. 
 One of these was to call upon his pastor, and request him to 
 attend at twelve o clock A. M., to give them some Christian 
 counsels and a parting prayer. At eleven o clock A. M., he 
 returned to his house, took a hurried breakfast, and retired 
 with his wife to their chamber, where he read the 5th chapter 
 of 2d Corinthians, commencing with the sublime and consoling 
 words : " For we know, that if our earthly house of this taber 
 nacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not 
 made with hands, eternal in the heavens." He then knelt, and 
 poured out a fervent prayer for themselves and for the country, 
 imploring God, in accents choked with tears, if it was compatible 
 with His holy will, that the storm might yet be calmed, and war 
 averted. He thus departed ; and this happy home he never saw 
 again. Although he left his affairs thus unsettled, he never 
 asked nor received one day of furlough. From that time, he 
 never lodged one night outside the lines of his command. His 
 next return to Lexington was as a corpse, bedewed by a nation s 
 tears. After a few days, his family removed, by his advice, to 
 the house of a friend, his furniture was packed, his dwelling- 
 house closed, and his servants placed out for the war. 
 
 Having mustered the Cadets, and made everything ready for 
 their departure, at twelve o clock, he invited Dr. White to begin 
 the religious service which he had requested, remarking signifi 
 cantly, "Doctor, we march at one o clock precisely." This 
 hint against an undue prolongation of the worship was so well 
 observed, that the services were concluded fifteen minutes before 
 that hour. One of his officers, after a few moments pause, 
 approaching him, said : " Major, everything is now ready, may we 
 not set out ? " To this he made no reply, save to point to the 
 
HIS LETTERS FROM CAMP LEE. 183 
 
 dial-plate of the great clock ; and when it was upon the stroke 
 of one, he gave the word : " Forward ! March ! " The corps of 
 Cadets was conducted to Staunton ; and thence, by railroad, to 
 Richmond, and turned over to the commandant of Camp Lee. 
 During a momentary pause in their journey, on the eastern 
 slope of the Blue Ridge, he wrote to his wife : " Here, as well 
 as at other points of the line, the war-spirit is intense. The 
 cars had scarcely stopped here before a request was made that 
 I would leave a Cadet to drill a company." 
 
 From Richmond he wrote, April 23d: "Colonel Lee of the 
 army is here, and has been made Major-General. His (services) 
 I regard as of more value to us than General Scott could render 
 as commander." (This was an allusion to a report, by which 
 the people had just been excited, that General Winfield Scott, 
 the conqueror of Mexico, and a son of Virginia, was about to 
 return, to espouse the cause of his native State.) "It is under 
 stood that General Lee is to be Commander-in-Chief. I regard 
 him as a better officer than General Scott." 
 
 " The Cadets are encamped at the Fair Grounds, which are 
 about one and a half miles from the city. We have excellent 
 quarters. So far as we can hear, God is crowning our cause 
 with success ; but I do not wish to send rumors to you. I will 
 try to give facts as they become known ; though I may not have 
 time to write more than a line or so. The governor, and others 
 holding responsible offices, have not enough time for their duties j 
 they are so enormous at this date." 
 
 The Camp of Instruction near Richmond being in charge of 
 another officer, Major Jackson had no responsible duties to per 
 form there during his short stay. He was exceedingly anxious 
 for active employment ; and, it must be added, distrustful of his 
 prospects of obtaining it. For, his acute, though silent perspi 
 cacity taught him plainly enough, that the estimate formed of 
 
184 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 his powers by the major part of the people and the authorities, 
 was depreciatory. But he disdained to agitate, or solicit for 
 promotion ; and busied himself quietly in assisting, at the camp, 
 informally, in the drill and discipline of the mass of new sol 
 diers there collected. One day he was accosted by one of 
 these, an entire stranger, who told him that he had just been 
 assigned as corporal of the guard for the day, that he was abso 
 lutely ignorant of the details of his duties, that the officer who 
 had given him his orders, as ignorant, perhaps, as himself, had 
 left him without instructions ; and that seeing, by his uniform, he 
 was an officer of rank, he wished to beg him for some aid. 
 Major Jackson at once assented. He went with the soldier 
 around the whole circuit of sentry-posts, taught him practically 
 all the salutes, the challenges, and the instructions to be 
 observed, and displayed such thorough knowledge and goodness 
 at once, that he declared from that hour Jackson had won not 
 only his respect but his love. It was these, not arts of popu 
 larity, but actual virtues, which bound the hearts of his men 
 to him. 
 
 When the State had such urgent need of practical talent, it 
 was impossible that an officer of Major Jackson s reputation 
 should be wholly overlooked. A few days after he reached 
 Camp Lee ; it was determined by the Executive War Council to 
 employ him in the engineer department, with the rank of Major. 
 This arrangement his advocates justly regarded as unfriendly to 
 him, for it gave him no actual promotion, while the State was 
 showering titles and rank on scores of men who had never seen 
 service; and it assigned him a branch of duty for which he 
 always professed least taste and qualification. For placing a 
 battery, an earthwork, or a line of battle, indeed, his judgment 
 was almost infallible ; but he was no draughtsman, and to set 
 him to the drudgery of compiling maps, was a sacrifice of his 
 
JACKSON APPOINTED COLONEL. 185 
 
 reputation and of his high capacities for command. But as soon 
 as this purpose was made known, and before it was reported to 
 the Convention for their approval, influential friends from Jack 
 son s native district, by whom his powers were better esteemed, 
 remonstrated with the Council, and showed them that he was the 
 very man for a post of primary importance for which they were 
 then seeking a commander. By their advice, seconded by that 
 of Governor Letcher, this appointment was revoked, and he was 
 commissioned, Colonel of the Virginia forces, and ordered to 
 take command at Harper s Ferry. The next day this appoint 
 ment was sent to the Convention for their sanction, when some 
 one asked, " Who is this Major Jackson, that we are asked to 
 commit to him so responsible a post ? " " He is one," replied 
 the member from Rockbridge, " who, if you order him to hold a 
 post, will never leave it alive to be occupied by the enemy." 
 The Governor accordingly handed him his commission as Colo 
 nel, on Saturday, April 27th, and he departed at once for his 
 command. On the way he wrote thus to his wife : 
 
 "Winchester, April 29/7^ I expect to leave here about half- 
 past two P. M. to-day, for Harper s Ferry. I am thankful to say 
 that an ever-kind Providence, who causes all tilings to work 
 together for good to them that love him, has given me the post 
 which I prefer above all others, and has given me an independent 
 command. To His name be all the praise. 
 
 " You must not expect to hear from me very often, as I expect 
 to have more work than I have ever had, in the same length of 
 time, before ; but don t be concerned about me, as an ever-kind 
 Pleavenly Father will give me all needful aid." 
 
 This letter is a truthful revelation of his character ; on the 
 one hand, full of that self-reliance and consciousness of power, 
 which made him long for a conspicuous position and an indepen 
 dent command : and on the other, recognizing the gratification of 
 
 24 
 
186 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 this wish as a mark of God s favor, and resting upon His aid, 
 with an eminent faith, for all his success and fame. 
 
 On the 19th of April, two notable events had occurred in 
 Virginia, of which one was the evacuation of the great naval 
 depot in Norfolk Harbor by the Federal authorities, after its 
 partial destruction ; and the other was, the desertion of Harper s 
 Ferry. 
 
 This little village, which events have rendered so famous, is 
 situated on the tongue of land between the junction of the Po 
 tomac and Shenandoah rivers. The former of these is the 
 boundary between Virginia and Maryland. The latter, collect 
 ing its tributaries southwest of Harper s Ferry, in the great 
 valley of Virginia, flows northeastward along the western base 
 of the Blue Ridge, until it meets the Potomac where that river 
 forces its passage through this mountain range, to find its way 
 towards the sea. The abundant water-power, the interior posi 
 tion, and its proximity to a plentiful country, had led to its 
 selection by the Federal Government, for the manufacture and 
 storing of fire-arms. The banks of the two streams were lined 
 with factories, where muskets and rifles of the most approved 
 patterns were made in large numbers ; and in the village were 
 the arsenals, where many thousands were stored. The space 
 between the two rivers is also filled by a mountain of secondary 
 elevation, called Bolivar Heights, and on the lower declivities of 
 this ridge, as it descends to the junction of the two streams, the 
 town is built in a rambling fashion. East of the Shenandoah 
 the Blue Bidge rises immediately from the waters, overlooking 
 the village, and the sides of Bolivar Heights. Here the moun 
 tain, lying in the county of Loudoun, is called Loudoun Heights. 
 North of it, and across the Potomac, the twin mountain, bearing 
 the name of Maryland Heights, rises to an equal altitude, and 
 commands the whole valley of the Potomac above. From this 
 
OCCUPATION OF HARPER S FERRY. 187 
 
 description, it is manifest that Harper s Ferry is worthless as a 
 defensive military post, when assailed by a large force, unless it 
 were also garrisoned by a great army, and supplied with a vast 
 artillery, sufficient to crown all the triangle of mountains which 
 surround it, and to connect those crests effectually with each 
 other. It had never been designed for a fortress, and there was 
 nothing whatever of the character of fortifications around it. 
 But as a preliminary point, it was of prime importance to hold 
 it, both to protect Virginia against incursions, and to restrict the 
 convenience of her enemy. Through the gorge opened in the 
 Blue Ridge by the Potomac, passes also the Chesapeake and 
 Ohio Canal, the great turnpike road from the regions of the 
 Upper Potomac to the cities of Washington and Baltimore, and 
 the railroad, which constitutes the grand connexion of those 
 cities with the coal-fields whence they draw their fuel, and with 
 the great West. Besides this, the railroad leading southward to 
 Winchester, diverges from Harper s Ferry, and ascends the val 
 ley of the Shenandoah. Hence, the occupation of this point, as 
 a focus, was regarded by the government of Virginia, as of 
 radical importance, and it was obviously the advanced post of 
 all her defences. 
 
 As soon as war became imminent, the minds of the people 
 were turned to the value of the arms stored at Harper s Ferry, 
 because they were precisely what Virginia lacked. Almost 
 without prompting from the authorities, the militia was assem 
 bling in the neighborhood to capture the place ; when the officer 
 in command of the Federal guard attempted to destroy the fac 
 tories and arsenals, and fled to Carlisle, in Pennsylvania. His 
 designs against the former were abortive, and a quantity of 
 machinery and materials, which proved of priceless value to the 
 Commonwealth, was rescued ; but when the militia entered the 
 village, the storehouses, which had contained thousands of valu- 
 
188 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 able arms, were wrapped in flames. It was indeed ascertained, 
 that the larger part of the muskets were not consumed with the 
 buildings, but were stolen and secreted by the inhabitants of the 
 place. Of these, a few thousands were discovered, hidden in 
 every conceivable place of concealment, and gathered for the 
 State by the officers of the militia, while many of the privates 
 armed themselves, by traffic with the venal populace. Meantime, 
 other companies of volunteers flocked from the valley of Virginia 
 to the place, until the materials of a little army were assembled 
 there. But they were " without form and void." 
 
 It was at this juncture that Colonel Jackson took command. 
 He was ordered by Major-General Lee to organize the companies 
 of volunteers, assembled at Harper s Ferry, into regiments, and 
 to instruct them diligently in military drill and discipline, to 
 retain control of the great thoroughfares leading towards Wash 
 ington city, and prevent their use by the Federal authorities for 
 offensive purposes, even by their partial destruction, if necessary; 
 to urge on the completion of fire-arms out of the materials 
 already partially prepared at the factories, until such time as the 
 machinery could be removed to the interior : and to defend the 
 soil of Virginia from the invasion threatened from that quarter. 
 About this time, there were assembled at Harper s Ferry, 2100 
 Virginian troops, with 400 Kentuckians, consisting of Imboden s, 
 Eogers , Alburti s, and Graves batteries of field artillery, with 
 fifteen guns of the lightest calibre ; eight companies of cavalry 
 without drill or battalion organization, and nearly without arms ; 
 and a number of companies of infantry, of which three regiments, 
 the 2d, 5th, and 10th, were partially arranged, while the rest had 
 no organization. The Convention had just passed a very neces 
 sary law, revoking the commissions of all the militia officers in 
 command of vQlunteer forces ; for their appointments, made long 
 before, when the military system of the State was only a name. 
 
189 
 
 on every conceivable ground of political <>r Ic/cal popularity, 
 were no evidence whatever of fitness for actual command. These 
 decapitated generals and colonels were, naturally, disaffected to 
 the new order in military affairs. Of discipline there was 
 almost none, and the force was apparently about to disintegrate 
 and separate as rapidly as it had been gathered. Everybody 
 wanted a furlough, for they had come as to a frolic. There was 
 no general staff, no hospital, nor ordnance department, and 
 scarcely six rounds of ammunition to the man. 
 
 To this confused mass Colonel Jackson came a stranger hav 
 ing not a single acquaintance in the whole command. He brought 
 two of his colleagues in the military school, Major Preston and 
 Colonel Massic, who virtually composed his staff, and two young 
 men whom he employed as drill-masters. With their aid, his 
 energy, impartiality, fairness and courtesy, speedily reduced 
 the crude rabble to order and consistency. The little army, like 
 the generous young courser, recognized a master in the first 
 touch of the reins ; and speedily the restive temper, which had 
 been provoked by the incompetent hands that essayed to guide 
 it, gave, place to joy and docility. The reputation of Colonel 
 Jackson as a stark fighter in the Mexican War, laid the 
 foundation for his influence ; for, among new soldiers, it clothed 
 his person and authority with a fascination which charmed and 
 stimulated their fancy. His justice engaged the approbation 
 of every man s conscience ; his unaffected goodness allured their 
 love, and, if insubordination was attempted, his sternness awed 
 them into submission. Once or twice only some wilful young 
 officer made experiment of resisting his authority and then the 
 snowy brow began to congeal with stony rigor, the calm blue 
 eye to kindle with that blaze, steady at once and intense, before 
 which every other eye quailed; and his penalties were so 
 prompt and inexorable, that no one desired to adventure another 
 
190 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 act of disobedience. His force was ultimately increased by the 
 accession of volunteers from Virginia, arid of a few Southern 
 troops, to forty-five hundred men. Ammunition was forwarded 
 to him, additional cannon of heavy calibre were procured, and 
 the Pendlcton battery, from his own village, afterwards famous 
 on many a hard-fought field, was added to his command. 
 
 Several questions of peculiar delicacy were to be handled 
 by him. One was the control of the Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railroad. From the western boundary of Maryland to the 
 Ohio river, this great thoroughfare passed through the territory 
 of Virginia by two branches. It had opened up to the inhab 
 itants valuable access to the eastern cities, which many of them 
 prized more than liberties, or the claims of either the Union 
 or Virginia. If commercial intercourse along this road were 
 hindered, it was feared that the vacillating allegiance of the 
 Northwest to the State would be utterly overthrown. Colonel 
 Jackson therefore resolved to leave the road uninterrupted for 
 all peaceful travel and traffic for the present. 
 
 The Maryland Heights overlooked the village from the north, 
 and, if they were occupied by the enemy with artillery, his 
 position there would be rendered untenable. But Maryland 
 then professed to be neutral; it was hoped that she would, 
 before long, espouse the cause of the South ; and the authorities 
 of Virginia wished to respect her territory, and all her rights, 
 so long as she did not become one of our enemies. One 
 expedient proposed by General Lee was, to induce Marylanders 
 to enlist in the war, in sufficient numbers to hold the crest of 
 the mountain, and commit its guardianship to them. But the 
 people of that region were too timid and undecided to concur in 
 such a plan. Another was, to postpone the occupancy of the 
 mountain until the near approach of the enemy rendered it a 
 military necessity; when this would constitute the justification 
 
RECOMMENDS A DESPERATE RESISTANCE. 191 
 
 of the act. But against this the obvious objection lay, that the 
 enemy s advance might be too sudden to permit those prepa 
 rations which were necessary to make the post tenable. Colonel 
 Jackson therefore decided the matter for himself, and seized 
 the Maryland Heights; constructing upon them a few block 
 houses, and quartering there a few companies of troops. 
 
 He was his own engineer, and reconnoitred all the ground 
 for himself. He constructed very few entrenchments; and, to 
 the end of his career, it was characteristic that he made almost 
 no use of the spade and pick. On the 8th of May he wrote 
 as follows to his wife : 
 
 " I am living at present in an elegant mansion, with Major 
 Preston in my room. Mr. Massie is on my staff, but left this 
 morning for Richmond, as bearer of despatches, and is to return 
 in a few days. I am strengthening my position, and, if attacked, 
 shall, with the blessing of the kind providence of that God who 
 has always been with me, and who, I firmly believe, will never 
 forsake me, repel the enemy. I am in good health, considering 
 the great labor which devolves on me, and the loss of sleep 
 to which I am subjected." 
 
 In the despatches which he sent to the Government, he an 
 nounced his conviction that his post should be so defended, as to 
 make it a Thermopylae His command was the advanced-guard 
 of all the Southern forces; a collision was expected first at 
 Harper s Ferry, which was threatened by a large force under 
 Major-Gencral Patterson; and, through that pass, it was sup 
 posed the invaders would attempt to pour into the State. Such 
 a resistance, Colonel Jackson declared, should be made to this 
 first assault, as would convince our enemies of the desperate 
 determination of the people of the South, and would set, to our 
 soldiers, an example of heroism in all future combats. As 
 Leonidas and his three hundred judged that the moral effect of 
 
192 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 their sacrifice would be worth more to Greece, in teaching her 
 citizens how to die for their country, than any subsequent servi 
 ces which they could hope to render, so Jackson determined, if 
 necessary, to die at his post at Harper s Ferry, in order to 
 elevate the spirit of Southern resistance. 
 
 From the beginning, he manifested that reticence and secrecy 
 as to all military affairs, for which he was afterwards so remark 
 able. It was his maxim, that, in war, mystery was the key to 
 success. He argued, that no human shrewdness could foretell 
 what item of information might not give some advantage to an 
 astute adversary, and that, therefore, it was the part of wisdom 
 to conceal everything, even those things of which it did not 
 appear how the enemy could make use. And since the channels 
 by which intelligence may pass, are so numerous and unforeseen, 
 those things which he did not wish divulged to the enemy he 
 divulged to no one, except where necessity compelled him. Not 
 long after he took command at Harper s Ferry, a dignified and 
 friendly Committee of the Legislature of Maryland visited him 
 to learn his plans. It was deemed important to receive them 
 with all courtesy, for the co-operation of their State was earnestly 
 desired, and every one was watching to see how Colonel Jack 
 son would reconcile his secrecy, and his extreme dislike to be 
 questioned upon military affairs, with the demands of politeness. 
 Among other questions, they asked him the number of his troops. 
 He replied promptly, " I should be glad if Lincoln thought I had 
 fifteen thousand." 
 
 The character of his thinking was illustrated by the declara 
 tion which he made upon assuming this command, that it was the 
 true policy of the South to take no prisoners in this war. He 
 affirmed that this would be in the end truest humanity, because 
 it would shorten the contest, and prove economical of the blood 
 of both parties; and that it was a measure urgently dictated 
 
REASONS FOR REFUSING QUARTER. 193 
 
 by the interests of our cause, and clearly sustained by justice. 
 This startling opinion he calmly sustained in conversation, 
 many months after, by the following considerations, which he 
 prefaced with the remark, that, inasmuch as the authorities 
 of the Confederate States had seen fit to pursue the other policy, 
 he had cheerfully acquiesced, and was as careful as other com 
 manders to enjoin on his soldiers the giving of quarter and 
 humane treatment to disarmed enemies. But he affirmed this 
 war was, in its intent and inception, different from all civilized 
 wars, and therefore should not be brought under their rules. It 
 was not, like them, a strife for a point of honor, a diplomatic 
 quarrel, a commercial advantage, a boundary, or a province ; but 
 an attempt on the part of the North against the very existence 
 of the Southern States. It was founded in a denial to their 
 people of the right of self-government, in virtue of which, solely, 
 the Northern States themselves existed. Its intention was a 
 wholesale murder and piracy, the extermination of a whole 
 people s national life. It was, in fact, but the " John Brown 
 Raid " resumed and extended, with new accessories of horror, 
 and, as the Commonwealth of Virginia had righteously put to 
 death every one of those cut-throats upon the gallows, why were 
 their comrades in the same crime to claim now a more honorable 
 treatment? Such a war was an offence against humanity so 
 monstrous, that it outlawed those who shared its guilt beyond 
 the pale of forbearance. But as justice authorized their 
 destruction, so wisdom and prudence demanded it, for it is 
 always wisest to act upon principle, in preference to expedi 
 ency. He argued further, that this enormous intent of the war, 
 together with the infuriated temper of the Northern people, and 
 the circumstances of the contest, would inevitably lead them, 
 before its close, even if they observed some measure at first, to 
 barbarities and violations of belligerent rights, which would 
 
 25 
 
LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 compel our authorities, by every consideration of righteous 
 retribution and duty to their own injured citizens, to a bloody 
 retaliation. But this would probably be then retorted, and the 
 internecine policy would only assume a wider extent. The 
 arrogance of the Federal Government would be sure to add 
 political persecution of our citizens to the other rigors of war, 
 under the pretext of punishing rebellion. The Administration 
 at Washington was indebted to Abolitionism for its real 
 strength, and would find itself impelled, whether it willed it 
 or not, to conduct the war in accordance with the demands of 
 that fell fanaticism. It would be seen, before this contest 
 was over, inciting slave insurrections in the South, arming the 
 servile class against their masters, and setting them on to per 
 petrate all the horrors of savage warfare. The Confederate 
 States ought not to submit to these enormities, and could not; 
 but the measures of retribution wliich the protection of their 
 outraged citizens would require, should be directed rather 
 against the instigators than the ignorant tools. By the time, 
 however, this stern necessity had manifested itself, the Federal 
 Government might have many of our soldiers, and much of our 
 territory, in their clutches, so that retaliation would be encum 
 bered with additional difficulties. It would be better, therefore, 
 to begin upon a plan of warfare which would place none of our 
 citizens in their power alive. And lastly, if quarter was neither 
 given nor asked, our soldiers would be only the more determined, 
 vigilant, and unconquerable, for they were fighting under an 
 inevitable necessity for liberties, homes, and existence ; while the 
 soldiers of our enemies would be intimidated, and enlistments 
 would be prevented, because they contend only for pique. 
 revenge, and lust of gain. Indeed, it was in every way for the 
 advantage of the Confederate States, that the war should be 
 made to unmask its murderous nature, most practically, to the 
 
VIRGINIA JOINS THE CONFEDERACY. 195 
 
 apprehensions of our citizens, for then they would be more 
 likely to rise to the exercise of those radical and primary 
 instincts of the human soul, which are commensurate in intensity 
 with the magnitude of the stake at issue. This war was, in its 
 true nature, internecine ; it were better that it should be under 
 stood as such. Its real meaning was destruction to the South ; 
 better have each citizen and soldier understand this for himself, 
 in the most personal sense. Then, instead of seeing a people 
 waging so dire a contest for the primary objects of existence, 
 with divided zeal, and with only the secondary motives of their 
 nature, the most powerful moral forces of the soul would be 
 evoked to sustain the struggle. 
 
 .Such, in substance, were the reasons which he rendered for 
 his conclusion. They were given with an unpretending simplic 
 ity, which no other can reproduce ; for it was a characteristic of 
 his mind, that the most profound considerations were seen by 
 him so clearly and simply, that they were expressed without 
 logical parade or pomp, as though they had been easy, and 
 obvious to every understanding. Those who have watched the 
 subsequent course of the war can decide, how accurately all his 
 predictions have been verified. And every thoughtful man now 
 anticipates nothing else, than to see mutual acts of retaliation 
 precipitate the parties into an unsparing slaughter; a result 
 which has only been postponed thus far, by the unexampled 
 forbearance of the people and government of the Confederate 
 States. 
 
 Meantime, on the 2d of May, Virginia had adopted the Con 
 stitution of the Confederate States, appointed Commissioners 
 to their Congress, and thus united her fortunes with theirs. 
 The secession of Virginia gave a second impulse to the revolu 
 tion, by which the States of North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkan 
 sas, and Missouri, and afterwards, in name, Kentucky, were 
 
196 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 added to the Confederation. On the 20th of May, the Confed 
 erate Congress adjourned from Columbia to Richmond, which 
 they had selected as their future capital, and on the 29th of the 
 same month, Mr. Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confed 
 eracy, was received in Richmond with unbounded enthusiasm. 
 By a treaty between Virginia and the Confederate Government, 
 the State transferred all her troops and armaments to that power ; 
 which engaged, in return, to defend her, and to pay and govern 
 the forces. One of the earliest acts of the Confederate Govern 
 ment was to appoint a Commander of higher rank and greater 
 experience to Harper s Ferry, which they justly regarded as a poot 
 of prime importance. General Joseph E. Johnston was selected 
 by them for this office, May 23d, and proceeded thither immedi 
 ately, to take command. The Virginian authorities afterwards 
 assured Colonel Jackson, that they were fully satisfied with his 
 administration there, and would have been well pleased to 
 increase his rank until it was adequate to the extent and 
 responsibility of the command ; but they properly acquiesced in 
 the appointment made by the Confederate Government. When 
 General Johnston, however, arrived at Harper s Ferry, and 
 claimed to relieve Colonel Jackson of his command, the latter 
 had received no directions from the State Government to sur 
 render his trust. And here arose a momentary collision be 
 tween the two authorities, which displayed the inflexibility of 
 Jackson s character. He replied that he had been intrusted by 
 Major-General Lee, at the command of the State of Virginia, 
 with this charge; and could only relinquish it by his orders. 
 In this position, he was, while respectful, immovable ; and as the 
 Confederate commander was equally firm, a mischievous strife 
 was anxiously feared. But very soon, the mails brought an 
 application from some person pertaining to Colonel Jackson s 
 command, upon which was endorsed, in the hand-writing of 
 
THE STONEWALL BRIGADE. 197 
 
 Major- General Lee, a reference to the authority of General 
 Joseph E. Johnston, as commanding at Harper s Ferry. This 
 furnished Colonel Jackson all the evidence which he desired, to 
 justify his surrender of his trust ; and he hastened, with cordial 
 pleasure, to transfer his whole powers to General Johnston. 
 The purity of his motives, and the absence of ambition, were 
 appreciated by the latter, in a way equally honorable to both ; 
 Colonel Jackson became at once a trusted subordinate, and i 
 zealous supporter. The Virginia regiments, at the different 
 posts, were now separated and organized into a brigade, of 
 which he was made commander. Thus began his connexion 
 with the Stonewall Brigade. It was composed of the 2d Vir 
 ginia regiment, commanded by Colonel Allen, who fell at Games 
 Mill; the 4th, commanded by Colonel Preston; the 5th, com 
 manded by Colonel Harper; the 27th, commanded by Colonel 
 Gordon; and, a little after, the 33d, commanded by Colonel 
 Cummings. The battery of light field-guns, from his own vil 
 lage of Lexington, manned chiefly by the gentlemen of the col- . 
 lege and town, and commanded by the Rev. Mr. Pendleton, 
 Rector of the Episcopal congregation of that place, formerly a 
 graduate of the West Point Academy, was attached to this 
 brigade, and was usually under Jackson s orders. His brigade 
 staff was composed of Major Frank Jones (who also fell as 
 Major in the 2d regiment, at Games Mill), Adjutant; Lieu 
 tenant-Colonel James W. Massie, Aide-de-camp; Dr. Hunter 
 M Guire, Medical Director; Major William Hawkes, Chief 
 Commissary; Major John Harman, Chief Quartermaster; and 
 Lieutenant Alexander S. Pendleton, Ordnance Officer. It is 
 due to the credit of Jackson s wisdom in the selection of his 
 instruments, and to the gallant and devoted men who composed 
 this staff, to add, that all of them who survived, rose with 
 their illustrious leader to corresponding posts of usefulness and 
 
198 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 distinction. It may be added, that every brigadier who has com 
 manded this famous brigade, except its present gallant leader, 
 has fallen in battle, either at its head or in some other command. 
 General Jackson was succeeded as its commander, by General 
 Richard Garnett, who, having been appointed to another brigade, 
 fell at the head of his command, at Gettysburg. The next Gen 
 eral of the Stonewall Brigade was the chivalrous C. S. Winder, 
 who was killed at its head, at Cedar Run. He was succeeded 
 by the lamented General Baylor, who speedily, in the second 
 battle of Manassas, paid, with his life, the price of the perilous 
 eminence ; and he, again, by the neighbor and friend of Jackson, 
 General E. F. Paxton, who died on the second of the bloody 
 days of Chancellorsville, thus preceding his commander by a 
 week. This fatality may show the reader what kind of fighting 
 that brigade was taught, by its first leader, to do for its country. 
 General Johnston, having speedily learned the untenable 
 nature of his position at t Harper s Ferry, and having accom 
 plished the temporary purposes of its occupation, by the removal 
 of the valuable machinery and materials for the manufacture of 
 fire-arms, determined to desert the place. The Federal com 
 mander, General Patterson, had now approached the Potomac 
 northwest of Harper s Ferry, by the way of the great valley of 
 Pennsylvania, so that against him the tenure of that post had 
 become no defence. His purpose to effect a junction at Win 
 chester with the forces of General M Clellan, advancing from 
 northwestern Virginia, was suspected. That town, situated in 
 the midst of the champaign of the great valley, about thirty miles 
 southwest of Harper s Ferry, is the focus of a number of great 
 highways, from every quarter. Of these, one leads north, 
 through Martinsburg across the Potomac at the little village of 
 Williamsport, the position then occupied by General Patterson. 
 Another, known as the northwestern turnpike, passes by 
 
HARPER S FERRY EVACUATED. 199 
 
 Romney, across the Alleghany Mountains, throughout north 
 western Virginia to the Ohio River. And others, leading east 
 ward, southward, and southwestward into the interior of tho 
 State, Winchester, was therefore the true strategic point for the 
 defence of the upper regions of Virginia, and thither General 
 Johnston determined to remove his army. Having destroyed 
 the great railroad bridge at Harper s Ferry, and the factories 
 of the Government, and rem oved all his heavy guns and stores, 
 he left that place on Sunday, June 16. About this time, the 
 advance of the Federal army from the northwest was reported 
 to be at Romney, forty miles west of Winchester ; and General 
 Patterson was crossing the Potomac at Williamsport, nearly the 
 same distance to the north, with 18,000 men. General Johnston 
 having marched to Chaiiestown, eight miles upon the road to 
 Winchester, turned westward to meet Patterson, and chose a 
 strong defensive position at Bunker Hill, a wooded range of 
 uplands between Winchester and Martinsburg. Upon hearing 
 of this movement, Patterson precipitately withdrew his force s 
 to the north bank of the Potomac. Colonel Jackson thus 
 described these movements in his letter to his wife : 
 
 " Tuesday, June 18. On Sunday, by order of General John 
 ston, the entire force left Harper s Ferry, marched towards Win 
 chester, passed through Charlestown, and halted for the night 
 about two miles this side. The next morning we moved towards 
 the enemy, who were between Martinsburg and Williamsport, 
 Ma., and encamped for the night at Bunker Hill. The next 
 morning we were to have marched at sunrise, and I hoped that in 
 the evening, or this morning, we would have engaged the enemy; 
 but, instead of doing so, General Johnston made some disposi 
 tion for receiving the enemy, if they should attack us, and thus 
 we were kept until about twelve A. M., when he gave the order 
 to return towards Winchester. At about sunset, we reached 
 
200 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON". 
 
 this place, which is about three miles north of Winchester, on 
 the turnpike leading thence to Martinsburg. When our troops 
 on Sunday were marching on the enemy, they were so inspirited 
 as apparently to forget the fatigue of the march, and though 
 some of them were suffering from hunger, this and all other 
 privations appeared to be forgotten, and the march continued at 
 the rate of about three miles per hour. But when they were 
 ordered to retire, their reluctance was manifested by their snail- 
 like pace. I hope the General will do something soon. Since 
 we have left Harper s Ferry, something of an active movement 
 towards repelling the enemy is, of course, expected. I trust 
 that, through the blessing of God, we will soon be given an 
 opportunity of driving the invaders from this region." 
 
 From this time Colonel Jackson s brigade formed the advanced 
 body of the infantry of the army of the Valley, and was continu 
 ally near the enemy. He thus speaks of the command: 
 
 " The troops have been divided into brigades, and the Vir 
 ginia forces under General Johnston constitute the first brigade, 
 of which I am in command. I am very thankful to our kind 
 heavenly Father, for having given me such a fine brigade. He 
 does bless me beyond my expectations, and infinitely beyond my 
 deserts. I ought to be a devoted follower of the Redeemer." 
 
 About this time, Colonel A. P. Hill, afterwards Lieut-General, 
 was sent towards Romney with a detachment of Confederate 
 troops. The Federalists there retired before him, and having 
 occupied that village, he proceeded along the Baltimore and 
 Ohio Railroad, eighteen miles west of the town of Cumberland, 
 assailed a detachment which guarded an important bridge, dis 
 persed them, capturing two cannon and their colors, and 
 destroyed the bridge. On the 19th of June, Colonel Jackson 
 was sent with his brigade north of Martinsburg, to observe the 
 enemy, who were again crossing the Potomac. They retired 
 
FARM. 201 
 
 before him, evidently afraid to hazard a collision. On this 
 expedition Colonel Jackson was ordered by General Johnston 
 to destroy the locomotives and cars of the Baltimore Railroad- 
 at Martinsburg. At this village there were vast workshops and 
 depots for the construction and repair of these cars ; and more 
 than forty of the finest locomotives, with three hundred burden- 
 cars, were now destroyed. Concerning this he writes: "It 
 was a sad work ; but I had my orders, and my duty was to obey. 
 If the cost of the property could only have been expended in 
 disseminating the gospel of the Prince of peace, how much 
 good might have been expected ! " 
 
 That this invaluable property should have been withdrawn to 
 Winchester by the way of Harper s Ferry, before this point was 
 evacuated, is too plain to be argued. Whose was the blunder 
 cannot now be ascertained; that it was not Colonel Jackson s 
 appears from the extract of his letter just inserted. The bridges 
 across the streams, between Martinsburg and Harper s Ferry, 
 were by this time burned. So desirable did it afterwards appear 
 that the railroads of the Confederate States should be recruited 
 with the remaining stock at Martinsburg, that a number of 
 locomotives and burden-cars were drawn along the turnpike 
 roads by long teams of horses to Winchester, and thence to the 
 Central Virginia Railroad. 
 
 Colonel Jackson remained with his brigade a little north of 
 Martinsburg, with Colonel J. E. B. Stuart in his front, then 
 commanding a regiment of cavalry, until July 2d. On that day, 
 he first fleshed his sword in actual combat with the Federal 
 army. Patterson had, at last, ventured to cross the Potomac 
 again in force, and to advance towards Jackson s camp. The 
 latter immediately struck his tents, and ordered his command 
 under arms. The instructions given him by his commander 
 were to observe the enemy, and, if he advanced in full force, to 
 
 26 
 
202 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 retire until he found a supporting body of his friends. He 
 therefore advanced to meet the Federalists with the 5th Virginia 
 Hegiment ; a few companies of cavalry, and one light field-piece 
 of Captain Pendleton s battery, leaving orders to the remainder 
 of his command to be ready to march either way, and to 
 commence sending their baggage to the rear. Near Falling 
 Water Church, a rural house of worship half-way between 
 Martinsburg and the Potomac, he met the advance of the enemy, 
 assailed and repelled them. Receiving reinforcements, they 
 again advanced, and were again repulsed. Perceiving by this 
 time the smallness of the force which was holding them in check, 
 the enemy displayed a large body of infantry, which extended 
 its wings, and then advanced them, with the design of enveloping 
 Jackson in their folds. But he had posted his infantry behind 
 the buildings and enclosures of a farm-house and barn, which 
 occupied both sides of the highway, and thence poured a galling 
 fire upon the enemy, until they were about to surround Mm. 
 Bringing up his field-piece to cover the retreat of his men, he 
 then withdrew them. The first fire of his gun cleared the 
 highway of the advancing column of Federals, and he retired, 
 skirmishing with them until, four miles south of Martinsburg, 
 he met the army advancing to his support. In this combat, 
 known as that of Haines Farm, Colonel Jackson employed 
 only 380 men (for the whole of the 5th Regiment was not 
 engaged), with one piece of artillery. The enemy brought into 
 action the whole of Cadwallader s Brigade, containing 3000 
 men and a battery of artillery. Yet it occupied them from 
 nine o clock A. M. until mid-day to dislodge this little force, and 
 it cost them a loss of forty-five prisoners, captured by Colonel 
 Stuart in a dash of his cavalry, and a large number of killed 
 and wounded. Jackson s loss was two men killed and ten 
 wounded. He was probably the only man in the detachment 
 
FEDERAL MOVEMENTS. 203 
 
 of infantry who had ever been under fire ; but he declared that 
 "both officers and men behaved beautifully." On the other 
 hand, his coolness, skill, care for the lives of his men, and happy 
 audacity, filled them with enthusiasm. Henceforward, his influ 
 ence over them was established. General Patterson reported 
 to his Government that he had repulsed 10,000 rebels, with the 
 loss of one man lulled. The numerous covered wagons of the 
 Dutch farmers, which went to the rear, with the blood dripping 
 through the seams of the boards, told a different story of his 
 loss. The dead of the Federal army were carefully concealed 
 from their comrades, lest the sight should intimidate the 
 unwarlike rabble. 
 
 General Patterson occupied Martinsburg while General John 
 ston remained at the little hamlet of Darkesville, four miles 
 distant, and offered him battle daily. This challenge the Federal 
 general prudently declined. The Confederate commander, on 
 the other hand, refused to gratify the eagerness of his men by 
 attacking him in Martinsburg; for the massive dwellings and 
 warehouses of that town, with the numerous stone-walled enclo 
 sures, rendered it a fortified place, of no little strength against 
 an irregular approach. At the end of four days, General John 
 ston retired to Winchester. On the 15th of July General 
 Patterson advanced to Bunker Hill, but, when his adversary 
 again offered battle, he paused there, and began to extend his 
 left eastward towards the little village of Smithfield. To the 
 uninformed, the meaning of this movement seemed to be, to 
 surround General Johnston by his larger forces. But the supe 
 rior sagacity of the latter discerned the true intention, viz., to 
 prepare for co-operation with the army of General McDowell, the 
 Federal commander, who was about to assail the Confederate 
 forces under General Beauregard at Manassa s Junction, and at 
 
204 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the same time, to prevent the army of the Valley from extending 
 that aid which would be so much needed by him. 
 
 Upon his return to Winchester, Colonel Jackson received the 
 following note : 
 
 "RICHMOND, 3d July, 1861. 
 
 " MY DEAR GENERAL, I have the pleasure of sending you a 
 commission of Brigadier-General in the Provisional army ; and 
 to feel that you merit it. May your advancement increase your 
 usefulness to the State. Yery truly, 
 
 "R E. LEE." 
 
 General Johnston had recommended him for this promotion, 
 immediately after the affair of Haines Farm ; but it had been 
 already determined upon by the Confederate Government, and 
 the letter of appointment was dated as early as June 17th. 
 General Jackson was exceedingly gratified by this tribute to his 
 merit, and by his permanent assignment to his Brigade. Ignorant 
 of the generous intentions of the Government, he had been led 
 by his modesty to fear, that his possession of that command 
 would only be temporary. Other colonels in command of 
 Brigades had just been relieved by officers of higher rank ; and 
 he anticipated the same event for himself. He had, indeed, 
 written, just before, to an influential member of the State Gov 
 ernment, earnestly requesting him to procure for him such pro 
 motion as would prevent this fate. His advancement, therefore, 
 brought him all the pleasure of an agreeable surprise. To the 
 constant sharer of his joys, he wrote : 
 
 "I have been officially informed of my promotion to be a 
 Brigadier- General of the Provisional Army of the Southern Con 
 federacy. My promotion is beyond what I anticipated, as I only 
 expected it to be in the volunteer forces of the State. One 
 of the greatest [grounds of] desires for advancement is the 
 
JACKSON A BRIGADIER-GENERAL. 205 
 
 gratification it will give you, and serving my country more effi 
 ciently. 
 
 " Through the blessing of God I now have all that I ought to 
 desire in the line of promotion. I would be very ungrateful if 
 I were not contented, and exceedingly thankful to our kind 
 heavenly Father. May his blessing ever rest on you, is my 
 fervent prayer ! " 
 
 The reader will see here, the same remarkable union of 
 honorable professional aspirations, with faith and dependence on 
 God, which distinguished his whole course* 
 
206 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MANASSAS. 
 
 THE movement of General Johnston from Harper s Ferry to 
 Winchester was dictated, not only by the circumstances within 
 his own field of operations, but by his relations to the Confed 
 erate commanders on his right and left. In the northwest was 
 General Garnett, who, with five thousand men, confronted a Fed 
 eral army of four times that number, commanded by Generals 
 M Clellan and Rosccranz. Had this army been overpowered, 
 as it was during the month of July, while General Johnston was 
 at Harper s Ferry, the victorious forces of M Clellan would have 
 been in a condition to threaten his rear at Winchester. East of 
 the Blue Ridge, General Beauregard was organizing an army at 
 Manassa s Junction, to cover that approach to the capital of the 
 confederacy, and was confronted by the strongest of all the Fed 
 eral arm- es, under General McDowell. The fearful preponder 
 ance against Beauregard could at any time have been increased, 
 by suddenly withdrawing General Patterson s army from the 
 Upper Potomac to Washington, for which the vast resources 
 of the Baltimore Railroad offered ready means ; while, from 
 Harper s Ferry to Manassa s Junction, General Johnston must 
 have travelled a more circuitous line; but, by placing his 
 head-quarters at Winchester, he tempted General Patterson to 
 Martinsburg. The advantages for concentration were now all 
 reversed. General Johnston possessed the interior line, and 
 
207 
 
 was able to move by the shorter route to the support of General 
 Beauregard. 
 
 The traveller who left the town of Alexandria; upon the 
 Potomac, to go southwestward into the interior of Virginia, at 
 the*distance of twenty-five miles, found the Manassa s Gap Rail 
 road dividing itself on the right hand from the main stem, and 
 turning westward towards the peaks of the Blue Ridge, which 
 arc visible in the horizon. This road sought a passage through 
 those mountains at Manassa s Gap, a depression which received 
 its name from an obscure Jew merchant named Manassa, who, 
 years ago, had fixed his home in the gorge of the ravine. From 
 this the railroad was called the Manassa s Gap Road, and the 
 junction with the Alexandria Railroad the Manassa s Junction. 
 Thus the name of an insignificant Israelite ka s associated itself 
 with a spot, which will never cease to be remembered, while 
 liberty and heroism have votaries in the world. This Junction 
 was manifestly the strategic point for the defence of North 
 eastern Virginia. It was at a convenient distance from the 
 Potomac, to observe the course of that river ; for the Confederate 
 generals were too much masters of the art of war, to adopt the 
 stupid policy of attempting to hold all the banks of a long 
 stream, on the stationary defensive, against a superior assailant. 
 It was manifest that the command of railroads, by reason of their 
 capacity for the rapid transportation of troops and supplies, must 
 ever be a decisive advantage in campaigns. The general who is 
 compelled to move all his forces and material of war over 
 country roads, by the tedious and expensive agency of teams, in 
 the presence of an adversary who effects his advance on a rail 
 road, must be at his mercy. To hold Manassa s Junction, 
 covered two railroads, of which one led southwestward to 
 Gordonsville, and thence, by two branches, to ChaiiottCoViile, 
 and Richmond ; and the other led westward, through the Blue 
 
208 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Ridge, into the heart of the Great Valley, the granary of the 
 State ; but worse, the possession of the Maiiassa s Gap Railroad 
 by the Federalists uncovered General Johnston s rear to them 
 equally whether he were at Harper s Ferry or at Winchester, 
 and at once required the evacuation of the whole country north 
 of that thoroughfare. 
 
 For these reasons, the Confederate Government made every 
 effort to hold, and the Federal, directed by the veteran skill of 
 General Winfield Scott, to seize this point. It is situated three 
 miles south of Bull Run (a little stream of ten yards width, 
 almost everywhere fordable), in a smiling champaign, diversified 
 with gentle hills, woodlands, and farmhouses. 
 
 The water-course takes its rise in a range of highlands, called 
 the Bull Run Mountains, fourteen miles west of the Junction, and, 
 pursuing a southeast course, meets Broad and Cedar Runs five 
 miles east of it, and forms, with them, the Occoquan. The hills 
 near the stream are more lofty and precipitous than the gentle 
 swells which heave up the plain around the Junction; and, on 
 one side or the other, they usually descend steeply to the water; 
 commanding the level meadows which stretch from the opposite 
 bank. Where the meadows happened to be on the north bank, 
 the stream offered some advantages of defence for the Confeder 
 ates ; but where the lowlands were on the south side, the advan 
 tage for attack was with the Federalists. 
 
 No works of any description defended this line. The Junc 
 tion, three miles in its rear, was surrounded with a single circuit 
 of common earthworks, consisting of a ditch and an embank 
 ment of a few feet in height, with platforms for a score of cannon. 
 A journey of six miles from the Junction, northeastward by the 
 country road, brings the traveller to the hamlet of Centreville, 
 seated on a high ridge. Through this little village passes the 
 paved highway from Alexandria to Warrenton, in a direction 
 
BULL RUX. 209 
 
 almost due west; and, at a point five miles northwest of the 
 Junction, this thoroughfare crosses the channel of Bull Rim 
 obliquely upon an arch of stone. Here a little tributary, called 
 Young s Branch, enters the stream from the southwest, and the 
 hills from which it flows rise to even a bolder elevation than the 
 other heights of Bull Run. Upon those hills was fought the first 
 Battle of Manassas. 
 
 On the 16th of July, the hosts of General M Dowell left their 
 entrenched camps along the Potomac, and drove in the advance 
 of General Beauregard from Fairfax Court House on the 17th. 
 The Federal army consisted of about sixty, thousand men, 
 including nearly all the United States regulars cast of the 
 Rocky Mountains, and sixty pieces of artillery. It was equipped 
 with all that wealth and art could lavish, and armed throughout 
 with the most improved implements of destruction. 
 
 The whole army and people of the North were inflated with 
 the assurance of victory. The Generals had labelled the pack 
 ages of supplies " for Richmond." The fanatical volunteers had 
 supplied their pockets with halters with which to hang the 
 "Southern Rebels," as soon as they were captured in battle. 
 The Federal Congress, then in session in Washington, was 
 adjourned, in order to enable the members to go with the army, 
 and feast their eyes with the spectacle of the rout of the Con 
 federates; and long lines of carriages, filled with females 
 bedecked with their holiday attire, followed the rear of the 
 Federal army, with baskets of champagne, and all the appli 
 ances for the feast and the dance, with which they proposed to 
 mock the groans of the dying thousands on the evening of their 
 victory. The newspapers of the North scouted with disdain 
 the ideas of defeat ; and declared that, in ten days at the utmost, 
 their triumphant army must be established in Richmond, and 
 27 
 
210 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the Confederate Government drowned in the blood of its 
 leaders.* 
 
 On the evening of July 17th, General Beauregard assembled 
 all his forces along the line of Bull Run, from the Stone 
 Bridge to the Union Mills, a distance of eight miles. He 
 thus presented to the enemy a body of about twenty thousand 
 combatants, with thirty field-pieces, of which the heaviest were 
 twelve-pounder howitzers. These forces were divided into 
 eight brigades. The infantry was armed, with a few excep 
 tions, with the smooth-bore musket ; and the cavalry, with fowl 
 ing-pieces and sabres. On the 18th of July, the enemy, having 
 assembled in force at Centreville, made a tentative effort with 
 a heavy detachment of all arms, to force the line of Bull Run, 
 at Mitchell s and McLean s fords, upon the direct road to the 
 
 * It may be well to recall to memory the boastful spirit and arrogant self-con 
 fidence, with which the North entered upon the struggle with the South. The 
 Tribune said : " The hanging of traitors is sure to begin before the month is 
 over. The nations of Europe may rest assured that Jeff. Davis & Co. will be 
 swinging from the battlements of Washington, at least by the 4th of July. We 
 spit upon a later and longer deferred justice." The New York Times said: " Let 
 us make quick work. The rebellion, as some people designate it, is an unborn 
 tadpole. Let us not fall into the delusion of mistaking a local commotion, for 
 a revolution. A strong active pull together will do our work effectually in 
 thirty days." The Philadelphia Press declared that " no man of sense could, 
 for a moment, doubt that this much-ado-about-nothing would end in a month." 
 The Northern people were "simply invincible." "The rebels, a mere band of 
 ragamuffins, will fly, like chaff before the wind, on our approach." But who 
 can wonder that the press of America should pander thus to the ignorance and 
 the arrogance of the North, when Seward himself, just a month before the Battle 
 of Manassas, wrote thus in a public document, addressed to Mr. Dayton, the 
 Minister at the French Court : "France seems to have mistaken a mere casual 
 and ephemeral insurrection here, such as is incidental in the experience of all 
 nations, for a war, which has flagrantly separated this nation into two co-existing 
 political powers, who are contending in arms against each other, after the sepa 
 ration." And again : " It is erroneous to suppose that any war exists in the 
 United States. Certainly there cannot be two belligerent powers, where there 
 is no war." Head in the light of subsequent events, can anything appear more 
 grotesque, more contemptible ? 
 
COMBAT OF BULL RUN. 211 
 
 Junction. Meeting with a bloody repulse in this essay, he 
 occupied Friday and Saturday, the 19th and 20th, with explo 
 rations of the country, for the purpose of devising a flank move 
 ment. The desired route was discovered, leading to Sudley 
 Church, on Bull Run, two miles above the extreme left of the 
 Confederates at the Stone Bridge ; and the morning of Sunday, 
 July 21st, was chosen for the second attempt. 
 
 Meantime, indeed at the first appearance of the Federal ad 
 vance, General Beauregard had given notice to General John 
 ston, that the time had arrived for him to render his aid. Ac 
 cordingly, on the forenoon of Thursday the 18th, the army of 
 the Valley, numbering about eleven thousand men, was ordered 
 under arms at its camp,, north of Winchester, and the tents were 
 struck. No man knew the intent, save that it was supposed 
 they were about to attack Patterson, who lay to the north of 
 them, from Bunker Hill to Smithfield, with twenty thousand 
 men ; and joy and alacrity glowed on every face. But at mid 
 day, they were ordered to march in the opposite direction, 
 through the town, and then to turn southeastward towards Mill 
 wood and the fords of the Shenandoah. 
 
 As they passed through the streets of Winchester, the citi 
 zens, whose hospitality the soldiers had so often enjoyed, asked, 
 with sad and astonished faces, if they were deserting them, 
 and handing them over to the Vandal enemy. They answered, 
 with equal sadness, that they knew no more than others whither 
 they were going. The 1st Virginia brigade, led by General 
 Jackson, headed the march. The cavalry of Stuart guarded 
 every pathway between the line of defence which Johnston had 
 just held and the Federalists, and kept up an audacious front, as 
 though they were about to advance upon them, supported by 
 the whole army. The mystified commander of the Federalists 
 stood anxiously on the defensive, and never discovered that his 
 
212 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 adversary was gone until his junction with General Beauregard 
 was effected, when he sluggishly drew off his hosts towards Harp 
 er s Ferry. As soon as the troops had gone three miles from 
 Winchester, General Johnston commanded the whole column to 
 halt, and an order was read explaining their destination. " Our 
 gallant army under General Beauregard," said this order, "is now 
 attacked by overwhelming numbers; the commanding general 
 hopes that his troops will step out like men, and make a forced 
 inarch to save the country. ; At these nervous words, every 
 countenance brightened with joy, and the army rent the air with 
 their shouts. They hurried forward, often at a double-quick, 
 waded the Shenandoah River, which was waist-deep to the men, 
 ascended the Blue Ridge at Ashby s Gap, and, two hours after 
 midnight, paused for a few hours rest at the little village of 
 Paris, upon the eastern slope of the mountain. Here General 
 Jackson turned his brigade into an enclosure occupied by a 
 beautiful grove, and the wearied men fell prostrate upon the 
 earth without food. In a little time an officer came to Jackson, 
 reminded him that there were no sentries posted around his 
 bivouac, while the men were all wrapped in sleep, and asked if 
 some should be aroused, and a guard set. " No," replied Jack 
 son, "let the poor fellows sleep; I will guard the camp myself." 
 All the remainder of the night he paced around it, or sat upon 
 the fence watching the slumbers of his men. An hour before 
 daybreak, he yielded to the repeated requests of a member of 
 his staff, and relinquished the task to him. Descending from 
 his seat upon the fence, he rolled himself upon the leaves in a 
 corner, and in a moment was sleeping like an infant. But, at 
 the first streak of the dawn, he aroused his men and resumed 
 the march. 
 
 From Winchester to Manassa s Junction the distance is about 
 sixty miles. The forced march of thirty miles brought the army 
 
PLAN OP THE CONFEDERATES. 213 
 
 to the Piedmont Station, at the eastern base of the Blue Ridge, 
 whence they hoped to reach their destination more easily by 
 railroad. General Jackson s infantry was placed upon trams 
 there, on the forenoon of Friday (the 19th July), while the 
 artillery and cavalry continued their march by the country 
 roads. 
 
 The president of the railroad company promised that the 
 whole army should be transported on successive trains to 
 Manassa s Junction by the morning of Saturday; but by a 
 collision which was, with great appearance of reason, attributed 
 to treachery, the track was obstructed, and all the remaining 
 troops detained, without any provision for their subsistence, for 
 two precious days. Had they been provided with food, and 
 ordered to continue their forced march, their zeal would have 
 brought the whole of them to the field long before the com 
 mencement of the battle. General Jackson s whole command 
 reached the Junction at dusk on Friday evening, and were 
 marched, hungry, weary, and dusty, to the pine-coppices near 
 Mitchell s Ford, where they spent Saturday in refreshing them 
 selves for tho coming conflict. All of Saturday night again, 
 their indefatigable general was afoot, busy in the distribution 
 of food and ammunition, and in the review of his preparations. 
 
 It was no part of General Beauregard s plan to occupy the 
 defensive attitude absolutely, along so weak and extended a 
 line as that which he held on Bull Run. To do this, was to give 
 the enemy leisure and opportunity to concentrate his forces, at 
 any point which he might select, in such preponderance as inevi 
 tably to crush the portion of the Confederate army guarding 
 that place ; and then the line of the water-course, being lost at. 
 one part, must be relinquished everywhere, or the army defending 
 it would be cut in two. The Confederate general proposed, if 
 General Johnston s reinforcements had arrived in time, to mass 
 
214 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 his troops, take the aggressive, and strike the unwieldy body 
 of the Federal army near Centreville. But Saturday passed, 
 and they . had not arrived. Nothing remained for him but to 
 retain his defensive attitude, and await the development of the 
 enemy s purposes. The morning of July 21st dawned with all 
 the beauty and softness befitting a summer Sabbath-day, and 
 the birds greeted the rising sun with as joyous a matin hymn 
 as though the lovely quiet had been destined for nought but the 
 worship of the Prince of peace. But the invaders had conse 
 crated it, with an impiety equal to their malice, to the bloody 
 orgies of the Moloch of their ambition. The sun had not begun 
 to exhale the dew, when, along the Warrenton turnpike, every 
 more pleasing sound was hushed into terror by the rumbling of 
 the wheels of a great park of artillery, and the hoarse oaths 
 of the officers hurrying it towards the extreme left of the 
 Confederates. Columns of dust, rising into the quiet air in 
 several directions, disclosed the movements of heavy masses 
 of infantry. The Federal general, leaving one strong division 
 to guard his rear at Centreville, paraded another opposite 
 Mitchell s Ford, and still another in front of the Stone Bridge, 
 each accompanied with batteries of rifled cannon; while the 
 mass of his army made a detour through an extensive forest 
 to the west, to cross Bull Run at Sudley Church, and thus to 
 commence the assault in the rear of the Confederate left. They 
 proposed to amuse the right and centre by a cannonade and a 
 pretended assault, so as to detain those troops while the flanking 
 force marched down the south side of Bull Run, crushed the 
 brigade which guarded the Stone Bridge, and opened a way for 
 the division attacking it to cross, and thus beat the patriot army 
 in detail. Had the prowess of the Yankee troops been equal to 
 the strategy of the chieftain, this masterly plan would have given 
 them a great victory. The Confederate generals anticipated 
 
BEAUREGARD S PLAN OF BATTLE. 215 
 
 a flank attack, but were unable to decide at first, whether it 
 would be delivered against their extreme right or left. Their 
 hesitation, and the friendly concealment of the forest, enabled 
 the enemy to effect his initial plan, and throw 20,000 men 
 across Bull Run, at and near Sudley Ford, without a show of 
 opposition. Colonel Evans, with a weak brigade of 1100 men, 
 held the Confederate left, and watched the Stone Bridge. A 
 mile below, Brigadier- General Cocke, with three regiments, 
 guarded the next ford. When Evans ascertained that the enemy 
 were already threatening his rear, he left the bridge and 
 turnpike to the guardianship of two small pieces of artillery, 
 wheeled his gallant brigade towards the west, and advanced a 
 mile to meet the coming foe. Here the battle began, and soou 
 the roar of musketry, and the accelerated pounding of the great 
 guns, told that the serious work of the day was to be upon 
 the left. 
 
 The cruel dilemma in which the superiority of the enemy s 
 numbers, and their successful manoeuvre, placed the Confederate 
 commanders, can now be comprehended. If they disfurnished 
 their centre or right, while threatened with an imminent attack 
 in front, the direct road to victory was surrendered to the enemy. 
 If they permitted their left to remain unassisted it was inevitably 
 crushed, and the remainder of the Confederate army was taken 
 in reverse. They had three brigades in reserve, of which one 
 was not available, because of its distance in the rear of the 
 extreme right. But the other two were those of Generals Bee 
 and Jackson, and the heroism of these two was sufficient to rein 
 state the wavering fortunes of the day. The plan of battle 
 which was adopted, after the designs of the enemy were fully dis 
 closed, was worthy of the genius of Beauregard, who suggested, 
 and of Johnston who accepted it. This was, to send the two 
 reserve brigades which were at hand to sustain the shock upon 
 
LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the left, and to enable that wing of the army to hold its ground 
 for a time, while the centre and right were advanced across Bull 
 Run, and swung around into a position parallel to the enemy s 
 line of march, towards the Stone Bridge, with the view of assail 
 ing their rear-guard and their line of communications, at Centre- 
 ville. 
 
 The movement was to begin upon the extreme right, which 
 would have the segment of the largest circle to traverse, and to 
 be propagated thence to the centre, so as to concentrate all the 
 brigades below Cockc s, in front of Centrcvillc, in a formidable 
 line of battle. This fine conception promised every advantage. 
 It offered most effectual relief to the laboring left wing; for The 
 Federal army would be sure to relax its assault, when the 
 thunder of the Confederate battle on the north side of Bull Run 
 and in their rear, told them that their line of communications 
 was threatened. At the same time, it obviated the difficulty, 
 otherwise insuperable, of employing the right and centre, now 
 inactive, in deciding the fortunes of the day, without stripping 
 the lower fords of Bull Run of their defences, and thus opening 
 an unobstructed way for the enemy to the Junction. For as the 
 Federal troops threatening those fords were pushed back, and 
 the Confederates interposed between them and the stream, that 
 access to the Junction was more effectually barred than before. 
 But chiefly, this manoeuvre promised a magnificent completeness 
 in the victory which it seemed to secure ; because it placed the 
 strength of the Confederate army in the rear of their enemies, 
 and in a formidable position commanding their onlv line of 
 retreat. He who considers the panic which their actual discom 
 fiture caused in the Federal army, will not doubt that, with the 
 capture of Centrcville, it would have dissolved into utter rout, 
 and been dissipated or captured. 
 
 The two generals despatched the orders for this movement to 
 
JACKSON SUCCORS THE LEFT. 217 
 
 the commanders of the right and centre, and then galloped to 
 the scene of action on the left where the furious and increasing 
 fire showed that their presence was so urgently needed. The 
 orderlies, by whom they were sent, miscarried ; and Beauregard, 
 after listening in anxious suspense to hear his guns open upon 
 the heights of Centreville, until the day and the battle were too 
 far advanced for any other resort, relinquished the movement, 
 and devoted himself to sustaining the struggle before him. The 
 only Confederate line seriously engaged was now at right angles 
 to Bull Run, and facing westward. The Federal forces contin 
 uing to pour across at Sudley Ford, and extending their right 
 wing perpetually farther to the south, pressed back their oppo 
 nents by their fearful superiority of numbers and artillery, and 
 by threatening to overlap their left. The only tactics which 
 remained to the Confederate generals were, to bring up such 
 reinforcements as could be spared from the centre and right 
 successively, and as their line of battle was borne back from 
 west to east, to repair its strength, and to increase its front by 
 placing fresh troops at its south end, until it had sufficient extent 
 and stability to breast the avalanche of Federal troops. 
 
 The reader is now prepared for an intelligent view of the 
 important part borne by General Jackson in the battle. At 
 four o clock on the morning of the 21st, he was requested by 
 General Longstreet, whose brigade formed the right of the 
 centre, to reinforce him with two regiments. With this he 
 complied, until the appearance of an immediate attack was 
 rumored. He was soon after ordered by General Beauregard 
 to support Brigadier-General Bonham at Mitchell s Ford, then 
 to support Brigadier-General Cocke above, and then to take an 
 intermediate position where he could extend aid to either of 
 the two. About ten o clock A. M., General Cocke requested 
 him to move to the Stone Bridge, and assume the task of 
 
 28 
 
218 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 guarding it, in place of Evans, who had gone westward to meet 
 the enemy descending from Sudley. But as Jackson advanced 
 in this direction, the firing became more audible, and taught his 
 superior judgment where was the true point of danger. He 
 hastened towards it, sending forward a messenger to General 
 Bee, who had already reinforced Evans, to encourage him with 
 the tidings, that he was coming to his support with all his force. 
 It was, indeed, in good time. For two hours, these two officers, 
 with five regiments and six guns, had breasted the Federal 
 advance, often nearly surrounded, but stubbornly fighting as 
 they retired, inflicting and receiving heavy losses, until their 
 commands were disheartened and almost broken. As Jackson 
 advanced to their assistance, he met the fragments of Bee s 
 regiment sullenly retiring, while the heavy lines of the Federal 
 ists were surging forward like mighty waves. He proposed to 
 that general to form a new line of battle, assuming the centre 
 for himself, while Bee rallied his men in the rear, and then 
 resumed his place upon his right. The ground which Jackson 
 selected for standing at bay, was the crest of an elevated ridge 
 running at right angles to Bull Run, between Young s Branch 
 and another rivulet to the eastward, which flowed by a parallel 
 course into the former stream. The northern end of this ridge 
 overlooked the Stone Bridge. Its top and its western slopes 
 were cleared of timber, and swept down in open fields to a 
 valley, which divided Jackson at the moment from the advancing 
 enemy ; but the reverse side of the hill, towards the Confederate 
 rear, was clothed with a tangled thicket of pines, impenetrable, 
 save by two pathways, to artillery or cavalry. Before the Con 
 federate line, were two homely cottages, with their enclosures 
 and stables,* and a country road descended obliquely across 
 the front, at the distance of a few hundred yards, enclosed on 
 both sides with the heavy wooden fences of the country, and 
 
FIRST MAXASSAS. 
 
 219 
 
220 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 worn, by the action of the elements, into an excavation of a 
 yard in depth. 
 
 The soldierly eye of Jackson, at a glance, perceived that this 
 was the spot on which to arrest the enemy s triumph. In the 
 rear of this, the country approached more the character of a 
 plain, and offered no marked advantages. It was true that the 
 two little farm-houses in front of his right and left respectively, 
 offered shelter to the enemy should they succeed in approaching 
 his position, and the road which descended beyond gave them 
 almost the advantage of an entrenchment; but the thickets on 
 his right, left, and rear, protected them from the assault of any 
 other force than skirmishers, a vital point to one so fearfully 
 outnumbered. The swelling ridge gave his artillery a command 
 ing elevation, whence every approach of the enemy in front could 
 be swept with effect, and, by placing his guns a little behind the 
 crest, he gave the cannoneers who served them a protection from 
 the adverse fire. The infantry supports in the rear of the bat 
 teries were still better shielded. Here, then, he began the new 
 formation, by putting in position two guns of Stanard s battery, 
 with the regiments which headed his column of march, and, 
 while the remainder came to the ground designed for them, 
 these two pieces held the enemy in check by their accurate fire. 
 The opposing batteries were then upon the hill beyond the valley 
 in front, which was also swarming with heavy masses of Federal 
 infantry. Jackson recalled Imboden s battery, which had entered 
 the action with General Bee s command, and gallantly main 
 tained a perilous position until all its supports were routed. 
 He brought up the other two guns of Stanard, and also the 
 Pendleton battery, so that twelve pieces, which a little after 
 were increased to seventeen, were placed in line under his 
 command behind the crest of the eminence. Behind this formi 
 dable array he placed the 4th and 27th Regiments, commanded 
 
THE STRUGGLE. 221 
 
 respectively by Colonel Preston and Lieut-Colonel Echols, lying 
 upon their breasts to avoid the storm of cannon-shot. On the 
 right of the batteries, he posted Harper s 5th Virginia, and on the 
 left the 2d Regiment commanded by Colonel Allen, and the 33d 
 led by Colonel Cummings. Both ends of the brigade, when thus 
 disposed, penetrated the thickets on the right and left, and the 33d 
 was wholly masked by them. On the right of Jackson s Brigade, 
 General Bee placed the remains of the forces which, under him 
 and Evans, had hitherto borne the heat and burden of the day, 
 while, on the left, a few regiments of Virginian and Carolinian 
 troops were stationed. At this stage of affairs, Generals John 
 ston and Beauregard galloped to the front, inspiriting the men by 
 their words and fearless exposure of their persons, and assisted 
 in advancing the standards of the rallying regiments. Their 
 appeals were answered by the fierce cheers of the Confederates ; 
 and a new battle now began, to which the former was but a 
 skirmish. Jackson s Brigade numbered 2600 bayonets, and 
 all the troops confronting the enemy, about 6500. The Fed 
 eral commander, according to his own declaration, marshalled 
 20,000 of his best troops, with twenty-four guns, for the attack 
 upon this position. Successive lines of infantry were pressed 
 across the valley and up the ascent of the ridge j they filled the 
 fences of the roadway with sharp-shooters, who picked off the 
 Confederate gunners with their long-range rifles ; they crowded 
 onward, and got foothold in the buildings before their lines. 
 The Federal artillery poured a tempest of missiles upon our 
 batteries, while they as furiously cannonaded the advancing lines 
 of infantry. From 11 o clock A.M. to 3 P.M. the artillery shook, 
 the earth with its incessant roar, while the more deadly clang of 
 the musketry rolled in peals across the field. To the spectator 
 in the rear, the smoke and dust rolled sullenly upward beyond 
 the dark horizon of pines, like the fumes of Tophet. Through 
 
222 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 the long summer hours, Jackson s patient infantry stood the 
 ordeal, which even the hardiest veterans dread, lying passive 
 behind their batteries while the plunging shot and shells of the 
 enemy ploughed frequent gaps through their lines. He rode, 
 the presiding genius of the storm, constantly along his lines, 
 between the artillery and the prostrate regiments, inspiring con 
 fidence wherever he came. In the early morning, while he was 
 ordered first to one post and then to another, but always in the 
 rear, and it seemed as if he were destined for no decisive share 
 in the great struggle, his men noticed that his cheeks were wan 
 and his eye haggard with anxiety and suspense. But now, all 
 was changed, the ruddy glow had returned to his face, his whole 
 form was instinct with life ; and while his eye blazed with that 
 fire which no other eye could meet, his countenance was clothed 
 with a serene and assured smile. 
 
 As the grim wrestle continued, for the key of the Confederate 
 position, the enemy perceived that they could make no impres 
 sion upon Jackson s front. They therefore extended and ad 
 vanced their wings. On his left, they brought a formidable 
 battery of six guns within musket range, intending to enfilade 
 his line, while on his right their irresistible numbers over 
 whelmed the shattered ranks of Bee. 
 
 It was then that this general rode up to Jackson, and with 
 despairing bitterness exclaimed, " General, they are beating us 
 back ! " " Then," said Jackson, calm and curt, " we will give 
 them the bayonet." Bee seemed to catch the inspiration of his 
 determined will, and, galloping back to the broken fragments 
 of his over-tasked command, exclaimed to them, " There is 
 Jackson standing like a stone wall. Rally behind the Vir 
 ginians. Let us determine to die here, and ive will conquer. 
 Follow me" At this trumpet-call a few score of his men 
 reformed their ranks. Placing himself at their head, he charged 
 
THE BAYONET CHARGE. 223 
 
 the dense mass of the enemy, and in a moment fell dead, with 
 his face to the foe. From that time Jackson s was known as 
 the Stone-wall Brigade, a name henceforward immortal, and 
 belonging to all the ages ; for the christening was baptized in 
 the blood of its author, and that wall of brave hearts has been, 
 on every battle-field, a steadfast bulwark of their country. 
 
 Meantime, the battery which advanced upon Jackson s left 
 had paid dearly for its temerity. It formed itself close upon 
 the masked position of the 33d regiment, which, after a well- 
 directed volley from the unerring mountain riflemen that slaugh 
 tered the larger part of the horses, dashed upon it with the 
 bayonet, and captured every gun. But the excavated road-way 
 was just beyond, and, from its depressed banks and zig-zag 
 fences, the Federal infantry poured in such a fire, that it was 
 impossible to retain the prize. The struggle for the crest of the 
 eminence had now continued three hours, and was evidently 
 approaching its crisis. Both of Jackson s flanks were threatened. 
 Upon his front the enemy was pressing with overwhelming num 
 bers ; the ammunition and the strength of his cannoneers were 
 failing together ; and the red cloud of dust, in which the advanc 
 ing line of the Federalists shrouded itself, was rolling perilously 
 near to his batteries. Jackson saw that the moment had come 
 to appeal to his supreme arbiter, the bayonet. Wheeling his 
 guns suddenly to the rear by his right and left, he cleared away 
 the arena before his regiments, and gave them all the signal. 
 Riding up to the 2d regiment, he cried, "Reserve your fire till 
 they come within fifty yards, then fire and give them the bayonet ; 
 and, when you charge, yell like furies ! " Like noble hounds 
 unleashed, his men sprang to their feet, concentrating into that 
 moment all the pent-up energies and revenge of the hours of 
 passive suffering, delivered one deadly volley, and dashed upon 
 the enemy. These did not tarry to cross bayonets with them, 
 
224 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 but recoiled, broke, and fled headlong from the field. The 
 captured battery was recaptured, along with a regimental flag ; 
 the centre of the enemy s line of battle was pierced, and the area, 
 for which they had struggled so stubbornly, cleared of then- 
 presence. 
 
 This was, for the Confederates, the critical success. For 
 nearly four hours, Jackson had held the enemy at bay ; and the 
 precious season had been diligently improved by the commanding 
 Generals, in bringing up their reserves. As the pressure upon 
 their lines below was relaxed, regiments and brigades were 
 detached, and hurried up to the scene of action. A perpetual 
 stream of fresh men was pouring on towards the smoking pine- 
 woods, the chasms made in the scanty host on the crest were 
 refilled, and the Confederate line of battle extended towards the 
 south, by new batteries and brigades. The decisive hour was 
 saved, and saved chiefly by Jackson s skill and heroism. It is 
 true that, even when he charged the enemy s centre, their sharp 
 shooters found an inlet through the breaches of the line upon his 
 right and left, and almost enveloped his rear ; that his brigade 
 was partially broken and dissipated, by the eagerness of its 
 pursuit of the fugitive foe; and that their teeming numbers 
 enabled these to return again and re-occupy a portion of the 
 contested arena, and the battery which Jackson had twice taken. 
 But the other troops which were now at hand, were formed by 
 him, under the direction of General Johnston, and speedily 
 regained the lost ground; a few well-directed shots from the 
 artillery which Jackson posted farther to the rear, cleared away 
 the encumbrances of his right flank; and the fresh regiments 
 killed or captured the audacious skirmishers, who had insinuated 
 themselves into the thickets behind him. 
 
 It was now four o clock in the afternoon, and the Federalists 
 were as yet only repulsed, and not routed. They were still 
 
THE FEDERALISTS ROUTED. 225 
 
 bringing up fresh masses, and, on the eminences fronting that 
 from which they had just been driven, were forming an imposing 
 line of battle, crescent-shaped, with the convex side toward the 
 Confederates, for a final effort. But their hour had passed. 
 The reserves from the extreme right, under Early and Holmes, 
 were now at hand ; and better still, the Manassa s Gap Rail- 
 road, cleared of its obstructions, was again pouring down the 
 remainder of the Army of the Valley. General Kirby Smith 
 led a body of these direct to the field, and receiving at once a 
 dangerous wound, was replaced by Colonel Arnold Elzy, whom 
 Beauregard styled the Blucher of his Waterloo. These troops 
 being hurled against the enemy s right, while the victorious Con 
 federates in the centre turned against them their own artillery, 
 they speedily broke, and their retreat became a panic rout. 
 Every man sought the nearest crossing of Bull Run. Cannon, 
 small arms, standards, were deserted. The great causeway, 
 from the Stone Bridge to Centreville, was one surging and mad 
 dened mass of men, horses, artillery, and baggage, amidst which 
 the gay equipages of the amateur spectators of the carnage, 
 male ar.d female, were crushed like shells ; while the Confeder 
 ate cavalry scourged their flanks, and Kemper s field-battery 
 from behind, pressed them like a Nemesis, and ploughed through 
 the frantic medley with his bullets. In this pursuit Jackson 
 took no share, except to plant a battery upon a rising ground 
 at his rear, whence he could speed the flight of the enemy with 
 some parting shots. He retired then to seek relief for a painful 
 wound in the hand, which he had received early in the action ; 
 while his officers collected their weaned and shattered men, and 
 ministered to their disabled comrades. 
 
 Along a little rivulet, fringed with willows, which ran behind 
 the hill that received the farthest cannon-shot of the enemy, 
 many hundreds of wounded Confederates were gathered, with 
 
LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 many more of shameless stragglers, who had deserted the field 
 under the pretext of assisting disabled comrades. During all 
 the afternoon, the surgeons were busy here, under the grateful 
 shade, plying their repulsive but benevolent task, and the green 
 sward was strewn for half a mile with men writhing in every 
 form of suffering, and the corpses of those just dead. Here 
 Jackson found the Medical Director and the surgeons of his 
 brigade. A rifle-ball had passed through his bridle-hand, break 
 ing the longest finger and lacerating the next. He was seen at 
 the time to give his hand an impatient shake, and wrap his 
 handkerchief around it, but, during the remainder of the action, 
 he took no further notice of it. When he came up, his friend, 
 Dr. M Guirc, said, "General, are you much hurt?" "No," 
 replied he; " I believe it is a trifle." "How goes the day?" 
 asked the other. "Oh!" exclaimed Jackson, with intense 
 elation, " we have beat them ; we have a glorious victory ; my 
 brigade made them run like dogs." And this was the only 
 instance in which he was ever known to give expression to 
 these emotions, upon his most brilliant triumphs. Several 
 surgeons now gathered around to examine him, but he 
 refused their services, saying, "No, I can wait; my wound 
 is a trifle; attend first to these poor fellows." And he 
 persisted, against their earnest entreaties, in compelling them 
 to dress the hurts of all the seriously wounded belonging 
 to their charge, while he sat by upon the grass holding up 
 his bloody hand, evidently suffering acute pain, but with a quiet 
 smile on his face. After the common soldiers were attended to, 
 he submitted to their examination, and, as they passed judgment 
 upon the nature of the wound, he looked intently from one 
 speaker to another, while all, except their chief, concurred in 
 declaring that one finger at least must be removed immediately. 
 Turning to him, hp said, " Dr. M Guire, what is your opinion ? " 
 
RESULTS OF THE VICTORY. 227 
 
 He answered, " General, if we attempt to save the finger, the 
 cure will be more painful ; but if this were my hand, I should 
 make the experiment." His only reply was to lay the mangled 
 hand in Dr. M Guire s, with a calm and decisive motion, saying, 
 "Doctor, then do you dress it." The effort was a successful, 
 though a tedious one, and his hand was restored, after a time, 
 nearly to its original shape, and soundness. 
 
 While he was at this place, the President of the Confederate 
 States, with a brilliant staff, galloped by towards the battle-field, 
 and called upon the idlers to return with him to the assistance of 
 their comrades. General Jackson arose, waved his cap, and 
 exhorted the men to give him a lusty cheer, and to respond with 
 alacrity to his orders. The men who had shed their blood for 
 the cause were much more hearty in their greeting than the 
 stragglers. Jackson, describing the manifest rout of the enemy, 
 remarked to the physicians, that he believed "with 10,000 fresh 
 men he could go into the city of Washington." 
 
 The actual results of this victory were the capture of twenty- 
 eight cannon, with several thousands of muskets, and a vast store 
 of ammunition, equipments, and clothing; a number of army- 
 wagons and ambulances, and a thousand or two of prisoners of 
 war. The State was delivered from the immediate danger of 
 invasion, and, while the Federal army and capital, with the 
 rabble of the nation, were thrown into a panic as abject as their 
 previous boasting had been arrogant, the Confederate people and 
 armies received the news of their deliverance with an unwonted 
 quiet, made up of devout gratitude to God, and solemn enthu 
 siasm. No bells were rung in Richmond, no bonfires lighted, no 
 popular demonstrations made. From the solemn acts of religious 
 thanksgiving, the people turned at once to eager ministrations to 
 the wounded heroes, who had purchased the victory with their 
 blood. For these, the preparations made by the Confederate 
 
228 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 Government were crude and scanty, but the generosity of tlie 
 people amply supplemented the lack of public service. The 
 commanding generals reported, on the Confederate uide, a loss 
 of 369 killed on the field, and 1483 wounded. The Federal 
 commander never confessed his real loss, covering up the number 
 of his killed in a vague statement of the missing; but the 
 greater masses engaged on his side, the superior accuracy of the 
 Confederate fire, and the appearance of the field of battle, proved 
 . that the enemy s killed and wounded must have been twice or 
 thrice as numerous as ours. 
 
 The portion of the Confederate loss borne by Jackson s 
 brigade was the best evidence of the character of their resist 
 ance, and of its importance to the general result. Out of less 
 than 2700 men present it lost 112 killed and 393 wounded. 
 The object of this narrative has been to give such a sketch 
 of the whole battle, as to make the part borne by the Stone 
 wall Brigade and its leader intelligible, and to give fuller details 
 of the conduct of the general whose life is the subject of this 
 work. The reader will not infer from this that all the stubborn 
 and useful fighting was done by Jackson and his command. 
 Other officers and other brigades displayed equal heroism, and 
 contributed essentially to the final result. But the divine Provi 
 dence which he delighted so much to recognize assigned to him 
 the maintenance of the critical post, during the critical hours. 
 Had the enemy overpowered his brigade a,nd occupied the emi 
 nence, which was the key of the Confederate position, or had 
 they not been held at bay until forces could be assembled to 
 cope with them, no other stand could have been made, save 
 within the entrenchments around the Junction, where the lack 
 of water and the confined limits would speedily have made 
 surrender inevitable. In this sense Jackson may be said to 
 have won the first Battle of Manassas. 
 
IMPORTANCE OF JACKSON S AGENCY. 229 
 
 But no narrative of the event will be so full of interest to the 
 reader as the disclosure of his own secret emotions in view of 
 the battle. To his wife he wrote, July 22d : 
 
 " Yesterday we fought a great battle, and gained a great vic 
 tory, for which all the glory is due to God alone. Though under 
 a heavy fire for several continuous hours, I only received one 
 wound, the breaking of the largest finger of the left hand, 
 but the doctor says the finger can be saved. My horse was 
 wounded, but not killed. . My coat got an ugly wound near 
 the hip. My preservation was entirely due, as was the glo 
 rious victory, to our God, to whom be all the glory, honor, and 
 praise. Whilst great credit is due to other parts of our gallant 
 army, God made my brigade more instrumental than any other 
 in repulsing the main attack. This is for your own information 
 only; . . . say nothing about it. Let another speak praise, 
 not myself." 
 
 To complete this view of his magnanimous and modest 
 temper, two other letters will be anticipated. In reply to some 
 expression of impatience at the silence of rumor concerning his 
 valuable services, while so many others were vaunting their 
 exploits in the newspapers, he wrote, July 29th: 
 
 "You must not be concerned at seeing other parts of the 
 army lauded, and my brigade not mentioned. Truth is pow 
 erful, and will prevail. When the reports are published, if 
 not before, I expect to see justice done to this noble body of 
 patriots." 
 
 "August 5th. You think that the papers ought to say more 
 about me. My brigade is not a brigade of newspaper corre 
 spondents. I know that the 1st Brigade was the first to meet 
 and pass our retreating forces, to push on with no other aid than 
 the smiles of God, to boldly take its position with the artillery 
 that was under my command, to arrest the victorious foe in his 
 
230 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOS. 
 
 onward progress, to hold him in check until reinforcements 
 arrived, and, finally, to charge bayonets, and, thus advancing, 
 pierce the enemy s centre. I am well satisfied with what it did, 
 and so are my Generals, Johnston and Beauregard. ... I am 
 thankful to our ever kind heavenly Father, that He makes me 
 content to await His own good time and pleasure for commen 
 dation, knowing that all things work together for my good. 
 Never distrust our God, who doeth all things well. In due time 
 He will make manifest all His pleasure, which is all His people 
 should ever desire. If my brigade can always play as impor 
 tant and useful a part as in the last battle, I shall always be 
 very grateful, I trust." 
 
 The pursuit of the enemy was not continued beyond Centre- 
 ville, and this was the first error which made the laurels of the 
 Confederate army, so fair to the eye, barren of substantial fruit. 
 It was accounted for, in part, by the paucity of the cavalry ; but 
 this excuse was no justification, because the cavalry in hand, of 
 which only two companies had been engaged in the actual com 
 bat, was not pertinaciously pressed after the fugitives, but paused 
 even before it met with any solid resistance from them. Another 
 cause of the interrupted pursuit was a rumor brought at sunset 
 to the commanding generals, by some alarmed scout, who had 
 seen a bewildered picquet of the enemy wandering through the 
 country, that a powerful Federal force was about to attack 
 the lines of Bull Run near the Union Mills, where they were 
 now denuded of defenders. This caused them to recall the 
 fresher regiments from the chase, and send them upon a forced 
 march of seven or eight miles, by night, to meet an imaginary 
 enemy, and to return next morning to the field of battle. It 
 would have been better had those regiments marched an equiv 
 alent fourteen miles upon the track of the fugitives. It should 
 have been remembered also, that, even if full credit were given 
 
THE PURSUIT DISCONTINUED. 231 
 
 to the rumor of a fresh force advancing from the east, the masses 
 which General McDowell had that day displayed on the left and 
 front, all of which were now discomfited, were too large to permit 
 the supposition that this detachment could be itself a formidable 
 array. But, if it were, obviously enough its proposed attack 
 was intended to be only in concert with the one already made 
 by McDowell, so that the most speedy and certain way to repel 
 it was to precipitate the rout of the latter. The true policy of 
 the Confederate generals should therefore have been to leave 
 this supposed assault to take care of itself, for the moment, and 
 to hurry every man after the beaten enemy. 
 
 The whole army and country naturally hoped, that so splendid 
 a victory would not be allowed to pass, without prompt and 
 energetic efforts to gather in all the fruits. It was expected 
 that the Confederate commanders would at least pursue the 
 enemy to the gates of their entrenchments before Alexandria 
 a.nd Washington ; and it was hoped that it might not be imprac 
 ticable, in the agony of their confusion, to recover the Virginian 
 city, to conquer the hostile capital, with its immense spoils, and 
 to emancipate oppressed Maryland, by one happy blow. The 
 toiling army, which had marched and fought along the hills of 
 Bull Run through the long July day, demanded, with enthusiasm, 
 to be. led after the flying foe, and declared that they would 
 march the soles off their feet in so glorious an errand without 
 a murmur. But more than this; the morning after the battle 
 saw an aggregate of 10,000 fresh men, composed of the re 
 mainder of the Army of the Valley, who had at length reached 
 the scene, and of reinforcements from Richmond, arrive within 
 the entrenchments at Manassa s Junction, who were burning 
 with enthusiasm, and expected nothing else than to be led 
 against the enemy at once. In a few days, the patriotic citi 
 zens of Alexandria sent authentic intelligence of the condition 
 
232 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of the beaten rabble there, and in Washington, which a true 
 military sagacity would have anticipated, as Jackson did, with 
 out actual testimony. When Bee and Evans were repulsed in 
 the forenoon, the Federalists had telegraphed to Washington 
 that the "rebels " were beaten in the open field; that the Grand 
 Army was marching triumphantly upon the Junction ; and that 
 victory was assured. This premature boast the vain confidence 
 of the Federals accepted as sufficient, and they spent the re 
 mainder of the Sabbath-day in exultation; but the datrn of 
 Monday revealed to the citizens of Alexandria a different story. 
 Already the streets were full of a miserable, jaded, and un 
 armed rabble, whose fears had given them wings to flee the thirty 
 miles, within the short summer night. They sat cowed, upon 
 the curbstones and door-steps, and begged the citizens, over 
 whom they had so lately boasted, in pitiful tones, for a morsel 
 of bread and a few rags to bind up their wounds. As the 
 morning advanced, the stream increased into a torrent. They 
 had run until their laboring breath compelled them to fall into 
 a languid walk, and yet, at every sound in the rear, they burst 
 into fresh speed. Stalwart men were seen to throw themselves 
 upon the pavement, upon reaching the town, and give vent to 
 their sense of relief, in floods of tears. To the questions of the 
 citizens, some replied that Beauregard, with his bloody horse 
 men, was just beyond the last hill ; while some were too fright 
 ened and eager to pause for any answer. For days, there was 
 neither organization nor obedience, nor thought of resistance, 
 on the south side of the Potomac; and the confused crowd 
 heeded only two wants, Jfood for their present hunger, and means 
 to cross the river, that they might at once desert, and return 
 to their homes. The steam ferry-boats were crowded nearly 
 to sinking, until the authorities of Washington arrested their 
 journeys altogether. Sentry or picket-guard there was none 
 
PRECIOUS OPPORTUNITY LOST. 233 
 
 on the front next the enemy ; the whole energies of the military 
 authorities were directed to guarding the other side, to prevent 
 their brave soldiers from running away. Nor was the capital 
 city in a more hopeful condition. Confusion and uncertainty 
 reigned there; nothing was needed but a few cannon-shots 
 upon the southern bank, to turn their alarm also into a panic 
 rout. 
 
 Now, then, said the more reflecting, was the time for vigorous 
 audacity. Now, a Napoleonic genius, were he present, would 
 make this victory another Jena, in its splendid fruits; and, 
 before the enemy recovered from his staggering blow, would 
 concentrate, into one effort, the labors and successes of a whole 
 campaign. He would fiercely press upon the disorganized 
 masses; he would thunder at the gates of Washington; and, 
 replenishing his exhausted equipments with the mighty spoils, 
 would rush blazing, like the lightning that shineth from the one 
 part under heaven to the other, through the affrighted North, 
 until the usurper was crippled, humbled, and compelled to 
 relinquish his iniquitous designs. Especially was this boldness 
 the true prudence now, because of the revolutionary nature of 
 the war. Such struggles are so much moral convulsions, that 
 military success is usually the prize of that party which knows 
 how to impress, and mould the vacillating mind of the public, by 
 its initial policy. Nowhere else is it more true, that the use 
 made of the first tide of fortune decides the whole issue. In the 
 North, the coercive policy of the Lincoln Government was an 
 acknowledged innovation upon the established doctrines of the 
 Republic. Up to that year, all schools of politicians had con 
 demned it as wicked and absurd. The rage and pride of the 
 Black Republicans had impelled them to adopt it, but it was a 
 confessed novelty ; and with all their heat, there was no solid 
 assurance of its success. The triumphs of the patriots against 
 
 30 
 
234 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 it would have taught multitudes to reconsider the rash aud 
 bloody experiment, and to return, though with reluctance, to the 
 creed which founded the Union on the consent of the sovereign 
 States. But especially were decisive results at the outset im 
 portant to determine the wavering judgments of Maryland, 
 Kentucky, and Missouri. The occupation of Washington would 
 have transferred the former of these States from the Northern to 
 the Southern side, and have united the divided allegiance of the 
 other two ; and such a change in the balance of strength, would 
 have decided the whole subsequent success, had the North there 
 after endeavored to continue the struggle. 
 
 With these views of the campaign, General Jackson earnestly 
 concurred. His sense of official propriety sealed his lips j and, 
 when the more impatient spirits inquired, day after day, why 
 they were not led after the enemy, his only answer was to say, 
 " That is the affair of the commanding Generals." But to his 
 confidential friends he afterwards declared, when no longer 
 under the orders of those officers, that their inaction was a 
 deplorable blunder ; and this opinion he was subsequently accus 
 tomed to assert, with a warmth and emphasis unusual in his 
 guarded manner. He was then compelled to sit silent, and see 
 the noble army, with its enthusiastic recruits, withering away in 
 inaction on the plains of Bull Run, now doubly pestilential from 
 the miasma of the August heats, and the stench of the battle-field, 
 under camp-fevers tenfold more fatal than all the bullets of the 
 enemy. Regiments dwindled, under the scourge, to skeletons ; 
 and the rude, temporary hospitals acquired trains of graves, far 
 more numerous and extended than those upon the hills around 
 the Stone Bridge. The enemy recovered from their terror, 
 which was replaced, again, by a mocking contempt for the Gov 
 ernment, which could be capable of so impotent a policy. A 
 new commander was installed by them, and the gigantic North 
 
INACTIVE POLICY OF CONFEDERATES. 235 
 
 set itself, with energies only quickened by its shame, revenge, 
 and consciousness of danger just escaped, to equip more enor 
 mous fleets and armies, and to carry the scourge of war to every 
 coast and river of the South. Jackson had the mind to compre 
 hend the inestimable value of the opportunity thus wasted, and the 
 heart to feel a grief commensurate with the evils it was destined 
 to cost his country. He knew that when God s providence 
 gives either to a man or a people rare occasion for securing the 
 blessing, it is not for nought; and His goodness cannot be 
 slighted or misunderstood with impunity. The question may 
 be asked, with scarcely less emphasis in the affairs of provi 
 dence than in those of redemption, " How can ye escape, who 
 neglect so great salvation ? " He foresaw that the country 
 would be called to pay the penalty of this mistake in future 
 arduous and protracted struggles. But his lips were silent. 
 He busied himself as diligently, and, to outward appearance, as 
 cheerfully, in the duties assigned to him, as though the policy 
 of the campaign had been his own. 
 
 Those who justified the inactive policy, affected, indeed, to 
 treat the hope that the Confederate forces might now occupy 
 Washington, as fanciful. They urged that the utter disorgani 
 zation of the Yankee army could not be immediately known, 
 and was not naturally to be inferred from losses so moderate as 
 theirs ; that the dreary rain which succeeded the battle hindered 
 immediate pursuit, and that, to be effective, the pursuit of so 
 powerful a foe must be prompt; that the Commissary s ware 
 house was empty, and the troops must have marched without 
 rations ; that the army, after its large increase, had not adequate 
 transportation to enable it to move ; and that, if it went towards 
 Washington, it could expect nothing else than to meet the un 
 broken army of General Patterson, which, it was well known, 
 was effecting a junction with that of McDowell. The reply to 
 
236 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOtf. 
 
 these pleas is, that the military intuitions of Jackson told him, 
 before the battle was ended, what the rout and disorganization 
 of the enemy would be. The weaned Confederate soldiers did 
 not find the rain any the less dreary on the next day, because 
 they were either countermarched up and down Bull Run, or left 
 to crouch on the battle-field in fence-corners, without tents, 
 instead of engaging in the inspiring pursuit of the enemy ; and 
 it would have been well to begin teaching them, even for no 
 other object, the lesson they have since so abundantly learned, 
 of marching and fighting in all weathers. Rations were not 
 created by sitting still, and the appropriate supply for the victo 
 rious army was that which was in the magazines of their enemies. 
 The country was then teeming with supplies j herds of bullocks 
 were feeding in the pastures around Centreville, and the barns of 
 the famvvs were loaded with grain, which was denied its usual 
 outlet to Washington and Baltimore. A march of twenty-five 
 miles could surely have been accomplished without baggage or 
 rations, especially when the short effort might lead them to the 
 spoils of a wealthy capital. If the arrival of General Patterson s 
 army was suspected, it was not known. At the most, it was only 
 the army which, before it was appalled by disaster, had so often 
 recoiled before the 11,000 of General Johnston. How then could 
 it meet 40,000 Confederates flushed with victory ? But in truth, 
 at the hour Jackson was piercing the centre of McDowell, with a 
 fatal thrust, at Manassas, Patterson was haranguing his mutinous 
 troops at Charleston, within a few miles of the lines in which 
 Johnston had left him the Thursday before ; and the Confederate 
 forces would have reached Washington before him. The recital 
 of these numerous obstacles, which were surmised (and with 
 probable reason) to exist, but which the event showed did not 
 exist, teaches what was the true fault of the Southern comman 
 ders. They are not to be condemned by history because they 
 
THE JUST CONCLUSION. 237 
 
 did not actually take Washington, but because they did not try. 
 Their inexcusable error was, that they were not adventurous 
 enough to explore the extent of their own good fortune. It is 
 ever the duty of a leader of armies to hope that obstacles may 
 be superable, unless he has proved them insuperable. It is early 
 enough for him to arrest his career, when he has found them 
 actual, and not merely possible. 
 
 The true solution of the enigma, how men, capable of winning 
 such a victory, could prove so incompetent to improve it, is pro 
 bably to be found in their mistrust of their own irregular 
 soldiery. They were officers of the regular army of the United 
 States, accustomed to prize its professional accuracy, and to 
 depreciate the uninstructed militia, and they were unable to 
 understand the capacities of the peculiar force which they 
 handled. This was an army of volunteers, who had been 
 drilled, at most, for eight or twelve weeks, and were led by 
 company-officers who -had never seen a battle, nor heard the 
 whistling of a bullet. Subordination was slight, and the feeble 
 bond of order which they had acquired, although it sufficed to 
 give them on the parade-ground the semblance of a gallant army, 
 was not as yet habitual enough to endure the strain of battle. 
 Under the pressure of either success or r6pulse, it was dissolved, 
 and regiments reverted almost into mobs. This body was per 
 vaded by a large infusion of personal heroism, and, even after its 
 exact order was lost, the major part of its m,en continued to fight 
 with admirable gallantry ; but their impulse was personal, and 
 not common. In their tactics, intelligence, patriotism, and 
 chivalry, supplied the place of methodical concert and mutual 
 dependence. In the melee, each man found opportunity to do 
 what was right in his own eyes, and, while the larger number, 
 the brave men, fought on in their irregular fashion, and won the 
 day, the remainder of poltroons straggled shamefully to the rear. 
 
238 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Hence, doubtless, these great professional soldiers were horrified 
 when they saw their army so disorganized by its own success. 
 They shuddered when they asked themselves what would have 
 been its condition in defeat ? They felt as though a victory with 
 such an army was only a lucky accident ; and that their wisdom 
 would be to "let well enough alone," and tempt the Fates no 
 more with so uncertain an instrument. 
 
 But Jackson was more than the professional soldier. Leaving 
 the army, he had become the citizen, the philosophic scholar, 
 the statesman. He knew both the vices and virtues of this 
 citizen-soldiery. He knew that, penetrated by such a moral 
 sentiment as animated the larger number, it would be even less 
 disorganized by defeat than by victory. While he reprobated the 
 base stream of stragglers, and was as anxious as any fc> super 
 induce upon the good men all the advantages of a thorough dis 
 cipline, in addition to a generous morale, he knew how to take 
 those thin, irregular lines, decimated by the laggards, and so to 
 launch them against the enemy as to pluck a brilliant triumph 
 from the midst of numbers. His hardy and sober judgment 
 reminded him that, if battle had loosened the bonds of order 
 in our ranks, it had destroyed them in those of our enemies ; 
 for their army also was a militia, composed, not of gallant 
 gentlemen and their reputable dependants, but of unwarlike 
 mechanics. He foresaw that, while the thorough drill would 
 benefit our gallant, soldiery, relatively it would advance the 
 mercenary hordes of the enemy yet more. The more nearly 
 both were brought to the mechanical perfections of a regular 
 army, the more would the difference between them be narrowed. 
 And, therefore, notwithstanding the imperfections of the Con 
 federate army, the present was its opportunity, and its earliest 
 blows would be successful at least cost to it. 
 
 A few days after the battle of Manassas, General Jackson 
 
HIS CORRESPONDENCE. 239 
 
 moved his brigade to a pleasant woodland, a mile in advance 
 of Centreville. There he busied himself in perfecting the dis 
 cipline of the troops. After a time the Confederate generals, 
 whose forces had grown to about 60,000 men, pushed their lines 
 forward to Munson s and Mason s Hills, within sight of the Fed 
 eral capital, and erected slight earthworks upon these eminences. 
 Their object was to tempt General M Clellan to an assault. 
 But this leader was too well taught by the disasters of Bull 
 Run to risk a general action. He occupied the attention of tlio 
 Confederates with skirmishes of pickets and occasional feints, 
 which required the advance of heavy supports to the front. In 
 these alarms the 1st Brigade was always conspicuous for the 
 promptitude with which it appeared at the threatened point, 
 and for its martial bearing. This season of comparative quiet 
 was largely employed by General Jackson in religious labors 
 for the good of his command. His correspondence showed the 
 same humility and preference for the quiet enjoyments of home 
 which characterized him before he became famous. 
 
 August 22d, he wrote to his wife : " Don t put any faith in 
 (the assertion) there will be no more fighting till October. It 
 may not be till then ; and God grant that, if consistent with His 
 glory, it may never be. Sure, I desire no more , if our country s 
 independence can be secured without it. As I said before leav 
 ing you, so say I now, that if I fight for my country it is from a 
 sense of duty, a hope that, through the blessing of Providence, 
 I may be enabled to serve, her, and not merely because I prefer 
 the strife of battle to the peaceful enjoyments of home." 
 
 September 24th, he says : " This is a beautiful and lovely 
 morning, beautiful emblem of the morning of eternity in heaven. 
 I greatly enjoy it, after our cold, chilly weather, which has made 
 me feel doubtful of my capacity, humanly speaking, to endure 
 the campaign, should we remain longer in tents. But God, our 
 
240 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 God, will do, and does all things well, and if it is His pleasure 
 that I should remain in the field, He will give me the ability to 
 endure all its fatigues." 
 
 This hope was fully realized. The life in the open air proved 
 a cordial to his feeble constitution. Every appearance of the 
 scholastic languor vanished from 1) is face, his eye grew bright, 
 and its vision, so long enfeebled, was so fully restored that 
 thenceforward it endured, by night and by day, all the labors 
 of his burdensome correspondence, and the business of his 
 command. His cheek grew ruddy and his frame expanded, so 
 that to his former acquaintances he appeared a new man. 
 
 The period is now reached when it is necessary to narrate 
 the views and efforts of General Jackson, in reference to his 
 native region, Northwestern Virginia. The communications of 
 all the region between the Ohio River and the Allegliany Moun 
 tains, are much more easy with the States of the Northwest 
 than with the remainder of Virginia. A large portion of the 
 population was, moreover, from this cause, disaffected. The 
 type of sentiment and manners prevailing there, was rather that 
 of Ohio than of Virginia. To the military invasions of the 
 enemy it lay completely open, while direct access from the cen 
 tral parts of the Confederacy could only be had by a tedious 
 journey over mountain roads. The western border is washed 
 by the Ohio River, which floats the mammoth steamboats of 
 Pittsburg and Cincinnati, save during the summer-heats. The 
 Monongahela, a navigable stream, pierces its northern boundary. 
 The district is embraced between the most populous and fanati 
 cal parts of the States of Ohio and Pennsylvania. Two rail 
 roads from the Ohio eastward, uniting at Grafton, enabled the 
 Federalists to pour their troops and their munitions of war, 
 with rapidity, into the heart of the country. The Confederate 
 authorities, on the contrary, had neither navigable river nor 
 
MILITARY POLICY OF VIRGINIA. 241 
 
 railroad by which to transport their troops, or to subsist them 
 there, but could only effect this by a long wagon-road crossing 
 numerous mountain-ridges from Staunton, upon the Central 
 Virginia Railroad. It was manifest, therefore, that the Govern 
 ment had little prospect of being able to cope with the Federal 
 ists for the occupation of the country. The traitorous partisans 
 of the region, intimidating the loyal people by the bayonets of 
 the invaders, set up a usurping government, and adhered to the 
 Lincoln dynasty. But the same difficulties of transportation 
 would evidently press the enemy, so soon as he, not content 
 with the occupation of Northwestern Virginia, sought to invade 
 the central parts of the State ; for, then, it would be the Federal 
 army which would have the long and laborious line of communica 
 tion to sustain, and the Confederate force would be brought near 
 its railroad and its supplies. The obvious military policy for 
 Virginia, therefore, was to make no attempt to hold the North 
 west, in the face of such difficulties j but to tempt the enemy to 
 involve himself in the arduous mountain-roads, and to await bis 
 enfeebled attacks on the nearer side of the wilderness, where the 
 means of more rapid concentration would give the power to crush 
 him. But this policy was forbidden by a generous pride, and an 
 unwillingness to leave a loyal population exposed, even for a time, 
 to the oppressions of a clique of traitors, backed by invaders. 
 A small army was sent thither, under General Garnett, 
 through vast difficulties. It numbered about 5000 men, and, as 
 might have been expected, found itself confronted by a force of 
 fourfold numbers and resources, under General M Clellan. On 
 the llth of July, the little army, indiscreetly divided into two 
 detachments, was assailed at Rich Mountain. Both parts were 
 compelled to retreat across the Allcghanies with the loss of their 
 baggage and a number of prisoners, and, at the skirmish at Can- 
 nock s Ford, their unfortunate leader was killed. It was this 
 
 31 
 
242 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 easy triumph which procured for General M Clellan, from the 
 Yankee people, the title of " The Young Napoleon," the most 
 complete misnomer by which the rising fortunes of a young 
 aspirant were ever caricatured. 
 
 General Jackson held, that there was one plan of campaign by 
 which the difficulty of contesting this country with the enemy 
 might probably be solved, and, during the first year of the war, 
 he was eager to be engaged in it. His scheme embraced two 
 parts. One was, the sending of a commander into the north 
 west, to rally as many of the population as possible to the 
 Confederate cause, and thus find a large part of the men and 
 materials for sustaining the contest, in the country itself. The 
 leader, therefore, must be one who was known to the people, and 
 possessed their confidence, and who knew how to conciliate their 
 peculiar temper. He believed that nearly all the more respect 
 able people of that region were loyal to their State and duty ; 
 and, in this, events sustained his opinion 5 for, after a year s 
 experiment, the most which the usurping Government could 
 assert was, that among the forty counties which they claimed for 
 their pretended State, they had dared to collect revenues in 
 eleven only. And it has been shown that, with a few exceptions, 
 the county majorities, polled in their favor at elections, were 
 composed of the intrusive votes of the soldiers encamped there, 
 to intimidate the people ; while the true voters, not being per 
 mitted to speak their real wishes, almost unanimously stayed at 
 home. 
 
 The other part of General Jackson s plan was, to retain, by 
 force of arms, that section of the great Baltimore and Ohio 
 Railroad, which lies on the territory of Virginia, from Harper s 
 Ferry westward, and to employ it as the line of operations for 
 the major force employed in the northwest: For, he argued, 
 this road being the great military and commercial thoroughfare 
 
243 
 
 connecting the enemy s capital with the West, whence he drew 
 so many of his men and supplies, it was at all times a vital 
 matter to us to deprive him of it. Next, its use as a line of 
 operations would cover, from the ravages of the enemy, a most 
 important part of central and northern Virginia, the counties of 
 the lower Valley, and of the south branch of the Potomac a 
 magnificent region teeming with precious resources, and in 
 habited, in the main, by a gallant and loyal people. But the 
 chief reason for maintaining this line was, that it was the only 
 one by which it was practicable for us to move men and mate 
 rials in sufficient masses, and with speed enough, to cope with the 
 Federalists, entering the contested district by two navigable rivers 
 and two railroads. A strong force, he said, should be pushed 
 along the railroad, so far west as to place itself in the rear of the 
 Federal army, operating against the little detachment which we 
 so painfully sustained at the western side of the mountains. 
 This would compel the retreat of our enemies, and make their 
 capture probable. The country, being thus cleared of their pre 
 sence, and reassured against their return by the occupation of the 
 great railroad, would, in consequence, revert to its proper alle 
 giance, and by its resources make this part of the war nearly self- 
 sustaining. A reference to the map will show that this scheme 
 was in appearance liable to a capital objection : The Baltimore 
 and Ohio Railroad, thus made the line of operations for the 
 Confederate forces, would be parallel to the frontier of Penn 
 sylvania, which the enemy might at once make the base of their 
 operations against us. But such an arrangement is likely to be 
 fatal to the party pursuing the aggressive (in this case the Con 
 federates), because their communications are ever within the 
 reach of their enemy s blows. Here, however, the objection 
 was more seeming than real. The true base from which the 
 Federalists must have operated against this line of advance, 
 
244 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 was not the Pennsylvania!! frontier, but the Central Pennsyl 
 vania Railroad, parallel thereto, and a hundred miles distant. 
 Now, to operate from that base against the Confederate line of 
 advance, they would have had not railroads, but only the country 
 roads of a mountainous region. Thus the superior mobility 
 of our forces along their line of operations would have com 
 pensated, in great measure, for their exposure to the enemy s 
 advance across it. 
 
 From the beginning of the war, General Jackson was anxious 
 to be sent to the Northwest. It was the land of his birth and 
 his kindred. The oppressi9ns of the enemy and the traitorous 
 defection of a part of its people, filled him with grief and indig 
 nation. The patriots who fled thence before the Federal bay 
 onets and domestic informers, looked to him as their natural 
 avenger. They knew that he was the pride of his numerous 
 race everywhere stanch in its loyalty to Virginia, and wield 
 ing the wealth and influence of the district ; and that they would 
 have secured for him a popular support which no other com 
 mander could have received. Hence, when General Jackson 
 was placed at the head of the 1st Brigade, in June, he expressed 
 to his wife an earnest hope that the Government would despatch 
 it to the Northwest, and the modest belief, that he could march 
 with it to the Ohio River. He declared that he was willing to 
 
 O 
 
 serve in any capacity under General Garnett, then commanding 
 there. After that unfortunate commander was killed, and his 
 army expelled from the country, the Confederate Government 
 sent out from Staunton a much more powerful expedition, under 
 General Robert E. Lee. This commander endeavored to 
 shorten the arduous line of communication over the mountain 
 roads, by leaving the Central Virginia Railroad, at a point forty 
 miles west of Staunton, and penetrating the northwest through 
 the counties of Bath and Pochahontas at the Valley Mountain. 
 
HIS REASONS. 245 
 
 But the intrinsic difficulties of his line, aggravated by a season 
 of unusual rains, robbed him of solid success. From his great 
 reputation, and the fine force entrusted to him, brilliant results 
 were expected. In this hope General Jackson concurred. He 
 wrote, August 15th, to his wife: "General Lee has recently 
 gone west, and I hope that we will soon hear that our God has 
 again crowned our arms with victory. ... If General Lee 
 remains in the Northwest, I would like to go there and give my 
 feeble aid, as an humble instrument in the hand of Providence, 
 in retrieving the down-trodden loyalty of that part of my native 
 State. But I desire to be wherever those over me may decide, 
 and I am content to be here (Manassas). The success of my 
 cause is the earthly object near my heart, and, if I know myself, 
 all that I am and have is at the service of my country." 
 
 To his friend, Colonel Bennet, first auditor of the Common 
 wealth, he wrote, August 27th: 
 
 "My hopes for our section of the State have greatly bright 
 ened since General Lee has gone there. Something brilliant 
 may be expected in that region. Should you ever have occasion 
 to ask for a brigade from this army for the Northwest, I hope 
 that mine will be the one selected. This of course is confiden 
 tial, as it is my duty to serve wherever I may be placed, and I 
 desire to be always where most needed. But it is natural for 
 one s affections to turn to the home of his boyhood and family." 
 In a few weeks, the unavoidable obstacles surrounding General 
 Lee s line of operations disclosed the truth, that, although he 
 might check the enemy, he could do nothing aggressive. The 
 second failure of the campaign, in hands so able, only demon 
 strated more fully than before that General Jackson s was the 
 proper conception. He returned therefore to this with re 
 doubled strength of conviction, and in the mouth of September 
 endeavored, through every appropriate channel, to infuse his 
 
246 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 ideas into the rulers of the country. While he did this, he 
 strictly charged his friends to make no reference to his name 
 or authority, both because he would not be suspected of 
 craving any power or distinction in a new field of enterprise, 
 and because his punctilious subordination forbade his even 
 seeming to criticise his military superiors. His plans were sub 
 mitted to some civilians, that, as the authorized counsellors of 
 the Government, they might recommend them for adoption if ap 
 proved by their judgment. He urged that, inasmuch as six 
 precious weeks had been wasted since the victory at Manassas, 
 and the enemy had been allowed to recover from his panic so 
 far as to render an attack upon Washington city hazardous, 
 the Army of the Valley, under General Johnston, should be 
 again detached and sent westward j that General Beauregard 
 should be left near Manassas with his corps, to hold the enemy 
 in check, supported, if need be, by General Lee ; who, by falling 
 back to the Central Railroad, could reinforce him in a few days ; 
 that General Johnston meantime should re-occupy the lower 
 Valley about Winchester, Harper s Ferry, and Martinsburg, 
 and, making it his base, push his powerful corps, by the Balti 
 more and Ohio Railroad, direct to the Ohio River; and that 
 thence he should cut off the retreat of General Rosecranz and 
 his whole force, whom General Lee had drawn far eastward into 
 the gorges of the Alleghanies. The capture of the larger part 
 of the Federal army, and the deliverance of the country, he 
 thought, could hardly fail to reward the prompt execution of 
 this project. But it was not brought to the test of experiment. 
 The fine army of North Virginia expended the remainder of the 
 year in inactivity, neither attempting nor accomplishing any 
 thing. General Lee was held in check, not by the enemy, but 
 by the mud, and the Northwest remained in the clutches of the 
 oppressor. Whether General Jackson would have succeeded in 
 
PROMOTION AND NEW COMMAND. 247 
 
 that difficult region, or whether Providence was kind to him and 
 his country in crossing his desires, and preserving him for future 
 triumphs in more important fields, must remain undecided. 
 
 On the 7th of October, 1861, the Minister of War rewarded 
 General Jackson s services at Manassas with promotion to the 
 rank of Major-General in the Provisional Army. The spirit in 
 which this new honor was received, is displayed in the following 
 letter to his wife : 
 
 " October I4th, 1861. It gives my heart an additional gratifi 
 cation to read a letter that hasn t travelled on our holy Sabbath. 
 I am very thankful to that good God who withholds no good 
 thing from me (though I am so utterly unworthy and so ungrate 
 ful), for making me a major-general of the provisional army of 
 the Confederate States. The commission dates from October 
 7th. 
 
 " What I need is a more grateful heart to the Giver of every 
 good and perfect gift. I have great reason to be thankful to 
 our God for all His mercies which He has bestowed, and con 
 tinues to shower upon me. Our hearts should overflow with 
 gratitude to that God who has blest us so abundantly and over- 
 abundantly. that my life could be more devoted to magnify 
 ing His holy name ! " 
 
 Soon after came an order assigning him, under General John 
 ston, to the Valley District, a military jurisdiction embracing all 
 the country between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghany Moun 
 tains. The force assigned him would be still under the general 
 supervision of the Commander-in- Chief; yet it constituted a 
 separate, and, to a great degree, an independent command. 
 When this appointment reached him, his venerable pastor was 
 present, upon that visit to his soldiery which has been mentioned. 
 He handed him the order, and, when he had read it, said with a 
 simplicity and candor which could not be mistaken : " Such a 
 
248 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSON. 
 
 degree of public confidence and respect as puts it in one s power 
 to serve his country, should be accepted and prized ; but, apart 
 from that, promotion among men is only a temptation and a 
 trouble. Had this communication not come as an order, I should 
 instantly have declined it, and continued in command of my 
 brave old Brigade." 
 
 To his wife he wrote" thus : 
 
 " Nov. 4th, 1861. I have received orders to proceed to Win 
 chester. My trust is in God for the defence of that country. I 
 shall have great labor to perform, but through the blessing of 
 an ever-kind heavenly Father, I trust that He will enable me 
 and other instrumentalities to accomplish it. I trust that you 
 feel more gratitude to God than pride, or elation at my promo-- 
 tion Continue to pray for me, that I may live to glorify God 
 more and more by serving Him and our country." 
 
 His brigade was ordered to remain with the Army of the Poto 
 mac, and it became necessary for him to part from his comrades- 
 in-arms. On the clay fixed for beginning his journey to his 
 new scene of labor, he directed the regiments to be paraded 
 in arms, and rode to their front witli his staff. No cheer 
 arose, like those which usually greeted him, but every face was 
 sad. Ranging his eye along their ranks, as though to say an 
 individual farewell to each familiar face, he addressed them thus : 
 " I am not here to make a speech, but simply to say farewell. 
 I first met you at Harper s Ferry in the commencement of this 
 war, and I cannot take leave of you without giving expression 
 to my admiration of your conduct from that day- to this, whether 
 on the march, in- the bivouac, or the tented field; or on the* 
 bloody plains of Manassas, where you gained the well-deserved 
 reputation of having decided the fate of the battle. Throughout 
 the broad extent of country over which you have marched, by 
 your respect for the rights and the property of citizens, you 
 
PARTING ADDRESS TO HIS BRIGADE. 249 
 
 have shown that you were soldiers, not only to defend, but able 
 and willing both to defend and protect. You have already 
 gained a brilliant and deservedly high reputation, throughout the 
 army of the whole Confederacy, and I trust, in the future, by 
 your deeds on the field, and by the assistance of the same kind 
 Providence who has heretofore favored our cause, you will gain 
 more victories, and add additional lustre to the reputation you 
 now enjoy. You have already gained a proud position in the 
 future history of this, our second War of Independence. I shall 
 look with great anxiety to your future movements ; and I trust, 
 whenever I shall hear of the First Brigade on the field of battle, 
 it will be of still nobler deeds achieved, and higher reputation 
 won." 
 
 Then pausing, as though unable to leave his comrades-in-arms 
 without some warmer and less official words, he threw the rein 
 upon the neck of his horse, and, extending his arms, exclaimed, 
 
 " In the army of the Shenandoah you were the First Brigade ; 
 in the army of the Potomac you were the First Brigade ; in the 
 Second Corps of the army you are the First Brigade ; you are 
 the First Brigade in the affections of your general ; and I hope, 
 by your future deeds and bearing, you will be handed down to 
 posterity as the First Brigade m this our second War of Inde-. 
 pendence. Farewell." 
 
 Thus saying, he waved his hand, wheeled, and left the ground 
 at a gallop, followed by a shout in which his brave men poured 
 out their whole hearts. He repaired immediately to Winchester, 
 and entered upon his duties as General commanding in the Val 
 ley district. 
 
 This chapter will be closed with four passages from his cor 
 respondence, which show how thoroughly public spirit and disin 
 terestedness ruled in his heart. The new and enlarged sphere 
 to which he was promoted called for a re-arrangement of his 
 
 32 
 
250 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 staff. Application was made to him by dear friends, to makfl 
 this the occasion of advancing persons near to his affections, as 
 well as to theirs. His reply was the following : 
 
 " My desire, under the direction and blessing of our heavenly 
 Father, is to get a staff specially qualified for their specific 
 duties, and that will, under the blessing of the Most High, 
 render the greatest possible amount of service to their coun 
 try." 
 
 And his personal friends were not appointed. To another 
 kinsman he replied, by stating that qualification must be, with 
 him, in every case, the first requisite ; and inasmuch as the pros 
 perity of the service, and even the fate of a battle, might depend 
 on the fitness of a staff-officer for his post, he could not gratify 
 personal partialities at his country s expense. The habits into 
 which he made most anxious inquiry, were early rising and 
 industry ; and, upon the whole subject of seeking promotion, his 
 views were expressed with characteristic wisdom and manliness 
 to another friend thus : 
 
 " Your letter, and also that of my much esteemed friend, Hon. 
 
 Mr. in behalf of Mr. , reached me to-day and I hasten 
 
 to reply, that I have no place to which, at present, I can properly 
 
 assign him. I knew Mr. personally, and was favorably 
 
 impressed by him. But if a person desires office in these times, 
 the best thing fbr him to do is at once to pitch into service some 
 where, and work with such energy, zeal, and success, as to 
 impress those around him with the conviction that such are his 
 merits, he must be advanced, or the interest of the public service 
 
 must suffer. If Mr. should mention the subject to you 
 
 again, I think that you might not only do him, but the country, 
 good service, by reading this part of my letter to him. My 
 desire is, to make merit the basis of my recommendations and 
 selections." 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 251 
 
 The next extract is upon a different topic : 
 
 "AW 9th, 1861. I think that, as far as possible, persons 
 should take Confederate State bonds, so as to relieve the Gov 
 ernment from any pecuniary pressure. You had better not sell 
 your coupons from the bonds, as I understand they are paid in 
 gold, but let the Confederacy keep the gold. Citizens shquld 
 not receive a cent of gold from the Government, when it is so 
 scarce. The only objection to parting with your coupons, is, 
 that if they are payable in gold, it will be taking just so much 
 out of the treasury, when it needs all it has." 
 
 To appreciate the self-denial expressed in the following pas 
 sage, it must be known how dear his home was to him. In reply 
 to a suggestion that he should obtain a furlough, he says : "I 
 can t be absent, as my attention is necessary in preparing rny 
 troops for hard fighting, should it be required ; and as my officers 
 and soldiers are not permitted to visit their wives and families, 
 I ought not to see mine. .It might make the troops feel that they 
 are badly treated, and that I consult my own comfort, regardless 
 of theirs. Every officer and soldier who is able to do duty 
 ought to be busily engaged in military preparation, by hard 
 drilling, etc., in order that, through the blessing of God, we may 
 be victorious in the battles which, in His all-wise providence, 
 may await us. If the war is carried on with vigor, I think, 
 under the blessing of God, it will not last long. ? 
 
252 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WINTER CAMPAIGN IN THE VALLEY. 1861-62. 
 
 THE appointment of General Jackson to the command of a 
 separate district under General Joseph E. Johnston, consisting 
 of the Valley of Virginia, was made on October 2 1st, 1861. 
 On the 4th of November he took leave of his brigade, and set 
 out, in compliance with his orders from the Commander-in- Chief, 
 for Winchester, by railroad, and reached that place on the same 
 day. On his arrival there, the only forces subject to his orders, 
 in the whole district, were three fragmentary brigades of State 
 militia, under Brigadier- Generals Carson, Weem, and Boggs, and 
 a few companies of irregular cavalry, imperfectly armed, and 
 almost without discipline or experience. The first act of the 
 General was to call out the remaining militia of those brigades 
 from the adjoining counties. The country people responded 
 with alacrity enough to raise the aggregate, after a few weeks, 
 to 3000 men. To the disciplining of this force he addressed 
 himself with all his energies. 
 
 A brief description of the country composing his district is 
 necessary to the understanding of the remaining history. The 
 Great Valley extends through much of the States of Pennsyl 
 vania and Virginia, and crosses Maryland, at its narrowest 
 part. This district is widest and most fertile just where the 
 Potomac passes through it, from its sources in the main Allc- 
 ghany range to its outlet into Eastern Virginia at Harper s 
 
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE DISTRICT. 253 
 
 Ferry. It is bounded on the southeast by the Blue Ridge, which 
 runs, with remarkable continuity, for many hundred miles from 
 northeast to southwest ; and on the other side tLere is a similar 
 parallel range, called the Great North Mountain. The space 
 between the bases of these mountains varies from thirty to fifteen 
 miles in width, but it is by no means filled by a level vale. The 
 intervening country is one of unrivalled picturesqueness, variety, 
 and fertility, whose hills, in some places, sink into gentle swells 
 of the most beautiful arable lands, and, in others, rise into moun 
 tains, only inferior to the great ranges which bound the district. 
 Of these mountains, the most considerable is the Masanutthin, 
 or Peaked Mountain, which is itself a range of fifty miles in 
 length, and which, beginning twenty miles southwest of Win 
 chester, runs parallel to the Blue Ridge, including between 
 them, for that distance, a separate valley of the same character. 
 This space is occupied by the populous counties of Page and 
 Warren, and watered by the main stream of the Shenandoah. 
 It is only when the traveller, standing upon some Peak of the 
 Blue Ridge or of the Great North Mountain, looks across to the 
 other boundary, and, ranging his eyes longitudinally, sees the 
 grand barriers extending their parallel faces to a vast distance, 
 and losing themselves in the blue horizon, that he fully com 
 prehends the justness of the name, Valley of Virginia. The 
 romantic hills and dales of the intermediate space are then, by 
 comparison, lost to view, and the whole district presents itself as 
 a gigantic vale. The streams which descend from the abound 
 ing ranges of mountains, as well as those which rise between the 
 Great North Mountain and the Alleghanies, pass along and 
 across the valley obliquely, until they gather into sufficient 
 volume to force their way to the ocean, as the Potomac, the 
 James, and the Roanoke. The outlets from the Valley on either 
 side are by railroad, or by turnpike roads, which pass through 
 
254 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 depressions of the mountains, called, in the language of the 
 country, Gaps. The soil is almost uniformly calcareous, and 
 the roads, where they are not paved, of heavy clay. The popu 
 lation at the beginning of the war was dense, industrious, and 
 loyal, the agriculture was skilful, and the whole goodly land 
 teemed with grain, pasturage, horned cattle, swine, sheep, and 
 horses. The manufacturing industry of this region was also 
 prosperous, every county boasting of its numerous mills or 
 furnaces, for the production of woollen cloths, iron wares, and 
 other staple supplies of an agricultural people. 
 
 Between the Great North Mountain and the Allegliany is a 
 rugged region, more extensive than the Valley proper, which is 
 sometimes included under that term. It is almost filled with 
 parallel ranges of mountains, which increase in altitude as the 
 traveller proceeds westward, until he crowns the parent ridge 
 itself. But hidden between these chains are a thousand valleys 
 of unrivalled beauty and fertility, peopled with a happy and 
 busy population. The most extensive of these is the far-famed 
 valley of the south branch of the Potomac, which forms the 
 garden of three counties, Pendleton, Hardy, and Hampshire. 
 The wide meadows which line this stream from its source to its 
 mouth are fruitful beyond belief; their prodigal harvests of hay 
 and Indian corn, together with the sweetness of the upland 
 pastures by which they are bordered, make them the paradise 
 of the grazier. As Winchester is the focal point and metropolis 
 for the lower Yalley, so Romney, forty miles northwest of it, is 
 the key to the valley of the south branch (of the Potomac) and 
 the capital of the great county of Hampshire. The north 
 western turnpike, an admirable, paved road, beginning from the 
 former place, passes through the latter on its way to the Ohio 
 River, and crosses the highways which ascend the valleys of the 
 streams. 
 
BATTLE OF GREEXBRIER RIVER. 255 
 
 All this country, to the Alleghany crest, was included in Gen 
 eral Jackson s military district. The frontier, which he was 
 required to guard against the enemy, was the whole line of the 
 Potomac, from Harper s Ferry to its source in the mountain last 
 named, and from that ridge to tire place where the troops of 
 General Lee were posted, after their ineffectual attempt upon 
 Northwest Virginia. That commander had been recalled, to be 
 employed in a more important sphere; and his troops were left 
 along the line which he had occupied under the command of 
 Brigadier-Generals Henry Jackson and Loring. The first of 
 these, with a detachment of that army, had, on the 8th of October, 
 repulsed the Federalists with the aid of Colonel Edward John 
 son, in a well-fought battle upon the head of the Greenbrier 
 River, in Pochahontas county. But the only fruit of this victory 
 which the Confederates gathered, was an unobstructed retreat to 
 a stronger position, upon the top of the Alleghany mountains : 
 another striking evidence of the soundness of General Jackson s 
 theory concerning the campaign in the Northwest. Yet more 
 surprising proof was furnished a few weeks later. On Decem 
 ber 13th, the same gallant little army was attacked in its new 
 position on the Alleghany; and, under Edward Johnson, now 
 Brigadier- General, the result was a brilliant victory over their 
 assailants. As soon as General Jackson heard of it, he again 
 wrote, to urge* that this force should be sent to hi-m, and pre 
 dicted that, if it remained where it was, it would, before long, 
 have no enemy in its front, and find the foe which it had beaten, 
 threatening its communications by the way of the South Branch. 
 This was exactly verified. His advice was rejected ; and it was 
 not many weeks until the victorious army was retreating to 
 another position, on the Shenandoah mountain, forty miles to the 
 rear. The explanation was, that the Federalists being in undis 
 turbed possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, were 
 
256 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 able to occupy Hampshire and Hardy, and to threaten thence 
 the communications of the Confederates. 
 
 General Jackson had not reached Winchester, before his fore 
 sight of these results induced him to urge upon the Government 
 that plan of campaign which was explained in the last chapter. 
 Possessed of the keen appreciation of the value of time in war, 
 he begrudged the loss of every day. On the route to Winchester, 
 he paused at a station, to write to an influential friend in Rich 
 mond, asking his aid to further his views ; and, through every 
 proper channel, he continued to press them, until events forbade 
 .their execution. He proposed the immediate organization of a 
 winter campaign in the Northwest, to be conducted from Win 
 chester, by the way of the railroad and northwestern turnpike. 
 He requested that all the forces of Generals Loring and John 
 son should bo hurried to him, so as to constitute a body sufficient 
 to sustain itself. If it was suggested that the Federalists might 
 take advantage of their withdrawal, to invade the central parts 
 of the State, by crossing tjie mountains, his reply was, that it 
 would be so much the worse for them. While they were march 
 ing eastward, involving themselves in those interminable obsta 
 cles, which had proved so disastrous to our arms there, he would 
 be rapidly pouring his masses westward by railroad and turn 
 pike, would place himself upon their communications, would 
 close behind them, and would make their destruction" so much 
 the more certain, the farther they advanced towards their im 
 aginary prize. If the Confederate Government, he argued, 
 delayed its efforts to recover the Northwest, it would then find 
 the Federalists more firmly seated there; the loyalty of the 
 inhabitants would be more corrupted by their blandishments 
 and oppressions; the supplies, which should feed our soldiers, 
 would be consumed by our enemies, and the country too much 
 exhausted to sustain a vigorous campaign from its own re- 
 
REINFORCEMENTS. 257 
 
 sources; fortified posts would be created where none now 
 existed; and, above all, the constant development of the mili 
 tary power of the United States under the management of Gen 
 eral M Clellan, might occupy all our forces elsewhere. 
 
 His representations were so far successful, that about the 
 middle of November, his old Brigade was sent to him, with the 
 Pendleton battery, now under the command of Captain M Laugh- 
 lin. Early in December, Colonel William B. Taliaferro s brigade 
 from the army of the Northwest, consisting of the 1st Georgia, 3d 
 Arkansas, and 23d and 37th Virginia regiments, reached Win 
 chester. Near the close of December, the last reinforcements 
 arrived from that army, under Brigadier-General Loring, con 
 sisting of the brigades of Colonel William Gilham, and Briga 
 dier-General S. R. Anderson. The former of these brigades 
 embraced the 21st, 42 d, and 48th regiments of Virginia, and the 
 1st battalion of State Regulars, with Captain Maryc s battery; 
 the latter, the 1st, 7th, and 14th regiments of Tennessee, and 
 Captain Shurmakcr s battery. He now, at the end of December, 
 found himself in command of about eleven thousand men, of 
 whom three thousand were militia, while the remainder were 
 the volunteer forces of the Confederacy. But the delay in 
 assembling these was such, as nearly to blast his hopes. He 
 had continued to urge that the command of Brigadier-General 1 
 Edward Johnson, from the Alleghany, should be sent to him, or 
 else directed to march northward through Hardy and Hampshire 
 counties, to effect a junction with him near Romney; but his 
 advice was not adopted. This subtraction from his expected 
 means, he declared, would be decisive against his cherished, 
 plan of penetrating to the Northwest. For, contemplating the 
 repeated failures to which the Confederate cause had been con 
 demned in that quarter by inadequate means, he was determined! 
 
 33 
 
258 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 not to make an attempt without such forces as would make 
 success possible. 
 
 Just before General Jackson came to the Valley, Romney was 
 occupied by a Federal force, which was speedily increased to 
 GOOO men. At Williamsport, and neighboring points, were as 
 many more. Beyond Harper s Ferry, General Banks was 
 organizing a force of 26,000 men, for the invasion of the Val 
 ley. Before the arrival of General Loring s command, General 
 Jackson had to oppose nearly 40,000 enemies, with only 4000 
 men, inclusive of his undisciplined militia; yet, if this force 
 was increased to so many as 15,000, he had resolved to attempt 
 the audacious enterprise of clearing away the foes who hung 
 around his own district, and then invading another, occupied by 
 an army as strong as his own. 
 
 But his genius taught him that his safety lay in audacity. 
 Winchester is the centre to which great thoroughfares converge, 
 from Harper s Ferry on the northeast, from Martinsburg and 
 Wiliiamsport on the north, and from Romney on the northwest ; 
 while another highway from the south branch would place his 
 enemies twenty miles in his rear, at Strasburg. He said that 
 unless Romney and the* south branch were held, Winchester was 
 untenable. It was true that his central position gave him the 
 interior line of operations; but, to employ this advantage, it 
 was necessary for him to strike one of his adversaries promptly. 
 If he waited until they approached near enough to co-operate, 
 and to hem him in by their convergent motions, he would have 
 no alternative except precipitate retreat or surrender; hence 
 his, burning anxiety to be in motion. His purpose was to assail 
 the Federal General Kelly at Romney, first, so as to secure the 
 western side of his district, as a preliminary, cither to his expe 
 dition into the Northwest, or, if that were surrendered, to his 
 approaching contest with General Banks. It has already been 
 
WOULD HE HAVE SUCCEEDED ? 259 
 
 indicated, that the late arrival of General Loring s brigades, 
 and the refusal of the Government to send General Edward 
 Johnson Sj doomed the hopes of General Jackson to disappoint 
 ment as to the former enterprise. It may be useless to specu 
 late upon the results which he would have attained, if it had 
 been undertaken in good time. He never concealed his belief 
 that the attempt was hazardous 5 but many would perhaps 
 conclude that it was utterly rash; and, in the latter opinion, it 
 would appear the War Department concurred. The facilities 
 which the Federalists enjoyed for pouring troops and supplies 
 into Northwest Virginia, must ever have rendered its occupa 
 tion by a Confederate force, an arduous task. Had General 
 Jackson gone thither with 15,000 men, the countless hordes of 
 United States troops, who, a little later, crushed the Confeder 
 ates at Fort Donelson, in spite of most heroic fighting, might 
 have been directed upon him. If the skill and courage with 
 which he evaded similar dangers in the famous campaign of the 
 ensuing spring were forgotten, the conclusion would be reached, 
 that in such an event his situation in the Northwest would be 
 desperate. But the issue of that campaign has taught the 
 world, that-there is no limit to be set to the possibilities which 
 genius, united to generous devotion, may achieve. Success 
 would have turned mainly upon the degree of support which 
 the people of the Northwest would have given to the cause, 
 when rallied under their favorite leader. And these specula 
 tions may be most safely dismissed, with a thankful acquiescence 
 in the orderings of Divine providence, which forbade Jackson s 
 making the great experiment, and preserved him for the service 
 of his country on a still more important and glorious field. 
 
 About the middle of November, General Jackson, busying 
 himself, while he awaited his reinforcements, in organizing 
 his command, adverted to the condj/ion of his cavalry. This 
 
-60 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 consisted of several companies, raised in his district, which had 
 no regimental formation. He found serving with them Lieut.- 
 Colonel Turner Ashby, and, recognizing in him a kindred spirit, 
 he assigned to him the chief command. From that day to his 
 death this chivalrous officer served his general, as commander of 
 cavalry, with untiring zeal and intelligence. He was a gentle 
 man of Fauquier county, of the best connexions, of spotless and 
 amiable character, devoted to field sports and feats of horse 
 manship, and known to be as modest and generous as he was 
 brave. At the first outbreak of the war, he had flown to his 
 country s service, had raised a company of cavalry, had assisted 
 at the first capture of Harper s Ferry, and, during the summer 
 campaign of 1SG1, had distinguished himself by his devotion 
 and vigilance, upon the outposts of the army, below that village. 
 After it ceased to be an important position to the Confederates, 
 he was transferred to the Upper Potomac. There occurred the 
 first of those daring exploits which soon surrounded his name 
 with a halo of romance. A part of his command, under his 
 beloved brother, Captain Richard Ashby, was assailed, in the 
 county of Hampshire, by an overpowering force of Federal 
 cavalry ; and, in the retreat which followed, Captain Ashby was 
 overtaken, at an obstruction presented by the railroad track to 
 the career of his horse, and was basely murdered, while pros 
 trate and helpless under his fallen steed. A few moments after, 
 Turner Ashby, attracted by the firing, came up with a handful 
 of fresh horsemen, and the enemy retired. He found his brother 
 mortally wounded and insensible, and, kneeling beside his body, 
 he raised his sword to heaven, and made a sacred vow to conse 
 crate his life afresh to delivering his country from the assassin 
 foe. The assailants had- retired to an island in the river, covered 
 with shrubbery and driftwood, and there stood on the defensive, 
 concealed in these hiding-places. Ashby now gathered a dozen 
 
COLONEL ASHBY. 2G1 
 
 men, and, fording the stream under a shower of bullets, dashed 
 among them, slew several men with his own hand, and dispersed 
 or captured the whole party. From the day he paid this first 
 sacrifice to the manes of his murdered brother, he appeared a 
 changed man. More brave he could not be ; but while he was, 
 if possible, more kindly, gentle, and generous to his associates 
 than before, there was a new solemnity and earnestness in his 
 devotion to the cause of his country. He evidently regarded 
 his life as no longer his own, and contemplated habitually its 
 sacrifice in this war. He was, in his own eyes, as a man already 
 dead to the world. His exposure of his person to danger be 
 came utterly reckless, and, wherever death flew thickest, thither 
 he hastened, as though he courted its stroke. Yet his spirit was 
 not that of revenge, but of high Christian consecration. To 
 his enemies, when overpowered, he was still as magnanimously 
 forbearing, as he was terrible in the combat. Henceforward, 
 his activity, daring, and seeming immunity from wounds, filled 
 the Federal soldiers with a species of superstitious dread. At 
 the sound of his well-known yell, and the shout of "Ashby" 
 from his men, they relinquished every thought of resistance, and 
 usually fled without pausing to count the odds in their favor. 
 To General Jackson he was eyes and ears. Ever guarding the 
 outposts of his army with rare discretion, and sleepless vigi 
 lance, he detected the incipient movements of the enemy j and 
 his sobriety. of mind,- which was equal to his daring. ecured 
 implicit confidence for his reports. 
 
 In December, General Jackson determined to employ his 
 enforced leisure in a local enterprise, which promised much 
 annoyance to the enemy. This was the interruption of the 
 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The Potomac not being navigable 
 above Washington city, a great canal had been begun from tide 
 water below that point, which was carried along the valley of 
 
262 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 the river, with the proud design of threading its highest tritu 
 taries, piercing the Alleghany ridge, and connecting the waters 
 of Chesapeake Bay with those of the Ohio. It was not com 
 pleted farther than Cumberland, in western Maryland ; but this 
 place is within the verge of the great coal-fields of that country, 
 whence the cities of Washington and Baltimore, the furnaces 
 of the military factories at the Federal capital, and many of their 
 war-steamers, were supplied with fuel. Besides, this canal offered 
 the means for the speedy transportation of large masses of troops 
 and supplies. Although the Confederates had interrupted the 
 great railroad, by destroying the bridge at Harper s Ferry, and 
 the whole track to Martinsburg, the Federal authorities had 
 the unobstructed use of it from the Ohio River eastward to 
 Cumberland. The destruction of the canal was therefore 
 needed, to make the interruption complete. This work, ascend 
 ing the left, or north bank of the Potomac, receives its water 
 from that river, which is raised to a sufficient height to feed it 
 by a series of dams thrown across its channel. The most im 
 portant of these was the one known as Dam No. 5, built within 
 a sharp curve of the river, concave towards the south, north of 
 the town of Martinsburg. The sluices from above this barrier 
 filled a long level of the canal, and its destruction left it dry, 
 and useless for many miles ; while no force would be adequate 
 to rebuild it amidst the ice and freezing floods of winter. 
 
 Jackson therefore marched to Martinsburg, December 10th, 
 with a part of his militia, his cavalry, and the Stonewall Brig 
 ade, and thence made his dispositions to protect the working 
 party, who were to attempt the task of demolition. It was 
 necessary to guard the whole circuit of the curve upon which 
 the dam was situated, lest the enemy, who were in force on the 
 other bank, should cross behind the detachment. General 
 Jackson, sending the militia to make a diversion towards 
 
CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL. 263 
 
 Williamsport, entered the peninsula, posted the vete*rau brigade 
 near the work, but behind a hill which protected them from the 
 cannon planted upon the opposite bank, and, by night, he advanced 
 his working party to the brink of the stream. A guard of rifle 
 men occupied a strong mill, whence they could deliver a murder 
 ous fire upon any detachment advancing to a near attack upon 
 the workmen, while these speedily shielded themselves from the 
 more distant sharpshooters in the cavities which they excavated 
 in the doomed structure. Although the Federal General, Banks, 
 assembled a large force on the other side, and cannonaded the 
 Confederates, the work was continued from the 17th to the 21st 
 of December, until a great chasm was made, through which the 
 whole current of the river flowed down towards its original 
 level, leaving the canal far above it drained of its waters. The 
 most essential parts of the work were done by the gallant men 
 of Captain Holliday, of the 33d, and Captain Robinson, of the 
 27th Virginia regiments. These generous fellows volunteered 
 to descend, by night, into the chilling waters, and worked under 
 the enemy s fire, until the task was completed. The amount of 
 fatigue which the men endured, laboring, as they constantly did, 
 waist-deep in water, and in the intense cold of winter, can never 
 be sufficiently appreciated. The only loss, at the hand of the 
 enemy, was that of one man killed, a member of the infantry 
 guard which watched the work, but the effects of such exposure 
 could hardly fail to tell ruinously on the health and lives of 
 many of those who executed the difficult and dangerous task. 
 
 General Jackson returned to Winchester on December the 
 25th, and had the pleasure of meeting there the reinforcements 
 which Lave been already mentioned, under Brigadier-General 
 Loring. It was settled by the Government, that he should 
 retain command of all the troops -which he had brought with 
 him, and be second to General Jackson. The weather was 
 
264 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 most propitious for the season, and the roads were still firm. 
 He, therefore, determined to carry out that part of his original 
 scheme, which was still feasible, and to drive the Federalists 
 from the western part of his district. At Bath, the seat of justice 
 for Morgan County, a village forty miles north of Winchester, 
 was a detachment of fifteen hundred Federal soldiers, with two 
 pieces of artillery, who grievously tyrannized over the loyal 
 part of the inhabitants. At the village of Hancock, upon the 
 opposite side of the Potomac, was another detachment. Rornney 
 upon the south branch, at a distance of about forty miles, was 
 occupied by a force of the enemy now increased to at least ten 
 thousand, Avho were fortifying themselves there, and ravaging 
 all the fertile country about them. General Jackson intended 
 to march rapidly upon the detachment at Bath and capture them, 
 next, crossing the Potomac, to disperse the party at Hancock, 
 and then, having cleared his rear, to proceed to Homney. The 
 1st day of January, 1862, an April sun was shining, and the 
 dust was flying in the roads. The whole army, with the excep 
 tion of the necessary detachments, began its march for Bath, 
 numbering .about 8500 men, with five batteries of artillery, and 
 a few companies of cavalry. But, before the day was ended, a 
 biting northwester began to blow, and this was succeeded by a 
 freezing rain and snow, which sheathed the roads in ice. The 
 hardships of the troops now became most severe. The march 
 was pressed forward notwithstanding the inclement weather ; the 
 soldiers were often unable to keep their footing upon the slippery 
 mountain sides ; and, along the column, the accidental discharge 
 of muskets frequently announced the fall of their owners. The 
 country was one of the roughest, and the roads selected were 
 the most unfrequented, in order that the movement might be 
 kept a secret. For several nights, the wearied troops bivouacked 
 in the sleet and snow, without tents, rations, or blankets, because 
 
BATH AND ROMNEY. 265 
 
 ;iie Baggage-train was unable to overtake them, and with the 
 recklessness of new soldiers, they had refused, against orders, to 
 carry them. The Stonewall Brigade bore these trials without 
 murmuring, for their beloved General shared them all; but, 
 among the reinforcements, the discontent was excessive, and was 
 openly encouraged by a part of their officers, who pronounced 
 the expedition rash, unreasonable, and out of season. General 
 Jackson was cursed by many of them, for this adventure, and 
 looked on as a maniac, for dragging his command through such a 
 region, and at such a season. Many of the troops, taking coun 
 tenance from the unsoldierly complaints of their leaders, deserted 
 the ranks under plea of sickness, and returned to Winchester. 
 That town was soon thronged with many hundreds of these 
 pretended invalids, who roamed the streets without control, and 
 taxed the generous hospitality of the citizens. Jackson, never 
 theless, pressed on, and the third day, met the enemy s outposts 
 a few miles from Bath. They were speedily driven in, and the 
 army proceeding a little farther, encamped for the night. In 
 the morning, January 4th, General Jackson made his disposi 
 tions to surround and capture the enemy. A body of militia 
 had already been detached, to cross the mountain behind the 
 village, and then approach it from the west. The main column 
 was now pushed along the direct road, headed by General Lo- 
 ring, while Colonels Maury and Campbell advanced upon the hill 
 sides, on the left and right respectively, to surround the village. 
 General -Jackson complained much of the dilatory movements 
 and repeated halts of the column. It seemed as though the 
 whole day would be consumed in marching a few miles, until at 
 length the wings were impelled forward with more energy, and a 
 detachment of cavalry, headed by Lieut.- Col. Baylor of the Gen 
 eral s staff, dashed into the town. At their approach the enemy 
 fled without any resistance, leaving all their stores and camp 
 
 34 
 
266 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 equipage in the hands of the victors. General Jackson himself 
 entered the place in advance of the skirmishers of the main 
 column; but so sluggish had been their movements, that the 
 enemy was already out of sight. Their escape filled him with 
 chagrin, and he instantly urged the pursuit, along the route by 
 which they had fled. 
 
 Bath is situated three miles from the Potomac, from which it 
 is separated by a small mountain-ridge. Two roads lead to the 
 river, one to the nearest railroad station, that of Sir John s Run, 
 and the other to Hancock, . which is seated upon the opposite 
 bank. By one of these two routes the Federalists must have 
 escaped, but so dilatory had been the movements of General 
 Loring s command, that even his skirmishers were not in sight 
 of the rear of the fugitives, when they disappeared. It was not 
 immediately apparent, therefore, by which of the roads the main 
 body had gone. General Jackson, accordingly, divided his 
 forces, sending a part of his cavalry, and General Loring s 
 column, towards Hancock; the second Virginia brigade, under 
 Colonel Gilham ; and Captain Wingneld s company of cavalry, 
 towards Sir John s Run ; and Colonel Rust with his and the 
 37th Virginia regiments, and two field-pieces, by the western 
 road, towards an important railroad bridge over the Great 
 Capon river. The first of these detachments General Jackson 
 accompanied. It speedily overtook the rear of the enemy, and 
 drove them, with some loss, into Hancock. The General then 
 crowned the southern bank of the river with artillery, and fired 
 a few shots into the town. This was in retaliation for the crime 
 of the Federalists, who had repeatedly shelled the peaceful village 
 of Shepherdstown, on the south bank of the Potomac, when it 
 was not used as a military position by the Confederates, and 
 even when there was not a soldier near it. Jackson declared 
 that they should be taught, such outrages could not be perpetrated 
 
HANCOCK CANNONADED. 267 
 
 with impunity ; and he added, that, while he was in command of 
 that district, the lesson was efficacious upon their dastardly 
 natures. The 4th of January was now closed by night, and the 
 troops opposite the town again bivouacked in the snow. 
 
 Meantime, the second column, directed towards Sir John s 
 Run, had overtaken a considerable detachment of the enemy; 
 but although the ground offered facilities for turning the position 
 on which they stood at bay, no improvement was made of the 
 opportunity, and the Federalists were allowed to escape unmo 
 lested over the river, when they probably joined their comrade, * 
 at Hancock. The third detachment under Colonel Rust pro 
 ceeded with more vigor. When near the Capon Bridge, they 
 met a party of Federalists guarding that important structure, 
 with whom they skirmished until night, suffering some loss, and 
 inflicting upon the enemy a more serious one. The next morn 
 ing, January 5th, having been reinforced by General Loring, 
 they drove away the guard, destroyed the bridge and station- 
 houses, and pulled down a long tract of the telegraph wires, 
 besides capturing great spoils. Thus, both railroad and tele 
 graph communication between the Federal commander at Rom- 
 ney and General Banks below, was effectually severed. The 
 Confederates could now pursue their designs against the former 
 without molestation from the latter, and beat each of them in 
 detail. Such were the* promising results, which seemed to be 
 about to reward the vigorous use of the interior line of move 
 ments by Jackson. 
 
 But he did not propose to leave the party at Hancock so near 
 his line of communications. On the morning of January 5th, 
 he summoned the place to surrender, and notified the Federal 
 commander, that if he declined to accept this proposal he must 
 remove the non-combatants, as he proposed to cannonade the 
 place in good earnest. The bearer of the summons was the 
 
268 
 
 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 gallant Colonel Ashby. As he was led, blindfold, up the streets, 
 he overheard the Federal soldiers whispering the one to the 
 other, "That is the famous Colonel Ashby; " and soon the sup; 
 pressed hum of a crowd told him that they were thronging 
 around, to catch a sight of tho warrior, whose name had so often 
 carried confusion into their ranks.. The Federal commander 
 refused either to evacuate the place, or to remove the females 
 and children, and claimed that, if the cannonade took place, the 
 guilt of shedding their blood would rest upon the Confederates, 
 -a preposterous and impudent pretension, especially when 
 coming from a party which has burned so many peaceful dwell 
 ings, and so often shelled unresisting towns without notice. The 
 true motive of the claim was obvious. The Yankee thought 
 that the humanity of General Jackson was so great, it would 
 permit him to skulk safely behind the skirts of the women. 
 But the Confederate General was as clear-sighted and vigorous 
 as he was humane. After the time had elapsed which he had 
 announced in his challenge, he opened a hot cannonade from 
 a score of guns, and speedily drove every Federal soldier out 
 of the town, or into some invisible hiding-place. At the same 
 time, a detachment was busy preparing to construct a bridge 
 across the Potomac, two miles above, that the Confederates 
 might attack them on the Maryland side ; but before this work 
 ^as completed, they received reinforcements so numerous, that 
 General Jackson judged -it inexpedient to risk the loss which 
 would be incurred in defeating them, when every man was 
 needed for the attainment of his great object, the deliverance 
 of Romney and the South Branch. Believing, therefore, that 
 the enemy in this quarter were sufficiently chastised to cause 
 them to respect his further movements, and, secure in another 
 line of communication with Winchester, far to the south of 
 
JACKSON MARCHES OX ROMNEY. 269 
 
 Bath, even if the latter place were re-occupied by them, he 
 determined to move westward without further delay. 
 
 Having destroyed all the spoils which he lacked means to 
 remove, he left Hancock on January 7th, and returned to the 
 main Roinney highway, reaching a well-known locality called 
 Unger s Store, the same evening. On that day his advanced 
 forces, consisting of a regiment of militia and a section of 
 artillery, had an unfortunate affair with the Federalists at 
 Hanging Rock, fifteen miles from Rornney, in which two guns 
 were lost by the Confederates ; but the difficulties of the roads 
 and season compelled General Jackson to halt here, to collect 
 and refresh his wearied men, and to prepare the horses of his 
 artillery and baggage-trains for their la,bors. The roads over 
 the mountain-ranges were now sheeted with firm and smooth 
 ice, upon which the wearied animals could keep no footing. 
 Bruised, and sometimes bleeding from their falls, they had 
 struggled thus far, only dragging the trains a few miles daily, 
 by the most cruel exertions. The order was now given to 
 replace their shoes with new ones, constructed so as to give 
 them a firm foothold upon the ice. In this way the time was 
 consumed until the 13th, when the army resumed the march, 
 and the General, with the advanced infantry, entered Romney 
 on the 14th of January. But on the 10th, the Federal com 
 mander had taken the alarm, and retreated precipitately to the 
 northwestern part of Hampshire. The hope of making a 
 brilliant capture of prisoners was again disappointed. The 
 flight of the enemy was only witnessed by two of Ashby s 
 cavalry companies, which were pressing close upon their rear. 
 It was some solace, however, to the conquerors, to find their 
 tents standing, with all their camp equipments, and their maga 
 zines filled with valuable military stores, which fell into the 
 hands of the Confederates. This retreat was an emphatic 
 
LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 testimony to the dread which the vigor of Jackson already 
 inspired in his enemies. With a force larger than -his own, 
 they feared to meet him in a most defensible position, which 
 they had selected and entrenched at their leisure. When he was 
 yet more than a day s march distant, they fled in such panic as 
 to leave behind them the larger part of their equipage ! 
 
 But cowardice like this was the natural sequel to the barbari 
 ties by which they had disgraced the name of soldiers. As soon 
 as the Confederates passed Hanging Rock, they began to see 
 marks of desolation, then new, but now, alas ! familiar to their 
 eyes. Nearly every dwelling, mill, and factory, between that 
 place and Romney, was consumed ; the tanneries were destroyed, 
 and the unfinished hides slit into ribbons; the roadside was 
 strewed with the carcasses of niilk-kine, oxen, and other domestic 
 animals, shot down in mere wantonness. As they came in 
 view of the town, lately smiling in the midst of rural beauty, 
 scarcely anything appeared, by which it could be recognized by 
 its own children, save the everlasting hills which surround it. 
 Gardens, orchards, and out-buildings, with their enclosures, were 
 swept away ; the lawns were trampled by cavalry horses into 
 mire ; many of the dwellings were converted into stables, and 
 the blinds and wainscot torn down for fuel ; and every church, 
 save one, which the Federal commander reserved for the pious 
 uses of his own chaplains, was foully desecrated. And these 
 outrages had no pretext, for the despoilers had found Romney 
 a defenceless town, and had entered it at their leisure, without 
 resistance. Their crimes are detailed here, not because the 
 fate of this once charming village has been peculiar among the 
 towns cursed by Federal occupation. If every such instance, 
 which has been added in the progress of the war, were detailed 
 with a similar truthful particularity, the narrative would only 
 be extended, and marked with a dreary and repulsive monotony. 
 
FEDERAL EAVAGES REPROBATED BY JACKSON. 271 
 
 But it is just, that this beginning of sorrows should be fixed in 
 history, for the everlasting infamy of the Federals, and as an 
 example of the never-to-be-forgotten acts of barbarity which the 
 Southern people have endured at their hands. Let the solemn 
 testimony of Jackson against the perpetrators stand recorded, 
 as long as his great name is revered among men. His official 
 report of the campaign is closed with these words : "I do not 
 feel at liberty to close this report without alluding to the con 
 duct of the reprobate Federal comnTanders, who, in Hampshire 
 county, have not only burned valuable mill-property, but also 
 many private houses. Their track from Romney to Hanging 
 Rock, a distance of fifteen miles, was one of desolation. The 
 number of dead animals lying along the roadside, where they 
 had been shot by the enemy, exemplified the spirit of that part 
 of the Northern army." 
 
 On the 16th of January, the whole Confederate army was 
 again assembled near Romney. It was ascertained that the 
 retreating force had gone to the neighborhood of Cumberland, 
 in Maryland, a town on the north side of the Potomac, and 
 opposite to the northwestern border of Hampshire county. 
 Three important . railroad bridges required their oversight in 
 that region. One of these crossed Patterson s Creek, near its 
 entrance into the river. A little west of this spot, the railroad, 
 which pursues the southern bank for more than fifty miles, 
 crosses to the other side, and continues upon the northern 
 margin to Cumberland ; above which it returns to the soil of 
 Virginia. Two massive and costly bridges span the river at 
 these crossings. By destroying these bridges, communication 
 between the Federalists at Cumberland, and the army of Gen 
 eral Banks in the lower Valley, would be more effectually 
 severed. But more than this : since the force which had invaded 
 Hampshire drew its supplies from* the west by the railroad, 
 
272 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 these breaches in its continuity would restrict their future opera 
 tions to the eastward, inasmuch as they would entail upon them, 
 as they advanced, a continually lengthening line of transportation 
 by wagons. On the arrival of the main body of his troops, 
 General Jackson instantly prepared to press onwa/d to New 
 Creek. This stream, flowing northward, enters the Potomac at 
 the western extremity of Hampshire county, and above Cumber 
 land; but in consequence of its situation upon the apex of a 
 great angle of the river, the road which conducts to that town 
 from Romncy is much longer than the one leading to the mouth 
 of New Creek. He purposed, therefore, to proceed to the 
 latter spot, and, placing himself above the enemy, to destroy 
 the bridge across the Potomac, above Cumberland, first, thus 
 insulating them from their western base. He selected the Stone 
 wall Brigade, and that of Colonel Taliaferro, from the army of 
 General Loring, to perform this service under his own eye ; but 
 when he was ready to march, he discovered that the discontent 
 and disorganization had proceeded so far in the latter brigade, 
 that they were not to be trusted for so responsible a service. 
 With deep mortification and reluctance, he therefore relinquished 
 further aggressive movements, and prepared. to defend what he 
 had already won ; and this, although less than he believed a 
 more efficient army would have realized for him, was by no 
 means little. In sixteen days, he had driven the enemy out of 
 his whole district, except a few miles which they occupied at its 
 extreme corner ; had liberated three counties from their tyranny, 
 securing for the Confederate cause their riches of corn and cattle ; 
 had rendered the railroad useless to the enemy for a hundred 
 miles ; and had captured stores almost equal to the equipment 
 of an army like his own. On the first day of January, scarcely 
 a man in those counties, loyal to his State, could remain at his 
 home, without danger of persecution or arrest. The dominion 
 
HIS COMMAND IN WINTER QUARTERS. 273 
 
 of law and peace was now restored to all the citizens. All this 
 had been accomplished with a loss of four men killed, and 
 twenty-eight wounded. 
 
 General Jackson now proceeded to place the command of 
 General Loring in winter quarters, near Romney, and to canton 
 Boggs brigade of militia along the south branch, from that town 
 to Moorefield, with three companies of cavalry for duty upon the 
 outposts. The remainder of the cavalry and militia returned to 
 Bath, or to the Valley, to guard its frontier j and the Stonewall 
 Brigade was placed in winter quarters as a reserve, near Win 
 chester. Having begun these dispositions, General Jackson 
 returned to the latter place on the 24th of January. He was 
 uneasy lest General Banks should initiate some movements in 
 his absence. General Loring was left in command at Romney, 
 with his tlirce brigades, and thirteen pieces of artillery. The 
 militia force upon his left placed him in communication with the 
 army of General Edward Johnson, upon the Allcghany Moun 
 tain ; for a forced march of three days would have brought those 
 troops to Moorefield. At Winchester, forty miles from Romney, 
 was the Stonewall Brigade, ready to launch itself from its central 
 position upon any point of the circumference which was assailed, 
 and it was to be immediately connected with General Loring s 
 forces by a new line of telegraph. Romney itself offers an ex 
 ceedingly defensible position. It is situated in the Valley of the 
 south branch, twenty miles from the Potomac, and it could be 
 approached, from the direction of the enemy, only by two roads. 
 Of these, one ascends the valley of the river, and the other 
 crosses the mountain-ridge separating it from the vale of Patter 
 son s Creek by a narrow defile. Both these routes pass through 
 gorges in approaching the town, where the sides are utterly im 
 practicable for artillery, and a regiment might hold a host at bay. 
 East of Romney lies a low mountain, not commanded from any 
 
 35 
 
274 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 other height, but commanding the town completely, as well as the 
 highway to Winchester. The General who knew how to use 
 these advantages, might reasonably count on defending himself 
 against threefold odds, long enough to receive succor from the 
 latter place. Finally, the loyal farmers of the south branch 
 offered, from their magnificent plantations, abundant supplies for 
 the whole winter ; or, if these failed, the way was open, by a drive 
 of twenty-five miles, to the broad fields and teeming granaries 
 of the Great Valley. General Jackson designed that the 
 troops, after the construction of their winter quarters, should at 
 once strengthen their position by entrenchments; and, to this 
 end, he urgently requested that an able engineer should be sent 
 to him. 
 
 Upon his return to Winchester, he found the country full of 
 debate and difference concerning his movements. No one pre 
 sumed to dispute his courage and devotion, and many had 
 perspicacity enough to perceive, in his administration, the 
 promise of a great commander. But the larger number pro 
 fessed to depreciate his capacity, and not a few declared 
 that he was manifestly mad. They said that the man had 
 a personal disregard of danger, a hardihood of temper, and a 
 stubbornness, which made him a good fighter, where he was 
 guided by a wiser head; that he was competent to lead a 
 brigade well on the parade ground, or the battle-field, but had 
 no capacity adequate to the management of a separate com 
 mand, and an extensive district; that his headstrong and 
 unreasoning zeal, with his restless thirst for distinction, thrust 
 him into enterprises which he lacked discretion to conduct to a 
 prosperous issue, and that it was only good fortune, or the 
 better judgment of his reluctant subordinates, in lagging behind 
 his rash intentions, which saved his army from a catastrophe. 
 His wintry march, with the hardships of his men, exaggerated 
 
JACKSON S ABILITY CRITICISED. 275 
 
 ID every form by the interested falsehoods of the stragglers, 
 was denounced as inhuman. They forgot that the unreasonable 
 period to which the expedition was delayed was the fault of 
 others, and was deplored and condemned by him more than by 
 any one else. They refused to consider that he had shared all 
 the hardships of the freezing sleet, and snowy bivouac, and the 
 cold vigils, with his men, and had endured them cheerfully. 
 They were ignorant of the careful and able arrangements which 
 he had made for their comfort. So anxious was he that every 
 supply for their wants should accompany them, that when his 
 chief commissary was consulting him as to the selection of the 
 rations to be transported behind the army, and proposed to 
 take no rice along, inasmuch as it was a species of food seldom 
 preferred by the troops, he dissented, and ordered several 
 tierces to be carried, saying that his soldiers must lack for 
 nothing which they were accustomed to enjoy, so long as it was 
 practicable to furnish it. He was also charged by his critics 
 with being partial to his old brigade, Jackson s pet lambs, as 
 they were snecringly called ; it was said that he kept them in 
 the rear, while other troops were constantly thrust into danger ; 
 and that now, while the command of General Loring was left 
 in mid-winter in an alpine region, almost within the jaws of a 
 powerful enemy, these favored regiments were brought back to 
 the comforts and hospitalities of the town, whereas, in truth, 
 while the forces in Romney were ordered into huts, this brigade 
 was three miles below Winchester, in tents, and under the most 
 rigid discipline. And what would have been the outcry of the 
 objectors had General Jackson left the old brigade with General 
 Loring, and brought away a part of his troops, which had been 
 assured to him by special pledge of the Government? His 
 secrecy, which was absolute as that of the grave, piqued the 
 
276 LiJb U OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 curiosity and self-importance of these cavillers. But had he 
 condescended to explain, they would not have been able to 
 comprehend his policy. Necessities which were plain in 
 the future to his prophetic eye, they could not see. His 
 far-reaching combinations were beyond their grasp; hence, 
 to their imperfect view, the movements, which are now recog 
 nized as the promptings of a profound and original genius, 
 appeared to be the erratic spasms of rashness. And truth 
 requires the statement, that not a few of his subordinates so far 
 forgot the proprieties of their honorable profession, as to echo 
 these criticisms and lend them all their credit. Especially were 
 such persons found among those who had lately come under his 
 command. They were unaccustomed to a military regimen so 
 energetic as his. For while he was, personally, the most modest 
 of men, officially, he was the most exacting of commanders; 
 and his purpose to enforce a thorough performance of duty, 
 and his stern disapprobation of remissness and self-indulgence, 
 were veiled by no affectations of politeness. Hence, those who 
 came to serve near his person, if they were not wholly like- 
 niinded with himself, usually underwent, at first, a sort of 
 breaking in, accompanied with no little chafing to restive spirits. 
 The expedition to Romney was, to these officers, just such an 
 apprenticeship to Jackson s method of making war. All this 
 was fully known to him; but while he keenly felt its injustice, 
 he disdained to resent it, or to condescend to any explanation 
 of his policy. 
 
 On the 31st of January, he was astounded by the receipt of 
 the following order, by telegraph, from the Secretary of War : 
 " Our news indicates that a movement is making to cut off 
 General Loring s command; order him back to Winchester 
 immediately." The explanation was, that a number of officers 
 
TROOPS RECALLED FROM ROMNEY. 277 
 
 from that command, as soon as it was ordered into winter 
 quarters, had obtained furloughs and repaired to Richmond, 
 where they busily filled the ears of the public and the Govern 
 ment with complaints of the exposed and hazardous position 
 assigned them, and the rashness and severity of General 
 Jackson s rule. A petition for the recall of the troops was 
 actually signed among them, and the General complained, with 
 justice, that it was not more positively discountenanced by their 
 commander. It filled him with indignation, to see men bearing 
 their country s commission, assigning the presence of danger as 
 the ground of their complaints, as though it were not a soldier s 
 profession to brave danger; and when the withering rejoinder 
 was at hand, that, if indeed the men intrusted to their care were 
 in such peril, then it was no time for a gallant officer to be 
 wasting his days on a furlough, amidst the luxuries and 
 cabals of a far-distant capital. The demand for the recall 
 of the troops, without reference to the commander of the 
 district, directly impugned his vigilance and good judgment. 
 Yet the Secretary of War, misguided by the urgency of 
 the discontented officers, gave the peremptory order, without 
 consultation either with General Jackson, or General Joseph E. 
 Johnston, the Commandcr-in- Chief of the whole department. 
 The injury thus done to the authority and self-respect of 
 both these officers is too obvious to need illustration. Of the 
 personal clement of wrong, Jackson seemed to feel little, and 
 he said nothing. But, considering his usefulness in his District 
 at an end under such a mode of administration, he instantly 
 determined to leave it. The reply which he sent to the War 
 department is so good an example of military subordination, 
 and, at the same time, of manly independence, that it should 
 be repeated. 
 
278 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 " HEAD-QUARTERS, VALLEY DISTRICT, 
 
 "Hon. J. P. BENJAMIN, January 31 st, 1862. 
 
 Sec. of War. 
 
 "SiR, Your order requiring me to direct General Loring 
 to return with his command to Winchester, immediately, has 
 been received, and promptly complied with. 
 
 " With such interference in my command, I cannot expect to 
 be of much service in the field, and accordingly respectfully 
 request to be ordered to report for duty to the Superintendent 
 of the Virginia Military Institute, at Lexington; as has been 
 done in the case of other professors. Should this application 
 not be granted, I respectfully request that the President will 
 accept my resignation from the Army. Respectfully, etc., your 
 obed. serv., 
 
 " T. J. JACKSON." 
 
 This conditional resignation he forwarded through the ap 
 pointed channel, the head-quarters of his Commander-in- Chief. 
 At the same time, to make one more effort for preventing the 
 injury, he wrote requesting that General Johnston would coun- 
 termand the order for the retreat. To his adjutant he said, 
 li The Secretary of War stated, in the order requiring General 
 Loring s command to fall back to this place immediately, that he 
 had been informed the command was in danger of being cut off. 
 Such danger, I am well satisfied, does not exist, nor did it, in my 
 opinion, exist at the time the order was given ; and I therefore 
 respectfully recommend that the order be countermanded, and 
 that General Loring be required to return with his command to 
 the neighborhood of Romncy." But the Commander-in- Chief, 
 although concurring in his opinions of the campaign, did not 
 think it best to assume the responsibility of giving the order; 
 and all the troops returned to the vicinity of Winchester. 
 General Johnston detained the resignation for a time, and 
 
JACKSON RESIGNS. 279 
 
 immediately wrote to General Jackson, in terms alike honorable 
 to his own magnanimity, and to the reputation of the latter. 
 Descending from the position of his commander to that of a 
 friend and brothcr-in-arms, he declared his full approval of his 
 disposition of the forces, and his belief that the order of which 
 he complained was injurious to the country, and to his official 
 rights ; yet, expressing an exalted appreciation of his value to 
 the cause, he besought him to waive every personal interest, 
 to h6ld even his just rights in abeyance, and to sacrifice every 
 thing for his native land. 
 
 The news of his resignation aroused a vivid excitement in the 
 army, the capital, and the State at large, which showed that, not 
 withstanding the criticisms of his enemies, he had gained a firm 
 hold upon the affections of his countrymen. Their sympathies 
 were warmly with him against the Government. They were 
 outraged, that the only army which had marched, and which had 
 won anything from the enemy, should be thus arrested. Indeed 
 the decision and dignity of his attitude silenced at once the voices 
 of the fault-finders; and they seemed to concur in the general 
 feeling of the people of his district, which regarded him as their 
 bulwark and deliverer. He was besieged with solicitations 
 from soldiers, citizens, and clergymen, far and near, appealing 
 to his patriotism, to subordinate his sense of injustice to the 
 public good, and assuring him that, with his resignation, the 
 hopes of the people would sink. The Governor of the State, 
 besides writing to urge his continuance in the service, sent a 
 friend of the greatest weight in the Commonwealth to expostu 
 late in person against his intended retirement. To all these 
 General Jackson made the same reply. To the Governor, he 
 had tersely stated the grounds of his decision in the following 
 words : " The order was given without consulting me ; it is 
 abandoning to the enemy what has cost much preparation, 
 
280 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 expense, and exposure to secure ; it is in direct conflict with my 
 military plans; it implies a want of confidence in my capacity 
 to judge when General Loring s troops should fall back; and it 
 is an attempt to control military operations in detail, from the 
 Secretary s dc.sk at a distance." To his ambassador, he now 
 added, that he had no personal pique to satisfy j for, however 
 he might feel at another time, that he himself was wronged, the 
 hour of his country s extremity was no occasion to weigh private 
 grievances. Neither had he any complaint to lodge against his 
 superior, the Secretary of War; but, presuming that he was a 
 considerate and firm man, he must infer that the order given in 
 this case was an example of his intended system of manage 
 ment. And, then, he was satisfied that he could not hope to 
 serve his country usefully or successfully under such a system. 
 But it was the rule of his life never to hold a position where he 
 could not be useful ; his conscience forbade it. He had not 
 sought command because it was sweet to him ; he had no ambi 
 tion to gratify; the soldier s stormy career had no allurements 
 for him; and nothing on earth, save the hope of being useful to 
 his injured country, had ever persuaded him to forego the 
 happiness of a beloved home, and a congenial occupation, 
 for the daily martyrdom of his present cares. Now that 
 this hope was extinguished, he felt that the voice of duty, which 
 alone had driven him out from his happy privacy, not only per 
 mitted, but commanded his return to it. It was answered that 
 he should be willing to make sacrifices to serve his countrv, in 
 her hour of need. "Sacrifices!" he exclaimed; "have I not 
 made them ? What is my life here but a daily sacrifice ? Nor 
 shall I ever withhold sacrifices for my country, where they will 
 avail anything I intend to serve her, anywhere, in any way in 
 which I am permitted to do it with effect, even if it be as a private 
 soldier. But if this method of making war is to prevail, which 
 
GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA RECALLS HIS RESIGNATION. 281 
 
 they seek to establish in my case, the country is ruined. My 
 duty to her requires that I shall utter my protest against it in 
 the most energetic form in my power j and that is, to resign." 
 And then, traversing the floor of bis chamber with rapid strides, 
 he burst into an impetuous torrent of speech, in which lie detailed 
 his comprehensive projects with a Napoleonic fire and breadth 
 of view ; his obstacles, created by the reluctance and incompeten- 
 cy of some, with whom he had been required to co-operate ; his 
 hardships, and the heroic spirit of his troops ; the brilliant suc 
 cess with which Providence had crowned his first steps, and the 
 cruel disappointment which dashed the fruit of all his labors. 
 For a long time he was inexorable ; but at last, when he was 
 told that the Governor had, in the name of Virginia, withdrawn 
 his resignation from the files of the War Department, and re 
 quested that action should be suspended upon it until an attempt 
 was made to remove his grounds of difficulty, he consented to 
 acquiesce in this arrangement. 
 
 In a few days he received the assurance, that it had never 
 been the purpose of the Government to introduce the obnoxious 
 system against which he protested. Accepting this as a suf 
 ficient guarantee that his command would not hereafter be 
 subjected to such a system of interference, he quietly left his 
 resignation in the hands of the chief magistrate of the State, 
 and resumed his tasks. 
 
 In this transaction, General Jackson gained one of his most 
 important victories for the Confederate States. Had the system 
 of encouragement to the insubordination of inferiors, and of 
 interference with the responsibilities of commanders in the field, 
 which was initiated in his case, become established, military suc 
 cess could only have been won by accident. By his firmness, 
 the evil usage was arrested, and a lesson impressed both upon 
 the government and the public opinion of the country, which 
 
 36 
 
282 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 warrants that it will not soon be revived. Whether lie had 
 any expectation of this result, when he demanded a release 
 from the service, it is useless to surmise : if he had, his sound 
 judgment tatfght him that the way to secure this issue was 
 to seem not to expect it, but to offer an explicit resignation, 
 and to act as though he anticipated nothing else than its cer 
 tain acceptance. 
 
 The one instance in which he betrayed the emotions which 
 were aroused by the affair, has been related. In no other case 
 did he show a shade of feeling, and the grandest impression 
 which the people about him ever received of the greatness of 
 his moral nature, was that made by his demeanor under this 
 trial. He uttered no complaint against his detractors or his 
 superiors, and calmly refused to listen to those who endeavored, 
 in that form, to express their sympathy with his wrong. While 
 he thanked them for their partial estimate of his value to the 
 country, he exhorted them, for his sake, not to relax anything of 
 their own zeal ; and he showed the same care and diligence in 
 preparing everything for the advantage of his unknown suc 
 cessor, as though he had expected to continue in permanent 
 command of the district. Concerning the operations of his 
 army he had always been obstinately silent, and repelled in 
 quiry with sternness. It appeared that this reserve was dic 
 tated, not by pride or love of power, but by a sense of duty. 
 Now that the concern respected his own interests, he had no 
 secrecy, and invited the most candid expressions of opinion; 
 save that he would not permit any denunciations of those who, 
 as his friends supposed, had sought to injure him. As soon as 
 the affair was terminated, it was banished from his conversation, 
 and he was never again heard to allude to the actors in it, ex 
 cept where he could honestly applaud them. He appeared to be 
 elevated wholly above all the infirmities of passion; and the 
 
HIS CHRISTIAN SPIRIT. 283 
 
 only liuinan emotion which was apparent, even to his wife, who 
 was then on a visit to him, was the revival of his genial gaiety, 
 at the prospect of their speedy return to their home. 
 
 His domestic tastes led him, whenever his duties confined him 
 to the town, to take his meals with the family of a congenial 
 Christian friend. To them there appeared, during these trials, 
 the most beautiful display of Christian temper. His dearest re 
 laxation from the harassing cares of his command, were the 
 caresses of the children, and the prayers of the domestic altar. 
 When he led in the latter, as he was often invited to do, it was 
 with increasing humility and tenderness. A prevalent petition 
 was that they "might grow in gentleness;" and he never spoke 
 of his difficulties, except as a kind discipline, intended for his 
 good, by his Heavenly Father. 
 
 The inexpediency of the evacuation of Romney was soon 
 manifested. The ice. of January was now replaced by the mud 
 of February; and the deficiency of transportation, with the 
 timid haste of the retreat, caused a loss of tents and military 
 stores, equal to all which had been won in the advance. The 
 enemy immediately assumed the aggressive again, and reoccu- 
 pied Romney in force. February 12th they seized Moorefield, 
 and on the 14th they surprised and routed the advanced force, 
 composed of a small brigade of militia, stationed at Bloomery 
 Gap, twenty-one miles from Winchester, capturing a number of 
 prisoners. Two days after, Colonel Ashby, with his cavalry, 
 recovered the pass, which the Federalists had left in the keeping 
 of a detachment ; but they remained firmly established beyond 
 it, with a force of 12,000 men. The whole valley of the South 
 Branch was now open to their incursions. Good roads led up 
 this stream from Moorefield to its head, far in the rear of 
 General Edward Johnson s position on the Alleghany, which the 
 enemy had found so impregnable in front. The prediction of 
 
284 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 General Jackson was now verified, and that force ; to save its 
 communications, was after a little compelled to retire to the 
 Shenandoah mountain, only twenty-five miles from Staunton, thus 
 surrendering to the inroads of the Federalists the three counties 
 of Pendleton, Highland, and Bath. Winchester was again ex 
 posed to the advance of the enemy from four directions. 
 
 The difficulties of General Jackson s position were, at the 
 same time, aggravated by a diminution of his force. General 
 Loring having been assigned to a distant field of operations, his 
 command was divided between the Valley and Potomac districts. 
 The brigade of General Anderson, composed of Tennessee 
 troops, was sent, with two regiments from that of Colonel Talia- 
 ferro, to Evansport, on General Johnston s extreme right. The 
 brigade of Colonel Gilham, now commanded by the gallant 
 Colonel J. S. Burks, was retained by General Jackson, and was 
 henceforth denominated the 2d Brigade of the Army of the Val 
 ley. Two Virginia regiments only, the 23d and 37th. remained 
 to Colonel Taliaferro. These, increased afterwards by the ad 
 dition of the 10th Virginia, composed the 3d Brigade of the 
 Army of the Valley. The three militia brigades were continu 
 ally dwindling through defective organization, and before the 
 opening of the active campaign they were dissolved. The con 
 scription law of the Confederate Congress was passed not long 
 after, which released the men over thirty-five years old, and 
 swept the remainder into the regular regiments of the provi 
 sional army. When the Tennessee regiments were sent away, 
 February 22d, General Jackson informed the Commander-in- 
 Chief that his position required at least 9 ; 000 men for its de 
 fence, threatened as it was by two armies of 12,000 and 36,000 
 respectively. His effective strength was now reduced to about 
 6,000 ; but he still declared that, if the Federalist generals 
 advanced upon him, he should march out and attack the one 
 
FEDERAL FORCES OPPOSED TO JACKSON. 285 
 
 who approached first. The force on the south branch was now 
 commanded by General Lander, and was concentrated about a 
 locality on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad called Paw Paw, 
 thirty-five miles from Winchester. The importance of the ex 
 pedition which Jackson had been so anxious to make in January, 
 to destroy the great bridges about Cumberland, was now mani 
 fest. This force was able to draw its supplies by railroad from 
 the west, and to bring them unobstructed to the Great Capon 
 Bridge. That work they were rapidly rebuilding, and nothing 
 could be anticipated but that, on its completion, they would 
 break into the valley, in concert with General Banks, from the 
 northeast. The latter commander had been hitherto inactive, 
 but it was known that he had a large force cantoned at 
 Frederick City, Hagerstown, and Williamsport, in Maryland. 
 His first indications were, that he was moving his troops up the 
 northern bank of the Potomac, and effecting a junction with 
 General Lander, by boats constructed at Cumberland and 
 brought down the stream. But this movement, if it was not a 
 feint, was speedily reconsidered. On the 25th of February he 
 crossed at Harper s Ferry with 4000 men, and by the 4th of 
 March had established his head-quarters at Charlestown, seven 
 miles in advance. The remainder of his force was brought over, 
 from time to time, until he, with General Shields, had now col 
 lected about 36,000 men at that place, Harper s Ferry and 
 Martinsburg. 
 
 A General of less genius than Jackson would have certainly 
 resorted to laborious entrenchments, as an expedient for repair 
 ing the inequality of his force. But he constructed no works 
 for the defence of Winchester. To an inquiry of General Hill, 
 he replied, " I am not fortifying ; my position can be turned 
 on all sides." Knowing that, if he enclosed himself in forts, 
 the superior forces of the Federalists would envelop him, ho 
 
286 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 refused to construct works for them to occupy, after his enforced 
 evacuation. He hoped to return upon them some day, and did not 
 desire to have the necessity of reducing his own fortifications. 
 His strategy sympathized always with that of the Douglas, who 
 "preferred rather to hear the lark sing, than the rat squeak." 
 
 General Jackson, perceiving that the Commander-in-Chief 
 would not be able to give him the aid he desired, looked next 
 for co-operation to the force stationed at Lecsburg, in Loudoun 
 county, under General D. II. Hill. By providing means of rapid 
 transit across the Shenandoah at Castleman s Ferry, and estab 
 lishing a telegraph line between Leesburg and Winchester, he 
 proposed to secure a concentration of the two forces by two 
 days march at most. He also advised that General Hill should 
 proceed to the Loudoun heights, in the northwest corner of that 
 county, and station some artillery upon the mountain there over 
 looking Harper s Ferry, so as to make the ferry across the 
 stream so hazardous, and the village so untenable, as to compel 
 General Banks to relinquish that line of approach. But the 
 duty of guarding his own position forbade General Hill to ex 
 tend to him the proposed assistance. He therefore busied him 
 self in removing his sick, and his army stores to Mount Jackson, 
 in Shenandoah county, in order to be prepared either for a 
 desperate resistance at Winchester, or for a .safe retreat. While 
 he was thus occupied,. the winter ended, and the spring campaign 
 opened in good earnest; and, before the summer was over, 
 General Jackson, up to this period comparatively unknown, won 
 for himself a world-wide reputation, by a series of the most 
 brilliant achievements ; in which, with a mere handful of troops, 
 he again and again swept thousands of the enemy before him, 
 and, passing swiftly and silently from point to point, burst like 
 a thunderbolt upon the foe, when least expected, and at the 
 decisive hour. 
 
GENERAL VIEW OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1862. 287 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 GENERAL VIEW OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF 1862. 
 
 THE campaigns of 1861 had been but a prelude to the gi 
 gantic struggle which was to be witnessed in 1862. The 
 prowess and superiority which the Confederates everywhere 
 displayed, rudely awakened the people of the United States 
 from their dreams of an easy conquest, and exasperated their 
 pride and revenge. The Washington Government now resolved 
 upon a new policy. This was, to raise armies so vast, and to 
 add to their momentum by such deliberate preparation, as to 
 overwhelm their gallant enemies by material weight. Under 
 the industrious management of General M Clellan, their levies 
 reached, if they were to be believed, the enormous number of 
 seven hundred thousand men ; and it is probable that more than 
 half a million were actually under arms, and drilling with the 
 greatest care. Hitherto, the different campaigns had been de 
 tached, but in 1862 they assumed connexion with each other. 
 The movements in Virginia were related to those in the Great 
 West, and the brilliant events in the district commanded by 
 General Jackson had a vital influence upon the campaign in 
 Virginia. 
 
 In writing the military history of this great commander, two 
 objects must be kept in view. One will be to explain the 
 strategic grounds which support the propriety of his own 
 movements : the other, to show the intimate connexion of his 
 
288 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 successes with the fortunes of the war. Many persons have 
 claimed his career as an illustration of the usclcssncss of the 
 science of warfare, and an instance of success in defiance of it. 
 They have conceived of him as a leader who discarded rules, 
 arid trusted only to his fortunate star, to rapidity of movements, 
 and to hard blows. They suppose his victories were the results 
 of his boldness only, with that inexplicable chance, which, to 
 man s natural reason, appears good luck, and which a religious 
 faith, like that of Jackson, terms Providence. But while the 
 perpetual and essential influence of the divine power is asserted, 
 which alone sustains the regular connexion of means with ends, 
 it will be shown that these conceptions are erroneous ; that Gen 
 eral Jackson s campaigns were guided by the most profound and 
 original applications of military science, as well as sustained by 
 the vigor of their execution ; and that they arc an invaluable 
 study for the leader of armies. 
 
 The reader has now reached the commencement of that won 
 drous campaign in the Valley of Virginia, which created his 
 fame. Before the narrative is begun, it will not be unprofitable 
 to pass in review the general theatre of the war, and the posture 
 and advantages of the two parties. This survey, as well as the 
 subsequent history, will involve the use of a few technical terms, 
 whose definition may be helpful to the unprofessional reader. 
 In accordance with the best usage the word Strategy will be 
 employed to denote the art of giving the proper direction to the 
 movements of an army upon the theatre of war. A Strategic 
 Point is a place, which, from geographical or other reasons, 
 secures for its occupant some advantage in strategic movements, 
 and thence, sonic control over a part of the theatre of war. 
 Thus, Manassa s Junction was an important strategic point for 
 the Confederates in 1861, because the two railroads meeting 
 there gave them the decisive advantage in all movements over 
 
DEFINITIONS. 289 
 
 the territory through which they pass. So, an important for 
 tress, a focus where many highways meet, a mountain defile con 
 stituting the main entrance to a region, may be such a point. 
 The phrase General Tactics expresses the art of arraying and 
 using an army successfully upon a field of battle ; while special 
 tactics is the drill which is taught to the single soldier, the com 
 pany, or the battalion, in the several branches of infantry, 
 cavalry, or artillery. A Base of Operations is that line, or series 
 of neighboring points, in secure possession of an army, whence 
 it sets out to assail its enemy, whence it continually draws its 
 supplies and reinforcements, and to which it may retreat for 
 safety. Its Line of Operations is the zone along which an army 
 advances from its base toward the object of its attack ; and its 
 Line of Communications is but the same tract, usually, viewed in 
 the inverted direction. It might appear from this definition, 
 that an army s line of operations would be projected always at 
 right angles to its base, or in a direction approximating this; 
 but while this is often true, it is not necessarily so, and instances 
 arise in which the most successful line of operations may be 
 oblique, or even almost parallel to the base. Other terms which 
 occur will now easily explain themselves to the attentive reader, 
 without the formality of definitions. 
 
 The one decisive advantage, to which the North owes all its 
 successes over the South, has been, not its larger territories, or 
 population, or armies, or geographical position, but its superior 
 ity upon the water. And this is true, as will be made clear, 
 notwithstanding that it has been chiefly a war upon land. At 
 the division of the Union, the Government of Washington re 
 tained all the Federal Navy. Many of its States were maritime 
 and manufacturing communities ; while those of the South were 
 chiefly agricultural ; hence the multiplication of ships and sailors, 
 from the river transport up to the man-of-war, was far more 
 
 37 . 
 
290 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 rapid among them. This inequality- was made more ruinous 
 to the naval force of the South, by the further fact, that the 
 initial superiority of the North excluded her rival from all 
 foreign sources of supply, for equipping and manning ships. 
 The result has been, that the Confederates have had no oppor 
 tunity to cope with their invaders upon the water ; and wherc- 
 evcr an entrance was open to Federal ships, either upon sea or 
 river, the former have been expelled. 
 
 It has also been the misfortune of the Confederate States, to 
 have the hitherto unsettled question, whether shore-batteries can 
 prevent the passage of ships of war, decided, in novel instances, 
 of the most serious importance to them. When ships were only 
 propelled by the winds, a motive power never so forcible as 
 steam, save in tempests, variable, uncertain, liable to desert the 
 mariner at the critical moment, and leaving him no option save 
 that of moving in. a direction somewhat conformed to its own, or 
 else, of casting anchor, artillerists might well boast, that the 
 stationary battery would usually destroy the vessel which chal 
 lenged its fire. But our generation has witnessed the introduc 
 tion of steam-ships of war, having a regular and unfailing motive 
 power within themselves, propelling them irrespective of winds 
 and tides, in any direction desired, and capable of a speed as 
 safe and steady, at once, as that of the gentle breeze, and as 
 rapid as the hurricane. When to these advantages is added the 
 iron plating, which, if not impenetrable, at least delays the ruin 
 of the ship s frame-work until after a series of blows, it becomes 
 probable, that such a vessel of war might brave the bullets of 
 shore-batteries, and pass them with impunity without silencing 
 them. But the old authorities of the land service, confident in 
 the former precedents, still declared that such batteries must 
 ever be a secure protection against the entrance of ships of war 
 into rivers and harbors j and it required the disastrous events of 
 
CONFEDERATES SURROUNDED BY OCEAN. 291 
 
 Island No. 10, of New Orleans, and at last, of Vicksburg. in 
 each of which the batteries were passed, and thus rendered use 
 less, without being silenced, to teach the Confederate Govern 
 ment this new fact in warfare. 
 
 Let it be remembered, then, that the oceans which bound two 
 sides of the Confederate States, belong to their enemy, affording 
 them a way of approach, cheap, speedy, and secure from assault. 
 This fact renders the whole sea-shore, wherever harbor or inlets 
 gave access to Federal ships, a base of operations to their 
 armies. It has made it all an exposed frontier, and brought the 
 enemy upon it all, as though he had embraced its whole circum 
 ference with coterminous territories of his own. Popular read 
 ers may form to themselves some conception of the disastrous 
 influence of this fact, by representing to themselves the inland 
 kingdom of Bavaria, assailed at once on four sides, by Austria, 
 Switzerland, and the German States, all united under a single 
 hostile will. The similitude is unequal only in this, that the 
 Confederate States have a larger area than Bavaria. The 
 professional reader will comprehend our disadvantage more 
 accurately, by considering that our enemies thus had two pairs 
 of bases of operations, at right angles to each other ; whence it 
 resulted, that from whatever interior base a Confederate army 
 might set out, to meet the invading force advancing from one of 
 these sides, the Confederate line of operations must needs be 
 exposed, at a greater or less distance, to a Federal advance, from 
 another base, threatening to strike it at right angles. And the 
 cheap and rapid transit of large masses by water, from one 
 line of operations to another, gave to the exterior lines all the 
 advantages for concentration usually possessed by the interior. 
 
 But this was not the worst : the Confederate territories are pen 
 etrated in every part by navigable rivers, either opening into the 
 sea, which is the territory of the Federal, or into his own frontiers. 
 
292 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 From the cast and south, the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the 
 James, the Roanokc, the Neuse, the Cape Fear, the Savannah, 
 the Alabama, the Brazos, pierce the country from the sea, while 
 the Mississippi, itself an inland sea, which floats the greatest 
 men of war, passes out of the United States, through the middle 
 of the Confederacy, to the Gulf of Mexico. The Tennessee 
 and the Cumberland, with their mouths opening upon the Fed 
 eral frontier, and navigable in winter for war-ships as well as 
 transports, curve inward, deep into the heart of the southeastern 
 quarter ; and the Arkansas and Red Rivers open up the States 
 west of the Mississippi. Now, the naval supremacy of the 
 Federalists having been asserted upon all these streams, it is the 
 least part of the evil, that their fertile borders have all been 
 exposed to ravage, and the wealthy cities which grace them, 
 have been wrested from the Confederates. The margins of all 
 these rivers arc thus made capable of becoming new bases of 
 operations for invading armies, as secure as their own frontiers. 
 The difficulties of distance, arising from the great extent of the 
 Confederate territories, are reduced, and worst of all, no 
 interior base remains to the Confederates, from which strategic 
 operations can proceed in any direction, but that line is found 
 parallel to some one of these bases of Federal operations ; and 
 so, exposed at no great distance, to their advance at right 
 angles. upon it, Or, if there is an exception, it is only found in 
 the regions surrounding the Appalachian Range, in Virginia, the 
 Carolinas, and Georgia, equally removed from the navigable 
 waters of the Ohio, the Tennessee, and the Atlantic streams. 
 And here, accordingly, the Confederates may be expected to 
 make their most successful resistance, and the Federalists to find 
 their accidental advantages lost, and their true obstacles begin 
 ning. 
 
 The true strategic difficulties of the Confederates, have ever 
 
CONSEQUENCES TO CONFEDERATES. 293 
 
 arisen more from their enemies command of the water, than 
 from their superior numbers. A review of the crowd of disasters 
 with which the year 18G2 opened, will be the best illustration 
 of these reasonings. 
 
 The first of these was the battle of Mill Spring, or of 
 Somerset, in the southeastern part of Kentucky; where the 
 Confederates, at first victorious, were struck with discourage 
 ment by the death of their beloved commander Gen. Zolli- 
 coffcr, and suffered a defeat. This insulated event was without 
 consequence, save as it showed improved spirit and drill in 
 the Federal soldiery. February 8th, a Federal fleet and army, 
 entering Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, overpowered the 
 feeble armament on land and water, by which the Confed 
 erates sought to .defend Roanoke Island, the key to all the 
 inland waters of the region. The enemy established himself 
 there; and this naval success was one of the causes, which 
 led to the evacuation of Norfolk at a later day ; because 
 it gave a base for offensive operations against the rear of its de 
 fences. The Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston, to 
 whom the defence of Kentucky and Tennessee was entrusted, 
 had stationed his main force at Bowling Green, in Kentucky, a 
 position in itself strong and well chosen. But his retention of 
 it depended upon his closing the Mississippi, Tennessee, and 
 Cumberland Rivers, to the enemy; because the former ran 
 parallel with his line of communications, and the two latter 
 actually passed behind his rear. He* attempted to close the 
 Mississippi by batteries at Columbus, the Tennessee by Fort 
 Henry, and the Cumberland by Fort Donelson. The first of 
 these posts was supposed by friends and enemies, to be of ade 
 quate strength. But the second fell after a feeble defence, Febru 
 ary Gth, and the third after a bloody and heroic resistance, 
 February 15th. These events at once compelled the evacuation 
 
294 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 * 
 
 of Columbus, on the Mississippi, because they gave the Federal 
 ists, on the -margin of the two rivers now opened to them, a base 
 of operations parallel to the line of communications which con 
 nected the Confederate army, at Columbus, with their base. 
 The next defence was attempted at Island No. 10, between that 
 place and the city of Memphis. The Federalists, after an ex 
 pensive and futile bombardment, made an essay to pass the 
 batteries with their gunboats, without waiting to silence them; 
 and being partially successful in this, compelled the cvacuation t 
 of the post, which they could not reduce, by threatening the 
 communications of the garrison. The necessary corollary was 
 the fall of Memphis without a defence. There now remained 
 for the Confederates, no practicable line of operations, in all 
 West and Middle Tennessee: for the reason that the three 
 streams, diverging from points near Cairo, the great naval depot 
 of the Federalists, and open to their fleets, gave them bases of 
 operations on all their banks, parallel to any line upon which 
 the other party might move. The determination of Generals 
 A. S. Johnston and Beauregard to transfer the campaign to the 
 southern bank of the Tennessee, was therefore in strict con 
 formity with military principle ; although it required the loss of 
 the Capital of the fine State of Tennessee, and two-thirds of its 
 territory. The result of their wise strategy was the victory of 
 Shiloh, April 6th : yet even this was almost neutralized by the 
 facility of concentration, which the naval resources of the enemy 
 gave them. The selection of Corinth as the strategic point for 
 the protection of the State of Mississippi was also correct : for 
 it gave the command of the railroads diverging thence eastward 
 and southward. But the advantage of river transportation for 
 troops and munitions of war, to the neighborhood, speedily 
 enabled the Federalists to assemble so enormous a preponder 
 ance of means in front of General Beauregard s position there, 
 
LOSS OF NEW ORLEANS TO SOUTHWEST. 295 
 
 as to compel his retreat to an interior point. Had lie withstood 
 this motive for retreat, another, still more controlling, would in 
 time, have appeared: the Mississippi River, now open to the 
 enemy to Vicksburg, offered them a base, parallel to General 
 Beauregard s line of communications from Corinth with his 
 rear ; so that it was practicable to assail that line by advancing 
 from the water. 
 
 The extravagant joy of the Federalists at the fall of Forts 
 Henry and Donelson was generally ridiculed. It was said that 
 the capture of two hastily-constructed earthworks, mounting a 
 few cannon, was no exploit to justify the boastings of a great 
 fleet and army, employed in their reduction. The results of 
 these successes were far greater than their glory; and they 
 spoke far more strongly against the providence of the Confed 
 erate rulers, than for the prowess of the Federal armies. The 
 true gravity of the events was not in .the fact, that the reduc 
 tion of such works was a difficult or honorable task : but in the 
 fact that the Confederates lacked cither the wisdom or the 
 means to interpose more stable defences in avenues of such 
 vital importance to their campaign. It is now manifest, that 
 the possession of the three rivers decided that of the theatre 
 of war. It is not intended that the mere access to the margins 
 of these streams, and the opportunity to use them as bases of 
 operations on land, would have been enough, without a prepon 
 derance of military means to be employed thence; but that, 
 without the advantage of these bases, even the great superiority 
 of the Federal numbers would not have availed to give them 
 the campaign. 
 
 But the most fatal of all these advantages was the occupation 
 of. New Orleans. This success also resulted from the discovery, 
 whose novelty was so unfortunate for the Confederate cause, 
 that war steamers could pass batteries with impunity. After 
 
296 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the chief of the naval force had despaired of the reduction of 
 the forts which guarded the approaches to the city, Commodore 
 Farragut, April 24th, essayed, what was then esteemed the rash 
 experiment of passing them by night, with perfect success. 
 The rich and unarmed city then lay at his mercy; for the 
 Confederates had no fleet adequate to resist his approach, and 
 the surrender of the forts was the obvious sequel to the loss 
 of that, which they were intended to protect. The Mississippi 
 River was now open to the Federal navies through all its length, 
 except the section embraced between the fortresses of Port 
 Hudson and Vicksburg. Thus, their strategic advantages were 
 extended indefinitely for operating in all the States on both 
 sides of its waters. The greater success of the Federalists in 
 their southwestern campaigns is explained by the position of 
 these great rivers. When the advantage which they possessed 
 in them is considered, the only wonder will be, that they did not 
 accomplish more, with their vast military resources. Their 
 failure to conquer the whole is only to be explained by their 
 own timidity and feebleness in execution, coupled with the 
 bravery and talent of the Confederates. It is no small glory 
 to the latter, to have saved any part of their country from an 
 enemy possessed of strategic advantages so deadly. 
 
 The policy which should have been adopted for defence by 
 the Confederate Government, is also indicated by these events. 
 They should have understood that there were four vital points, 
 the mouth of the Mississippi, its course at the western ex 
 tremity of Kentucky, the mouth of the Tennessee, and the 
 mouth of the Cumberland, to the defence of which every en- 
 ergy should have been bent from the first day of the war. 
 The loss of one of these, and especially of one of the last 
 three, rendered nugatory the defence of the others ; because the 
 invading army, penetrating along the one stream which it had 
 
CONFEDERATES NEEDED SHIPS. 297 
 
 opened, could base itself upon its banks, far in the rear of the 
 forces defending the other two, and, by threatening their commu 
 nications, compel their retreat. The obstacles placed upon all 
 of them should, therefore, have been equally impregnable. It 
 had been better to neglect anything else, and to suffer any incur 
 sions by land, than to fail in this. And since the recent intro 
 duction of steam into ships of war, with the earnest warnings of 
 enlightened naval men, ought to have aroused at least a mistrust 
 of shore-batteries, as a sufficient defence against ships, other and 
 more certain means of resistance should have been provided at 
 these essential points. To the construction of enough efficient 
 war-ships to hold these four avenues, the energies of the Gov 
 ernment and people should have been directed, at the earliest 
 hour, with an activity akin to that of desperation. The Con 
 federates then possessed the wealth, the skilled labor, and the 
 material supplies, of Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and 
 Norfolk ; by neglecting to expend a part early and wisely, they 
 lost the whole of them. 
 
 At the place last named, the Confederates were employed 
 during the winter, in one enterprise, which pointed in the right 
 direction; the construction of the iron-clad steamer, Virginia. 
 This powerful and unique ship, armed with the most formidable 
 rifled cannon, was prepared for action early in March, and on 
 the 8th of that month, attacked the Federal fleet in Hampton 
 Roads, destroying three frigates and several gunboats, and 
 putting the remainder to flight. 
 
 This brilliant action filled the people with delight, and the 
 noble ship was accepted as a sufficient defence for the mouth of 
 James River, against all the men-of-war which the Federalists 
 could at that time bring against -her. Her prowess showed 
 that a few such vessels in the Mississippi might have saved the 
 
298 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 disasters of the southwest, and the occupation of a third of 
 its territory. 
 
 The disparity of the strength of the two parties was pointed 
 out at the beginning of the war. The geographical position of 
 the Confederate States, it has been now shown, rendered them 
 yet weaker for a defensive war; but to this species of resist 
 ance they were shut up. At the beginning of the campaign of 
 1862, they had experienced a farther diminution of strength; 
 in the virtual loss of Kentucky and Missouri. A few of the 
 chivalrous citizens of these States, accepting banishment rather 
 than subjugation, followed the fortunes of the Confederacy; but 
 their territories, their revenues, and their wealth were now in 
 the hands of the oppressors. The military events which induced 
 this result need not be detailed here \ for they would lead too 
 far away from the proper subject the Virginian campaign. 
 After this loss, which occurred before the struggle reached its 
 acme, the Confederates States had about eight and a half 
 millions of people, including among them nearly all the Africans 
 of the South, with whom to resist twenty millions. This state 
 ment declares, more forcibly than any eloquence of words, the 
 heroic character of the defence which they have since made. 
 
 Comparisons of present with past events assist us to appre 
 ciate the merit of the latter, by the help of the estimate estab 
 lished for the former in history. Let the defence of the 
 Southern Confederacy against the United States, be illustrated, 
 for instance, by that of Spain, in the Peninsular War, against 
 the designs of Napoleon, which were not unlike the aggressions 
 of the Federals in iniquity. Spain then possessed about eleven 
 millions of people, an army of one hundred and twenty-seven 
 thousand men, and a navy superior to that of the United States, 
 at the opening of this war. Her soil was open to the invader 
 only at one quarter, for the sea which surrounds her was held 
 
FEDERAL POSITIONS IN APRIL, 1862. 299 
 
 by tlic fleets of England, in conjunction with her own ; and 
 these reduced the navy of France to an absolute inactivity. 
 Access to her wealthy colonies was open throughout the strug 
 gle, and no blockade obstructed the entrance of the British 
 arms and supplies. On the other hand, the population of .tho 
 French Empire was double that of the Federal States, but the 
 armies of the Emperor were not more numerous than those 
 employed for our conquest. The vast difference against Napo 
 leon was, that during the whole Spanish struggle, his strength 
 w*as also tasked with gigantic wars elsewhere while the malice 
 of the Federal has met no diversion from any other nation in 
 its concentration upon the work of our destruction, and to his 
 armies, equal to all the imperial legions, must be added the 
 efforts of a great navy. Yet, with these relative means of 
 aggression, Napoleon overran the whole territory of Spain, 
 occupied her capital, and compelled her to a war of six years, 
 in which she was seconded by the whole military power .of 
 Great Britain, to shake off his grasp. What, then, must have 
 been the energy of the Southern character, as compared with 
 the Spanish, or what the impotency of the Federal administra 
 tion as compared with the French, to reduce the consequences 
 of their invasion to so partial a limit, at the end of three years 
 of lavish expenditure and bloodshed ? 
 
 The opening of the campaign of 1862 found the Federalists 
 firmly seated upon the coast of South Carolina at Beaufort, and 
 of North Carolina at Fort Macon, Newberne, and Roanoke 
 Island. On the eastern borders of Virginia, they occupied 
 Fortress Moriroe, and Newport News, all the lower peninsula 
 between the James and York Rivers, and the mouth of the Rap- 
 pahannock. Near the ancient towns of Williamsburg and York, 
 General Magrudcr, with a few thousand men, held their superior 
 numbers at bay : and his guns maintained a precarious command 
 
300 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 over the channels of the two rivers. Around Washington, 
 swarmed "the Grand Army" of General M Clellan, upon both 
 banks of the Potomac ; while its wings extended from the lower 
 regions of the State of Maryland, to the Alleghanies. It was 
 confronted by the army of General Joseph E. Johnston, with its 
 right wing resting upon the Potomac to Evansport, and com 
 manding the river by a formidable battery, its centre about 
 Manassa s Junction, and its left at Winchester under General 
 Jackson. This army was composed of volunteers enlisted for 
 one year ; and the hour when their term of service expired, was 
 now fast approaching. 
 
 Neither State nor Confederate Government had yet adopted 
 any permanent system for raising or recruiting armies. The 
 Congress was just moving, under the impulse of threatening dis 
 asters, towards the adoption of a general conscription, which 
 placed all the male white population, between the ages of 
 eighteen and thirty-five, in the military service. 
 
 But this law, while it promised ultimately to bring a multitude 
 of new soldiers into the service, released a number of veterans, 
 who were more than thirty-five years old. It moreover involved 
 the reorganization of every regiment, by the election of new 
 officers; a work which was in progress throughout the early 
 months of the campaign. All the forces of the Confederacy, 
 being volunteers, had claimed the republican privilege of elec 
 tion. The fruits of this vicious system of appointment were 
 now becoming more painfully manifest ; when to its other relax 
 ations of authority were added the desire on the part of the 
 officers to propitiate the favor of their soldiers by indulgence, in 
 view of the approaching vote, and the disposition of other 
 aspirants to oppose their pretensions to a re-election, by every 
 species of cabal. The troops were chiefly raised by authority 
 of the States : during the remainder of the war, they were to be 
 
NEW MILITARY LAWS. 301 
 
 governed by that of the Confederacy. That power therefore 
 proposed to introduce, along with their conscription, a uniform 
 system for its armies. The 3rd of March, General Jackson, 
 through a member of Congress from his Military District, urged 
 the adoption of two principles : of which one was, that the 
 right of electing should be arrested, save for the lowest rank of 
 commissioned officers, third lieutenants: and that above that 
 grade, all vacancies should be filled by promotion. The second 
 was, that promotion . should not be obtained by seniority, un 
 less the applicant was approved by a Board of Examiners, 
 whose rejection, when sanctioned by the Commander-in-Chief of 
 a Department, should be final. Although the reorganization of 
 the Virginia regiments, for the second year, was completed under 
 laws of the State, without these wholesome regulations, they 
 were soon after embodied in the laws of Congress. Their 
 effect has been steadily to raise the efficiency of the officers, and 
 thus, the discipline of the army. But during the first, and the 
 greater part of the second campaign, the lack of competent and 
 energetic officers for companies and regiments, was the bane of 
 the service, and the constant grievance of the commanders. In 
 many, there was neither an intelligent comprehension of their 
 duties, nor zeal in their performance. 
 
 Appointed by the votes of their neighbors and friends, to lead 
 them, they would neither exercise that rigidity in governing, nor 
 that detailed care in providing for the wants of their men, which 
 are necessary to keep soldiers efficient. The duties of the drill 
 and the sentry-post were often negligently performed ; and the 
 most profuse waste of ammunition, and other military stores, was 
 permitted. It was indeed seldom that these officers were guilty 
 of cowardice upon the field of battle ; but they were often in 
 the wrong place, fighting as common soldiers, when they should 
 have been directing others. Above all, was their inefficiency 
 
302 -LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 marked by their inability to keep their men in the ranks. 
 " Absenteeism " grew under them to a monstrous evil ; and while 
 those who were animated by principle were bravely in their 
 places on the day of action, every poltroon and laggard found a 
 way to creep from the ranks. Indeed, it was no rare thing to hear 
 these leaders reason, that efforts to keep the latter class in their 
 places were injudicious ; because they would be of no use, if 
 present ! Hence the frequent phenomenon, that regiments 
 which, on the books of the commissary appeared as consum 
 ers of five hundred or a thousand rations, were reported as 
 carrying into action two hundred and fifty, or three hundred 
 bayonets. The thinness of these ranks must needs be repaired 
 by the greater devotion and gallantry of the true men. They 
 were compelled to take their own share of the bullets, and those 
 of the cowards in addition : and thus, the blood which was shed 
 in battle was almost exclusively that of the noblest and best, 
 while the ignoble currents, in the veins of the base, were hus 
 banded. 
 
 At the approach of the spring campaign, other causes, less 
 discreditable, concurred to diminish -the armies in Virginia. 
 Furloughs were liberally given, in order to encourage the men 
 to re-enlist with cheerfulness. A majority of the officers were 
 at their homes, professedly engaged in collecting absentees, or in 
 recruiting new men. The fevers of the previous autumn had 
 decimated the most of the regiments. While, therefore, the 
 diligence of the Federal Government was swelling the host of 
 M Clellan to two hundred and thirty thousand men, the command 
 of General Johnston was absolutely diminished more than one 
 half, when the season of activity arrived. It was manifest that 
 lie would be in no condition to cope with his adversary, in his 
 present positions. His chief protection against a catastrophe 
 bad been, for some time, the condition of the roads, which 
 
FEDERAL PLANS OF STRATEGY. 303 
 
 forbade campaigning. A winter and early spring of unpre 
 cedented rains bad so softened the argillaceous soil of the Bull 
 "Run, that the two armies lay immovable, like two hostile ships 
 fast grounded in a shoal of mud, a little too remote for combat. 
 General M Clellan was anxiously awaiting the first drying suns 
 of March, to move his gigantic army forward to that triumph, 
 for which he had been so assiduously preparing them for eight 
 months ; and General Johnston was watching for the same junc 
 ture, to retire to a more interior line of defence. 
 
 The goal of the Federal advance was, of course, to be Rich 
 mond; and to its capture, every movement was to converge. 
 General M^Clcllan was to drive back the left wing of the Con 
 federate army at Winchester, by the forces under Shields and 
 Banks, to insulate and overpower the right wing resting on the 
 Potomac at Evansport, and to surround and crush General 
 Johnston at Manassas, or else to force him toward Richmond, 
 and pursue him. The army on the Peninsula, setting out from 
 Fortress Monroe, was to press back General Magruder, and 
 assail the capital from the East. The forces in the Valley, 
 having beaten General Jackson, were cither to converge towards 
 the rear of Manassa s Junction, by crossing the Blue Ridge, or 
 else to march southwestward up that District, and at Staunton, 
 meet a powerful force from the Northwest, which was preparing 
 to advance from Wheeling, under General Fremont. Staunton 
 was manifestly one of the most important strategic points in 
 Central Virginia. It is situated on the Central Railroad, and at 
 the intersection of the great Valley Turnpike (a paved road 
 which extends from the Potomac continuously to the extremity of 
 Southwestern Virginia). It is also the terminus of the Turnpike 
 to Parkersburg, in Northwest Virginia, and H\Q focus of a number 
 of important highways. Its possession decided that of the whole 
 interior of the State, and of another avenue, the Central Rail- 
 
oU4 s LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEBAL JACKSON. 
 
 road, leading to Richmond from its western side. As this road, 
 on its way to the capital, passes by Gordonsville, the intersection 
 of the Orange and Alexandria road, on which General Johnston 
 now depended as his sole line of communications; its possession 
 by the Federalists would at once endanger that line, and compel 
 him to seek a position still more interior. Moreover, Eastern 
 Virginia, south of Gordonsville, was the great tobacco-planting 
 region, and consequently, yielded no large supplies for the capi 
 tal or armies. The great central counties, to which Staunton 
 was the key, were the granary of the Commonwealth. There 
 was, then, little hope that the capital, with the large armies 
 necessary for its defence, when thus insulated from its sources 
 of supply, and open only to the south, would endure a very long 
 investment. Considering these things, and remembering that if 
 Staunton were- surrendered, the concentration of General Banks 
 and General Fremont s columns there must inevitably occur, 
 thus placing a third army of commanding strength far in the 
 rear of General Johnston s left, and of his temporary base, 
 General Jackson declared that the defence of the Valley was 
 essential to the defence of Virginia. Geographically, it is the 
 heart of the State. Its vast resources were essential to our 
 strength; and if seized by the enemy, would enable them to 
 deal deadly blows. If they seated themselves in force there, 
 they could not be dislodged, save at great cost; because no 
 favorable base and line of operations against them, would 
 remain to the Confederates. 
 
 The retreat of General Johnston from Manassa s Junction 
 implied that of General Jackson from Winchester, for reasons 
 already explained (in Chap. VII.) ; and for the latter, no practi 
 cable line of operations would remain north of Front Royal and 
 Strasbourg. These two villages, both on the line of the Manas 
 sa s Gap Railroad, marked the opening of the twin valleys, into 
 
JACKSOX DETERMINES TO RETREAT TOWARDS STAUNTOX. 305 
 
 which the Masanuttin Mountains divide the Great Valley for 
 fifty miles. The strategic question for General Jackson was, 
 whether he should mov&.to Front Royal, at the mouth of the 
 Eastern Valley, or to Strasbourg, at the beginning of the West 
 ern, and on the great road leading to Staunton. At the begin 
 ning of March, this question was receiving careful discussion by 
 letters between his Commander-in- Chief and him. The former 
 advised that he should retire to Front Royal, and thence, up the 
 south branch of the Shenandoah, because it was in the direction 
 of his own intended retreat, and therefore upon convergent 
 lines ; because thus, the retreating wings would be prepared for 
 a more rapid concentration than those of the invading army, and 
 for a vigorous blow at each of them in turn : and because it was 
 contrary to all sound discretion to allow the enemy to attain a 
 point between the Manassa s Army and the Army of the Valley, 
 from which he might act against them on interior lines. Gen 
 eral Johnston accordingly enjoined on General Jackson, not to 
 permit the Federalists to insinuate themselves between Win 
 chester and the Blue Ridge. Had there been no armies on the 
 theatre of war, save those of M Clellan and Johnston, Banks 
 and Jackson, these views would have been correct. But Gen 
 eral Jackson declared his preference for a retreat up the main 
 Valley, in the direction of Staunton. That place, he argued, 
 would be the object of Banks s endeavors, rather than a junction 
 with M Clellan in front of General Johnston; because, by ap 
 proaching Staunton, he threatened General Edward Johnson s 
 rear, and compelled his retreat without a blow ; he thus opened 
 the way for General .Fremont s unobstructed advance, and 
 effected a junction with him; and he placed himself, in re 
 doubled force, so far in the rear of General Johnston s left, 
 and so near his line of communications, as to necessitate his 
 retiring without battle, and yielding to M Clcllan the vast and 
 
 39 
 
306 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 precious circuit of country which has been described. For this 
 reason, he said the main Valley must not be left open to Gen 
 eral Banks. But unless the Confederates from Winchester 
 moved so decisively towards the Blue Ridge, as to leave the 
 road to Staunton undefended against him, they could not effect 
 General Johnston s purpose, of converging on lines shorter and 
 more concentric than those of the enemy s advance. Indeed, 
 since a short march from Charlestown, by the way of Berryville 
 and Milwood, would place General Banks at the fords of the 
 Shenandoah, and on the main roads from Winchester to Manas- 
 sa s, if that purpose were to be the dominant one, the Confed 
 erate army ought to move that very day, not towards Front 
 Royal, but directly towards Manassa s. If such an object were 
 in view as dictated the masterly strategy of July, 1861 [to 
 make an immediate concentration, and fight a successful battle 
 for the retention of Manassa s Junction], then this would be 
 the proper movement; but in no other case. On the other 
 hand, he declared that he did not believe General Banks 
 could cross the Blue Ridge, to bear upon General Johnston, 
 while he remained in the Valley near him, acting upon the line 
 of communications with Staunton, and continually threatening 
 his right. General Jackson therefore desired to be permitted to 
 retire to Strasbourg ; but he closed his manly argument with the 
 assurance, that he should promptly and cheerfully obey the 
 wishes of his Commander-in-Chief, whatever they might be. 
 General Johnston conceded to him the exercise of his own dis 
 cretion; and he made preparations to retreat, when it became 
 necessary, up the Valley, by sending his stores and sick to 
 Mount Jackson, forty-five miles above Winchester. It will ap 
 pear how far events confirmed his speculations. 
 
 To a friend in the Confederate Congress, General Jackson 
 thus disclosed his own wishes. Speaking of the Valley of Vir- 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 307 
 
 ginia, lie says : " What I desire is, to hold the country as far 
 as practicable, until we are in a condition to advance ; and then, 
 with God s blessing, let us make thorough work of it. But let 
 us start right. . . . 
 
 "In regard to your question as to how many troops I need, 
 you will probably be able to form some idea, when I tell you 
 that Banks, who commands about 35,000 has his head-quarters 
 in Charlestown, and that Kelly, who has succeeded Lander, has 
 probably 11,000, with his head-quarters near Paw Paw. Thus 
 you see two Generals, whose united force is near 46,000, of 
 troops already organized for three years or the war, opposed to 
 our little force here j but I do not feel discouraged. Let me 
 have what force you can. M Clellan, as I learn, was at 
 Charlestown on Friday last : there may be something significant 
 in this. You observe then, the impossibility of saying how 
 many troops I will require, since it is impossible for me to know 
 how many will invade us. I am delighted to hear you say 
 Virginia is resolved to consecrate all her resources, if necessary, 
 to the defence of herself. Now we may look for war in earnest." 
 
 " You ask me for a letter respecting the Valley. I am well 
 satisfied that you can say much more about it than I can, and in 
 much more forcible terms. I have only to say this j that if this 
 Valley is lost, Virginia is lost. 
 
 "Very truly, your friend,. 
 
 " T. J. JACKSON." 
 
308 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 KERNSTOWN. 
 
 BY the lltli of March, 1862, General Jackson had removed 
 all his sick and supplies to Mount Jackson, and had gathered in 
 all his troops from the outposts to Winchester. He now had 
 only the First, Second, and Third Virginia Brigades, the last 
 containing two small regiments, Colonel Ashby s regiment of 
 horse, and six batteries of field artillery. On that day, General 
 Banks approached within four miles of Winchester, on the 
 north, and General Jackson went out and offered him battle. 
 This challenge Banks declined, although his force present on the 
 field was fourfold, and preferred to await the arrival of General 
 Shields with his reserves. The Confederates, therefore, returned 
 in the evening to their camp around the town, and General 
 Jackson assembled the commander and colonels of the Stonewall 
 Brigade, as a council of war, to lay before them a daring project 
 which he had conceived. While he was awaiting them, he went 
 to take his supper with the hospitable family whose board he 
 frequented, and appeared in their parlor with his military cloak, 
 spurs, sword, and haversack. His spirits were unusually bright 
 and genial, and his countenance glowed with animation. His 
 friends, on the contrary, were oppressed with gloom ; for they 
 could not but - see that the movement of stores to the rear, 
 which had been o complete, portended the evacuation of Win 
 chester, and their surrender to the hated oppressions of the 
 
JACKSON PLANS NIGHT ATTACK. 309 
 
 enemy. To the inquiries of the ladies, he replied by a polite 
 evasion, while he evidently sought to relieve their apprehensions. 
 According to the usage of the family, the domestic devotions 
 were to follow the meal ; but the master, presuming that Gen 
 eral Jackson must be too busy on this occasion to be delayed 
 by them, paused to give him an opportunity to retire. He, 
 however, requested the privilege of joining in them. At their 
 close, he arose, asked that a lunch be placed in his haversack, 
 and went away with a cheerful good evening, merely saying 
 that he hoped to dine with them on the morrow as usual. His 
 friends, re-assured by his air, and by their implicit confidence in 
 his prowess, went out to make a call. In an hour, the General 
 returned, with a rapid stride, and gave the door-bell an ener 
 getic ring. Upon learning that the family were out, he left with 
 the servants a request that their master should repair to his 
 head-quarters immediately after his return ; and they said that 
 he looked anxious and hurried. His friend hastened down to 
 his office, and found him prepared for mounting, striding across 
 the room with rapid steps, and depressed with an inexpressible 
 weight of sadness. General Jackson then explained that it was 
 his plan to march the army back by night, after allowing them 
 time to refresh themselves, to General Banks s front, and, having 
 made his dispositions in profound silence, to begin a fierce 
 attack upon him at the " small hours " of the morning. General 
 Shields had not yet come within a supporting distance ; but by 
 the next day he would be united with his commanding general, 
 and the odds would then be so enormous that it would be 
 madness to resist them. General Banks had an army of new 
 and unsteady troops, half intimidated by the fame and valor 
 of the Confederates, while the latter were animated by a tower 
 ing enthusiasm and confidence. He believed that the darkness, 
 the suddenness and fury of his attack, the lack of experience in 
 
310 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 evolutions among the Federalists, would throw them into confu 
 sion ; and, by the vigorous use of the bayonet, and the blessing 
 of the Providence in which he trusted, he should inflict upon 
 them a great overthrow. He was exceedingly loath to leave 
 the gallant, loyal, and generous town, with all the line country 
 around it, to their ruthless sway, without a struggle. But 
 when he consulted his officers, he found them too reluctant, to 
 permit him to hope for a successful execution of his plan. 
 They argued that the troops had already marched ten miles to 
 and fro that day, and the night attack would require a farther 
 journey of six miles, after which they would reach the scene of 
 action too much wearied to effect anything ; and that there was 
 at least a probability of an advance of the enemy from Berry- 
 ville ; which would place them, at the critical moment, upon the 
 right and rear of the Confederates. 
 
 As he detailed these facts, General Jackson paced his floor in 
 painful indecision, and repeated an expression of his bitter re 
 luctance to leave Winchester without one brave stroke for its 
 defence. Then passing full before the candles, he lifted up his 
 face with a look of lofty determination, and his hand convulsively 
 grasped the hilt of his sword, while he slowly hissed through his 
 clenched teeth words to this effect: "But Let me think may 
 I not execute my purpose still ? " As he uttered this, his eye 
 burned with a fire before which his friend, who had never seen 
 the light of battle in his face, confessed he could not but tremble. 
 Then releasing his sword, he dropped his head, and said, " No : 
 I must not do it : it may cost the lives of too many brave men. 
 I must retreat, and wait for a better time." The air of grief 
 again possessed him, and he proposed to return to his friend s 
 dwelling, to take leave of his family. He bade them a sad fare 
 well, but said he hoped a good Providence would enable him 
 soon to return, and bring them deliverance. The next morning, 
 
MOVEMENTS OP M CLELLAN AND JOHNSTON. 311 
 
 at dawn of clay, the Confederate army left Winchester for Stras 
 bourg, and at 9 o clock, A. M., the column of General Banks 
 began cautiously to enter it. As they approached, Colonel Ash- 
 by slowly withdrew his troopers into the streets, and then 
 through the town, while he remained the last man, and sat 
 quietly upon his horse, until the enemy had approached within a 
 short distance ; when he gave his defiant shout, and galloped 
 away. The Federalists found not a single prisoner, horse, 
 musket, or wagon, to enrich their conquest. The citizens of 
 Winchester, who saw their nervous timidity at the thought of 
 Stonewall Jackson s proximity, and their ignorance of his real 
 numbers, were convinced that, had the night attack been made, 
 they would have been utterly routed. General Shields s troops 
 were so far in the rear, that they did not begin to arrive until 
 2 o clock, P. M., and it is therefore manifest that the affair Avould 
 have been decided, before they reached the scene of action. But 
 the panic among their friends would not have been slow to 
 propagate itself among them. 
 
 General Jackson wished, after once surrendering the lower 
 Valley, to draw the enemy farther into the country, and thus 
 both to relieve General Johnston of their pressure, and to dimin 
 ish the numbers with whom he would be required to deal in 
 his front. After marching to Strasbourg, twenty miles above 
 Winchester, the 12th of March, he retreated slowly to the neigh 
 borhood of Mt. Jackson, reaching it the 17th. There he received 
 a despatch from General Johnston, dated March 19th, stating that 
 it was most desirable the enemy s force in the Valley should be 
 detained there, and prevented from reinforcing General M Clel 
 Ian. To effect this, he requested General Jackson to return 
 nearer the enemy, and remain in as threatening attitude as was 
 practicable without compromising the safety of his army. The 
 Commandcr-in-Chief was completing that hazardous retreat 
 
312 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 from Manassa s Junction to the south side of the Rappahannock, 
 begun March 10th, by which he so skilfully delivered his army, 
 and its whole materiel, from the jaws of his powerful enemy. 
 M Clellan was also endeavoring to envelop him with his multi 
 tudinous hordes, and, to this end, was just drawing a number of 
 regiments from the army of Banks, to aid in turning General 
 Johnston s left. They had already begun their march, and were 
 preparing to cross the Blue Ridge at Snicker s Gap, while their 
 General, regarding Jackson as a fugitive whom it was vain to 
 pursue, had returned to Washington to boast of his bloodless 
 conquest, leaving the remainder of his army in charge of Gen 
 eral Shields. Upon receiving the orders of his Commander-in- 
 Chief, the Confederate General prepared for a rapid return 
 towards Winchester. Leaving the neighborhood of Mount 
 Jackson, March 22d, he marched that day to Strasbourg, twenty- 
 six miles; while Colonel Ashby, with his cavalry and a light 
 battery of three guns, advanced before him, and drove the 
 enemy s outposts into Winchester. The rapidity of this move 
 ment took them by surprise. The troops which remained with 
 General Shields were encamped below the town, and Ashby 
 found only a feeble force in his front. With these he skir 
 mished actively and successfully ; and, in the combat, an explod 
 ing shell from one of his guns broke the arm of the Federal 
 Commander. So audacious was Ashby s pursuit, that his scouts 
 privately penetrated the town of Winchester, and communicated 
 with the citizens. The latter, knowing that many regiments had 
 been sent towards Manassa s, by Snicker s Gap, and seeing very 
 few remaining near the town, assisted to confirm him in .the 
 impression of the paucity of the enemy s numbers. He accord 
 ingly sent back to General Jackson the assurance that there 
 were but four regiments of infantry occupying Winchester, and 
 that they were preparing to return to Harper s Ferry : which 
 
JACKSON ADVANCES TO KERNS10WN. 313 
 
 encouraged him, in turn, to push forward his whole force on the 
 morning of the 23d. Cut the alarmed enemy had advanced all 
 the forces encamped below the town, and had sent couriers to 
 recall all those which were on their march towards Manassa s. 
 When the General, therefore, reached Barton s Mills, five miles 
 from the town, at noon of that day, he found Ashby pressed 
 back to the highlands south of Kernstown, and confronted by 
 considerable masses of the enemy. 
 
 It was the Sabbath day j and if there was one principle of 
 General Jackson s religion, which was more stringent than the 
 others, it was his reverence for its sanctity. He had yielded to 
 the demands of military necessity, so far as to march on the 
 sacred morning, that he might not lose the advantages which 
 opportunity seemed to place within his reach ; but now a more 
 inexorable necessity was upon him. It was manifest that Colonel 
 Ashby had been deceived in his estimate of the force opposed to 
 him ; and Jackson had reason to anticipate that General John 
 ston s desire to have the powerful army of Banks recalled, was 
 fulfilled too efficaciously for his own safety. The region about 
 him, and in his rear, was a beautiful champaign; swelling with 
 gentle hills: and on that side of Cedar Creek, twelve miles 
 behind him, there was no defensible position against superior 
 masses. The whole country was practicable for the manoeuvres 
 of cavalry and artillery. To delay, therefore, was to incur the 
 hazard of being enclosed in the overwhelming numbers of the 
 enemy : already it was doubtful whether a prompt retreat would 
 be safely concluded. General Jackson s resolution was there 
 fore immediately taken, to assail the enemy on the spot, and win, 
 if not a decisive victory, at least the privilege of an unmolested 
 retreat, before the preponderance against him became more 
 alarming than it already was. In the force with which he pro 
 posed to attack them, more than half the commissioned officers 
 
 40 
 
314 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 were absent, cither on furloughs or recruiting service j for a few 
 days before, it was supposed that the cessation of the enemy s 
 pursuit would allow a period of quiet, to be devoted to the 
 needed work of reorganization. Many of the men were also at 
 their homes ; so that after deducting the stragglers lurking with 
 the baggage train, the foot-sore, whom the rapid march had left 
 behind, and a regiment detained to guard the equipage, there 
 were but two thousand seven hundred of the little army left, to 
 meet the enemy. 
 
 The great road crossing the Opequon Creek, a quiet mill 
 stream, five miles from Winchester, proceeds thither over a series 
 of long and gentle slopes, through a country smiling with fer 
 tility, and almost denuded of its forests. Two miles from the 
 Opequon, after surmounting a moderate ridge, it reaches Kerns- 
 town, a hamlet of a dozen houses, seated in the midst of meadows, 
 three miles from Winchester. All the vicinity was divided into 
 farms, by stone fences, which also lined the highway continuously. 
 Here, there was nothing in the nature of the ground to offer 
 advantage to the smaller force. A mile to the left, or west of 
 the Turnpike, fs a country road, which also crosses the Opequon 
 and passing through gently undulating farms, converges towards 
 Winchester, in such a direction as to meet the main thoroughfare 
 at the nearer side of the town. And west of this country road, 
 there is an elevated ridge parallel to it, terminated at its rear, 
 or southwestern end, by the Opequon, which curves around it. 
 This range of hills, after running forward for two miles towards 
 the town, sinks into the plain. Although elevated enough to 
 command the whole neighborhood, it is not craggy, but so 
 rounded, as to permit the ascent of artillery ; and it is clothed 
 with forests, with a few small fields interspersed, and notched 
 by successive depressions, which descend into ravines between 
 the lateral spurs of the hill. West of this ridge is another vale, 
 
BATTLE OF KERNSTOWN. 315 
 
 filled with meadows and farm-houses, among which the ascend 
 ing course of the stream threads its way parallel to the main 
 crest. The larger part of the fields here, likewise, were 
 enclosed by fences of limestone, which, rising to the height of 
 four feet, offered a very adequate breastwork against the fire of 
 musketry. A mile west of the region last described, still 
 another road passes in the direction of Winchester, called the 
 Cedar Creek Turnpike. This route manifestly gave the enemy 
 access to the left and rear of the Confederates. 
 
 General Jackson s plan was to contest the wooded ridge with 
 the enemy ; for upon it rested their right flank, and its heights 
 gave their artillery commanding positions whence they could 
 sweep all the champaign between it and the great road. With 
 their wings thus supported, the one by the hills, and the other 
 upon Kernstown, and their centre strengthened with fourfold 
 numbers of infantry and artillery, an attack in front gave no 
 promise of success. The only hopeful project for the inferior 
 force taking the aggressive, was, to amuse the enemy s centre 
 and left, while the main body availed itself of the covert and 
 strength of the same heights, which were occupied at their 
 northern end by them, and to direct the whole weight of the 
 assault against their right. The obvious mode for effecting this 
 .would have appeared to be to ascend the ridge at its southwest 
 ern end, and thus proceed along its crest ; but such a movement 
 was forbidden by an extensive pond, formed on the Opequon for 
 feeding a mill, whose waters embraced that extremity of the 
 hill. General Jackson was compelled, therefore, to march his 
 infantry and artillery obliquely from the great road to the hills, 
 under a hot cannonade from the enemy, without the ability to 
 return his fire at that time. But the movement was effected 
 without loss, and without confusion. About 4 o clock in the 
 afternoon, the following dispositions were completed. On his 
 
316 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 extreme right, which rested upon the turnpike in front of Kerns- 
 town, he posted Colonel Ashby, with his battery of three guns, 
 all his cavalry, except four companies detached for the left, and 
 four companies of infantry from the Stonewall Brigade. These 
 were ordered to occupy the attention of the enemy s left by a 
 constant cannonade, and to press them as opportunity might 
 permit. Next to the turnpike was placed the 5th Virginia 
 regiment, to hold a mile of space, and to watch the enemy s 
 centre. Effective resistance from so small a force was, of 
 course, not to be expected; but General Jackson relied upon 
 his artillery, commanding the country along which they must 
 advance if they assumed the aggressive from the centre, and yet 
 more upon the engrossing occupation which he expected to give 
 them, upon their right wing, to hold that part of their army in 
 check. Nor was he disappointed of this hope. His main line 
 of battle was finally formed, with no small interval between it 
 and the regiment last named, obliquely across the wooded ridge, 
 with his left advanced. Next the right were the 42d and 21st 
 regiments of Virginia Volunteers, and the 1st battalion of 
 Virginia Regulars, composing the 2d brigade, under the com 
 mand of Colonel Burks. Next to these on the left, was the 
 Stonewall Brigade, with the 2d regiment on its right, and then 
 the 33d, the 27th, and the 4th. The left of the infantry line 
 was composed of the two regiments of the 3d brigade, the 37th 
 and 23d, under the command of Colonel Fulkerson. These 
 occupied the farther, or western, side of the ridge. Beyond the 
 meadows which lay at its base, four companies of cavalry were 
 stationed on a hill which overlooks the country to the Cedar 
 Creek turnpike, to check the insults of the enemy s horse. The 
 batteries were posted in the centre in front of the Stonewall 
 Brigade j for their line passed across the higher grounds, most 
 suitable for the position of artillery. 
 
BATTLE OF KERNSTOWN. 317 
 
 Thus disposed, the little army advanced against the enemy, 
 with its left continually thrown forward, through the alternate 
 woods and fields which covered the sides and crest of the high 
 lands. After a spirited cannonade, by which several batteries 
 of the enemy were silenced, the infantry engaged with inex 
 pressible fury, at close quarters, the 27th regiment leading off. 
 In some places, the lines were advanced within twenty paces, 
 partially shielded from each other by the abrupt little ravines, 
 where the Confederates, lying upon their breasts behind the 
 protuberances of the ground, or retiring a few^ steps into the 
 hollow places to reload, held their enemies at bay by their 
 scathing discharges. As regiment after regiment came into 
 position, their heroic General led them into the hottest of the 
 fire ; and wherever the line wavered under overwhelming num 
 bers, he was present, to cheer the fainting men, and bring up 
 the reinforcements. But he had no reserves, save the 5th Vir 
 ginia, which was speedily released from its first position by the 
 inactivity of the enemy in that quarter, and the 48th, left as a 
 baggage guard. Only the former of these came up in time to 
 share in the action, and was introduced to reinforce the 2d 
 brigade between the 42d and 21st, where it bore its full share 
 of the glories and dangers of the combat. On the Federal 
 side, the superior numbers enabled them perpetually to bring up 
 fresh troops. As one regiment recoiled, reeling and panic- 
 struck, it was replaced again and again by another; and the 
 officers, secure of victory from their preponderating force, were 
 seen riding madly behind the wavering lines, goading their men 
 to the work with the sabre. The Confederates, on the other 
 hand, having no succors, fought until they exhausted their am 
 munition. As the men fired their last cartridge, their officers 
 allowed them to go to the rear j and after a time, the thinned 
 lines presented no adequate resistance to the fresh crowds of 
 
318 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 enemies. Near nightfall, General Richard B. Garnett, com 
 manding the Stonewall Brigade, in the centre, seeing his fire 
 dying away for lack of ammunition, and his line pierced on his 
 right, assumed the responsibility of authorizing a retreat of his 
 command, without orders from General Jackson j and nothing 
 now remained, but to protect the movement from more serious 
 disaster. 
 
 Where every regiment fought with steady heroism, and none 
 retired until they had fired the last round from their cartridge- 
 boxes, detailed exploits can scarcely be singled out, without 
 injustice to the men passed over in silence. But a few particu 
 lars, in which the actors possessed, not more courage, but more 
 opportunity, should be described, as having a decisive influence 
 on the battle. On the right, Colonel Ashby cannonaded the 
 enemy continually with his three guns, with such audacity, as to 
 win ground all the day from their multitudes. They advanced 
 their infantry through a tract of woodland, to seize his pieces ; 
 when his four infantry companies, thrown forward as skirmish 
 ers, scoured the forest with enthusiastic courage, and repulsed 
 the attacking party, until the artillery was again posted in a 
 more secure position. Later in the day, this daring leader 
 executed a cavalry charge against the extreme left of the Fed 
 eralists, drove their first line back upon their reserves, and 
 captured a few prisoners. In that quarter, they advanced no 
 more during the day. Upon the left, where the advance was 
 first confided to the 27th and 21st regiments, supported by 
 Colonel Fulkerson, and Carpenter s and McLauchlin s batteries, 
 the guns were advanced with great spirit under the eye of 
 General Jackson, delivering an effective fire towards the right 
 and front. The infantry engagement was opened by the 27th, 
 seconded by the 21st; and these two regiments sustained the 
 whole brunt of the fire with unsurpassed heroism, until Colonel 
 
BATTLE OF KERNSTOWN. 319 
 
 Fulkerson passed to their left, and the remainder of the Stone 
 wall Brigade came up. Twice they routed their assailants in 
 quick succession, and held the Federalist army in check while 
 the line of battle was completed. In the centre, the 5th and 
 42nd regiments, with the* batteries of McLauchlin and Carpen 
 ter, were the last upon the field. While the enemy pressed up 
 to close quarters, and shot down the horses and gunners at the 
 pieces, the latter replied with murderous discharges of canister 
 shot, at the distance of a hundred paces. This determined 
 resistance saved the batteries, with the exception of two guns, 
 of which one was disabled, and the other entangled in a fence, 
 and of four caissons, whose horses were slaughtered. On the 
 left, Colonel Fulkerson, upon becoming warmly engaged, per 
 ceived between him and the enemy, a long stone fence, to which 
 each party was advancing, intending to employ it as a breast 
 work against the other. The boldness of the Confederates 
 secured them that advantage. Reaching the covert a moment 
 in advance of the enemy, they fell upon their knees, and deliv 
 ered a volley so withering, that the whole line before them 
 seemed to sink into the earth. The larger part of the Federal 
 ists were indeed killed or wounded by that unerring fire ; and 
 the remainder, to escape instant death, prostrated themselves, 
 and attempted to crawl to the rear. But in this endeavor, 
 nearly all perished ; the mountain riflemen picked them off with 
 deadly aim, before they reached the shelter of the wood. The 
 regiment thus annihilated was said to be the 5th Ohio. A New 
 York regiment, coming to their aid, escaped with a fate little 
 less terrible ; for when they sheltered themselves behind another 
 stone fence running to that occupied by Colonel Fulkerson at 
 right angles, and endeavored to fusillade the Confederates from 
 its shelter, that skilful commander moved a part of his line 
 down, along his own defence, to a point below the juncture of 
 
320 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 the two walls, whence he delivered an enfilading fire upon the 
 exposed -rear of the astonished Federalists. But finding the 
 centre of the Confederate line broken, at nightfall he retired in 
 good order, bringing off his two little regiments in safety. The 
 four companies of cavalry upon the extreme left had been 
 instructed by General Jackson to hold themselves prepared to 
 charge the enemy should he retreat, or to protect the Confeder 
 ate infantry, should it be forced to that alternative. They now 
 rendered good service, by holding in check, and ultimately 
 putting to flight, the Federal cavalry, which had made a circuit 
 by the Cedar Creek turnpike, and sought to interrupt the retreat 
 of their friends. But on the eastern side of the Opequon. a 
 number of the fugitives found themselves enclosed, at dark, 
 between the mill-pond and the enemy, and were thus captured. 
 The infantry retreated a few miles to the neighborhood of New- 
 town, while the cavalry of Colonel Ashby took its station at 
 Barton s Mills, a mile in the rear of the field of combat, and 
 held the enemy in check until 10 o clock of the next rnornino- 
 
 O 
 
 General Jackson himself, begging a morsel of food at the 
 bivouac fire of the soldiers, lay down in the field, to snatch a 
 few hours repose, a little in the rear of his outposts. 
 
 Such was the battle of Kernstown, in which twenty-seven 
 hundred Confederates, with eighteen guns, attacked eleven thou 
 sand Federalists, and almost wrested the victory from their 
 hands. For General Jackson estimated their force actually 
 engaged at that number, besides heavy reserves upon their left 
 which were not brought into action. The next morning, while 
 remarking upon the struggle, he said: "Had I been able to 
 bring up two thousand more men, I should have beaten them." 
 The officer to whom he spoke replied by referring to the dense 
 masses of unbroken infantry hanging behind Kernstown, and 
 expressed the opinion that any success won by so small a force 
 
FURY OF BATTLE. 321 
 
 must liavc been unavailing, because these reserves, by threaten 
 ing his right, would have compelled him to arrest his career. 
 Jackson answered : " No ; if I had put the men engaged to flight, 
 they would all have gone together." The troops marshalled 
 against him were unquestionably the best in the Federal army, 
 composed chiefly of hardy Western men, habituated from child 
 hood to field sports and the use of fire-arms ; and while those 
 who have a visible odds of four to one upon their side deserve 
 but little credit for their boldness, and would have no excuse for 
 their panic, the perseverance with which the Federal regiments 
 brought their weight of numbers to bear against the Confeder 
 ates, notwithstanding bloody losses, is some testimony to their 
 manhood. General Jackson s loss was eighty killed outright, 
 three hundred and seventy-seven wounded, and two hundred and 
 sixty captured, making a total of seven hundred and seven 
 teen, or more than one fourth of the whole force engaged. The 
 loss of the enemy was never divulged ; but there are reasons for 
 believing that it was nearly quadruple that of the patriots. Their 
 officers reported their killed as four hundred and eighteen. The 
 loyal citizens of Winchester were permitted to perform the last 
 offices to the Confederate dead upon the field of battle ; and, as 
 they collected the glorious remains, they had an opportunity to 
 observe that the slain invaders lay four times as thick. Hundreds 
 of corpses were sent by railroad to their northern friends for 
 interment, and many more must have remained, unhonored and 
 forgotten, to find their common tomb in the pits of the battle 
 field. The generous women of Winchester demanded and 
 obtained leave to carry their ministrations of love to the. Confed 
 erate wounded in the hospitals of the enemy, for many of the- 
 captives were also wounded, and thus they were enabled to- 
 estimate the numbers of disabled men belonging to the other 
 party. The unfortunate 5th Ohio, in particular, filled hundreds- 
 
 41 
 
322 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 of cots with its wounded. From the testimony of these witnesses; 
 it is believed that as many men were disabled by Jackson in the 
 enemy s ranks as he had soldiers in his own. Their greater 
 loss is to be accounted for by his skill in handling his forces, by 
 the superior accuracy of the Virginians aim, by their discipline 
 and deliberate courage, and by the density of the enemy s 
 ranks, which hardly permitted a well-directed shot to miss its 
 object. 
 
 This was the first pitched battle in which General Jackson 
 had supreme command, and it was fought exclusively by Vir 
 ginians, except that a few Marylanders participated in its 
 dangers. Its effect was to raise the estimate of the prowess 
 both of soldiers and leader to an exalted height ; and from this 
 day, the great qualities of the Virginian soldiery, depreciated 
 at first by their own Southern brethren, but illustrated and 
 redeemed at Manassa s, have shone forth unquestioned by all. 
 Kcrnstown has remained, among the many more bloody days, 
 when greater hosts pursued the work of slaughter in this san 
 guinary war, a name expressive of the sternest fighting, to the 
 Confederates, to spectators, and to the Federalists. The 
 soldiers of the old Jackson division, when describing the hor 
 rors of some subsequent struggle, are wont to say that it almost 
 reminded them of Kernstown. The peaceful citizens of Win 
 chester, who have met the strange fate of having their ears grow 
 more familiar with the sounds of battle than those of many a 
 veteran, still declare that none of the tempests of war which 
 have howled around their devoted town raged like that of 
 Kernstown, witli cannonade so fast and furious, and such rever 
 berating roars of musketry. The Federal soldiery, after 
 timidly pursuing the Confederates the next day for a few miles, 
 returned to their quarters, with no triumph upon their tongues, 
 <or in then- countenances. Their commander, with the usual 
 
CARE OP THE WOUNDED. 323 
 
 gasconade of the Federal Generals, claimed a brilliant victory j 
 but his boasts awoke no answering enthusiasm among his fol 
 lowers. The deadly energy of Jackson s blows filled them 
 with gloom and dread, as they asked themselves, what was the 
 task which they had undertaken, in seeking to conquer this 
 people in their consolidated strength, whose resistance, in their 
 weakness and disorganization, was so terrible. To this sombre 
 impression, the spirit of the captives and the oppressed people 
 contributed no little. The former, as they passed through the 
 streets to their prisons, were joyous arid defiant, the sympathies 
 of the patriotic multitude converted their progress rather into 
 an ovation than a defeat, and they rent the air with shouts 
 for their country and General, which their gloomy captors, 
 durst hot suppress. The very scenes upon the field of blood, 
 harrowing as they were, intimidated the Federal spectators. 
 The regiments which suffered most in Jackson s command, were 
 raised in the lower Valley, and in the town itself. . As soon as 
 the permission was given to the Mayor and citizens, to bury the 
 dead of their defenders, they flocked thither upon this errand 
 of grief and mercy. The cultivated and accomplished female, 
 the minister of religion, the tottering grandfather, were seen 
 together, in all the abandon of their anguish, running to and fro, 
 pouring water into the parched lips of the wounded, composing 
 the convulsed limbs of the slain into decency, and looking 
 eagerly into every begrimed and haggard face of dead or dying, 
 to recognize a son, a husband, or a brother. Yet, amidst all 
 these horrors, the very women were as determined as the brave 
 men whose fate they bewailed, and arose from beside the 
 corpses whose discovery had just informed them of their be 
 reavement, to declare to their invaders that none of these 
 miseries, nor death itself, should bend their souls to submission. 
 Yet these same women, with a generosity equal to their heroism, 
 
324 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 divided their cares and gifts between wounded friends and foes 
 in the hospitals where they languished together. 
 
 General Jackson had directed his wounded to be gathered at 
 the village of Middlctown, eight miles above the field of battle. 
 Intending to retreat to a strong position above Cedar Creek, 
 and there stand on the defensive, he had instructed his Medical 
 Director to collect every vehicle which was available, and send 
 the sufferers to the rear, before the army retired. The morning 
 was approaching, and that officer, after working all the night 
 at the humane task, and employing every carriage which he 
 could procure, found a large number of wounded awaiting 
 removal still. On meeting the General, he informed him of 
 this, and added that he knew not where the transportation was 
 to be obtained, and that unless sonic expedient were discovered 
 these brave men must be left to the enemy. General Jackson 
 ordered him to have the necessary vehicles impressed from the 
 people of the vicinage. "But," said the surgeon, "that requires 
 time ; can you stay to protect us ? " " Make yourself easy," 
 said Jackson, " about that. This army stays here till the last 
 wounded man is removed." And then, with a glow of passion 
 suffusing his face, he cried ; " Before I will leave them to the 
 enemy, I will lose many men more." It was such traits as 
 these, which made him the idol of his soldiery. It is related 
 of the great Bruce, that, while retreating before his enemies, in 
 his expedition to Ireland, the distress of a poor laundress, who 
 was too helpless to follow .the army, and was therefore about to 
 be abandoned to the savage pursuers, touched his heart. He 
 halted the host, and said ; " Gentlemen, is there one of us who 
 was born of a woman, so base as to leave this poor soul to her 
 fate? No: let us rather die with her." And he then drew up 
 his men in line of battle, to await the enemy; but they, suppos 
 ing he had received reinforcements, or was more powerful than 
 
KESULTS OP BATTLE. 325 
 
 his former retreat indicated, recoiled, and feared to assault him. 
 In like manner, the bold front which Jackson assumed, held the 
 enemy at a respectful distance. They did not venture to annoy 
 him, save by a few cannon-shot ; and, after the first day, discon 
 tinued their pursuit. He retired to the neighborhood of Wood 
 stock; and thus, in three days, his army marched seventy-five 
 miles, and fought a hardly contested pitched battle. 
 
 The battle of Kernstown, was technically, a victory of the 
 Federalists. They held the field, the dead, and the wounded. 
 But, like those of Pyrrhus at Heraclea, and of Cornwallis at 
 Guilford, it was a victory with the results of a defeat. The 
 conquerors, crippled by their losses, and terrified by the resist 
 ance which they met, dared not. press the retreating Confeder*- 
 ates. But above all, the object of the battle was won by General 
 Jackson. The Federal army in the Valley was detained there, 
 and the troops which were on their way to Manassa s to in 
 crease the embarrassments of General Johnston, were recalled. 
 The army of the latter extricated itself from its perilous 
 situation, and retired in safety behind the Rappahannock, while 
 M Clellan, foiled in his plans, arrested his advance at Manassa s, 
 and began to consider the policy of transferring the campaign 
 to the Peninsula. 
 
 Yet, General Jackson was not satisfied with the results, and 
 insisted that a more resolute struggle for the field might have 
 won it, even against the fearful odds opposed to him. The 
 chief error of the battle, he believed, was the unexpected 
 retreat of the Stonewall Brigade from the centre; for this 
 necessitated the surrender of the field. His disapprobation 
 was strongly expressed against its brave General, Garnett. nor 
 was he willing to accept the justification, that their ammunition 
 was expended. A regiment of reserves was at hand, and the 
 bayonet, his favorite resource, yet remained to them; and he 
 
326 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 did not consider all the means of victory as exhausted, until the 
 naked steel was employed. Justice to one now dead, requires 
 that these facts should also be stated : that General Garn ett s 
 gallantry was declared by the officers of his brigade, to be 
 conspicuous on this bloody field ; that they concurred with him 
 in the opinion, that the troops were not withdrawn too soon to 
 save them from destruction ; and that proceedings against him 
 were dismissed, and he was again employed by the Government 
 in a most honorable post, in which he surrendered his life at the 
 battle of Gettysburg. It is neither necessary nor practicable 
 to pass a correct judgment upon the question, whether General 
 Jackson s animadversions upon his conduct at Kernstown were 
 erroneous. It is enough to testify, that all men regarded them 
 as consistent with the justice of his intentions. This instance 
 may serve to show Jackson s rigid ideas of official dutj r , which 
 were always more exacting, as men rose in rank. 
 
 On the 1st of April, the army retreated to a range of high 
 lands overlooking the North Branch of the Shenandoah, five 
 miles below the town of Newmarket, called Reede s Hill. The 
 stream is bordered here by a wide expanse of fertile meadows, 
 over which this hill dominates; and artillery posted upon it 
 commands the bridge by which the great highway crosses 
 it. The Federal forces, again under the command of General 
 Banks, now advanced by slow and cautious steps to the opposing 
 hills, whence, for many days, they cannonaded the Confederates 
 without effect. General Jackson, meantime, keeping Colonel 
 Ashby in front, busied himself in refitting his crippled artillery, 
 and recruiting his forces. The 10th Virginia regiment joined him, 
 and was assigned to the 3d brigade, to which Brigadier-Gen 
 eral Wm. B. Taliaferro was now promoted. His men returned 
 rapidly from hospitals and furloughs, and a multitude of new 
 recruits poured in, inspired by the growing fame of the General, 
 
IMPERFECT ORGANIZATION. 327 
 
 and the urgency of their country s danger. Especially was the 
 enthusiasm of the people stimulated by the chivalrous and 
 modest courage of Ashby, whose name roused the thrilling 
 hearts of the youth, like the peal of a clarion. His regiment 
 of troopers was speedily swelled to twenty-one companies, and 
 more than two thousand men. Including these, General Jackson s 
 aggregate force now mounted up to more than eleven thousand. 
 But the irregularities and official neglects which have been 
 described were still lurking in all the regiments, and prevalent 
 in the cavalry. Colonel Ashby had little genius for. organization 
 and discipline; tasks which, at best, are arduous in a force 
 continually scattered upon outposts, and harassed by hard 
 ships, and which were impracticable for a commander seconded 
 by few competent officers, and compelled to launch his raw 
 levies at once into the employments of veteran troopers. The 
 continuance of this imperfect organization was caused by the 
 indiscreet action of the War Department itself. The Secretary, 
 dazzled by Colonel Ashby s fame and exploits, had given him 
 independent authority to raise and command a cavalry force. 
 When General Jackson attempted to stretch his vigorous hand 
 over that part of his army, so as to bring order out of con 
 fusion, he was met with a reference to this -separate authority, 
 and a threat of resignation. Knowing Colonel Ashby s ascend 
 ancy over his men, and finding himself thus deprived of legiti 
 mate power, he was constrained to pause, and leave the cavalry 
 unorganized and undisciplined. Colonel Ashby and a Major 
 were the only field-officers for the twenty-one companies ; nor 
 had they any regimental organization whatever. The evils and 
 disasters growing out of the crude condition of this force will 
 manifest themselves in the subsequent narrative. They give a 
 valuable illustration of the importance of those principles 
 of military order and subordination, established by experience, 
 
328 4 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 and of the danger of such departures from them as that of the 
 Secretary of War in making Colonel Ashby independent of his 
 commanding General. Of his great command, one half was 
 rarely available for duty, while the remainder were roaming 
 over the country, imposing upon the generous hospitalities 
 of the citizens, or lurking in their homes. The exploits of their 
 famous leader were all performed with a few hundreds, or 
 often scores, of men who followed him from personal devotion 
 rather than the force of discipline. Thus, the effective force 
 which General Jackson was now able to wield against the 
 enemy, may be correctly estimated as seven or eight thousand 
 men, with thirty guns. 
 
 The position on Reedc s Hill, with so strong an artillery, 
 was impregnable in front. But while, on the right, it was 
 supported upon the Masanuttin Mountain, on the left it could 
 be turned with facility by fords of the North River, above 
 the main bridge, which were practicable in all dry seasons. 
 Luckily, the melting snows of the western mountains concurred 
 with the rains of spring, to swell the current, and General 
 Jackson continued to hold the position until he should be more 
 seriously menaced by Banks. Its chief value to him was in 
 the fact, that it covered the juncture of the great Valley turn 
 pike, at New Market, with that which leads across the Masanuttin, 
 by Luray, the seat of justice for Page County, to Culpepper. 
 The head-quarters of General Johnston, with the army of 
 North Virginia, were now at that place, about fifty miles 
 distant from General Jackson; and it was desirable to hold 
 possession of the route, that a. speedy union of the two armies 
 might be effected, should necessity demand it. The next 
 movements thence inaugurated a new arrangement of the 
 forces upon the theatre of war. The chapter will therefore 
 .be closed with a few brief extracts from General Jackson s 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 329 
 
 le Jers to his wife, illustrating the events which have just been 
 narrated. 
 
 March 24th, just after the battle of Kernstown, he wrote : 
 
 " Our God was my shield. His protecting care is an addi 
 tional cause for gratitude." . . . . " My little army is in excel 
 lent spirits: it feels that it inflicted a severe blow on the 
 enemy." 
 
 April 7th. " I trust you and all I have in the hands of an 
 ever kind Providence, knowing that all things work together for 
 the good of his people. So live that your sufferings may be 
 sanctified to you; remembering that our "Light afflictions, which 
 are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and 
 eternal weight of glory." [In allusion to the illness of his wife.] 
 
 " Our gallant little army is increasing in numbers, and my 
 prayer is, that it may be an army of the living God, as well as 
 of its country. Yesterday was a lovely Sabbath day. Though 
 I had not the privilege of hearing the word of life, yet it felt 
 like a holy Sabbath day, beautiful, serene, holy and lovely. All 
 it wanted was the church bell, and God s services in the sanctu 
 ary, to make it complete After God, our God, again 
 
 blesses us with peace, I hope to visit this country with you, and 
 enjoy its beauty and loveliness." 
 
 No Christian reader can fail to note here, the parallelism 
 between these sentiments, and those of the ancient warrior-saint, 
 in similar circumstances. " How amiable are Thy tabernacles, 
 LORD of hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the 
 courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for 
 the living God." 
 
 April llth. "I feel much concerned at having no letter this 
 week, but my trust is in the Almighty. How precious is the 
 consolation flowing from the Christian s assurance, that "all 
 things work together for good, to them that l love God. " 
 42 
 
330 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 " God gave us a glorious victory in the S. W. (Shiloh), but 
 tlie loss of the great Johnston is to be mourned. I do not 
 remember having ever felt so sad at the loss of a man whom I 
 had never seen." 
 
 In explanation of his Sabbath attack at Kernstown, he wrote : 
 
 You appear greatly concerned about my attacking on Sun 
 day. I was greatly concerned too; but I felt it my duty to do 
 it, in consideration of the ruinous effects that might result from 
 postponing the battle until the next morning. So far as I can 
 see, my course was a wise one ; the best that I could do under 
 the circumstances, though very distasteful to my feelings, and I 
 hope and pray to our Heavenly Father, that I may never again 
 be circumstanced as on that day. I believed that so far as our 
 troops were concerned, necessity and mercy both called for the 
 battle." 
 
 "I hope that the war will soon be over, and that I shall never 
 again have to take the field. Arms is a profession that, if its 
 principles are adhered to for success, requires an officer to do 
 what he fears may be wrong, and yet, according to military 
 experience, must be done, if success is attained. And this fact, 
 of its being necessary to success, and being accompanied with 
 success, and that a departure from it is accompanied with dis 
 aster, suggests that it must be right. Had I fought the battle 
 on Monday, instead of Sunday, I fear our cause would have 
 suffered ; whereas, as things turned out, I consider our cause 
 gained much from the engagement." 
 
 For his achievement at Kernstown, the Confederate Con 
 gress rewarded him with the first of those honors, which were 
 afterwards showered so thickly upon him. The following Res 
 olutions of Thanks were unanimously passed : 
 
 1. "Resolved by the Congress of the Confederate States, 
 That the thanks of Congress are due, and are hereby tendered 
 
RECEIVES THANKS OP CONGRESS. 331 
 
 to Major General Thomas J. Jackson ; and the officers and men 
 under his command, for gallant and meritorious services, in a 
 successful engagement with a greatly superior force of the 
 enemy, near Kernstown, Frederick Co., Va., on the 23d day of 
 March, 1862." 
 
 2. "Resolved, That these resolutions be communicated by 
 the Secretary of War to Major General Jackson, and by him 
 to his command." 
 
332 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 MCDOWELL. 
 
 FROM April 1st to April 17th, General Jackson occupied the 
 position already described, upon Reede s Hill. Meantime, the 
 grand armies of the Potomac liad wholly changed their theatre 
 of war. April 1st, General M Clellan appeared at Fortress 
 Monroe, on the eastern extremity of the peninsula between the 
 James and York Rivers, and began to direct the approaches of 
 his mighty host against Richmond from that point. On the 
 4th, he appeared before the lines of General Magruder, at 
 Young s Mill, while at the same date, the troops of General 
 Johnston were pouring through Richmond, from their lines 
 behind the Rappahannock, to reinforce their brethren defending 
 the peninsula. General Jackson s prospect of a junction with 
 the main army in Culpepper were, therefore, at an end ; and his 
 movements were thus rendered, for a time, more independent of 
 the other Confederate forces. The correctness of his reason 
 ings upon the probable movements of the Federalists was now 
 verified. He was convinced that Staunton would be the aim of 
 General Banks, if he were guided by a skilful strategy ; and 
 the Official Report of General M Clellan, since published, shows 
 that his instructions to that General were, to press to that point 
 as soon as his means would permit. The forces at his disposal 
 now amounted, according to General M Clcllan, to 25,000 men, 
 besides General Blenker a Division of 10,000 Germans, which, 
 
EETIRES TO HAREISOXBURG. 333 
 
 Laving been just detached from the Federal Army of the Poto 
 mac, to reinforce General Fremont in the Northwest, was ordered 
 to pause at Strasbourg, and support General Banks during the 
 critical period of his movement. For the rest, the position of 
 the Federal forces in Virginia was the following: General 
 Fremont, in command of the Northwestern Department, was 
 organizing a powerful force at Wheeling, while General Milroy, 
 under his orders, confronted the Confederates upon the Shenan- 
 doali Mountain, twenty miles west of Staunton, and consider 
 able reserves, under General Schenck, were ready to support 
 him in the Valley of the South Branch. At, and near Manassa s 
 Junction, were stationed forces amounting to about 18,000 men, 
 guarding Washington City against an imaginary incursion of the 
 dreaded Rebels; while the 1st Army Corps of General McDowell, 
 detached from the grand army, against the urgent remonstrances 
 of General M Clellan, lay near Fredericksburg, to protect the 
 capital in that direction. 
 
 On the side of the Confederates, were found the six regi 
 ments of General Edward Johnston, imprcgnably posted on the 
 Shenaridoah Mountain ; the army of General Jackson at Reede s 
 Hill; the Division of General Ewell upon the Rappahannock, 
 confronting the Federalists upon the Orange and Alexandria 
 Railroad; and the command of General Anderson, about 10,000 
 strong, watching Fredericksburg. The whole remainder of the 
 forces in Virginia was collected upon the peninsula, to resist the 
 advance of M Clellan. 
 
 By the 17th of April, the fords of the North Fork of Shenan- 
 doah, above Reede s Hill, were becoming practicable ; and Gen 
 eral Jackson s position there was no longer secure. He therefore 
 resumed his retreat on that day, and retired, by two marches, to 
 Harrisonburg, the capital of Rockingham county, upon the great 
 Valley Turnpike; while General Banks timidly pursued him. 
 
334 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 From Harrisonburg, he turned aside to the east, and passing the 
 southern end. of the Masanuttin Mountain ; which here .sinks into 
 the plain, crossed the South, or main Fork of the Shenandoah 
 River, at Conrad s Store, and posted himself in the valley of 
 Elk Run, at the gorge of Swift Run Gap in the Blue Ridge. 
 The highway to Staunton was now seemingly open to General 
 Banks ; but he durst not pursue it. This was indeed, one of 
 the most adroit manoeuvres of the great strategist. His position 
 in the mouth of the mountain gorge was unassailable, and depriv 
 ed his adversary of all the advantage of his superior numbers. 
 Yet he threatened thence the Federal rear, the moment they 
 attempted to advance upon Staunton and thus arrested him as 
 completely as though a superior force had been planted in his 
 front. From his own rear, a good turnpike road led over Swift 
 Run Gap, into Eastern Virginia, and to the Central Railroad, 
 foi ty miles distant, at Gordonsville ; thus providing iiiin supplies, 
 a socure line of retreat, and communication with General Ewell 
 in OJpepper. There was, indeed, one grave objection to the 
 movement ; but the manner in which General Jackson s insight 
 into his adversary s character here modified his application of 
 the maxims of the military art, most clearly displayed his genius. 
 Had his enemy been enterprising, this objection would have been 
 decisive ; but knowing his slowness and timidity, he safely disre 
 garded it. From Harrisonburg, a turnpike road leads southwest- 
 ward to the Warm Springs, passing through Jennings Gap in 
 the Great North Mountain, which was not guarded by any ade 
 quate force, along the eastern base of the Shenandoah Mountain, 
 in the immediate rear of General Edward Johnson s position 
 ttcrc. A forced march of little more than one day would have 
 conduc ted General Banks to this spot ; where proper concert 
 with Ceneral Milroy, in front, would have ensured the destruc 
 tion ol the little army of Confederates. The two Federal forces 
 
HIGH ESTIMATE OF LEE. 335 
 
 united would then have easily occupied Staunton, and made the 
 Valley untenable for Jackson, thus deprived of the expected co 
 operation of Johnson. But the fear of leaving his rear exposed 
 for a moment to the terrible Stonewall, together with the diffi 
 culty of passing the Shenandoah at Bridgewater, where the 
 citizens had destroyed the bridge, were enough to deter General 
 Banks from so promising a movement. General Jackson stated 
 in his correspondence, that he foresaw the danger of such a 
 manoeuvre, and calculated the timidity of his opponent, as a 
 sufficient defence. 
 
 About the time of his march to Swift Run Gap, an incident 
 occurred which showed his decision. The elevated valleys of 
 the Blue Ridge Mountain are inhabited by a poor, rude, and 
 hardy people, little amenable to law, in the best times, who live 
 as much by hunting as by agriculture. Among a part of these, 
 an insurrectionary movement arose against the conscription; 
 and a few score of the men assembled in one of their fastnesses, 
 and prepared for a forcible resistance to the laws. General 
 Jackson at once sent a force and dispersed them, capturing some 
 of the more daring. For this act of promptitude he received 
 the thanks of the authorities. 
 
 In the previous winter, General R. E. Lee had been stationed 
 next the President in Richmond, as general director of the ope 
 rations of all the armies in the field. The high estimate held by 
 General Jackson of his character and accomplishments was 
 pleasantly illustrated by the manner in which he received the 
 news of this appointment, at Winchester. Much had been said 
 by his friends there, of the desire that he should receive rein 
 forcements. One evening, at supper, he said, with a smile, to 
 the lady whose hospitality he was sharing : " Well, Madam, I am 
 reinforced at last;" and pointed her to a paragraph in the 
 newspaper from Richmond just received, which announced the 
 
336 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 appointment of General Lee as Commander-in-Chief. It was 
 his wisdom and counsel, which lie regarded as equivalent to new 
 forces. 
 
 While General Jackson held Banks thus check-mated for a 
 fortnight at Harrisonburg, he was busily corresponding with 
 General Lee concerning the proper direction to be given to his, 
 and the neighboring Confederate forces. Three movements were 
 
 O O 
 
 discussed by them, of which the first was, to draw General Ewell 
 to Swift Run Gap, in order to hold General Banks in check, 
 while General Jackson combined with General Edward Johnson 
 to deliver a crushing blow against Milroy, and then associated 
 his and General Swell s forces against Banks. The second was, 
 to leave General Johnson for a little while, with a detachment 
 from General Jackson s force intended to mask his withdrawal 
 from Banks, to hold the Valley as best they might; while he 
 marched with General Ewell across the Rappahannock and made 
 a vigorous onslaught against the Federalists upon the Manassa s 
 Railroad, and at its Junction. It was hoped by General Lee, 
 that the news of this attack, so far towards his base, would cause 
 Banks s immediate retreat to Winchester, or even to the Poto 
 mac. The third project was to leave the same dispositions for 
 the defence of the Valley, effect a junction with General Ewell 
 at Gordousville, and marching thence to Fredericksburg, unite 
 with the forces of Generals Anderson and Field, and attack tho 
 Federal army in that neighborhood. This assault gave promise 
 of alarming the Government at Washington, of recalling Banks, 
 and of disturbing the arrangements of General M- Clellan on the 
 peninsula. As General Lee remarked, the dispersion of the 
 enemy s forces clearly indicated the policy of concentration, to 
 attack some one or other of their detachments. But he gave 
 General Jackson full discretion to select the project which he 
 preferred. He decisively chose the first The secret history of 
 
DISPOSITIONS OF CONFEDERATE FORCES. 337 
 
 this movement is related here, because many have asserted, 
 according to tlicir hypothesis, that General Jackson was a mere 
 fighter, and no strategist, that the plan of the Valley campaign 
 was due to another mind. On the contrary, the choice was left 
 wholly to his judgment ; and the first among the three schemes, 
 the one adopted, and so gloriously effected, was of his suggestion. 
 It is easy to argue for his preference of it, after it was so sanc 
 tioned by complete success. But the considerations which seem 
 to have decided General Jackson to prefer it were such as these : 
 That it made a more complete concentration of our strength, in 
 that it included General Edward Johnson, who, upon the other 
 plans, would have been left aside, with a detachment, also, of 
 General Jackson s own army ; that it provided a more complete 
 protection for the Valley and Staunton, of which he so highly 
 appreciated the strategic importance ; and that, if successful, it 
 would as effectually neutralize the Federal forces on the Rappa- 
 hannock, through the fears excited for Washington City, and thus 
 assure the left flank of the army protecting Richmond against an 
 assault from the direction of Fredericksburg. 
 
 General Ewell was accordingly withdrawn from the Rappa- 
 hannock towards Gordonsville, and then, towards the eastern 
 outlet of Swift U\m Gap. He brought with him three brigades, 
 those of Brigadier- Generals R. Taylor, Trimble, and Elzey, 
 with two regiments of cavalry, commanded by Colonel Th. S. 
 Munford. and Lieutenant- Colonel Flournoy, with an adequate 
 supply of field artillery. The whole formed an aggregate of 
 about 8.000 men, in an admirable state of efficiency. The 
 afternoon of April 30th, General Ewell entered Swift Run Gap, 
 and took the position which General Jackson had just left to 
 march towards Staunton. General Banks had been deceived by 
 feints of an attack in force in the direction of Harrisonburg, on 
 the previous day, and on that morning; so that he received 
 
 43 
 
338 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 no knowledge of the true direction of General Jackson s move 
 ment. The object of the latter was to reach Staunton by a 
 route, which, while not so circuitous as to consume invaluable 
 time, should be sufficiently so, to conceal his march from the 
 enemy, and protect him from an attack on the road. The 
 incessant rains of a late and ungenial spring had rendered all 
 the roads, which were not paved, almost impracticable. After 
 careful explorations, General Jackson determined to ascend the 
 eastern or right bank of the Shenandoah river to Port Republic, 
 a village seven miles from Harrisonburg, and then, instead 
 of proceeding direct to Staunton by a road of twenty-five miles, 
 to cross the Blue Ridge into Albernarle County, by Brown s 
 Gap, and go thence to Staunton along the line of the Virginia 
 Central Railroad. This route made three marches; but it 
 completely masked his movement, and mystified both friends and 
 foes; for no one, except the General s chief engineer, knew 
 whether he was on his way to the east or the west. 
 
 In the midst of a dreary rain, the army left its comfortless 
 bivouac on the Elk Run, and made a half march, between the 
 river and the western base of the Blue Ridge, towards Port 
 Republic. The stream is here separated from the declivities 
 of the mountain by a plain of two or three miles in breadth, 
 whose flat, treacherous soil, softened by the rains, was speedily 
 converted by the trains of baggage and artillery, into a quag 
 mire without apparent bottom. If the teamsters attempted to 
 evade this by turning aside into the woodlands, as soon as the 
 fibrous roots of the surface were severed, the subsoil proved 
 even more deceitful than the mire of the roads, and a few 
 vehicles made the track impassable. The rivulets descending 
 from the mountain were swollen into broad rivers, and the 
 glades of the forest were converted into lakes. The straggling 
 column toiled along through water and mud for a few miles, yet 
 
MARCH TO STAUNTON. 339 
 
 enthusiastically cheering their General when he passed along it ; 
 and then bivouacked in the woods, while he, with his suite, found 
 shelter in the hospitable mansion of General Lewis. In the 
 morning, the clouds were gradually dispersed by the struggling 
 sun ; and General Jackson, having established his head-quarters 
 in the little village of Port Republic, and having assigned to a 
 part of his staff the duty of arresting all transit between his 
 line of march and the enemy, returned with the remainder, and 
 addressed himself to the arduous task of extricating his trains 
 from the slough, which would have been to any other, a " slough 
 of despond." Each detachment was preceded by a large 
 party of pioneers, who, with excessive toil, so far repaired the 
 effects wrought by the wheels of the preceding one, as to pass 
 over another train. Whole road-beds formed of stones and 
 brush-wood sunk into the quicksands, and others were placed 
 above them, again and again. The General and his staff were 
 seen dismounted, urging on the laborers ; and he carried stones 
 and timber upon his own shoulders, with his uniform bespattered 
 with mud like a common soldier s. From Thursday afternoon 
 until Saturday morning, the trains struggled along, sorely scat 
 tered and travel-soiled, until at length, all were assembled at the 
 western opening of Brown s Gap. The energy and determina 
 tion required to drive them, in a day and a half, through those 
 sixteen miles of incredible difficulties, were equal to any dis 
 play of these qualities, ever made upon the field of a great 
 victory. 
 
 The mountain-sides afforded a road-bed so stony, that no 
 floods could soften it; and on Saturday, the army passed over 
 to Whitehall in Albemarle, by a track rough, but firm, cheered 
 by a brilliant sun, and full of confidence and elation. The 
 Sabbath morning dawned upon them clear and soft, in their 
 pleasant bivouacs along the green meadows of Moorman s 
 
340 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 river; and the General, after hard debate with himself, and 
 with sore reluctance, gave the order to march again, surrender 
 ing the day of holy rest, which he would have so much enjoyed, 
 to military necessity. General Johnston reported himself closely 
 pressed by the enemy west of Staunton ; and the crisis forbade 
 the expenditure of a precious day. When General Jackson had 
 left the Great Valley Turnpike at Harrisonburg, to turn aside 
 to Swift Run Gap, the people of Staunton, in their panic, 
 supposed that he was gone to reinforce the army near Rich 
 mond, leaving them to their fate; and unauthorized messages 
 from officers near head-quarters confirmed this erroneous con 
 struction of his movement. The consequence was a fit of 
 alarm, in which public military stores were hastily removed or 
 destroyed, and the most exciting news of the certain occupation 
 of Staunton by the enemy was sent to the force on the Shenan- 
 doah Mountain. General Johnson was detained from his com 
 mand at the time; but the officer next in rank concluded that 
 the juncture required immediate action, to rescue the army from 
 capture. He therefore evacuated his strong position on the 
 mountain, and retired to West View, only six miles west 
 of Staunton, prepared to evade the approach of Banks, on that 
 place, and retire to the Blue Ridge. Thus the advanced forces 
 of Milroy were brought within ten miles of Staunton, and he 
 was about to establish his communications with the Federalists 
 at Harrisonburg. General Jackson therefore pressed forward 
 from Whitehall to Staunton, reaching the latter place at evening 
 on the Sabbath ; to the unspeakable delight of the inhabitants, 
 who had only heard that the army had disappeared again into 
 Eastern Virginia, no one knew whither. By Monday evening, 
 the whole army came up, and the junction with General Johnson 
 was virtually effected. j 
 
 Meantime, General Banks no sooner learned that General 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 341 
 
 Ewcll liad reached Elk Run, and that General Jackson had 
 vanished thence, than he hastily evacuated Harrisonburg ; and 
 retreated to Strasburg, followed by the cavalry of Ashby. The 
 imagination of the Federal leader was affrighted with the notion 
 of an attack in front from Ewell, while the mysterious Jackson 
 should fall upon his flank or rear, from some unimagined quarter. 
 Yet his force present at Harrisonburg, about twenty thousand 
 men, was superior to that of both generals united ! 
 
 On Wednesday morning, May 7th, a day having been employed 
 in collecting and refreshing the troops, General Johnson broke 
 up his camp at West View at an early hour, and marched against 
 the enemy, followed by General Jackson in supporting distance, 
 with the brigade of General Taliaferro in front, that of Colonel 
 Campbell next, and the Stonewall Brigade, now commanded by 
 General Charles S. Winder, in the rear. The Corps of Cadets, 
 from the Military Academy, forming a gallant battalion of four 
 companies of infantry, under their teachers, was also attached to 
 the expedition. The spruce equipments and exact drill of these 
 youths formed a strong contrast with the war-worn and noncha 
 lant veterans, as they stepped out, full of enthusiasm, to take 
 their first actual look upon the horrid visage of War, under their 
 renowned Professor. 
 
 The first collision. with the enemy occurred about mid-day, at 
 the intersection of the Harrisonburg and Parkersburg turnpikes. 
 There a Federal picket was surprised, and nearly captured, 
 escaping with the loss of a few men and horses. Their advanced 
 posts at the eastern and western bases of the Shenandoah Moun 
 tain were immediately deserted, with some military stores, and 
 the position upon the top of the mountain, lately held by the 
 Confederates ; and they retired across the Bull Pasture Moun 
 tain to M Dowell, making no other resistance to the advance of 
 the Confederates, than a few ineffectual cannon shots. The 
 
342 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 latter paused for the night upon both sides of the Shenaudoah 
 Mountain, with the rear brigades many miles behind the front. 
 On Thursday morning, May 8th, the march was resumed early, 
 with General Johnson s regiments still in advance, and the 
 ascent of the Bull Pasture Mountain was commenced. This 
 ridge, unlike its neighbors, has a breadth of a couple of miles 
 upon its top, which might be correctly termed a table-land, were 
 it not occupied by clusters of precipitous hills, which are them 
 selves almost mountainous in their dimensions and ruggedness. 
 The Parkersburg turnpike, proceeding westward, ascends to this 
 table land, passes across it, and descends to the Bull Pasture 
 River, by a sinuous course, along the ravines which seam the sides 
 and top of the mountain alike ; so that it is almost everywhere 
 commanded, on one or both sides, by the steep and wooded 
 banks of the valleys which it threads. On the right and left of 
 the road, the western portions of the rough plateau which has 
 been described, were occupied by pasture lands, covered with 
 the richest greensward, with here and there the prostrate trunk 
 of a forest tree long since girdled and killed. The chasm which 
 separates the higher reaches of these lofty pastures, is a mile in 
 width ; and far down in its bottom, the turnpike descends toward 
 the river, until it debouches through a straight gorge of a few 
 hundred yards in length, upon the bridge. Artillery, planted 
 upon a hillock beyond the river, commanded this reach of the 
 road with a murderous fire. 
 
 Generals Jackson and Johnson having cautiously ascended 
 the mountain, and driven away a picket of the enemy which 
 quartered its top, proceeded to the western ridge of the pasture 
 lands on the left of the road, and occupied the forenoon 
 in examining the position of the enemy. The grounds here 
 belonged to a patriotic citizen named Sitlington ; while the rival 
 heights, on the right of the turnpike, fed the cattle of a 
 
COLLISION WITH THE ENEMY. 343 
 
 proprietor named Hull. The latter were found to be occupied 
 by two regiments of Federal riflemen ; but the distance was too 
 great for effective volleys. Beneath them lay the smiling hamlet 
 of M Dowell, crowded with Federal troops, stores, and artillery, 
 while beyond, the champaign stretched away with a smooth and 
 gentle ascent to the westward, for a number of miles. The 
 edges of the vale next to the position of the Confederate Gen 
 erals were fringed by a forest, which covered the steeper and 
 more barren slopes of the mountain s foot. This wood was 
 speedily found to be infested by the enemy s -skirmishers; but a 
 detachment of General Johnson s riflemen easily kept them at 
 bay, and chastised their audacity whenever they attempted to 
 advance from cover. The open field itself, of a mile s length, 
 was heaved into confused and billowy ridges, presenting, on the 
 whole, the concavity of an irregular crescent toward the west. 
 The ravine ; by which the Confederates reached this field from 
 the turnpike, is narrow and precipitous, and occupied both by 
 the forest and by a stream of rude boulders, which the rains had 
 precipitated from the ridge above. Yet it was judged that, by 
 the strenuous exertions of men and horses, field guns might have 
 been carried up after several hours labor. 
 
 From the ridges of the pasture-field, General Jackson quietly 
 watched the enemy far below him, for a number of hours ; while 
 they cannonaded him and his escort from a battery on the farther 
 side of the vale, whose guns had their muzzles elevated toward 
 the sky, and their trails thrust into trenches in the ground. It 
 was no part of his purpose to engage them that day, nor on that 
 ground. He. had reason to hope that they were ignorant of his 
 junction with General Johnson, and that they supposed they had 
 only the six regiments of the latter to deal with. His troops 
 had not all come up ; and the Stonewall Brigade especially, was 
 many miles in the rear. His purpose was to amuse the enemy, 
 
344 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 while his engineers diligently explored the mountain to the right 
 and left, for a road which might lead him to their rear. To the 
 zeal of his artillery officers, who offered to bring up batteries, he 
 quietly replied : "Thank you; not yet;" and at length added 
 to one of them : " Perhaps Providence may open a way toward 
 Monterey for you tomorrow." (Monterey is the next village ten 
 miles west of McDowell; and was in the enemy s rear.) In 
 truth, his explorations had already been successful in leading 
 him to a rude mountain road, practicable for artillery, which, 
 passing far to the right of Hull s mountain pastures, enters the 
 highway five miles in the rear of McDowell ; and his orders were 
 just issued to move a formidable park of artillery, with sufficient 
 escort, by this road, during the night ; who were to assume a 
 good position behind the enemy. His preponderance of force 
 would have enabled him thus to envelop and crush the army of 
 Milroy. 
 
 But that officer had astuteness enough, though ignorant of 
 these formidable preparations, to apprehend something of the 
 danger of his position. If once the lofty fields occupied by 
 Generals Jackson and Johnson were crowned with artillery, 
 their plunging fire would have made the .whole valley of 
 McDowell untenable for him; and the altitude forbade an 
 effective reply. At mid-day General Schcnck arrived with three 
 thousand additional bayonets : and they resolved to take the 
 initiative, and drive the Confederates from their threatening 
 position at once. How little purpose General Jackson had 
 of commencing the action that evening, appears from the fact, 
 that as the afternoon advanced, he had dismissed all his staff, 
 save two members, upon different errands, with kindly instruc 
 tions to seek the repose of their quarters when they had fulfilled 
 those functions, and had sent orders to the Stonewall Brigade, 
 which was at length approaching the top of the mountain, to 
 
BATTLE OF MCDOWELL. 345 
 
 descend again, and seek a suitable encampment. But the 
 advance of the enemy did not, for all this, find him unprepared. 
 Although he had carefully avoided making any display of force 
 upon the open hills, the regiments of General Johnson were 
 close at hand, an.d the brigades of Taliafcrro and Campbell 
 within supporting distance. The aggressive intentions of the 
 enemy now becoming manifest, the 52d Virginia regiment was 
 brought upon the field, and posted upon the left, speedily 
 followed by the 58th and 44th Virginia, and the 12th Georgia 
 regiments. The 52d Virginia having been disposed as skir 
 mishers, were speedily engaged in a brisk encounter with the 
 enemy s skirmishers, whom they handsomely repulsed. The 
 other three regiments then arriving, were soon afterwards posted 
 as follows : the 12th Georgia on the crest of the hill, and 
 forming the centre of the Confederate line, the 58th Virginia on 
 the left to support the 52d, and the 44th Virginia on the right 
 near a ravine. 
 
 General Milroy s advance now began in good earnest. He 
 was protected in his approach by the convexity of the hills, and 
 by the wood interposed in the Confederate front, until he 
 emerged from it, and engaged their skirmishers. These he 
 drove before him, and poured a galling fire into the Confederate 
 right, which was returned, and a brisk and animated contest 
 was kept up for some time ; when General Johnson s two remain 
 ing regiments, the 25th and 31st Virginia came up and were 
 posted on the right. The fire was now rapid and well sustained 
 on both sides, and the conflict fierce and sanguinary. The 
 narrow and rough ravine by which the Confederate troops 
 ascended from the left side of the turnpike to the field of battle, 
 has been described. If the enemy advanced along the highway 
 and seized its mouth, the results would be disastrous. To 
 prevent the possibility of such a movement, the 31st Virginia 
 
 44 
 
346 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 was posted on both sides of the road, between that point and 
 the enemy. It was, not long after, ordered to join its brigade 
 inaction; and its place was taken by the 21st Virginia. To 
 the commander of this regiment General Jackson gave his 
 orders in person. They were, that he should avail himself of 
 every inequality of the ground to protect his men, and then 
 hold the turnpike against all odds, and at every cost. 
 
 The engagement had now not only become general along the 
 entire line, but so furious, that General Jackson ordered General 
 Taliaferro to -the support of General Johnson. Accordingly, 
 the 23d and 37th Virginia regiments were advanced to the 
 centre of the line which was then held by the 12th Georgia, 
 with heroic gallantry j and the 10th Virginia was ordered to 
 support the 52 d Virginia, which had already driven the enemy 
 from the left, and had now advanced to make a flank movement 
 on him. At this time the Federalists were pressing forward in 
 strong force on the extreme right of the Confederates, with a 
 view of turning that position. This movement was speedily 
 detected, and met by General Taliaferro s brigade, and the 12th 
 Georgia, with great promptitude. Further to check it, portions 
 of the 2 5 th and 31st Virginia regiments were sent to occupy 
 an elevated piece of woodland on the right and rear, so situated 
 as fully to command the position of the enemy. The brigade 
 commanded by Colonel Campbell, coming up about this time, 
 was ordered, together with the 10th Virginia, down the ridge 
 into the woods, to guard against designs upon the right flank. 
 This duty they, in connexion with the other force, effectually 
 performed. The battle had now raged from half past four to 
 half past eight o clock p. M., and the shades of night had 
 descended. Every attempt of the enemy by front or flank 
 movement, to attain the crest of the hills where General Jack 
 son s line was formed, was signally and effectually repulsed; 
 
EETREAT OF MILROY. 347 
 
 and they finally ceased firing and retired from the field. During 
 all the earlier portions of the engagement, the enemy s artillery 
 on the farther side of the valley was actively employed in 
 tin-owing shot and shell, until their infantry approached too 
 closely. But the elevation of the mountain, and the shelter 
 of the sharp ridges rendered their fire ineffectual. Only one of 
 the Confederate slain lost his life by a cannon shot. General 
 Jackson brought up no artillery j assigning as his reason, that in 
 case of disaster, there was no road by which it could be 
 promptly withdrawn. The battle may therefore be said to have 
 been fought with musketry alone. 
 
 By nine o clock, the roar of the struggle had passed away ; 
 and the green battle-field reposed under the starlight, as calmly 
 as when it had been occupied only by its peaceful herds. De 
 tachments of soldiers were silently exploring the ground for 
 their wounded comrades, while the tired troops were slowly 
 filing oif to their bivouac. At midnight the last sufferer had 
 been removed, and the last picket posted; and then only did 
 General Jackson turn, to seek a few hours repose in a farm 
 house at the eastern base of the mountain. The valley of 
 M Dowell lay beneath him in equal quiet. The camp-fires 
 <* f the Federals blazed ostentatiously in lon^ and regular 
 lines, and their host seemed to be wrapped in sleep. At one 
 o clock A. M., the General reached his quarters, and threw 
 himself upon a bed. When his faithful servant, knowing that 
 he had eaten nothing since morning, came with food, he said, " I 
 want none ; nothing but sleep " and in a minute, was slumber 
 ing like a healthy infant. The dawn found him in the saddle, 
 and ascending the mountain again. When he reached the crest 
 of the battle-field, he saw the vale beneath him deserted j the foe 
 had decamped in the night, leaving their dead, and partially 
 destroying their camp-equipage and stores. The pebbly bottom 
 
348 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of the neighboring stream was found strewn with tens of thou 
 sands of musket-cartridges, and vast heaps of bread were still 
 smoking amidst the -ashes of the store-houses which had sheltered 
 them. After marching west for a few miles, General Milroy 
 sought the sources of the South Branch of the Potomac, and 
 turned northward down that stream, along which a good high 
 way led toward Franklin and Romney. His aim was to meet 
 the reinforcements of General Fremont, which, he hoped, were 
 approaching by that route, from the Baltimore and Ohio Rail 
 road. The line of his retreat was marked by the graves of his 
 wounded, and the wreck of an occasional carriage. 
 
 The loss of the Confederates in this engagement was sixt} r - 
 nine killed, and three hundred and ninety-one wounded ; making 
 a total of four hundred and sixty men. The greatest carnage 
 occurred in the ranks of the famous 12th Georgia regiment, 
 which had thirty-five killed, and one hundred and forty wounded. 
 This noble body, trained under the eye of General Edward John 
 son, when Colonel, held the centre of the battle from the begin 
 ning to the end. But their heavy loss was also due to their own 
 zeal and chivalry. Having been advanced at first, in front of the 
 crest of the hills, where their line showed to their enemies from 
 beneath, in bold relief against the sky, they could not be per 
 suaded to retire to the reverse of the ridge, where many of the 
 other regiments found partial protection without sacrificing the 
 efficiency of their fire. Their commander, perceiving their 
 useless exposure, endeavored again and again to withdraw them 
 but amidst the roar of the musketry his voice was lifted up in 
 vain; and when by passing along the ranks he persuaded or 
 entreated one wing of the regiment to recede, they rushed again 
 to the front while he was gone to expostulate with the other. A 
 tall Georgia youth expressed the spirit of his comrades, when he 
 replied the next day to the question, why they did not retreat to 
 
LACONIC DESPATCH. 349 
 
 the shelter of the ridge behind them, whence they could fight the 
 battle equally well : " We did not come all this way to Virginia, 
 to run before Yankees." 
 
 Just before the close of the engagement, General Johnson 
 received a painful wound in the ankle, which, breaking one of its 
 bones, compelled him to leave the field. General Jackson paid 
 him the following merited tribute in his report : " General John 
 son, to whom I had entrusted the management of the troops 
 engaged, proved himself eminently worthy of the confidence 
 reposed in him, by the skill, gallantry, and presence of mind, 
 which he displayed on the occasion." Colonel Gibbons, com 
 manding the 10th Virginia, a Christian gentleman and soldier, 
 beloved by all his comrades, fell dead as he was bringing his 
 men into position ; and he was the only person in his regiment 
 who was struck. Colonel Harman, of the 52d Virginia, Colonel 
 Smith, and Major Higginbotham, of the 25th, and Major Camp 
 bell, of the 42 d Virginia, were wounded. At the beginning of 
 the action, General Jackson was, for the reason stated above, 
 accompanied by only two of his staff: Captain Lee, his ordnance- 
 officer, and Lieutenant Meade, his Aide. These two, by their zeal 
 and courage, temporarily supplied the place of all ; and Captain 
 Lee received a severe wound in the head. The Federal loss 
 was estimated by General Johnson, who witnessed nearly the 
 whole struggle, to be double that of the Confederates ; but this 
 reckoning was probably too large. Few prisoners were taken 
 on either side ; but among those captured by Jackson was a 
 Colonel of an Ohio regiment. Some Quarter-Master s and 
 Commissary stores, arms, ammunition, and cavalry equipments 
 remained for the victors. The force of General Milroy was 
 supposed to be 8,000 men. Of General Jackson s, about 6,000, 
 or only half his force, were engaged. 
 
 From M Dowell, General Jackson sent the following modest 
 
350 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 and laconic despatch, the first of those missives which, during 
 the remainder of his career, so frequently electrified the country 
 with joy : 
 
 VALLEY DISTRICT, MAY 9th, 1862. 
 To GEX. S. COOPER: 
 
 " God blessed our arms with victory at McDowell yesterday." 
 
 T. J. JACKSON, Major-General. 
 
 This announcement was received by the people of Virginia 
 and of the Confederate States with peculiar delight, because it 
 was the first blush of tlie returning day of triumphs after a 
 season of gloomy disasters. The campaign had opened with 
 the fall of Fort Donelson and the occupation of Nashville. The 
 fruitless victory of Shiloh had been counterpoised in April by the 
 fall of New Orleans, a loss as unexpected to the Confederates as 
 it was momentous. On the 4th of May, while Generals Jackson 
 and Johnson were effecting their junction at Staunton, York- 
 town was deserted by the Confederates, and, on the next day, 
 Williamsburg fell into their hands after a bloody combat. 0:i 
 the 9th, Norfolk surrendered to the enemy, and, on the llth, 
 the gallant ship Virginia, the pride and confidence of the people, 
 was destroyed by her own commander. The victory of M Dow- 
 ell was the one gleam of brightness athwart all these clouds ; 
 and the eyes of the people turned with hope and joy to the 
 young soldier who had achieved it, and recognized in this happy 
 beginning the vigor and genius of the great commander. 
 
 General Jackson immediately threw forward a few companies 
 of cavalry under Captain Shectz to harass the enemy s rear, and 
 collected his infantry in the valley beyond M Dowell to prepare 
 for a close pursuit. The mountain passes by which General 
 Banks might have communicated succors to Milroy were imme 
 diately obstructed, and an active officer was sent by a circuitous 
 
PURSUIT OF MILROY. 351 
 
 route to the northern parts of Pendleton county, below Franklin, 
 to collect the partisan soldiers of the mountains in the enemy s 
 rear. They were exhorted to fill the roads with felled timber, 
 to tear down the walls which supported the turnpike along 
 the precipitous cliffs, and to destroy the bridges, in order that 
 the retreat of Milroy might be retarded, and the advance of 
 Fremont to his aid checked, until his flying army was again 
 beaten and dispersed. Saturday morning, the victors resumed 
 their march, refreshed by a night of quiet rest, and pressed the 
 enemy so hard, that General Jackson hoped in the afternoon to 
 bring them to bay. Their rear-guard assumed a position, and 
 held the Confederate cavalry in check. General Jackson dis 
 posed his troops, and issued his orders for battle with a stern 
 joy ; but the slippery game soon continued its flight. The next 
 morning was the Sabbath; but after anxious deliberation, the 
 Confederate General concluded that the importance of over 
 taking the enemy, who would certainly not pause from any 
 reverence for the sacred day, and of inflicting another disaster 
 before the reinforcements of General Fremont arrived, required 
 him to disregard its claims. "When he began to urge the enemy 
 again, the Federals resorted to the expedient of setting fire to 
 the forests upon the mountain sides, in order to envelop their 
 flight in obscurity. Soon the sky was overcast with volumes of 
 smoke, which almost hid the scene, and wrapped every distant 
 object in a veil, impenetrable to the eyes and the telescopes of 
 the officers alike. Through this sultry fog the pursuing army 
 felt its way cautiously along, cannonaded by the enemy from 
 every advantageous position ; while it was protected from am 
 buscades only by detachments of skirmishers, who scoured the 
 burning woods on each side of the highway. As fast as these 
 could scramble over tfye precipitous hills, and through the blazing 
 thickets, the great column crept along the main road; like a lazy 
 
352 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 serpent ; their General often far in advance of its head, in his 
 eagerness to overtake the foe. He declared that this smoke 
 was the most adroit expedient, to which a retreating army could 
 resort, to embarrass pursuit, and that it entailed upon him all 
 the disadvantages of a night attack. By slow approaches, and 
 constant skirmishing, the enemy were driven to the village of 
 Franklin ; when the double darkness of the night, and the fog, 
 again arrested his progress. 
 
 When the morning of Monday arrived, General Jackson 
 resolved to discontinue his pursuit of Milroy, and return to 
 pay his respects to General Banks. Several considerations 
 weighed together, to determine his judgment. He ascertained 
 that his orders for obstructing the turnpike below Franklin had 
 been disregarded by the citizens; and their supincncss and 
 timidity filled him with disgust. It was now obvious that his 
 cunning adversary, with an unobstructed road for retreat, and 
 all the advantages of a mountainous country for defence, would 
 not be brought to a battle, until he had received the support of 
 General Fremont.. On the other hand, the concentration of the 
 Confederates was only half completed, for the excellent divis 
 ion of General Ewell, was still to be associated with the forces 
 of Jackson; and prudence dictated that the risk of such a 
 collision as that, with Fremont and Milroy united, should not be 
 taken without the advantage of all the strength attainable by 
 him. Moreover, time was precious ; for he knew not how soon 
 a new emergency at Fredericksburg or at Richmond, might 
 occasion the recall of General Ewell to the East, and deprive 
 him of the power to strike any effective blow against General 
 Banks. The motive last mentioned was perhaps the most oper 
 ative of all ; for he knew that the loan of General Ewell s aid 
 to him by the Confederate authorities at Richmond, was not en 
 tirely hearty, and that they did not wholly concur in his estimate 
 
MARCH TO THE EASTWARD. 353 
 
 of the importance of protecting his District from invasion. But 
 the conclusive reason, was a despatch from General Lee, May 
 llth, requiring his return. The same day General Jackson sent 
 a courier to General Ewell, to announce his coming, who was 
 commanded to ride post-haste with his message. 
 
 General Jackson, therefore, prepared to turn his face east 
 ward again. He granted the soldiers the half of Monday as a 
 season of rest, in lieu of the Sabbath, which had been devoted 
 to warfare ; and issued the following order to them. 
 
 "Soldiers of the army of the Valley and North "West." "I 
 congratulate you on your recent victory at McDowell. I request 
 you to unite with me, this morning, in thanksgivings to Almighty 
 God, for thus having crowned your arms with success; and in 
 praying that He will continue to lead you on from victory to 
 victory, until our independence shall be established ; and make 
 us that people whose God is the Lord." 
 
 " The chaplains will hold divine service at 10 o clock A. M., 
 this day, in their respective regiments." 
 
 The different groups were accordingly soon assembled, beneath 
 a genial sun, along the verdant meadows of the South Branch ; 
 and the neighboring mountains, which, on the Sabbath, had 
 reverberated with the bellowirigs of cannon, now echoed the 
 Sabbath Jiymns. The commanding General attended reverently 
 the worship of a company of artillery near his tent. After mid 
 day, the camps were broken up, and the march was resumed for 
 M Dowcll; which the army reached Wednesday evening. The 
 next day s journey brought them to the Lebanon Springs, on the 
 road to Ilarrisonburg ; where they paused for a day, Friday, 
 May IGth, to observe a season of national humiliation and 
 prayer, appointed by the Confederate Government, for all the 
 people and armies. On Saturday, an easy march was ended, 
 in the beautiful region of Mossy Creek; wh^re the troops, no 
 
 45 
 
354 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 longer pressed by a military exigency, were allowed to spend 
 a quiet Sabbath. 
 
 One incident remains to be mentioned, illustrating Jackson s 
 iron will, which occurred while the army paused on this march, 
 at M Dowell. A part of the men of the 27th regiment, in the 
 Stonewall Brigade, who had volunteered for twelve months, now 
 found their year just expired. Assuming that the application 
 of the late conscription to them was a breach of faith, they 
 demanded their discharge, and laying down their arms, refused 
 to serve another day. Their gallant Colonel Grigsby referred 
 the case to General Jackson for instructions. On hearing it 
 detailed, he exclaimed, his eye flashing, and his -brow rigid with 
 a portentous sternness, " What is this but mutiny? Why does 
 Colonel Grigsby refer to me, to know what to do with a mutiny ? 
 He should shoot them, where they stand." He then turned to 
 his adjutant, and dictated an order to the Colonel to parade his 
 regiment instantly, with loaded muskets, to draw up the insubor 
 dinate companies in front of them, disarmed, and offer them the 
 alternative of returning to duty, or being fusilladed on the spot. 
 The order was obeyed, and the mutineers, when thus confronted 
 with instant death, promptly reconsidered their resolution. 
 They could not be afterwards distinguished from the rest of the 
 regiment in their soldierly behavior; and this was t the last 
 attempt at organized disobedience in the army. 
 
WINCHESTER. 355 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WINCHESTER. 
 
 WHILE General* Jackson was hurrying back from Franklin, 
 critical events were occurring at Richmond, which must be known 
 in order to appreciate the value of his victories, and their effect 
 upon the public mind. The destruction of the ship Virginia by 
 her crew, on the llth of May, has been narrated. This blunder 
 left the River James open to the enemy s fleet, up to the wharves 
 of the city. The Confederate engineers had indeed projected 
 an earthwork upon an admirable position, seven miles below, 
 where the lands of a planter named Drewry overlooked a nar 
 row reach of the stream, in a lofty bluff or precipitous hill. 
 But so nerveless and dilatory had been their exertions, that, 
 when the river was thus opened to the enemy, there were neither 
 guns mounted upon the unfinished ramparts of earth, nor 
 obstructions completed in the channel beneath. The Legisla 
 ture of Virginia had urged upon the Confederate War Depart 
 ment, the vast importance of defending this avenue to the Capital 
 of the Commonwealth, and had received promises; but they 
 remained unfulfilled. The hurried removal of military stores to 
 the Southwest ; the packing of the archives of the Confederate 
 Departments, and the significant movements of their occupants, 
 now indicated the purpose of the Government to desert Rich 
 mond to the enemy. Not only was it left approachable by 
 water ; but the grand army of M Clellan had pressed from the 
 
356 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 peninsula up to the neighborhood of the city on the east, while 
 a strong and increasing army under General McDowell, at 
 Frederieksburg, threatened it by a northern route of only three 
 marches, with no adequate force to oppose him. It was in this 
 gloomy hour, that the spirit of the General Assembly of Vir 
 ginia, and of the citizens of her Capital, flamed up with a lofty 
 and unshaken heroism, worthy to be compared with the noblest 
 displays of patriotism in all the ages. The former body 
 addressed to the President of the Confederate States, a Resolu 
 tion, requesting him to defend the city, if necessary, until one 
 stone was not left upon another, and proposing to lay it as a 
 sacrifice, with all its wealth, upon the country s altar. The 
 Town-council met, and amidst the stern and unanimous enthusi 
 asm of the citizens, seconded this resolve. They were deter 
 mined, that if the city could not be successfully defended, it 
 should only be yielded to the enemy as a barren heap of rub 
 bish, the sepulchre, and glorious monument at once, of its 
 defenders. The General Assembly sent its Committee to lay 
 their wishes before the President ; who thanked them for their 
 devotion, and assured them that the evacuation of Richmond, if 
 it occurred, would by no means imply the desertion of Virginia. 
 Even while they conferred together, a courier brought him news, 
 that some Federal ships of war, availing themselves of the 
 absence of the Virginia, were ascending the river, with the 
 evident intention of reaching Richmond. Rising from his seat, 
 he dismissed the Committee, saying, " This manifestly concludes 
 the matter ;" and proceeded to arrange for the removal of his 
 family. But the timidity of the Federalists, afraid of torpedoes, 
 or some other secret annoyance, and incredulous that so vital a 
 point could indeed be left open for them, for this time saved the 
 city ; which, so far as its proper defenders were concerned, was 
 already lost. The ships paused to make soundings, and to 
 
MAIN OBJECT OF THE CAMPAIGN. 357 
 
 reconnoitre the banks ; and meantime, the citizens went to work. 
 The City Council called upon the Confederate Engineers, to 
 know what they lacked for the immediate completion of their 
 works ; and pledged themselves to supply everything. The citi- 
 2ens themselves turned laborers, and drapers and bankers were 
 seen at the port, loading barges with stone. Two or three 
 excellent guns were mounted ; great timbers were hewn, floated 
 to the foot of Drewry s Bluff, and built into a row of cribs ; 
 which, when ballasted with stone and bricks, promised to resist 
 the momentum of the heaviest ships. By the 15th of May, 
 when the advance of the Federal fleet appeared, after their 
 cautious dallying, these beginnings of defences were made ; and 
 the three guns, manned by Confederate marines, gloriously beat 
 off the gunboats Monitor and Galena, with no little damage of 
 their boasted invulnerability. 
 
 The benefit wrought by these events upon the temper of the 
 people, which was before tending fast to abject discouragement, 
 cannot be described by words. The Confederate authorities 
 had doubtless decided with perfect correctness, according to the 
 technical maxims of war, that Richmond was untenable; but 
 fortunately, the great heart of the " Unterrified Commonwealth " 
 was wiser than the intellect of the Government. Her glorious 
 example sent a quickening pulsation of generous shame, of hope, 
 and of courage, through the veins of the army and of all the 
 States. Throughout the Confederacy, her high determination 
 was re-echoed ; the people everywhere resolved rather to sacri 
 fice their homes to the magnanimous work of defence, than to 
 yield them a coveted prey to the enemy ; the Government and 
 Generals began, in good earnest, to prepare for holding the 
 Capital against every assault. 
 
 This was, properly, the main object of the campaign, and 
 all other movements were auxiliary to it. General Jackson s 
 
358 LIFE OF UEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 command was expected to concur in securing the Capital, by so 
 dealing with that of General Banks, as to neutralize his co 
 operation in movements against Richmond, whatever might be 
 the form they assumed. General Lee, reasoning from the 
 strategic principles which he thought should have governed 
 M Clellan and Banks, and from news of partial movements 
 of the forces of the latter towards Eastern Virginia, anticipated 
 the sudden withdrawal of his whole army from the Valley, to 
 Fredericksburg, for a combined movement with M-Dowell 
 against Richmond ; or even to the peninsula. General Jackson 
 was steadfast in the opinion, that Banks s objective point was 
 still Staunton, and the command of the Central Railroad ; and 
 he therefore confidently expected to fight him in the Valley. 
 General. Joseph E. Johnston, who, as commander of the Depart 
 ment of North Virginia, was still General Jackson s immediate 
 superior, constantly instructed him and General Ewell, in his 
 despatches to them, to observe these two injunctions : If Gen 
 eral Banks moved his army to M Dowell at Fredericksburg, to 
 march immediately by way of Gordonsville, and join General 
 Anderson at some point in front of the former town ; or if he 
 remained in the Valley, to fight him there immediately, only 
 avoiding the effusion of blood in assaults of a fortified position. 
 But he left it to them to decide which of these alternatives was 
 about to become necessary. In the case that they were com 
 pelled to follow Banks to Fredericksburg, General Edward 
 Johnson was to be left with his six regiments, to hold the Valley 
 against Fremont, as he best might. Two more fine brigades were 
 sent from Richmond to Gordonsvillc, to assist General Jackson 
 in his movement against Banks; but before a junction was 
 effected with him, they were suddenly ordered back to the 
 neighborhood of Richmond, to defend the approaches on the side 
 of Fredericksburg ; where they soon after suffered a disastrous 
 
JUNCTION WITH EWELL. 359 
 
 defeat from M Clellan s advance, at Hanover Court House. 
 Jackson was also very nearly deprived of the assistance of 
 General Ewell, by the same uneasiness concerning an attack 
 from the side of Fredericksburg. After a series of despatches, 
 varying with the appearances of danger, the latter General was 
 finally instructed by the Commander-in- Chief, that it would be 
 necessary for him to move at once from Swift Run Gap towards 
 Gordonsville. But he had just been informed by General 
 Jackson, that he was hastening back, to effect a junction with 
 him near Harrisonburg, and to assail Banks. Mounting his 
 horse, without escort, General Ewell rode express, night and 
 day, and met Jackson on the Sabbath, May 18th, at Mossy 
 Creek, to inform him of this necessity for inflicting so cruel a 
 disappointment upon him. The latter uttered no complaint, and 
 made no comment j although the sleepless energy with which he 
 had been pressing forward, told now dear the project was to his 
 wishes. He meekly replied ; " Then Providence denies me the 
 privilege of striking a decisive blow for my country; and I 
 must be satisfied with the humble task of hiding my little army 
 about these mountains, to watch a superior force." The warm 
 and generous heart of Ewell was touched with such an exhibi 
 tion of unselfish devotion, and was unwilling to desert him. 
 He therefore proposed that if Jackson, under whose immediate 
 orders he was, as ranking Major-General, would assume the 
 responsibility of detaining him until a remonstrance could be 
 uttered against his removal, he would remain. The contingency 
 under which General Jolmston had authorized him to leave the 
 Valley had not yet occurred; and the discretion which their 
 general instructions conceded to General Jackson, for regulating 
 his movements according to circumstances, authorized such an 
 exercise of power. It was therefore concluded between them, 
 that the junction should be completed at New Market, a day s 
 
360 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 inarch below Harrisonburg. The unwearied Ewcll ; after resting 
 his limbs during public worship, again mounted his horse 
 and returned to hurry on his division. 
 
 It is now time to pause, and explain the proceedings of 
 General Banks. His precipitate withdrawal from Harrison- 
 burg, upon the movement of Generals Jackson and Ewell, has 
 been described. He retired first to New Market, and then, 
 leaving a heavy rear-guard in that region, to Strasbourg, twenty 
 miles above Winchester ; where he began fortifying himself in a 
 strong position, commanding at once the great Valley Turnpike 
 leading to Winchester, and the Manassa s Railroad leading 
 towards Alexandria. The cavalry of Ashby, following close 
 upon his rear, watched all the roads of the main Valley; 
 while that of General Ewell guarded the communications 
 between the Masanuttin Mountain and the Blue Ridge. A 
 system of strategy was now begun by the Federalists, dictated 
 by the senseless fears of the Executive at Washington, and by 
 the judicial blindness dispensed to them from a Divine Provi 
 dence merciful to the Confederates, in which every movement 
 was a blunder. The aggressive attempt upon Staunton was 
 postponed, at the precise juncture when it should have been 
 pressed with all their forces combined ; and General Banks was 
 consigned to the defence of Strasbourg. Whereas, if Staunton 
 was not won at once, then his whole force should have been 
 transferred without delay to aid an aggressive movement* from 
 Fredericksburg, as General Lee anticipated. Milroy having 
 been caught, beaten, and chased, like a hunted beast, through the 
 mountains, Blcnker s division was now hurried to the support of 
 him and General Fremont. It arrived just when Jackson had 
 left them alone, and it left General Banks just when he was 
 about to be assailed by him. Worse than all: as though an 
 .army of nearly forty thousand men, under Generals McDowell 
 
TOPOGRAPHY OP THE VALLEY OF VIRGINIA. 361 
 
 and Augur, were not enough to protect the road from Freder- 
 icksburg to Washington against the embarrassed Confederates, 
 Banks detached the best brigades he had, those of Shields and 
 Kimball, containing seven thousand men, and sent them on 
 the 14th of May, by way of Luray and Front Royal, to support 
 the forces on the Rappahannock. It was this movement, so 
 unaccountable in its folly, which, being observed by General 
 Ewell, led him to believe, for a moment, that Banks s whole force 
 had gone to assail Richmond from that quarter. This unlucky 
 General thus reduced himself to about eighteen thousand men, 
 at the critical moment when the storm was about to burst upon 
 him. And he completed the chapter of errors in this, that by 
 sending away General Shields he evacuated the New Market 
 Gap, and gave to General Jackson the fatal option to assail him 
 either in front or in flank. The latter watched all his mistakes 
 with a silent intelligence ; and while nothing escaped his eagle 
 eye, it never betrayed his purposes by even a sparkle of elation. 
 That the measures now taken by General Jackson may be 
 comprehended, the reader must recall the outline already given 
 of the topography of the Valley of Virginia. From the neigh 
 borhood of Elk Run, General Swell s recent position, to that of 
 Strasbourg, a distance of fifty miles, the Valley is divided 
 by the Masanuttin, a high and precipitous mountain, parallel to 
 the Blue Ridge, which, at both its ends, terminates suddenly in 
 lofty promontories dominating the plains. The valley between 
 it and the Blue Ridge is more narrow and rugged than that west 
 of it ; but it is watered throughout its whole length by the South 
 Shenandoah, and gives space enough for the fertile and populous 
 county of Page, with its seat of justice at the village of Luray. 
 One good road only connects .this subordinate valley laterally 
 with the main Valley* the turnpike across New Market .Gap. 
 But, longitudinally, the county of Page is traversed by several 
 
 46 
 
362 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 excellent highways, parallel to the general course of its river 
 and mountain barriers. Just west of the base of the New 
 Market Gap is seated the village of that name, upon the great 
 Valley Turnpike, and in the midst of a smiling champaign. The 
 force which occupied this Gap, and commanded this village, was, 
 in a sense, master of both valleys. This was the position which 
 Banks deserted without cause, when he detached General Shields 
 to Eastern Virginia. As the traveller proceeds northeast down 
 the county of Page, he enters the county of Warren, lying just 
 where the lesser valley merges itself again in the greater. The 
 north fork of the Shcnandoah River, which coasts the western 
 base of the Masanuttin Mountain, turns eastward around its 
 northern end from the neighborhood of Strasbourg, and meets 
 the south fork emerging from the other valley, near Front Royal, 
 the seat of justice of Warren county. The excellent paved road 
 from this village to Winchester leads by a course of eighteen 
 miles, across both branches of the river, just above their union, 
 and through a country of gentle hills, farms, and woodlands, 
 converging towards the great Valley Turnpike as it approaches 
 the town. 
 
 When Shields evacuated New Market, Colonel Ashby advanced 
 his quarters to it, and extended his pickets to the neighborhood 
 of Strasbourg, where lie closed the whole breadth of the great 
 Valley, there much contracted, by a cordon of sentries. Every 
 movement above was thus screened effectually from the observa 
 tion of General Banks. General Jackson, leaving Mossy Creek 
 Monday, the 19th of May, proceeded by two marches, to the 
 neighborhood of New Market. He there met the fine brigade 
 
 *- O 
 
 of General Richard Taylor, which had marched from Elk Run 
 valley by the Western side of the Masanuttin Mountain. On 
 Wednesday, the 21st he crossed the Nefr Market Gap, and in 
 the neighborhood of Luray, completed his union with the 
 
VALLEY OF THE SHE NAXDOAH. 
 
 VALLEY OF THE SHENANDO AH. 
 
364 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 remainder of General Ewell s forces. His army now contained 
 about sixteen thousand effective men, with forty field guns. It 
 was composed of his own division, embracing the brigades of 
 Winder, Campbell, and Taliafcrro, of General Ewell s division, 
 which included the brigades of Taylor, Trimble, Elzcy, and 
 Stewart, and the cavalry regiments of Ashby, Munforcl, and 
 Flournoy, with eight batteries of artillery. At Mossy Creek, he 
 had been met by Brigadier-General George H. Stewart, a native 
 of Maryland, whom the Confederate Government had just com 
 missioned, and charged with the task of assembling all the 
 soldiers from that State into one Corps, to be called The Mary 
 land Line. To begin this work, General Jackson at once 
 assigned to his command the First Maryland regiment of 
 Colonel Bradley T. Johnson, and the Brockenborough Battery, 
 which was manned chiefly by citizens of Baltimore, as the 
 nucleus of a brigade. 
 
 He had determined to march by Luray and Front Eoyal, in 
 order to avoid the necessity of attacking Banks in his strong 
 fortifications. This route offered other advantages : it placed 
 him between his enemy and Eastern Virginia, whither General 
 Lee feared he was moving : it enabled him to conceal his march 
 from Banks more effectually, until he was fairly upon his flank : 
 and it ensured the issuing of that General from his entrenched 
 position in order to save his communications. Leaving the 
 picket line of Ashby in Banks s front, he marched with all his 
 other forces towards Front Royal : where, he was aware, a 
 Federal detachment of unknown force was stationed. The 
 advance of the army, consisting, of the First Maryland regi 
 ment and the battalion of Major TV T heat from Taylor s brigade, 
 under the command of General Stewart, reached the village about 
 two o clock P. M. ; on Friday, May 23d. They had been ordered 
 to diverge from the main road which enters the village from the 
 
THE FEDERALISTS SUEPRISED. 365 
 
 south, into a rugged pathway across the hills, which led them 
 into another road descending into the village from the mountains 
 on the east. The surprise of the Federalists was complete, and 
 it was evident that the first news they received of the presence 
 of a hostile army, was the volley fired by Stewart into their 
 picket, a mile from the village. Yet they showed themselves 
 prepared to make a spirited resistance. Their advance was 
 speedily driven through the town, with the loss of some prison 
 ers, when their main force took up a position upon a command 
 ing height on the side next Winchester, overlooking the village, 
 and the approach of the Confederates from the opposite side. 
 From this hill they cannonaded the troops as they approached, 
 but without effect. The commands of Colonel Johnson and 
 Major Wheat, deployed as skirmishers, with a company of 
 Cavalry accompanying them, dashed through the streets, and 
 across the fields in front, with impetuosity; while General 
 Jackson ordered Taylor s Louisiana brigade to support them 
 by a movement on the left flank, through a wood which lay on 
 that side of the village. Before this effort could be completed, 
 however, the gallant skirmishers had dislodged the enemy, and 
 the General galloped forward to the height they had just occu 
 pied. On the nearer side of the South Shenandoah, which 
 flowed just beyond this hill, was the enemy s camp, pitched in a 
 charming meadow along the water-side, but now wrapped in 
 flames, and sending up volumes of smoke to the skies, while 
 under its cover, their whole infantry was marching, in excellent 
 order, up the road which obliquely ascended from the other 
 bank, every rank distinctly displayed to view. Their guns 
 were again posted on the rival height to that on which Jackson 
 stood, far above the infantry, prepared to protect its retreat. 
 As the General beheld this picture, he was seized with uncon 
 trollable eagerness and impatience, and exclaimed : " Oh, what 
 
366 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 an opportunity for artillery ! Oh, that my guns were here ! " 
 Then turning almost fiercely to the only aid who accompanied 
 him, he commanded him to hasten to the rear, and " order up 
 every rifled gun, and every brigade in the army." Some guns 
 were, after a little, brought up; but the enemy had meantime 
 passed the crest of the ridge, and the pursuit was resumed ; the 
 General riding among the skirmishers arid urging them on. 
 
 Here occurred a striking effect of a vicious usage, which it 
 was the honor of General Lee to banish from the armies in 
 Virginia. This was the custom of temporarily attaching to the 
 staff of a General commanding a division or an army, a com 
 pany of cavalry to do the work of orderlies and couriers. By 
 this clumsy contrivance, the organization of the cavalry regi 
 ments was marred, the men detached werl deprived of all 
 opportunity for drill, and the General had no evidence what 
 ever of their special fitness for the responsible service assigned 
 them. Nay, the Colonel of cavalry required to furnish them, 
 was most likely to select the company least serviceable to him 
 by reason of deficient equipments, or inexperience. At the 
 time of the combat of Front Royal, the duty of couriers was 
 performed for General Jackson, by a detachment from one of 
 Colonel Ashby s undisciplined companies, of whom many were 
 raw youths just recruited, and never under fire. As soon as 
 the first Federal picket was driven in, and free access to the 
 village won, orders were despatched to the rear brigades, to 
 avoid the laborious and circuitous route taken by the advance, 
 and to pursue the direct highway to the town, a level tract of 
 three miles, in place of a precipitous one of seven or eight. 
 The panic-struck boy, by whom the orders were sent, thought 
 of nothing but to hide himself from the dreadful sound of the 
 cannon, and was seen no more. When General Jackson sent 
 orders to the artillery and rear brigades to hurry to the pursuit, 
 
THE FEDERALS OVERTAKEN. 367 
 
 instead of being found near at hand, upon the direct road, they 
 were at length overtaken, toiling over the hills of the useless 
 circuit, spent with the protracted march ; for they had received 
 no instructions, and had no other guide than the footprints of 
 those who preceded them. Thus night overtook them by the 
 time they reached the village ; and they lay down to rest, instead 
 of pursuing the enemy. This unfortunate incident taught the 
 necessity of a picked company of orderlies, selected for their in 
 telligence and courage, permanently attached to head-quarters, 
 and owning no subordination to any other than the General and 
 his staff. Such is the usage now prevalent in the Confederate 
 armies. 
 
 But on this occasion the enemy did not escape through this 
 accident. In the forenoon, Colonel Ashby and Colonel Flournoy 
 had been detached with all the cavalry except a company or two, 
 to cross the south fork of the Shcnandoah at McCoy s Ford, above 
 the position of the Federalists, for the purpose of destroying the 
 telegraphic and railroad communications between Front Royal 
 and Strasbourg, and of preventing the passage of reinforcements 
 or fugitives between the two posts. Colonel Flournoy, with his 
 own and Colonel Munford s regiments, kept a short distance west 
 of the river, and having executed his orders, now appeared upon 
 the Winchester road, in the most timely manner, to join in the 
 pursuit. At the north fork of the Shenandoah, the retreating 
 Federalists made an abortive attempt to burn the bridge. Before 
 they could fully accomplish this purpose the Confederates were 
 upon them and extinguished the flames, but not until they had 
 made one span of the bridge impassable for horsemen. Colonel 
 Flournoy, however, accompanied by the General, with difficulty 
 passed four companies of his own regiment across the river, and 
 ordering the remainder to follow, hurried in pursuit. The Fed 
 erals were overtaken near a little hamlet named Cedarville, five 
 
368 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 miles from Front Koyal, where their whole force, consisting of a 
 section of artillery, two companies of cavalry, two companies of 
 Pennsylvania infantry, and the 1st Maryland regiment of Federal 
 infantry, now placed themselves in order of battle to stand at 
 bay. General Jackson no sooner saw them than he gave the 
 order to charge with a voice and air whose peremptory determina 
 tion was communicated to the whole party. Colonel Flournoy 
 instantly hurled his forces in column against the enemy, and 
 broke their centre. They, however, speedily reformed in an 
 orchard on the right of the turnpike, when a second gallant and 
 decisive charge being made against them, their cavalry broke 
 and fled, the cannoneers abandoned their guns, and the infantry 
 threw down their arms, and scattered in utter rout. Other Con 
 federate troops speedily arriving, the fields and woods were 
 gleaned, and nearly the whole opposing force was killed or cap 
 tured. The result was, the possession of about seven hundred 
 prisoners, immense stores, and two fine ten-pounder rifle guns. 
 The loss of the patriots, in the combat and pursuit, was twenty- 
 six killed and wounded. 
 
 Thus, two hundred and fifty men were taught, by the dash 
 and genius of Jackson, to destroy a force of four times their 
 number. His quick eye estimated aright the discouragement of 
 the enemy, and their wavering temper. Infusing his own spirit 
 into the men, he struck the hesitating foe at the decisive moment, 
 and shattered them. A glorious share of the credit is also due 
 to the officers and men of the detachment. General Jackson 
 declared with emphasis to his staff, that he had never, in all his 
 experience of warfare, seen a cavalry charge executed with such 
 efficiency and gallantry ; commendation, which, coming from his 
 guarded and sober lips, was decided enough to satisfy every 
 heart. 
 
 While these occurrences were in progress, Colonel Ashby, after 
 
BANKS ? S COMMUNICATIONS COMMANDED. 369 
 
 crossing at McCoy s ford, inclined still farther to the west, so as 
 to skirt the northern base of the Masanuttin Mountain. His 
 route led him to Buckton, the intermediate station of the rail 
 road, between Front Royal and Strasbourg, where he found a 
 body of the enemy posted as a guard, behind the railroad em 
 bankment, and in a store-house or barn of logs, which afforded 
 them secure protection from his fire. Dismounting his men ; he led 
 them in person against the Federals, and speedily dispersed them. 
 The track of the road was then effectually destroyed, so as to 
 prevent the passage of trains. But in this hazardous onset, 
 several of his soldiers were lost, and among them, his two best 
 captains, Fletcher and Sheetz. The latter especially, although 
 the year before but a comely youth taken from the farm of his 
 father, had already shown himself a man of no common mark. 
 Collecting a company of youths like himself in the valleys of 
 Hampshire, he had armed them wholly from the spoils of the 
 enemy, and without any other military knowledge than the intui 
 tions of his own good sense, had drilled and organized them into 
 an efficient body. He speedily became a famous partisan and 
 scout, the terror of the invaders, and the right hand of his 
 Colonel. Sheetz was ever next the enemy; if pursuing, in com 
 mand of the advanced guard ; or if retreating, closing the rear : 
 and Jackson had learned to rely implicitly upon his intelligence ; 
 for his courage, enterprise, sobriety of mind, and honesty, assured 
 the authenticity of all his reports. 
 
 The skirmishers of General Ewell had now penetrated within 
 four miles of Winchester, and the whole Confederate army, col 
 lected along the turnpike leading from Front Royal to that place, 
 commanded Banks s communications, by numerous easy ap 
 proaches. On the morning of Saturday, May 24th, that ill- 
 starred General, who was beaten before he fought, had only fhree 
 practicable expedients. One was to retreat to the Potomac by 
 
 47 
 
370 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the "Winchester road: another to defend himself at Strasbourg: 
 the other, to avail himself of the Confederate advance on the 
 former town to pass their rear at Front Royal, and so seek a 
 refuge towards Manassa s Junction and Alexandria. But he was 
 now in the clutches of a master, who had his wary eye upon 
 every contingency. Jackson determined to move the body of his 
 army neither to Strasbourg nor to Winchester, but to Middle- 
 town; a village upon the great Winchester road, five or six miles 
 from Strasbourg, and thirteen from the latter place. General 
 Ewell, with Trimble s brigade, the 1st Maryland regiment, and 
 the batteries of Brockenborough and Courtney, was directed to 
 pursue his movement upon Winchester by the Front Royal road, 
 observing appearances of the enemy s retreat, and prepared to 
 strike him in flank. Brigadier- General Stewart, in temporary 
 command of the cavalry regiments of Munford and Fiournoy, 
 was directed to strike the Winchester road at the village of New- 
 town, nine miles from that town, with directions to observe the 
 movements of the enemy at that point. General Jackson him 
 self, with all the remainder of the army, marched by a cross road 
 from Cedarville towards Middletown. Colonel Ashby s cavalry 
 was in front, supported by Chew s battery, and two rifled guns 
 from the famous battery of Pcndleton, now commanded by Cap 
 tain Poaguc. Next followed the brigade of Taylor, and the 
 remainder of the infantry. Colonel Ashby kept Ms scouts on 
 his left extended to the railroad, so as to note any signs of a 
 movement towards Front Royal. All the detachments of the 
 army were in easy communication; and whether the enemy 
 attempted to make a stand at Strasbourg, at Winchester, or 
 at any intermediate point, the whole force could be rapidly con 
 centrated against him. Before the main body was fairly in 
 motion, Brigadier-General Stewart had already sent news of his 
 arrival at Ncwtown, where he captured a number of ambulances, 
 
STRIKES THE RETREATING ARMY. .",71 
 
 with prisoners and medical stores, and found evident signs of a 
 general retreat upon Winchester. 
 
 General Jackson now advanced upon Middletown, confident 
 that his first surmise would be confirmed, and that he should 
 strike the retreating army upon the march. Half-way between 
 that place and Middletown, his advance was confronted by a 
 body of Federal cavalry, evidently sent to observe him. . Cap 
 tain Poague s section of artillery being then in front, the General 
 ordered him instantly to gallop forward, take a position at short 
 range, and fire into them. This was done with perfect success, 
 and the detachment scattered ; which was a novel instance of a 
 charge effected by field artillery. When the little village of 
 Middlctown came in view, across the broad and level fields, the 
 highway passing through it, at right angles to the direction of 
 General Jackson s approach, was seen canopied with a -vast 
 cloud of gray dust, and crowded beneath, as far as the eye 
 could reach, with a column of troops. At the sight, the artillery 
 dashed forward in a gallop for a rising ground, whence to tear 
 their ranks with shell. Ashby swooped down upon the right 
 like an eagle ; cut through their path, and arrested their escape 
 on that side ; while General Taylor throwing his front regiment 
 into line, advanced at a double quick to the centre of the village, 
 his men cheering and pouring a terrific volley into the confused 
 mass which filled the street. Never did a host receive a more 
 mortal thrust. In one moment, the way was encumbered with 
 dying horses and men ; and at every fierce volley, the troopers 
 seemed to melt by scores from their saddles ; while the frantic, 
 riderless horses, rushed up and down, trampling the wounded 
 wretches into the dust. But the astute cowardice of the Fed 
 erals, made the real carnage far less than the apparent ; they 
 fell from their horses before they were struck, and were found, 
 when the victors leaped into the road, squat behind the stone 
 
372 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 fences which bordered it, in long and crowded lines, where they 
 all surrendered at the first challenge. Among the remainder of 
 the Federal cavalry, the wildest confusion ensued, and they scat 
 tered in various directions. Two hundred prisoners and horses 
 with their equipments, remained in the hands of the Confed 
 erates at this spot. But it did not yet appear what part of the 
 retreating army was above, and what below, the point of assault. 
 As soon as the bullets ceased to fly, the astonished citizens 
 gathered around ; and when they saw the miserable, begrimed, 
 and bloody wreck of what had just been a proud regiment of 
 Vermont cavalry, they exclaimed with uplifted hands ; " Behold 
 the righteous judgment of God j for these are the miscreants who 
 have been most forward to plunder, insult, and oppress us!" 
 By some of them, General Jackson was informed, that dense 
 columns of infantry, trains of artillery, and long lines of baggage- 
 wagons, had been passing from Strasbourg since early morning. 
 Many wagons were seen disappearing in the distance towards 
 Winchester, and Colonel Ashby, with his cavalry, some artillery, 
 and a supporting infantry force from Taylor s brigade, was sent 
 in pursuit. But a few moments elapsed before the Federal artil 
 lery, which had been cut off with the rear of their army, began 
 to shell the village from the direction of Strasbourg. General 
 Jackson, regarding this as an indication of a purpose to cut a 
 way for retreat through his forces, immediately formed Taylor s 
 brigade south of the village, and advanced it, with a few guns, to 
 meet their attempt. The brigade of Colonel Campbell soon after 
 arriving, was brought up to support it. But the enemy s courage 
 was not adequate to so bold an exploit ; the cannonade was only 
 tentative; and, after a short skirmish, a column of flame and 
 smoke arising from the valley of Cedar Creek told that they had 
 fired the bridge over that stream, in order to protect themselves 
 from attack. This fragment of the broken army, which was 
 
PURSUIT TO WINCHESTER. 373 
 
 probably small in numbers, finally fled westward; and either 
 took refuge with General Fremont in the valley of the South 
 Branch, or made its way, piecemeal, to the Potomac, along the 
 base of the Great North Mountain. A large amount of baggage 
 fell into the hands of the victors at the scene of this combat ; 
 entire regiments, apparently in line of battle, having laid down 
 their knapsacks, and abandoned them. 
 
 General Jackson was now convinced that the larger game was 
 in the direction of Winchester, and returned with his whole force 
 to pursue it. The Stonewall Brigade, which had jiow come up, 
 took the front, and the whole army advanced towards Newtown. 
 The deserted wagon-train of the enemy was found standing, in 
 many cases with the horses attached, and occupied the road for 
 a mile. Upon approaching Newtown, the General was disap 
 pointed to find his artillery arrested, and wholly unsupported by 
 the cavalry ; while the enemy, taking heart from the respite, had 
 placed two batteries in position on the left and right of this 
 village, and again showed a determined front. Nearly the whole 
 of Colonel Ashby s cavalry present with him, with a part of the 
 infantry under his command, had disgracefully turned aside to 
 pillage ; so that their gallant commander was compelled to arrest 
 the pursuit. Indeed, the firing had not ceased, in the first onset 
 upon the Federal cavalry at Middletown, before some of Ashby s 
 men might have been seen, with a quickness more suitable to 
 horse-thieves than to soldiers, breaking from their ranks, seizing 
 each two or three of the captured horses, and making off across 
 the fields. Nor did these men pause until they had carried their 
 illegal booty to their homes, which were, in some instances, at 
 the distance of one or two days journey. That such extreme 
 disorders could occur, and that they could be passed over without 
 a bloody punishment, reveals the curious inefficiency of officers 
 in the volunteer Confederate army. 
 
374 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 The rifled guns of Captain Poague were immediately placed 
 in position upon arriving near Newtown, on an opposing emi 
 nence, and replied to the Federal battery upon the right of the 
 village with effect ; but it was sunset before they were dislodged, 
 and the pursuit resumed. The enemy had improved this pause to 
 set fire to a large part of their train containing valuable stores ; 
 and, as the army advanced, the gathering darkness was illumi 
 nated for a mile by blazing wagons and pontoon boats; while 
 blackened heaps of rice, beef, and bread, intermingled with the 
 bands and bars of glowing iron, showed where carriages laden 
 with these stores had been consumed. 
 
 General Jackson s perfect knowledge of the ground surround 
 ing Winchester, suggested to him the fear that the Federalists 
 would occupy the range of hills to the left of the turnpike and 
 southwest of the town, so as to command his approaches. He 
 therefore determined to press them all night, in the hope of 
 seizing the contested heights during the darkness. Without a 
 moment s pause for food or sleep, the army marched forward in 
 perfect order, some of the brigades enlivening their fatigues from 
 time to time with martial music, while ringing cheers passed, 
 like a wave, down the column for four miles, until their sound 
 was lost in the distance. The last time Jackson s division had 
 passed over this road, they were making their slow and stubborn 
 retreat from the bloody field of Kernstown j and they were now 
 eager to wipe out the disgrace of that check. The night was 
 calm, but dark. All night long, the General rode at the front, 
 amidst a little advanced guard of cavalry, seeking the enemy s 
 bleeding haunches with the pertinacity of a blood-hound. Again 
 and again he fell, with his escort, into ambuscades of their rifle 
 men, posted behind the stone fences, which here line the road 
 almost continuously. Suddenly the fire appeared, dancing 
 along the top of the wall, accompanied by the sharp explosion 
 
A NIGHT COMBAT. 375 
 
 of the rifles, and the bullets came hissing up the road. The 
 first of these surprises occurred soon after the burning wagons 
 were passed. No sooner had the fire begun, than the General, 
 seeing his escort draw rein and waver, cried in a command 
 ing tone : " Charge them ! Charge them ! " They advanced 
 unsteadily a little space, and then, at a second volley, turned 
 and fled past him, leaving him in the road with his staff alone. 
 But the enemy, equally timid, also retired, seemingly satisfied 
 with their effort. The conduct of these troopers filled Jackson 
 with towering indignation ; and turning to the officer next him, 
 he exclaimed: "Shameful! Did you see anybody struck, sir? 
 Did you see anybody struck ? Surely they need not have run, 
 at least until they were hurt!" Skirmishers from the 33d Vir 
 ginia infantry of Colonel Ncff, were now tin-own into the fields 
 right and left of the turnpike, and advancing abreast with the 
 head of the column, protected it for a time from similar insults. 
 But as it approached Barton s Mills, five miles from Winchester, 
 the enemy, posted on both sides of the road, again received it 
 ~ith so severe a fire, that the cavalry advance retired precipi 
 tately out of it, carrying the General and liis attendants along 
 with them, and riding down several cannoneers, who had been 
 brought up to their support. So pertinacious was the stand of 
 the Federalists here, the 27th, 2nd, and 5th Virginia regiments 
 were brought up, and the affair grew to the dimensions of a 
 night-combat, before they gave way. A similar skirmish oc 
 curred at Kernstown also, in which a few of the enemy were 
 killed and captured. The army was now not far from its goal ; 
 and the General, commanding the skirmishers to continue a" 
 cautious advance, caused the remainder to halt, and lie down 
 upon the road-side, for an hour s sleep. He himself, without a 
 cloak to protect him from the chilling dews, stood sentry at the 
 head of the column, listening to every sound from the front. 
 
376 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Meanwhi!e ; the wearied skirmishers pressed on, with a patient 
 endurance beyond all praise, drenched with the dews, wading 
 through the rank fields of clover and wheat, and stumbling 
 across ditches, until their tired limbs would scarcely obey their 
 wills. When the early dawn came to their relief, the heights 
 commanding Winchester were in sight, and against the faint 
 blush of the morning sky the figures of the Federal skirmishers 
 upon the crest were distinctly relieved. The tired Confederates 
 having rested a short time, General Jackson, in a quiet under 
 tone, gave the word to march, which was passed down the 
 column; and the host rising from its short sleep, chill and stiff 
 with the cold night-damps, advanced to battle. 
 
 The town of Winchester is seated upon ground almost level ; 
 and such also is the surface south and east of it, through which 
 the .great roads from Strasbourg and Front-Royal approach. 
 The former, especially, passes through smooth fields and meadows, 
 by a smiling suburb and mill-house, a mile from the town ; * after 
 which it surmounts a gentle ascent, and enters the street. But 
 toward the southwest, a cluster of beautiful hills projects itself 
 for a mile toward the left, commanding the town, the turnpike, 
 and the adjacent country. They were then enclosed with fences 
 of wood or stone, and covered with luxuriant clover and pastur 
 age, with here and there a forest-grove crowning the eminences 
 farthest west. Why the enemy did not post their powerful 
 artillery upon the foremost of these heights, supported by their 
 main force, can only be explained by that infatuation which 
 possessed them, by the will of God, throughout these events. 
 When General Jackson arrived near them at early dawn, with 
 the main column, he found them occupied by a skirmish line 
 only. After a careful examination of a few minutes, he ordered 
 General Winder to bring forward the Stonewall Brigade ; which, 
 forming in line of battle with the 5th Virginia on the right, 
 
RECONNOITRES THE ENEMY ? S POSITION. 377 
 
 advanced, and speedily dislodged the enemy from the first line 
 of eminences. The General immediately advanced a strong 
 detachment of artillery, composed of the batteries of Poague, 
 Carpenter and Cutshaw, and posted them advantageously just 
 behind the crests of the hill. The enemy s main force now dis 
 closed itself, occupying a convex line upon the high grounds, 
 south, and southwest of the town; and while the Stonewall 
 Brigade, with that of Colonel John A. Campbell, were disposed 
 as supports to the batteries ; a fierce cannonade, intermingled 
 with a sharp, rattling fire of riflemen, greeted the rising sun. 
 The May dews, exhaled by his beams, wrapped a part of the 
 landscape in a silvery veil, into which the smoke of the artillery 
 melted away. Just at this moment, General Jackson rode for 
 ward, followed by two field officers, Colonel Campbell and 
 another, to the very crest of the hill, and amidst a perfect 
 shower of balls, reconnoitred the whole position. Both the 
 officers beside him were speedily wounded, but he sat calmly 
 upon his horse, until he had satisfied himself concerning the 
 enemy s dispositions. He saw them posting another battery 
 upon an eminence far to his left, whence they hoped to enfilade 
 the ground occupied by the guns of Poague ; and, nearer to his 
 left front, a body of riflemen were just seizing a position 
 behind an oblique stone fence, whence they poured a galling 
 fire upon the gunners, and struck down many men and horses. 
 Here this gallant battery stood its ground, sometimes almost 
 silenced, yet never yielding an inch. After a time, by direc 
 tion .of General Winder, they changed their front to the left, 
 so as to present a more successful face to their adversaries; 
 and while a part of their guns replied to the opposing bat 
 tery, the remainder shattered the stone fence which sheltered the 
 Federal infantry, with solid shot, and raked it with canister. 
 Carpenter and Cutshaw also kept up so spirited a contest with 
 
 48 
 
378 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENEEAL JACKSON". 
 
 the batteries in the direction of the town, as to silence their fire. 
 General Jackson was hard to be convinced that the enemy would 
 be so foolish as to yield the contest, without an attempt to drive 
 his artillery from this vital position, and to occupy it with their 
 own. At this stage of the battle, he rode up fo Colonel Neff, of 
 the 33d Virginia, supporting the battery of Carpenter, and after 
 ordering the latter not to slacken his fire, said to the former ; 
 "Colonel, where is your regiment posted?" "Here/ he 
 replied ; " the right masked in this depression of ground, and 
 the left behind that fence." Said the General, "I expect the 
 enemy to bring artillery to this hill j and they must not do it ! 
 do you understand me, sir ! They must not do it ! Keep a good 
 look out ; and your men well in hand ; and if they attempt to 
 come, charge them with the bayonet; and seize their guns: 
 Clamp them, sir, on the spot." As he gave this order, his 
 clenched hand and strident voice declared the energy of his 
 fiery will, in such sort as to make the blood of every beholder 
 tingle. 
 
 But the narrative must pause here, to return to the movements 
 of General Ewell. During the previous evening, he had pressed 
 the enemy back from the direction of Front Royal, until his 
 advanced regiment, the 21st North Carolina, Colonel Kirklaud 
 was within two miles of Winchester. Here he rested his 
 advance at 10 o clock P. M., and his command slept upon their 
 arms. At dawn he moved simultaneously with General Jackson, 
 and the first guns of Carpenter were answered from the east, 
 by those of his batteries. He advanced his left, Colonel 
 Kirklaiid still in front, until he was met by a fire of musketry 
 from the enemy s line, posted behind a stone fence, so destructive 
 that the field officers were all wounded, and the gallant 
 regiment compelled to recoil. This check was speedily retrieved 
 bv the 21st Georgia regiment, which in turn drove the enemy s 
 
CRISIS OF THE BATTLE. 379 
 
 infantry from their cover. But General Ewell/ upon the 
 suggestion of Brigadier- General Trimble, was convinced that 
 his better policy would be to move by his right. Bringing the 
 remainder of his regiments forward, he executed this movement, 
 and the enemy began at once to give way from his front. 
 
 The battle had now reached a stage which General Jackson 
 perceived to be critical ; the hour for striking the final blow had 
 arrived. The enemy were evidently moving, by a still wider 
 circuit, towards the wooded heights which commanded his 
 extreme left. He now sent for the fine brigade of General 
 Taylor, which was at the head of the column of reserve, in 
 the rear of the mill-house. Before the messenger could bring 
 it up, his eagerness overcame him, and he was seen riding 
 rapidly to meet it. Conducting it by a hollow way, around the 
 rear of his centre, he directed its rapid formation in line of 
 battle, with the left regiments thrown forward to the westward 
 of the enemy s position. Under a shower of shells and rifle- 
 balls, this magnificent body of troops wheeled from column into 
 line, with the accuracy and readiness of a parade. As soon 
 as General Jackson saw them in motion in the desired direction, 
 he galloped along the rear of his line toward the centre, giving 
 the word for a general advance. When l.c reached the hill 
 occupied by the battery of Carpenter, where he had so exposed 
 himself at the beginning, he mounted it again, with an air of 
 <iager caution, peering like a deer-stalker over its summit, as 
 soon as his eyes reached its level. His first glance was 
 sufficient ; setting spurs to his horse, he bounded upon the crest, 
 and shouted to the officers near him : " Forward, after the 
 enemy !" No more inspiring sight ever greeted the eyes of a 
 victorious captain. Far to the east, the advancing lines of 
 Ewcll rolled forward, concealed in waves of white smoke, from 
 their volleys of musketry, and were rapidly overpassing the 
 
380 
 
 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 suburbs of the town. On the West, the long and glittering 
 lines of Taylor, after one thundering discharge, were sweeping 
 at a bayonet charge up the reverse of the hills, with irresistible 
 momentum. Nearer the General, came the Stonewall Brigade, 
 with the gallant 23d Virginia, who sprung from their lairs, and 
 rushed panting down the hill-sides. Between him and the town 
 the enemy were everywhere breaking away from the walls and 
 fences where they had sheltered themselves, at first with some 
 semblance of order, but then dissolving into a vast confusion, in 
 which the infantry, mounted officers, and artillery crowded and 
 surged toward the streets. But they found neither shelter nor 
 respite there ; the eager Confederates were too close upon them 
 to allow time for any arrangements for defence. For a few 
 moments, pursuers and pursued were swallowed from view, and 
 the rout roared through every street, with rattling rifle-shots, 
 and ringing cheers of the victors, until it disgorged itself upon 
 the commons north of the town. The General, with his face 
 inflamed with towering passion and triumph, galloped amidst 
 the foremost pursuers, and urged them upon the enemy. The 
 sidewalks and doorways were thronged with children, women, 
 and old men, who rushed out, regardless of the balls, to hail 
 the conquerors. Of these, some ran in among the horses, as 
 though to embrace the knees of their deliverers ; many were 
 wildly waving their arms or handkerchiefs, and screaming their 
 welcome in cheers and blessings, while not a few of the more 
 thoughtful were seen, standing upon their doorsteps, with their 
 solemn faces bathed in tears, and spreading forth their hands 
 to heaven, in adoration. To complete the thrilling scene, two 
 great buildings, in different places, were vomiting volumes of 
 flame and smoke, which threatened to involve all in one common 
 ruin ; for the enemy, in cowardly spite, lighted them, and left 
 them in flames in the midst of the town.* But not one of the 
 
ABSENCE OP CAVALRY. 381 
 
 endangered citizens sought to arrest any pursuing soldier for 
 this ; and after the first frenzy of their joy was passed, the old 
 men and the females set to, and extinguished the fires. Delicate 
 women were seen bringing water, and rushing into the burning 
 building, stored with the ammunition of the enemy, to drag out 
 the Federal sick and wounded, who had been left there by their 
 comrades, to be overwhelmed in the explosion which they 
 expected to follow. 
 
 When General Jackson issued into the open ground again at 
 the Martinsburg Turnpike, all the fields, which the depredations 
 of the enemy had converted into a waste denuded of fences and 
 crops, were dark with a confused multitude of fugitives, utterly 
 without order or thought of resistance. From the head of every 
 street, eager columns of Confederates were pouring, and deploy 
 ing without awaiting the commands of their officers, into an 
 irregular line, in order to fire upon the retreating mass. As 
 this surged wildly away it left scattered over the common its 
 human wrecks, in the shape of dead and dying, intermingled 
 with knapsacks, arms, and bundles of stolen goods. Upon 
 glancing around this picture, the General exclaimed ; " Never 
 was there such a chance for cavalry ; oh that my cavalry were 
 in place ! " When an officer near him remarked that the best 
 substitute for a cavalry pursuit would be the fire of the field 
 artillery, he replied ; " Yes ; go back and order up the nearest 
 batteries you find." After despatching this order, he sent another 
 member of his staff, with the characteristic command, " to order 
 every battery and every brigade forward to the Potomac." In 
 his official report he says ; " Never have I seen an opportunity 
 when it was in the power of the cavalry, to reap a richer harvest 
 of the fruits of victory." And again; "There is good reason 
 for believing that, had the cavalry played its part in this pursuit 
 as well as the four companies under Colonel Flournoy, two days 
 
382 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 before, in the pursuit from Front Royal, but a small portion 
 of Banks s army would have made its escape to the Potomac." 
 The cause of this untimely absence of the cavalry may be 
 surmised by the reader, as to that part under Colonel Ashby. 
 Disorganized by its initial success, it was so scattered that its 
 heroic leader could gather but a handful around him on the 
 morning of the battle. With these he had undertaken an inde 
 pendent enterprise, to cut off a detachment of Federalists on 
 their left ; and passing around the scene of action he joined in 
 the pursuit many hours after, at Bunker Hill. The 2d and 6th 
 regiments had been placed under the temporary command 
 of Brigadier- General George H. Stewart, of General Swell s 
 division. As they did not appear after the pursuit had been 
 continued for some time, General Jackson sent his Aide, Captain 
 Pcndleton, after them. General Stewart replied that he was 
 awaiting the orders of General Ewell, under whose immediate 
 command he was, and could not move without them. While 
 these were obtained, precious time was wasted, and two hours 
 elapsed before the two regiments were upon the traces of the 
 enemy. That a superior officer, addressing his commands to 
 persons under the orders of his inferior, should direct them 
 through him, if he is present, is a proper mark of consideration, 
 and a means of regularity in governing. But it is a most 
 effectual way to rob a commanding general of his command, to 
 assume that he may not claim the services of the subordinate 
 of his own subordinate, in the absence of the latter ; when, if he 
 were present, he could legitimately control him and all under 
 him. The utmost which the former could ask, when receiving 
 orders without the intervention of his immediate superior, 
 would be, that his commanding general should remember to 
 explain to that officer the orders thus given in his absence. 
 After pursuing for a few miles with infantry and artillery, 
 
THE. ARMY REPOSES. 383 
 
 f 
 
 General Jackson perceived that the interval between his men 
 and the enemy was continually widening. The warm mid-day 
 was now approaching, and since the morning of the previous 
 day, the troops had been continually marching or fighting, with 
 out food or rest. Nature could do no more. At every step 
 some wearied man was compelled to drop out of the ranks by 
 overpowering fatigue. The General therefore ordered the 
 infantry to cease their pursuit, and return to the pleasant 
 groves of Camp Stevenson, three miles north of Winchester, for 
 rest and rations, while the cavalry, which had now arrived, 
 assumed the duty of pressing the enemy. This General Stewart 
 performed with skill and energy, picking up a number of pris 
 oners, and driving the Federalists through Martinsburg, and 
 across the Potomac at Williamsport. General Banks was one 
 of the first fugitives to appear at Martinsburg, having deserted 
 his army long before the conclusion of the battle. His forces 
 were thus driven without pause, and within the space of thirty- 
 six hours, a distance of sixty miles. At Martinsburg, enormous 
 accumulations of army stores again fell into the victors hands. 
 When the cavalry drove the last of the fugitives across the 
 Potomac, a multitude of helpless blacks were found cowering 
 upon the southern bank, who had been decoyed from Winchester 
 and the adjacent country, by the story that Jackson was putting 
 to death all the slaves whom he met, upon the charge of frater 
 nizing with the Yankees. Many of these unhappy victims of 
 fanaticism, deserted in the hour of alarm by their seducers, 
 were cared for, and brought back to their homes, by the 
 horsemen. 
 
 The remainder of the day was devoted by the army as well 
 a? their Commander, to repose. The tired men, disencumbered 
 of their arms, reclined under the noble groves interspersed 
 among their camp, while the famished horses grazed busily upon 
 
384 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 * 
 
 the rich sward. The thunder of the battles and the shouting of 
 the captains were soon followed by a Sabbath stillness, amidst 
 which the General slowly rode back to the town. Having pro 
 cured quarters in the chief hotel, he refused all food, and throw 
 ing himself across a bed upon his breast, booted and spurred, was 
 sleeping in a moment, with the healthy quietude of infancy. 
 
 The next day was devoted to a religious rest, in order to pay 
 that honor which General Jackson ever delighted to render to 
 Almighty God, and to repay the troops, in some sort, for the 
 interruptions of the holy day by battle. This purpose was an 
 nounced to the troops in the following General order : 
 
 "Within four weeks this army has made long and rapid 
 marches, fought six combats and two battles, signally defeating 
 the enemy in each one, captured several stands of colors, and 
 pieces of artillery, with numerous prisoners, and vast medical, 
 ordnance, and army stores ; and, finally, driven the boastful host 
 which was ravaging our beautiful country, into utter rout. The 
 General commanding would warmly express to the officers and 
 men under his command, his joy in their achievements, and his 
 thanks for their brilliant gallantry in action and their patient 
 obedience under the hardships of forced marches; often more 
 painful to the brave soldier than the dangers of battle. The 
 explanation of the severe exertions to which the Commanding 
 General called the army, which were endured by them with 
 such cheerful confidence in him, is now given, in the victory of 
 yesterday. He receives this proof of their confidence in the 
 past with pride and gratitude, and asks only a similar confidence 
 in the future. 
 
 " But his chief duty to-day, and that of the army, is, to recog 
 nize devoutly the hand of a protecting Providence in the brilliant 
 successes of the last three days (which have given us the results 
 of a great victory without great losses) ; and to make the oblation 
 
SEIZURE OF SUTLERS STORES. 385 
 
 of our thanks to God for his mercies to us and our country, 
 in heartfelt acts of religious worship. For this purpose the 
 troops will remain in camp to-day, suspending as far as practi 
 cable all military exercises ; and the Chaplains of regiments will 
 hold divine service in their several charges at 4 o clock, P. M. " 
 
 At the appointed hour the General attended public worship 
 with the 37th Virginia regiment, and presented an edifying 
 example of devotion to the men. 
 
 Winchester had been the great resort of Federal sutlers, who 
 had impudently occupied many of the finest shops upon its streets, 
 and exposed their wares for sale in them. The headlong confu 
 sion of Banks s retreat left them neither means nor time to 
 remove their wealth. All was given up to the soldiers, who 
 speedily emptied their shelves. It was a strange sight to see the 
 rough fellows, who the day before had lacked the ration of beef 
 and hard bread, regaling themselves with confectionery, sardines, 
 and tropical fruits. Their spoils, however, were about to produce 
 a serious evil. The stores of clothing captured by the men in 
 these shops, and in the baggage of the fugitives, were so enor 
 mous, that in a day the army seemed to be almost metamor 
 phosed. The Confederate grey was rapidly changing into the 
 Yankee blue. Had this license been permitted, the purposes of 
 discipline would have been disappointed, and the dangers of 
 battle multiplied. General Jackson speedily suppressed it by 
 this adroit and simple measure. He issued an order that every 
 person in Federal uniform should be arrested, and assumed to 
 be a prisoner of war going at large improperly, until he himself 
 presented adequate evidence of the contrary. The men of the 
 Provost-Marshal had not acted upon this order many hours 
 before the army became grey again as rapidly as it had been 
 becoming blue. The men either deposited their gay spoils in 
 the bottom of their knapsacks, or sent them by the baggage-trains 
 
 49 
 
386 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 which were carrying the captured stores to the rear, and donned 
 their well-worn uniforms again. 
 
 General Jackson was not the man to lose the opportunities 
 growing out of such a victory by inaction. The use to be made 
 of his present successes was dictated by the authorities at Rich 
 mond ; but it is believed their designs met the full approbation 
 of his own judgment. Immediately after the battle of Winchester 
 he had sent a trusty officer to the Capital with despatches explain 
 ing his views. The decision of the government was, that he should 
 press the enemy at Harper s Ferry, threaten an invasion of 
 Maryland, and an assault upon the Federal capital, and thus 
 make the most energetic diversion possible, to draw a part of 
 the forces of M Clellan and McDowell from Richmond. After 
 allowing his troops two days of needed rest, the army was moved, 
 Wednesday morning, May 28th, toward Charlestown, by Sum 
 mit Point, General Winder s brigade again in advance. Charles- 
 town is a handsome village, the seat of justice of Jefferson 
 county, eight miles from Harper s Ferry. When about five miles 
 from the former place, General Winder received information 
 that the enemy was in possession of it in heavy force. Upon 
 being advised of this, General Jackson ordered General Ewell 
 with reinforcements to his support. But General Winder 
 resolved not to await them, and advanced cautiously toward 
 Charlestown. As he emerged from the wood, less than a mile 
 distant from the town, he discovered the enemy in line of battle 
 about fifteen hundred strong, and decided to attack them. Upon 
 the appearance of our troops, the enemy opened upon them with 
 two pieces of artillery. Carpenter s battery was immediately 
 placed in position, with the 33rd Virginia regiment as support; 
 and was so admirably served that in twenty minutes the enemy 
 retired in great disorder, throwing away their arms and baggage. 
 The pursuit was continued rapidly with artillery and infantry to 
 
RETREATS UPOX STRASBOURG. 387 
 
 Hall-town, a hamlet a couple of miles from the Potomac. A short 
 distance beyond that point, General Winder observing the enemy 
 strongly posted on Bolivar Heights, and in considerable force, 
 concluded that prudence required him to await his supports; 
 and he therefore arrested the pursuit, and returned to the 
 vicinity of Charlestown. 
 
 On the following day, the main body of the army took posi 
 tion near Hall-town, and the 2nd regiment ; Virginia infantry, was 
 sent to London heights, with the hope of being able to drive the 
 enemy from Harper s Ferry, across the Potomac. But tin s 
 movement was no sooner made, than General Jackson received 
 intelligence which imperiously required him to arrest it, and pro 
 vide for his own safety. The Federal Government, awakened 
 by its disasters, to a portion of sense and activity, gave orders 
 to General Shields, to move upon General Jackson s communi 
 cations from the Rappahannock, and General Fremont from the 
 valley of the South Branch. Both these bodies were now threat 
 ening to close in upon his rear, with a speed which left not a 
 moment for delay. At Front Royal, the 12th Georgia regiment, 
 so distinguished for its gallantry at McDowell, and previous 
 engagements, had been stationed to watch the approaches of the 
 enemy from the east, and to guard the prisoners and valuable 
 stores captured there the previous week. Through the indiscre 
 tion of its commander, it was driven from the place, with the loss 
 of all the prisoners, and a number of its own members captured ; 
 while the stores were only rescued from falling again into the 
 hands of the Federalists, by the energy of a Quartermaster, 
 who fired the warehouses containing them. Thus a loss of 
 three hundred thousand dollars, in provisions and equipments, 
 was incurred at the outset. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 30th, the whole army was in motion, 
 retreating upon Strasbourg, the point at which it was expected 
 
LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Shields and Fremont would attempt their junction. General 
 Winder was ordered to recall the 2nd regiment from Loudon 
 heights, and with the cavalry, to protect the rear of the army. 
 On arriving at "Winchester, General Jackson learned that the 
 approach of the enemy to Strasbourg was so imminent, that it 
 was essential his rear should reach that place by mid-day 
 of the 31st, in order to avoid separation from the main body, 
 and capture. He, therefore, sent back orders to the Stonewall 
 Brigade, not to pause in its march on the 30th, until it passed 
 Winchester. It travelled, in fact, from Hall-town, to the neigh 
 borhood of Newtown, a distance of thirty-five miles : and the 
 2nd Virginia regiment, which had its steps to retrace from the 
 heights beyond the Shenandoah, accomplished a march of more 
 than forty miles, without rations. This astonishing effort was 
 made also over muddy roads, and amidst continual showers ! The 
 next morning the rear-guard arose from their wet bivouac, stiff 
 and sore of limb, and completed the march to Strasbourg in the 
 forenoon. When they arrived there, they found the army halted 
 and awaiting them; while General Ewell, with his division, 
 facing toward the west, was sternly confronting Fremont, and 
 offering him gage of battle. The latter had arrived in the 
 neighborhood of Strasbourg, by way of Wardensville, and 
 issued from the gap of the great north mountain, as though to 
 attack the retreating army. But when it stood thus at bay, he 
 prudently withdrew, after a desultory skirmish, into the gorge 
 from which he had issued. General Jackson now resumed a 
 deliberate retreat, with his rear covered by his cavalry ; seeking 
 some position in the interior, where he could confront Ms foes 
 without danger to his flanks. 
 
 During the week which embraced these brilliant events, the 
 Quartermasters and Ordnance departments of the army were 
 laboriously engaged in collecting and removing the captured 
 
THE CAPTURED MEDICAL STORES. 389 
 
 stores. The baggage trains of the army, and those captured 
 from the enemy were laden with the precious spoils, and sent 
 toward Staunton. Every carriage which could be hired or im 
 pressed from the vicinity of Winchester, was also employed ; and 
 yet a vast and unestimated mass which could not be removed, 
 was consigned to the flames. Only those things which were 
 brought safely away will be enumerated. It has been related 
 how the soldiers themselves were permitted to dispose of the 
 contents of the sutlers stores. A large part of the army was 
 thus equipped with clothing, boots and shoes, blankets, oil cloth 
 coverings, and hats. One of the largest storehouses in Winches 
 ter was found filled with medicines, surgical instruments, and 
 hospital appliances, of the choicest description. Of these a 
 small portion were distributed to the surgeons for the immediate 
 wants of their brave men ; and all the remainder were sent to 
 Richmond, where they were found abundant enough to replenish 
 the medical stores of the great army. The mercy of Providence 
 in this supply, was as manifest as His rebuke of the barbarity 
 of the enemy. With an inhumanity unknown in modern history, 
 they had extended the law of blockade to all medicines and 
 hospital stores; hoping thus not only to make the hurts of every 
 Bounded adversary mortal, (where brave men would have been 
 eager to minister to a helpless foe,) but to deprive suffering age, 
 womanhood, and infancy of the last succors which the benignity 
 of the universal Father has provided for their pangs. This cold 
 and malignant design was in part disappointed by the victory of 
 Jackson. The stores captured at Winchester not only supplied 
 the conquering army, but carried solace and healing to the sick 
 and wounded throughout the approaching campaign of Richmond. 
 In bright contrast with this barbarity of the enemy, stands the 
 magnanimity of Jackson. Finding a large and well provided 
 hospital at Winchester, filled with seven hundred Federal sick 
 
390 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 and woundcd ; he ordered that nothing of their stores or medi 
 cines should bo removed, and having ministered to the sufferers 
 with generous attention during the week they were in his power, 
 he left everything untouched, when Winchester was again evacu 
 ated. The seven hundred enemies were paroled, not to fight 
 again until exchanged. 
 
 The 31st of May, the 21st Virginia regiment left Winchester, 
 in charge of twenty-three hundred prisoners of war. The 
 whole number of the enemy captured was about three thousand 
 and fifty. One hundred beeves, thirty-four thousand pounds of 
 bacon, and great masses of flour, biscuit, and groceries, were 
 secured by the Chief Commissary, while the Quartermasters 
 removed stores in their department, to the amount of one 
 hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Two hundred 
 wagons and ambulances, with a number of horses, which would 
 have been very great, but for the rapacity of the Confederate 
 cavalry, were also secured. But the most precious acquisition 
 was the ordnance stores, containing, besides ammunition, nine 
 thousand, three hundred and fifty small arms, perfectly new, 
 and of the most approved patterns. 
 
 These results of the week s campaign were won with small 
 expenditure of blood by the patriot army. In all the engage 
 ments, from Front Royal to Strasbourg, sixty-eight men were 
 killed, three hundred and twenty-nine were wounded, and three 
 were missing ; making a total loss of four hundred men. The 
 General closed his official narrative with these words : " Whilst 
 I have had to speak of some of our troops in disparaging terms, 
 yet it is my gratifying privilege to say of the main body of the 
 army, that its officers and men acted in a manner worthy of the 
 great cause for which they were contending, and to add that, so 
 far as my knowledge extends, the battle of Winchester was, on 
 our part, a battle without a straggler." 
 
INHABITANTS PLUNDERED BY FEDERALS. 391 
 
 It was while reposing after his victory at Winchester, that lie 
 wrote thus to Mrs. Jackson : 
 
 "Winchester, May 26th, 1862. An ever kind Providence 
 blessed us with success at Front Royal on Friday, between 
 Strasbourg and Winchester on Saturday, and here with a 
 
 successful engagement yesterday I do not remember 
 
 having ever seen such rejoicing as was manifested by the people 
 of Winchester, as our army yesterday passed through the town 
 in pursuit of the enemy. The town was nearly frantic with joy. 
 Our entrance into Winchester was one of the most stirring 
 scenes of my life. Such joy as the inhabitants manifested, can 
 not easily be described. The town is greatly improved in its 
 loyalty." 
 
 A few days after, while threatening Harper s Ferry, he sent 
 messages to the Confederate Government by his zealous 
 supporter and assistant, the Hon. Mr. Boteler of the Congress, 
 begging for an increase of his force. He pointed out again 
 that an assault upon the enemy s territory, indicating danger to 
 their capital, was the most ready and certain method to deliver 
 Richmond from the approaches of General M Clellan. " Tell 
 them," he said, " that I have now but fifteen thousand effective 
 men. If the present opening is improved as it should be, I 
 must have forty thousand." But the Government was unable 
 to advance these reinforcements, and Divine Providence reserved 
 to him the glory of assisting in the deliverance of our capital in 
 a more direct manner. 
 
 Tlu s chapter will be closed with a reference to a fact which 
 assists in fixing the seal of infamy upon the Federal Government, 
 generals, and armies ; the authorized robberies now begun in the 
 valley of Virginia. Not only were the inhabitants plundered 
 by the Federal soldiers as they marched through the peaceful 
 country, but they were systematically robbed of their horses, 
 
392 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEKAL JACKSON. 
 
 and other live-stock by General Banks, in his march to and 
 from Harrisonburg. This commander officially boasted to his 
 Government; that the results of his conquest had supplied his 
 artillery and trains with enough of excellent horses, besides 
 many other valuable resources. Now none of these were prize 
 of war ; for so accomplished a leader was Jackson, in retreat as 
 well as in triumph, that nothing belonging to his army fell into 
 his enemy s hands. These horses, and other animals, were 
 simply stolen from the rich and peaceful farmers of Rockingham 
 and Shenandoah. Here was the beginning of a system of 
 wholesale robbery, since extended to every part of the Confed 
 erate States which the enemy has reached ! But if the reader 
 assigned to General Banks any pre-eminence of crime or infamy, 
 above his nation, he would do him injustice. The Federal 
 Congress and Executive had already, by formal and unblushing 
 legislation, ordained that the war should be a huge piracy, as 
 monstrous as the rapacity of any of their lieutenants could 
 make it. Under pretexts which could be used by any other 
 nation, in any other war, with equal plausibility, to steal any 
 species of private property whatever, laws had been passed, 
 declaring all tobacco, cotton, and labor of slaves, in the 
 Confederate States, or coming thence, to be "contraband of 
 war," and liable to confiscation. The true intent of this law 
 was to subject these three kinds of property, the most important 
 in our country, to systematic theft, and this purpose has since 
 been most diligently and consistently carried out. 
 
PORT REPUBLIC. 303 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 PORT REPUBLIC. 
 
 IT has been related how General Jackson assembled his 
 army at Strasbourg before the occupation of that place by 
 Fremont, and thus eluded the combination designed by him and 
 Shields, in his rear. On the evening of June 1st, he resumed 
 his retreat up the Valley. The object immediately demanding 
 his attention was the rescue of his army from its perilous situa 
 tion. The indirect purpose of the campaign was already 
 accomplished; his rapid movements and stunning blows had 
 neutralized the efforts of General McDowell against Richmond 
 Banks was driven from Winchester the 25th of May, and the 
 Federal authorities were panic-struck by the thought of a victo 
 rious Confederate army, of unknown numbers, breaking into 
 Maryland by Harper s Ferry, and seizing Washington City. 
 Just at this juncture, M Clellan had pushed his right wing to a 
 point north of Richmond, at Hanover Court House, and within 
 a single march of McDowell s advanced posts. On the 27th 
 of May, the Confederate General Branch was defeated at that 
 place with loss, and the fruit of this success was the occupation 
 of all the roads, and of the bridges across the waters of the 
 Pamunkey, connecting Richmond with Fredericksburg and Gor- 
 donsville, by the Federalists. Had the advice of M Clellan 
 been now followed, the result must have been disastrous to 
 General Lee, and might well have been ruinous. The Federal 
 
 50 
 
394 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXEEAL JACKSOX. 
 
 commander urged his Government to send General M-Dowell. 
 with all the forces near Manassa s, under Sigel and Augur, by 
 the route thus opened to them, to effect an immediate junction 
 with his right wing, to hold permanently these lines of communi 
 cation between Lee and Jackson, and to complete the investment 
 of Richmond. These operations, which the Confederates had no 
 means to resist, with the addition of the forty thousand troops 
 which they would have brought to M Clellan s army, already so 
 superior in numbers, would have greatly endangered Richmond 
 and its army. But the terror inspired by Jackson caused the 
 President to refuse his consent ; he was unwilling to expose his 
 Capital to a sudden blow from this ubiquitous leader ; and instead 
 of sending General M-Dowell forward, he commanded him to 
 retire nearer to Washington. General M Clellan was further 
 ordered by telegraph, to burn the bridges across the south Pam- 
 unkey, won by his recent victory, and by which his reinforcements 
 should have joined him, lest the Confederates should move by 
 them against Washington ! Thus Providence employed the 
 movements of General Jackson s little army to paralyze the for 
 ces of Fremont, Banks and M Dowell, amounting to eighty 
 thousand men, during the critical period of the campaign. It 
 is therefore with justice, that his successes in the Yalley are 
 said to have saved Richmond and Virginia. When the small 
 means, the trivial losses, and the short time, with which this 
 great result was wrought, are considered, it will be admitted 
 that military genius has never, in any age, accomplished a more 
 splendid achievement. It was indeed so brilliant, that the doubt 
 has been suggested, whether the mind of Jackson or of any 
 other strategist, was prophetic enough to forecast and provide 
 for so grand a conclusion, or whether it was the fortunate and 
 unforeseen dispensation of chance, or of Providence. To the 
 latter he delighted to attribute all his success; and he would 
 
RETEATS UP THE VALLEY TURNPIKE. o JO 
 
 have been tlie first to concur in the estimate, which made him 
 only an humble instrument in the hand of an omniscient Guide, 
 who superintended his fallible judgment, overruled the efforts 
 of his enemies, and, among the TOxiety of possible effects, con 
 nected his measures with those consequences which were most 
 beneficial to his country. But while this Christian solution is 
 fully admitted, the honor of General Jackson, as an instrument, 
 is vindicated by these facts, that, from the first, he strongly urged 
 the movements which were at length made, as the surest means 
 for these ends, and that he continued steadfastly of the same 
 mind amidst all the mutations in others, produced by the fluctu 
 ating appearances of the campaign. The wisdom of his plan 
 was seconded by a devotion and energy in action, which gave it 
 such success as no other could have commanded. 
 
 A more glorious sequel yet remains to be narrated, in which 
 General Jackson extricated himself from his baffled enemies, and 
 assisted in crushing the remainder of the Federal forces near 
 Richmond. The former of these results was effected at Port 
 Republic; and to this spot the narrative now leads. When 
 General Jackson, on the evening of June 1st, resumed his retreat 
 from Strasbourg, he was aware that Shields had been for nearly 
 two days at Front Royal. The fact that he had not attempted 
 an immediate junction with Fremont suggested the suspicion that 
 he was moving for a point farther upon the rear of the Confed 
 erates, by way of Luray and New Market Gap. To frustrate 
 this design, General Jackson now sent a detachment of cavalry to 
 burn the White House bridge across the South Shenandoah, by 
 which the Luray turnpike passed the stream, and also the 
 Columbia bridge, a few miles above it. He knew that Shields 
 had no pontoon train, for Banks had been compelled to sacrifice 
 it at Newtown ; and the rivers were still too much swollen to be 
 forded. Having taken this precaution, he retreated up the 
 
396 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 Valley turnpike in his usual stubborn and deliberate fashion, 
 with his cavalry and Chew s light battery in the rear. It was 
 the saying of his soldiers, that his marches were always easy 
 when in retreat, but hard wken pursuing. This calmness of 
 movement not only promoted order, and gave time to bring off 
 his supplies, but wrought an invaluable effect upon the spirits 
 of the troops. A hurried march in retiring from the enemy 
 suggests insecurity, and ministers a constant excitement to the 
 minds of the men akin to panic, and easily converted into it. 
 General Jackson s deliberation reassured his army; and they 
 never lost confidence or spirit because they were compelled to 
 retire for a time. It was by this means that he was enabled 
 to preserve the order of his troops equally in retreat and in 
 advance. 
 
 General Fremont, having ascertained that the Confederates 
 were withdrawing, pursued with spirit; and, after nightfall, a 
 portion of his horse came so near the rear-guard that they were 
 challenged by them. They replied, " Ashby s cavalry " ; and, hav 
 ing thus deceived our forces, availed themselves of the advantage 
 to charge the 6th regiment of cavalry, which was next the rear. 
 These were thrown into disorder; and a few of them were 
 ridden down, and wounded, or captured. Confusion was also 
 communicated, to some degree, to the 2nd regiment next it ; but 
 the commander, Colonel Munford, soon reformed it, gallantly 
 charged the enemy, repulsed them, and captured some prisoners. 
 On the 2nd of June, the enemy succeeded in taking position where 
 their. artillery was able to cannonade the Confederate rear. The 
 cavalry was thrown into disorder by the shells, and fled, carrying 
 a part of its supporting battery with them. The Federal cavalry 
 now pushed forward to reap the fruits of this success, when 
 Ashby displayed that prompt resource and personal daring which 
 illustrated his character. Dismounting from his horse, he 
 
A DRY REMARK. 397 
 
 collected a small body of riflemen who were lagging, foot-sore 
 and weary, behind their commands, and posted them in a wood 
 near the road-side. Awaiting the near approach of the enemy, 
 he poured into their ranks so effective a fire that a number of 
 saddles were emptied, and a part of the survivors retired in 
 confusion. The remainder were carried past by their momentum 
 and even broke through the ranks of the rear regiment in a 
 brigade of infantry, that of Colonel Campbell, commanded 
 since his wounding at Winchester by Colonel J. M. Patton. But 
 that officer, filing his next regiment from the road in good order, 
 made way for the onset of the enemy, and ; as they passed, gave 
 them a volley which terminated their audacity. Only one of the 
 party returned alive to his comrades, the remainder being all 
 killed or captured. Colonel Patton, while reporting the events 
 of the day to the General, at nightfall, remarked that he saw this 
 party of foes shot down with regret. He seemed to make no 
 note of these words at the time, but pursued his minute inquiries 
 into all the particulars of the skirmish. After the official conver 
 sation was ended, he asked : " Colonel, why do } r ou say that you 
 saw those Federal soldiers fall with regret ? " It was replied, 
 that they exhibited more vigor and courage than anything which 
 had been attempted by any part of the Federal army; andUhat 
 a natural sympathy with brave men led to the wish that, in the 
 fortunes of the fight, their lives might have been saved. The 
 General drily remarked : " No ; shoot them all : I do not wish 
 them to be brave." It was thus that he was accustomed to indi 
 cate, by a single brief sentence, the cardinal thought of a whole 
 chapter of discussion. He meant to suggest reasonings which 
 show that such sentiments of chivalrous forbearance, though 
 amiable, are erroneous. Courage in the prosecution of a wicked 
 attempt does not relieve, but only aggravates, the danger to the 
 innocent party assailed, and the guilt of the assailants. There 
 
398 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 is, then, a sense in which the most vigorous are the most worthy 
 of death ; and the interests of those who wage a just defence 
 prompt them to visit retribution, first, upon those who are most 
 dangerous. 
 
 The 2nd and 6th regiments of cavalry were now transferred 
 from the command of General Stewart, to that of Ashby. When 
 the latter returned to Winchester the week before, from the pur 
 suit of Banks, he was met by his commission of Brigadier- Gen 
 eral of cavalry; an lionor well earned by his arduous and 
 important services. lie was now raised to that position best 
 adapted to his powers. While unsuited for the drudgery of the 
 drill and the military police, General Ashby had every quality of 
 a brilliant commander in the field. Seconded by diligent and 
 able Colonels in his regiments, he would have led his brigade to 
 a career of glory surpassing all his previous successes. But 
 such a destiny was not in store for him ; and his sun was now 
 about to set in its splendid morning. 
 
 On the 3rd of June, the Confederate army placed the north 
 fork of the Shenandoah behind it; and General Ashby was 
 entrusted with the duty of burning the bridge by which it 
 passed over. Before this task was completed, the Federalists 
 appeared on the opposite bank, and a skirmish ensued, in which 
 his horse was struck dead, and he himself very narrowly 
 escaped. The necessity of replacing this bridge, arrested Fre 
 mont for a da}^, and gave the tired Confederates a respite, which 
 they employed in retiring slowly and unmolested, to Harrison- 
 burg. A mile south of that village, General Jackson left the 
 valley road, and turned eastward, towards Port Republic; a 
 smaller place upon the south fork of the Shenandoah, and near 
 the western base of the Blue Ridge. It was not until the even 
 ing of June 6th, that the Federal advance overtook his rear 
 guard, which was still within two miles of Harrisonburg, 
 
FALL OF ASHBY. 
 
 posted at the crest of a wooded ridge, commanding the neigh 
 boring fields. General Ashby, as usual, held the rear ; and the 
 division of General Ewell was next. In part of the Federal 
 army was a New Jersey regiment of cavalry, commanded by 
 one of those military adventurers, whose appetite for blood pre 
 sents so monstrous and loathsome a parody upon the virtues of 
 the true soldier. A subject of the British crown, and boasting 
 of his relationship to some noble English house, this person had 
 offered his services to the Federal Government, siding with the 
 criminal and powerful aggressors, against the heroic and right 
 eous patriots, without one of those pleas of native soil and senti 
 ments, which might rescue his acts from the criminality of naked 
 murder. It had been his blustering boast, that at the first 
 opportunity, he would deal with the terrible Colonel Ashby ; 
 and for this he sought service in this part of the Federal armies. 
 His opportunity was now come ; he advanced his regiment to 
 the attack, when General Ashby, taking a few companies of his 
 command, met them in the open field, and at the first charge, 
 routed them, and captured their Colonel with sixty-three of his 
 men. The remainder fled into Harrisonburg in headlong panic ; 
 and the braggart mercenary found his fitting recompense in a 
 long captivity. 
 
 The sound of the firing now brought General Ewell to the 
 rear ; and General Ashby assuring him that the Federal attack 
 would be speedily renewed in force, asked for a small body of 
 infantry, and proposed a plan, most brilliantly conceived, for 
 turning their onset into a defeat. General Ewell entrusted to 
 him the 1st Maryland regiment, of Colonel Bradley Johnston, 
 and the 58th Virginia, under Colonel Letcher. Ashby disposed 
 the Marylanders in the woods, so as to take the Federal advance 
 in flank, while he met them in front at the head of the 58th. 
 Indicating to General Ewell the dispositions of the enemy, which 
 
400 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 he had exactly anticipated, and his own arrangements to meet 
 them, he seemed to the spectators, to be instinct with unwonted 
 animation and genius. At this moment, the enemy s infantry 
 advanced; and a fierce combat began. They, approaching 
 through the open fields, had reached a heavy fence of timber ; 
 whence, under the partial cover, they poured destructive volleys 
 into the ranks of the 58th regiment. Ashby seeing at a glance 
 their disadvantage, galloped to the front, and ordered them to 
 charge, and drive the Federals from their vantage, ground. At 
 this moment his horse fell; but extricating himself from the 
 dying animal, and leaping to his feet, he saw his men wavering, 
 He shouted, " Charge men ; for God s sake, charge !" and waved 
 his sword ; when a bullet pierced him full in the breast, and he 
 fell dead. The regiment took up the command of their dying 
 General, and rushed upon the enemy, while the Maryland ers 
 dashed upon their flank. Thus pressed, the Federals gave way, 
 the Confederates occupied the fence, and poured successive vol 
 leys into the fleeing mass, who were fully exposed to them until 
 they passed out of musket range. If blood, by comparison so 
 vile, could have paid for that of the generous Ashby, he would 
 have been fully avenged. The Lieutenant Colonel commanding 
 the foremost Federal regiment, remained a prisoner in the hands 
 of the Confederates, and the field was sprinkled over with killed 
 and wounded. 
 
 With this repulse, the combat ceased : resulting in a loss to 
 the confederates of seventeen killed, and fifty wounded, which fell 
 chiefly on the 58th Virginia. The place where it occurred was 
 not the one selected by General Jackson to stand the brunt of a 
 general action, and it was therefore necessary to remove the 
 wounded and the dead at once. The oversight of this humane 
 task he entrusted to General Ewell. All the wounded who 
 could bear a hasty removal were set on horses, and carried to a 
 
CHARACTER OF ASHBY. 401 
 
 place of safety. A few remained whose hurts were too painful to 
 endure the motion ; and of these General Ewell was seen taking 
 a tender leave, replenishing their purses from his own, that they 
 might be able to purchase things needful for their comfort in 
 their captivity, and encouraging them with words of good cheer. 
 The glorious remains of Ashby were carried to Port Republic, 
 and prepared for the grave. After all the sad rites were com 
 pleted, General Jackson came to the room where he lay, and 
 demanded to see him. They admitted him alone ; he remained 
 for a time in silent communion with the dead, and then left him, 
 with a solemn and elevated countenance. It requires little use 
 of the imagination to suppose that his thoughts were, in part, 
 prophetic of a similar scene, wiiere his corpse was to receive the 
 homage of all the good and brave. But the duties of the hour 
 were too stern to give a longer time to grief. At a subsequent 
 day, his official report paid this brief but emphatic tribute to 
 his companion in arms. 
 
 " In this affair, General Turner Ashby was killed. An official 
 report is not an appropriate place for more than a passing 
 notice of the distinguished dead; but the close relation which 
 General Ashby bore to my command, for most of the previous 
 twelve months, will justify me in saying that, as a partisan officer, 
 I never knew his superior. His daring was proverbial, his pow 
 ers of endurance almost incredible, his tone of character heroic, 
 and his sagacity almost intuitive in divining the purposes and 
 movements of the enemy." 
 
 General Ashby was of a spare and graceful figure, irregular 
 features, and swarthy complexion. His hair and beard were 
 profuse, and of jetty black, while his eye was a clear, piercing 
 gray. Accomplished from his youth in all the feats of horse 
 manship and wood-craft, he was already trained for irregular 
 warfare, before he girded on his sword. His private life had 
 
 51 
 
402 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 been marked by purity, generosity, and a chivalrous spirit ; and 
 the modest dignity and cultivation of his manners showed him 
 the true gentleman. These qualities remained untarnished, and 
 shone only the more, when he became a military commander. 
 No coarse excess soiled for a moment the maidenly delicacy of 
 his morals ; no plunder ever stained his hands, nor did woman, 
 nor disarmed enemy, ever meet anything but magnanimous kind 
 ness from them. He was necessarily entrusted, as commander 
 of outposts and patrols, in a district subject to martial law. 
 with a large discretion in dealing with private rights ; but his 
 measures were always directed with such wisdom and equity, 
 as to command the approval of friends and foes. His was an 
 understanding formed by nature for war. As a citizen, he 
 would have passed through life unmarked, save for his virtues, 
 modesty, and high breeding. But when his native State called 
 her sons to the field, he found his proper element. Excitement 
 roused his powers, danger only invigorated and steadied them ; 
 and his comrades instinctively recognized in his decision, un 
 erring judgment, magnanimity, and resource, one born to com 
 mand. When he fell, the presence of the enemy in his native 
 county forbade his burial among his kindred j so that although 
 his venerable mother, who had now given to her country her 
 last son, with the devotion of a Roman matron, anxiously 
 awaited his remains there, it was necessary to seek for them 
 another resting place. His friends selected the grave-yard of 
 the State University : thither they were conveyed with martial 
 pomp, and buried while the thunders of the distant battle at 
 Port Republic tolled a fitting knell for the great soldier. There, 
 the tomb of Ashby should remain, a memorial to the generous 
 youth of Virginia- to suggest to them in all future times, the 
 virtues and patriotism which he illustrated by his life and death. 
 
TOPOGRAPHY OF POET REPUBLIC. 403 
 
 In all the qualities of tho citizen, the young man could find no 
 nobler or purer exemplar. 
 
 On the 7th of June, tho main body of the army was assembled 
 in tho neighborhood of Port Republic. General Jackson was 
 now repeating with Fremont the manoeuvre by which he had 
 confounded Banks, by turning aside toward tho base of the 
 Blue Ridge. But his ready skill dictated some important dif 
 ferences in his strategy, to meet the different conditions of the 
 case with which he now had to deal. The mountain was, to the 
 Confederates, not only a fastness, but a base of operations ; for 
 the regions of Eastern Virginia beyond it offered them, by the 
 various roads crossing it, both supplies, and a safe place of 
 retreat. The line of operations of tho Federalists was along 
 the great Valley Turnpike ; and this was parallel to the moun 
 tain. Hence, when Jackson took a position at the western foot 
 of the Blue Ridge, he gained the advantage of a military base 
 parallel to his enemy s line of operations, which enabled him to 
 strike it at right angles, if it were prolonged by further advance 
 Into the country. Twice he resorted to this strategy, and eacli 
 time it arrested the career of the superior army. His march 
 from Swift Run Gap in May had taught him another advantage, 
 belonging to the point which he now selected. A good road led 
 from Port Republic across the mountain into Albemarle by 
 Brown s Gap, offering him a safe outlet in case of disaster, and 
 a means for drawing supplies from that fertile country. Before 
 this road crowns the summit of the Blue Ridge, it passes through 
 a valley, which constitutes the most complete natural fortress in 
 all these mountains. Two arms of the mountain, lofty and 
 ragged as the mother ridge, project from it on the right and 
 left hand, embracing a deep vale of many miles circuit, watered 
 by a copious mountain stream ; and while the mighty rim of 
 this cup is everywhere impracticable for artillery and cavalry, 
 
404 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 the narrow gorge through which the road enters it from the 
 west, affords scarcely room to set a regiment in battle array, 
 between the two promontories of the mountains. Here was 
 obviously the place for a small army to stand at bay against 
 superior numbers. 
 
 But General Jackson did not purpose to withdraw into this 
 fortress, save in the last resort ; for to do this, he must sacrifice 
 the advantage which the unscientific strategy of his adversaries 
 gave him, by keeping their two armies apart, and attempting to 
 approach him upon convenient lines, while his army was already 
 concentrated. Befooled with the old fallacy of crushing an in 
 ferior force by surrounding it from different directions, Fremont 
 and Shields were pursuing this method, instead of uniting their 
 troops before the collision ; and they were destined to illustrate 
 again, by their disasters, the correctness of the maxim, that the in 
 ferior force possessing the interior position between its enemies, 
 must have the advantage, if it strikes them in detail while 
 separated. The two Federal Commanders had neglected a junc 
 tion below Strasbourg. By burning the Columbia and White 
 House Bridges, General Jackson had prevented their union at 
 New Market ; and he was now prompt to make them continue 
 their error. Shields was still east of the Shenandoah, and there 
 remained but two bridges, above or below, by which he could 
 cross to the west side, to reach Fremont. One of these was at 
 Port Republic, and was in Jackson s possession ; the other was 
 at the mouth of Elk Run valley, fifteen miles below. This 
 General Jackson now sent a detachment of cavalry to burn ; 
 when there occurred one of those manifest interpositions of 
 Providence, which from time to time shewed the answer to his 
 prayers for the divine blessing. A quarter of an hour before the 
 Confederate troopers reached the bridge, the advanced guard of 
 General Shields arrived there, sent by him to ascertain whether 
 
BATTLE OF PORT REPUBLIC. 
 
 405 
 
 
 BATTLE OF PORT REPUBLIC. 
 
406 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the structure was still standing; for lie had now awakened to 
 some conception of its importance to him. They found it safe ; 
 but hearing that there was a corporal s guard of Confederate 
 soldiers a few miles above, watching a parcel of stores, they 
 dashed off to capture them, instead of remaining to guard the 
 bridge, or else returning to report its condition to their com 
 mander. The stores were captured, and the guard escaped; 
 but when the head of Shields s main column reached the bridge, 
 the Confederates had arrived, and the work was hopelessly in 
 volved in flames. The -Shenandoah, still swollen by the rains 
 of a late and ungenial spring, was nowhere fordable, and the 
 construction of a bridge in the presence of such a foe as Jack 
 son was not an inviting enterprise. He was now master of the 
 situation : he had comprehended all the conditions of the critical 
 problem upon which he staked the very existence of his army; 
 and while all others were full of anxious forebodings, he awaited 
 the issue with calm determination. 
 
 The part which remained to him in the coming tragedy was 
 to hold fast his command of the brigade at Port Republic, and 
 to seize his opportunity to crush the one of his assailants, now 
 approaching from opposite directions, whom he judged it most 
 judicious to attack. But the nearness of both of them, (within 
 less than a day s march,) left little room for seeking the ad 
 vantage which he knew so well how to use, by rapid movements, 
 and successive blows. To any inferior leader, the danger would 
 have been imminent of a simultaneous attack in front and rear ; 
 for if the converging detachments of enemies are allowed time 
 to make such attacks, then indeed, all the success expected from 
 the bungling plan of thus surrounding an army, may be realized. 
 To understand the consummate union.of skill and audacity with 
 which Jackson obviated this danger, and still compelled his 
 enemies to fight him in detail, although within sight of the smoke 
 
SHIELDS S ADVANCE AT LEWISTON. 4:07 
 
 of each others guns ; a more particular description of the ground 
 is necessary. Between Harrisonburg and Port Republic the 
 country is occupied by the wooded ridges characteristic of a 
 limestone region, elevated but rounded, and practicable for 
 the movements even of artillery; and these are interspersed 
 with farms and fields which fill the vales. These bold hills 
 extend to the river s brink on that side; while between the 
 waters and the mountain, where Shields was approaching, the 
 country stretches out in low and smooth meadows, everywhere 
 commanded from the heights across the stream. Between these 
 level fields and the mountain itself, is interposed a zone of 
 forest, of three miles width, broken into insignificant hillocks, 
 and interposed with tangled brush-wood, which stretches parallel 
 with the river and the Blue Ridge, for a day s march above and 
 below. The little village is seated on the southeastern side of 
 the Shenandoah, in the level meadows, and just within the angle 
 between the main stream and a tributary called South River. 
 The only road to Brown s Gap, descending from the bold high 
 lands of the northwest bank, over the long wooden bridge, 
 passes through the hamlet, crosses the South River by a ford, 
 and speedily hides itself, upon its way to the mountain-base, in 
 the impenetrable coppices of the wood. 
 
 General Shields, disappointed in the hope of joining Fremont 
 by the bridge at Elk Run valley, continued his march up the 
 southeastern bank of the river, by the same difficult road which 
 the Confederates had followed in their march from Swift Run in 
 April. On the evening of Saturday, the -7th of June, his ad 
 vance appeared at Lewiston, the country-seat of General Lewis, 
 three miles below the village. The main object dictated by 
 General Jackson s situation now was, to keep his enemies apart, 
 separated as they were by the swollen stream, and to fight first 
 the one or the other of them, as his interest might advise him. 
 
408 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 The defeat of one would obviously procure the retreat of both ; 
 for their cautious and timid strategy required the concert of the 
 two armies to embolden them for coping with their dreaded 
 adversary. It was manifest that good generalship should select 
 Shields as the victim of the first blow. His force was smaller 
 than that of Fremont, and so it was reasonable to expect an 
 easier victory over it. If he were beaten, his retreat would be 
 hemmed in between the river and the mountain, to a single 
 scarcely practicable road ; whereas General Fremont would be 
 able, if overthrown, to withdraw by a number of easy highways. 
 If, on the other hand, the attack of the Confederates upon 
 Shields were unsuccessful, they would be able to retire into their 
 own country, and nearer their supplies ; while if they were 
 defeated in an assault on Fremont upon the other side of the 
 river, they would have that barrier to a retreat in their rear, 
 with Shields s army unbroken, threatening them with destruction. 
 It might appear, at first thought, that the obvious way to carry 
 out the purpose of attacking Shields and defeating him sepa 
 rately, was to withdraw the whole Confederate army at once to 
 the same side of the river with him, burn the bridge, thus 
 leaving Fremont alone and useless upon the other bank, and 
 then fall with full force upon the former. This, any other good 
 soldier than Jackson would probably have done ; but his designs 
 were more audacious and profound still. With whatever 
 promptitude he might attack Shields, he saw that the battle-field 
 must be upon the southeastern margin of the Shenandoah, and 
 under the heights of the opposite bank; which, if he yielded 
 all the country on that side to Fremont, would of course be 
 crowned by his artillery. And then, the struggle would have 
 been virtually against both his foes combined; although the 
 waters still flowed between their troops. In addition, his 
 powerful artillery, the right arm of his strength, would then 
 
CONFEDERATE POSITION AT CROSS-KEYS. 
 
 409 
 
 CONFEDERATE POSITION AT CROSS-KEYS. 
 
 52 
 
410 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 have been paralyzed by the inferiority of its positions as com 
 pared with those ceded to Fremont upon the northwe stern 
 bank. Further, General Jackson v/as not willing to deprive 
 himself of the power to take the aggressive against Fremont, 
 after disposing of Shields, should his success in assailing the 
 latter prove sufficiently crushing to encourage him to a second 
 battle. 
 
 For these reasons, General Jackson neither ceded the north 
 western bank to Fremont, nor burned the bridge. Where an 
 inferior genius would have purchased the full union of his forces 
 at the expense of allowing to his two enemies a virtual concert 
 as injurious as an actual junction ; he accepted a nominal sepa 
 ration of his own troops, perceiving that he would thus have the 
 most effective co-operation. He purposed thus to hold both 
 his adversaries at bay, until the propitious moment arrived to 
 strike one of them a deadly blow. For this end, he selected for 
 General Ewell an excellent position upon the road leading to 
 Harrisonburg, five miles from the bridge, while he posted the 
 other division of his army, with several batteries of artillery, 
 upon the heights next the river, but still upon the northwest 
 side. Thence his guns could overlook and defend the bridge, 
 the village, the narrow champaign extending towards Brown s 
 Gap, and all the approaches on the side of Shields. In Port 
 Republic itself he stationed no troops save a detachment of 
 horse, which guarded the roads towards Lewiston, and protected 
 his own quarters in the village. His dispositions were com 
 pleted by bringing all his trains across the bridge and placing 
 them near by, where they might be withdrawn either to the 
 mountain or to Staunton. Two companies of cavalry were 
 detached to watch the approach of General Shields, of which 
 one was sent to reconnoitre, and the other was stationed as a 
 picket guard upon the road to Lewiston. 
 
ESCAPE OF THE ORDNANCE TRAIN. 411 
 
 The morning of June 8th, which was the Sabbath day, dawned 
 with all the peaceful brightness appropriate to the Christian s 
 sacred rest; and General Jackson, who never infringed its 
 sanctity by his owi? choice, was preparing himself and his 
 wearied men to spend it in devotion. But soon after the sun 
 surmounted the eastern mountain, the pickets next the army 
 of Shields came rushing to the head-quarters in the village, in 
 confusion, with the Federal cavalry and a section of artillery 
 close upon their heels. So feeble was the resistance which they 
 offered, the advance of the enemy dashed across the ford of the 
 South River almost as soon as they, and occupied the streets. 
 The General had barely time to mount and gallop towards the 
 bridge, with a part of his staff, when the way was closed; two 
 others of his suite, attempting to follow him a few moments 
 after, were captured in the street; and one or two, perceiving 
 the hopelessness of the attempt, remained with the handful of 
 troops thus cut off. But out of this accident, to them so invol 
 untary, Providence ordained that a result should proceed essen 
 tial to the safety of the army. As the captured Confederate 
 officers stood beside the commander of the Federal advance, 
 some of his troopers returned to him, and pointed out the long 
 train of wagons hurrying away, apparently without armed escort, 
 just beyond the outskirts of the village. He immediately 
 ordered a strong body of cavalry in pursuit; and the hearts 
 of the Confederates sank within them ; for they knew that this 
 was Jackson s ordnance train, containing the reserve ammunition 
 of the whole army ; and that all its other baggage was equally 
 at the mercy of the enemy. But as the eager Federals reached 
 the head of the village, they were met by a volley of musketry, 
 which sent them scampering back ; and when they returned to 
 the charge, two pieces of artillery opened upon them, to the 
 equal surprise and delight of their anxious captives, and speedily 
 
 
412 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 cleared the streets with showers of canister. The explanation 
 was, that one of the officers separated from the General s suite, 
 seeing the impossibility of joining him, had addressed himself to 
 rallying a handful of the fugitive picket guards, and with these, 
 and a section of raw artillerists from the reserves, had boldly 
 attacked the enemy. Thus the trains were saved, and a diversion 
 was made, until the General could bring forward more sub 
 stantial succors. 
 
 Is T or was it long before these were at hand. Galloping across 
 the bridge, and up the heights, to the camp o f the 3rd and 1st 
 brigades of his own division, he ordered the long roll to be 
 instantly beaten, and the artillery to be harnessed. The horses 
 were still grazing in the luxuriant clover-fields, and the men were 
 scattered under the shade of the groves ; but in a few moments 
 the guns were ready for action, and two or three regiments were 
 in line. Jackson ordered the batteries of Poague, Wooding, 
 and Carpenter to crown the heights overlooking the river, and 
 placing himself at the head of the leading regiment of the 3rd 
 brigade, the 37th Virginia of Colonel Fulkerson, rushed at 
 a double-quick toward the all-important bridge, now in the ene 
 my s possession. When he approached it, he saw the village 
 beyond crowded with Federal cavalry, but now checked in their 
 pursuit of his trains; while one of their two field-pieces was 
 replying to the Confederate artillery, and the other was placed 
 at the mouth of the bridge, prepared to sweep it with murderous 
 discharges of grape. One lightning glance was enough to decide 
 him. Ordering Captain Poague to engage with one of his pieces 
 the gun at the southern end of the bridge, he led the 37th regi 
 ment aside from the high road, so that they descended the decliv 
 ity obliquely against the upper side of that structure, marching 
 by the flank. Without pausing to wheel them into line, as they 
 came within effective distance, he commanded them, with a tone 
 
RETREAT OF SHIELDS S TROOPS. 413 
 
 and niicn of inexpressible authority, to deliver one round upon 
 the enemy s artillerists, and then rush through the bridge upon 
 them with the bayonet. They fired one stinging volley, which 
 swept every cannoneer from the threatening gun, and then dashed 
 with a yell through the narrow avenue. As soon as Jackson 
 uttered his command he drew up his horse, and, dropping the 
 reins upon his neck, raised both his hands toward the heavens 
 while the fire of battle in his face changed into a look of revefen- 
 tial awe. Even while he prayed, the God of battles heard ; or 
 ever he had withdrawn his uplifted hands the bridge was gained, 
 and the enemy s gun was captured. Thus, in an instant, was a 
 passage won, with the loss of two men wounded, which might 
 have become a second bridge of Lodi, costing the blood of hun 
 dreds of brave soldiers. So rapid and skilful was the attack, 
 the enemy were able to make but one hurried discharge, before 
 their position and their artillery were wrested from them. To 
 clear the village of their advance was now the work of a moment, 
 for the batteries frowning upon the opposite bank rendered it 
 untenable to them; and the Confederate troopers next the 
 baggage trains, plucking up heart, scoured the streets of every 
 foe. Their retreat was so precipitate that they left their other 
 piece of artillery behind them also, and dashed across the fords 
 of South River by the way they came. 
 
 As they retired toward Lewiston, they met the infantry of 
 Shiclds s army advancing to their support. But it was too late : 
 the batteries were now all in position, and greeted their approach 
 with a storm of projectiles from the farther side of the river, 
 before which they were compelled to recoil with loss. The 
 novel sight was now presented, of a retreating army pursued 
 by two or three batteries of field guns, and retiring before them 
 in helpless confusion. For as the Federal troops withdrew 
 along the south side of the stream, the Confederates limbered 
 
414 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 their guns and galloped over the swelling fields upon the north 
 side, to other lofty positions, whence they still commanded the 
 ground occupied by the retreating foe, until he concealed him 
 self behind the forest near Lewiston. He thus verified the judg 
 ment of General Jackson, by finding himself as effectually 
 debarred, by these masterly dispositions, from co-operating in 
 the contemplated attack of Fremont, as though he had been 
 separated from him by many days marches. And although the 
 most urgent motives prompted Shields to renew his attack in 
 concert with his associate on the other side, so manifest was the 
 triumph of Jackson s generalship, he did not again venture 
 the hopeless attempt ; but sat all day idle, within sound of the 
 cannonade, which told him that Fremont was compelled to risk 
 and lose the field, without hi? aid. One clement of General 
 Jackson s greatness and success was the decision and confidence 
 with which he held the conclusions of his own judgment after 
 he had once matured them. His reflection was careful, his 
 caution in weighing all competing considerations great; but 
 when his mind once adopted its verdict, it held to it with unwav 
 ering and giant grasp. This characteristic was strongly illus 
 trated in these events. As the reader viewed the considerations 
 detailed above, by which the plan of action was dictated at Port 
 Republic, sonic of them have probably appeared to him so nice 
 and delicate, that he was inclined to deem it rashness, to stake 
 the existence of an army upon deductions drawn from them. 
 But when General Jackson had weighed them all, his decision 
 was made with an absolute confidence, and he was calmly pre 
 pared to risk everything upon it. When it was argued with 
 him that, surely, General Shields would not suffer the critical 
 hour to pass, without attempting again to co-operate with Fre 
 mont by a more serious and persistent attack, his only answer 
 was, to wave his hand towards the commanding positions of his 
 
ATTACKED BY FREMONT. 415 
 
 artillery, and say; "No sir! No! Ho cannot do it; I should 
 tear Mm to pieces." And he did not do it ! During all the 
 remainder of the day s struggle, he remained passive ; visited, 
 doubtless, by misgivings not very comfortable, as to his own 
 coming share in the attentions of the Confederate General. The 
 latter now placed the third brigade, under Brigadier-General 
 Taliaferro, in the village, to watch the fords of South River and 
 the roads toward Lewiston, on the one hand, while on the other, 
 he guarded the course of the Shenandoah above the village and 
 opposite to General Swell s left, by a few pickets. The first 
 brigade of General Winder was sent down the river with a por 
 tion of the artillery, and posted upon the north side, to observe 
 the discomfited enemy about Lewiston. The remainder of his 
 division was disposed so as to be ready for the support of Ewell. 
 These dispositions had not been completed, when the firing to 
 the north told that he was seriously engaged with Fremont. 
 This General had moved out to the attack from Harrisonburg, 
 (doubtless expecting the assistance of Shields upon the other 
 side,) with the divisions of Blenker, Milroy and Schenck, making 
 seven brigades of infantry, a brigade of cavalry, and a power 
 ful train of artillery. This army was correctly estimated by 
 General Ewcll, at eighteen thousand men. Plis own division 
 had now been recruited, by the addition of the six regiments of 
 General Edward Johnson, known as the army of the northwest. 
 Of these, the 12th Georgia, and the 25th and 31st Virginia, had 
 been attached to the Brigade of Elzey; and the 52nd, 58th and 
 44th Virginia, lately under Colonel Scott, had been given to 
 General George Stewart, and associated with the Maryland line. 
 The position chosen for meeting Fremont was a continuous 
 ridge, a little south of the point where the Keczletown road 
 crosses that from Harrisonburg to Port Republic. This range 
 of hills crosses the latter highway obliquely, in such manner that 
 
416 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 General Swell s left, occupying it, was much advanced beyond his 
 right, and rested, at its extremity, very near the prolongation of 
 the Keezletown road, toward the west. The hills are elevated, 
 but occupied by arable fields. In front runs an insignificant 
 rivulet, while the rear and flanks of the position arc covered by 
 woods of noble oaks, penetrable even by a column of artillery, 
 in many places, but yet affording excellent cover for sharpshoot 
 ers. On this ridge, then, General Ewell deliberately posted his 
 troops to receive the shock, while Colonel Canty, with the 5th 
 Alabama infantry, stubbornly contested the advance of the 
 enemy along the road from Harrisonburg. In the centre, upon 
 the best positions, he placed four picked batteries, those of 
 Courtney, Lusk, Brockenborough, and Rains, with General 
 Elzey s brigade in their rear, as a reserve force. On his right 
 was the brigade of General Trimble, in advance of the centre, 
 and on his left, that of General Stewart. The guns were placed 
 on the reverse of the hills, a little behind the crest, where the 
 cannoneers were protected from all missiles which came hori 
 zontally; and the lines of infantry lay in the valleys behind 
 them, almost secure from danger. 
 
 About ten o clock A. M., the Federal artillery was posted 
 opposite to this position, and a spirited cannonade began, which 
 continued for several hours. Indeed, the battle was chiefly one 
 of artillery ; for this arm was the only one which the Federalists 
 employed with any perseverance or courage. After feeling the 
 Confederate lines for a time with this fire of cannon, Fremont 
 advanced a part of Blenker s German division, upon his left. 
 Finding no enemies near the front of his left, save a few videttes, 
 who were easily repulsed, he sent back glowing accounts of his 
 success, in driving in the Confederate right wing. When he 
 had thus swung around for nearly a mile, he was rudely unde 
 ceived. The veteran General Trimble, held his excellent 
 
417 
 
 brigade well in hand, behind the crest of a forest ridge, which, 
 in front descended by a gentle declivity, to the margin of a wide 
 meadow, and was there bounded by heavy fence of timber. He 
 commanded the troops to reserve their fire until the enemy 
 appeared above the hill, within point-blank range, when he 
 poured a deadly discharge into their ranks. The Germans 
 recoiled in disorder, and Trimble, seizing the moment, charged 
 them with the bayonet, and drove them down the slope and 
 across the meadow. It was then, especially that the foe paid 
 the penalty of his assault. The Confederates pausing at the 
 fence, and firing from it in security, and with deliberate aim, 
 continued their murderous discharges, until the enemy had 
 crossed the open ground, and taken refuge in the opposite wood. 
 The green vale was strewn with hundreds of the dead and 
 wounded ; and the remainder left the field, to be rallied no more 
 that day. The Federals now attempted to arrest Trimble s 
 career, by posting a battery a half mile in front of his extreme 
 right. But having received the 25th and 13th Virginia regi 
 ments, of Elzey s brigade, as reinforcements, he at once ad 
 vanced with the purpose of capturing it. After several spirited 
 skirmishes with its infantry supports, he forced his way to the 
 ground, and found it deserted. General Trimble had now ad 
 vanced more than a mile from his original position, while the 
 Federal advance had fallen back to the ground occupied by 
 them before the beginning of the action. 
 
 Tho enemy then developed a strong movement toward 
 General Swell s left, for which the Keezletown road, proceeding 
 westward from Cross Keys, provided such facilities. This 
 advantage, with the superior numbers of the opposing army, 
 manifestly suggested the fear of such a movement, and nothing 
 but the most impotent generalship on their part, could account 
 for the fact that they allowed the day to close, disastrously for 
 
 53 
 
418 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 them, without making it. General Ewell s left being neces 
 sarily thrown strongly forward, would have been enfiladed by 
 troops advancing from that quarter. Hence, he wisely guarded 
 that wing, and employed the most of his reinforcements to 
 strengthen it. A little after mid-day, when the battle was at its 
 height, General Jackson rode to the field, from his post near 
 Port Republic, and calmly examined the progress of the struggle. 
 Returning, he sent back to Ewell the Louisiana brigade of 
 Taylor, which had been moved to his support during the alarm 
 at the bridge, and also detached the second brigade of his 
 division, under Colonel Patton. The remainder of General 
 Elzcy s brigade was then moved to the left, leaving their post in 
 the rear of the centre to these troops. Thus prepared, General 
 Ewell awaited for a long time the expected onset upon his 
 flank. It resulted in nothing more than a feeble demonstration, 
 which was easily repulsed by two or three regiments of Elzey. 
 Seeing this, Ewell advanced his own line just before night-fall, 
 drove in the enemy s skirmishers, and assumed a new position 
 on ground which they had held during the battle. Thus the 
 day closed, and his troops lay upon their arms, upon the 
 vantage-ground they had won, ready to resume the strife, and 
 hoping to rout Fremont at dawn on the morrow. 
 
 In this combat of Cross Keys, Ewell had about six thousand 
 men in his line of battle, and only three thousand five hundred 
 actually engaged. Yet Fremont reported to his government 
 that he was compelled to yield to superior force, and found 
 himself outnumbered at every point where he attempted a 
 movement. The veteran Ewell remarked, that he felt all day 
 as though he were again fighting the feeble, semi-civilized armies 
 of Mexico. The loss with which the Confederates achieved this 
 success, was surprisingly small, being only forty-two (42) killed, 
 and two hundred and thirty-one wounded, The chief loss of 
 
BRIDGE ACROSS SOUTH RIVER. 419 
 
 the enemy was probably in front of Trimble, where it amounted 
 to many hundreds. 
 
 General Jackson, regarding Fremont as only repulsed, and not 
 routed, still adhered to his purpose to risk his first decisive blow 
 against Shields, for the reasons which have been explained ; and 
 he deemed the present the proper hour to strike it, while the 
 former was reeling and confused from his rude rebuff, and the 
 latter was standing irresolute in an exposed attitude. He there 
 fore summoned General Ewell, after he had completed his dispo 
 sitions for the night, to his quarters j and instructed him to send 
 the trains over to the troops, for the purpose of issuing food to 
 them; to have them again withdrawn to the south side of the 
 Shenandoah, and at break of day to march to Port Republic, 
 leaving a strong rear-guard to amuse and retard the enemy. 
 Then, awaiting the rising of the moon, which occurred about 
 midnight, he collected his pioneers ; and caused them, under his 
 own eye, to construct a foot-bridge across the fords of the South 
 River, by which he designed to pass his infantry down toward 
 Lewiston. This structure was hastily made by placing wagons, 
 without their bodies, longitudinally across the stream. The 
 axles formed the cross-beams for the support of the floor j and 
 the latter was composed of long boards, borrowed from a neigh 
 boring saw-mill, laid loosely from one to another. This bridge, 
 on the morrow, furnished an. instance of the truth, that very great 
 events may be determined by very trivial ones. It was intended 
 that the flooring should occupy the whole breadth between the 
 wheels of the wagons, giving passage to several men abreast. 
 But by an oversight, just at the deepest and angriest part of the 
 stream, the hinder axle of a large wagon was placed next the 
 foremost axle of the next. The inequality in the height, with the 
 increasing depth of the current, made a space of nearly two feet, 
 which, when the flooring was placed in order, presented a step, 
 
420 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 or sudden descent, of that amount; and all the boards of tie 
 higher stage proved to be unsupported at their ends, and elastic, 
 but one. As the men began to pass over in column, several were 
 thrown into the water by this treacherous and yielding platform, 
 until, at length, growing skittish of it, they refused to trust them 
 selves to any except the one solid plank j and thus the column 
 was converted, at this point, into a single file. 
 
 The actual achievements of General Jackson at Port Republic 
 were as brilliant as anything in the history of war. But his 
 secret design embraced still more. It has already been explained 
 that he did not arrest the pursuit of Fremont by at once burning 
 the bridge across the Shenandoah, because he was unwilling to 
 deprive himself of the ability to take the aggressive against that 
 General. He now formed the bold purpose to concentrate his 
 army, and fight both Shields and him, successively, the same day. 
 Hence his eagerness to begin the attack on the former at an 
 early hour. Stronger evidence of this startling design will be 
 given. During the night he held an interview with Colonel 
 Patton, commanding the 2nd brigade, which he then proposed to 
 employ as a rear-guard to cover the withdrawal of General 
 Ewell s forces from the front of Fremont. This officer found 
 him, at two o clock in the morning of the 9th, actively engaged 
 rn making his dispositions for battle. He immediately proceeded 
 to give him particular instructions as to the management of his 
 meh in covering the rear, saying : " I wish you to throw out all 
 your men, if necessary, as skirmishers, and to make a great show, 
 so as to cause the enemy to think the whole army are behind 
 you. Hold your position as well as you can; then fall back, 
 when obliged ; take a new position ; hold it in the same way ; 
 and I will be bacJc to join you in the morning." Colonel Patton 
 reminded him that his brigade was small, and that the country 
 between Cross Keys and the Shenandoah offered few advantages 
 
DEFECT IX THE BRIDGE. 421 
 
 for protracting such manoeuvres. He therefore desired to know 
 for how long a time he would be expected to hold the army of 
 Fremont in check. He replied : " By the blessing of Providence, 
 I hope to be back by ten o clock." 
 
 Here then, we have revealed his whole purpose : He allotted 
 five hours to crushing the army of Shields, and expected the 
 same day to recross the Shenandoah and assail Fremont, or 
 at least re-occupy his strong position upon the north bank, and 
 again defy his attack. The Stonewall Brigade was accordingly 
 ordered to begin the movement at the dawn of day ; and by five 
 o clock it had crossed the South Eiver, and was ready to ad 
 vance against Shields. The Louisiana brigade of General Tay 
 lor came next, and as soon as they had passed the foot-bridge, 
 the General eagerly moved with them to the attack, directing 
 the trains to be passed toward Brown s Gap in the mountain, 
 and the remainder of the troops to be hurried across as rapidly 
 as they arrived, and sent to his support. But now the defect 
 which has been described in the footway disclosed itself; pro 
 posals to arrest the passage of the troops long enough to remedy 
 it effectually, or else to disuse the bridge, and force the men 
 through the water, were all neglected by the commanders of 
 brigades; and while six or eight thousand men were passed 
 over in single file, ten o clock arrived and passed by. The con 
 sequence was, that the first attack made upon the Federalists, 
 being met with a stubborn resistance, and unsustained by ade 
 quate numbers, was repulsed with loss, and the battle was pro 
 tracted far beyond the hour which permitted a second engage 
 ment that day on different ground. Thus three ill-adjusted 
 boards cost the Confederates a hard-fought and bloody battle, 
 and delivered Fremont from a second defeat far more disastrous 
 than that of the previous day. 
 
 When General Jackson led the brigades of Winder and 
 
422 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Taylor against the Federalists, he found their main army posted 
 advantageously at Lewiston. The level tract which intervenes 
 between the Shenandoah and the forest-zone which girdles the 
 mountain s base, has been described. The whole space was here 
 occupied with smooth fields of waving clover and wheat, divided 
 by the zigzag wooden fences of the country. Near the edge of 
 the forest stood the ample villa of General Lewis, surrounded 
 by substantial barns and stables, and orchards ; while a lane, 
 enclosed by a double fence, led thence direct to a mill and 
 dwelling upon the margin of the stream. This lane marked 
 the basis of the enemy s line of defence. His right was sup 
 ported upon the river, and his left upon the impenetrable wood, 
 while his centre was defended by the extensive enclosures and 
 buildings of Lewiston. Upon a hillock just at the edge of the 
 thickets were planted six field -pieces, which commanded the 
 road from Port Republic, and all the fields adjacent to it. 
 
 General Jackson s plan of battle was now promptly formed. 
 He placed the Stonewall Brigade, commanded by Brigadier- 
 General Winder, in front, supported on its right by one of the 
 regiments of Brigadier-General Taylor, and on its left by 
 the 52nd and 31st Virginia regiments. The battery of Poague 
 was posted in its front, while that of Carpenter was ordered to 
 make its way through the tangled forest upon the right and find 
 some commanding position, whence they could silence the ene 
 my s guns above Lewiston. The brigade of General Taylor 
 was also sent to the right, by a detour through the woods, to 
 capture those guns, and then to turn the position of the Fed 
 eralists. But the almost impenetrable thickets rendered their 
 progress slow, and by a slight mistake of their direction in these 
 pathless coverts, they approached the left front, rather than the 
 flank of the dangerous battery. Meantime the Stonewall Bri 
 gade, with its supports, had advanced across the level fields, 
 
PROGRESS OF THE CONTEST. 423 
 
 without any shelter from the animated fire of artillery and rifles, 
 from the orchards and fences about Lewiston, and after a 
 stubborn contest with overpowering numbers, was compelled to 
 retire, leaving one six-pounder in the enemy s possession. As 
 the Louisiana troops emerged from the woods on the hill-sides 
 above, they saw with admiration the Virginians sustaining the 
 unequal combat with heroic courage, until they were at length 
 forced back, their ammunition exhausted, by sheer weight of 
 numbers. The Federalists now advanced from their cover, with 
 loud and taunting cheers, pierced the centre of Jackson s feeble 
 line, and threatened to throw back the fugitives against the river 
 which was upon their left, and thus to cut them off from retreat. 
 But the regiments of Taylor, nothing daunted, charged the 
 Federal battery, and driving the supports away, seized the six 
 guns, which they held for a short time. General Ewell, who 
 had now passed the whole of his division across the South 
 River, was also hurrying to the front. He had just placed the 
 44th and 58th Virginia regiments, as a reserve, on the right 
 of the road-way, and fronting towards it, under cover of the 
 wood. Seeing Winder forced back, and two brigades of the 
 enemy impetuously advancing through the Confederate centre, 
 he now most opportunely launched the two regiments against 
 their flank, and poured in a galling fire. The Federalists 
 wheeled and confronted them, and, after a furious conflict, forced 
 them back also with heavy loss. But a saving diversion had 
 been made. The attack of Taylor upon their left had silenced 
 their artillery for the time, and placed him far in rear of their 
 advancing lines. The indefatigable Winder rallied his scat 
 tered infantry, and sought new positions for the* remaining guns 
 of Poague, and for the battery of Carpenter, who had now 
 returned from his ineffectual struggle with the thickets; and 
 the batteries of Chew, Brockenborough, Courtenay and Rains 
 
424 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 contributed, to reinstate his battle, with such pieces as had not 
 been crippled in the contest of the previous day. Thus the inso 
 lent foe was steadily borne back toward his original position at 
 Lewiston, and the buildings, orchards and fences, which he occu 
 pied there, were scourged by a pitiless storm of cannon-shot. 
 
 But it is time to return to General Taylor, who was left in pos 
 session of the Federal battery of six guns, upon the right. He 
 was now, in turn, driven from them, by a brigade which made 
 a detour through the thicket, and fell upon his right flank. At 
 this critical juncture, General Ewell brought up the 44th and 
 58th Virginia regiments to his support, which had been rallied 
 after their bloody contest on the centre, and advanced under 
 Colonel Scott, with a steadiness unexampled in volunteer troops, 
 after losses so severe as theirs. By their assistance, and that of 
 the 2nd Virginia regiment from the Stonewall Brigade, Taylor s 
 attack was renewed. Twice more was the contested battery 
 lost and won. The Confederates, driven off for a time by the 
 enfilading fire of the enemy in the woods above them, and the 
 murderous volleys of canister in front, rushed again and again 
 to the charge ; and after the third capture, the prize remained 
 in their possession, while the Federalists sullenly retired. The 
 dead of both armies were intermingled around the guns, while 
 nearly all the horses belonging to them, lay slaughtered behind 
 them. 
 
 Meantime, General Jackson perceived that the struggle had 
 become too protracted and serious to permit another collision 
 with Fremont that day. The brigade of General Trimble, with 
 two regiments from that of Colonel Patton, were slowly retiring 
 before him from Cross Keys toward the river. At 10 o clock 
 A. M., a messenger was despatched to them by the General, with 
 orders to hasten their march to his assistance, and to burn the 
 bridge behind them. The brigade of General Taliaferro, which 
 
FEDERAL INHUMANITY. 425 
 
 had been left to occupy the village, was also hurried to the front, 
 and arriving with great celerity, gave the parting volley to the 
 retreating foe. The cavalry of Ashby was now launched after 
 them, and their flight became a rout. Nearly half of an Ohio 
 regiment were separated from their comrades by General 
 Taliaferro, and surrendered in a body ; and the pursuit was 
 continued eight miles farther by the cavalry, who gathered, as 
 spoils of war, small arms and vehicles, with many prisoners. 
 
 In the battle of Port Republic, the Federalists had eight 
 thousand men engaged, and the Confederates three small bri 
 gades of infantry, with three regiments of cavalry, and a superior 
 artillery. The enemy fought with a steadiness and courage 
 unwonted, and inflicted upon the troops of General Jackson, a 
 serious loss of ninety-one officers and men killed, and six 
 hundred and eighty-six wounded. They owed their escape 
 from ruin, only to the narrow road by which they retreated, 
 and the impenetrable wilderness by which it was bordered; 
 which made the manoeuvres of cavalry impossible, and enabled 
 a small rear-guard to cover their flight successfully. It was 
 said that General Shields was fifteen miles in the rear with 
 his reserves, when the battle occurred, and that the forces en 
 gaged were commanded by Brigadier- General Tyler. 
 
 As the evening approached, General Jackson recalled Ms 
 jaded men from the pursuit, and led them by a side way, from 
 Lewiston, towards the mouth of Brown s Gap, in the Blue 
 Ridge. As they passed the field of battle on their return, they 
 saw the hills opposite to Port Republic, black with the troops of 
 Fremont, who had arrived in time to be impotent spectators of 
 the flight of their friends. That commander now vented his dis 
 appointed malice in an act of inhumanity, for which he will be 
 execrated until his name sinks into its merited oblivion. The tall 
 wheat and the tangled thickets were full of the dead and of 
 
 54 
 
426 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 mangled wretches, difficult to be discovered, and scattered over 
 a length of three miles. A dreary and chilling rain was com 
 mencing. The Confederates were busy searching out and 
 relieving the sufferers, and collecting the dead for a decent 
 burial. Many wounded men had been carried into a farm-house 
 near the river, and its surrounding buildings, and the yellow flag, 
 the sacred badge of suffering, was conspicuously displayed from 
 its roof, while the surgeons and chaplains were busily plying 
 their humane labors. Suddenly Fremont advanced his artillery 
 and riflemen, to the heights from which General Jackson had 
 cannonaded the troops of Shields the previous day, and swept 
 the whole field, and the hospital, with a storm of shot. The 
 ambulances, with their merciful attendants, were driven away, 
 and the wounded fled precipitately from their cots. The design 
 of this outrage was obvious ; it was supposed that the humanity 
 of General Jackson, would prompt him to demand by flag of 
 truce, an unmolested opportunity to tend the wounded; and on 
 that request, the Federal General designed to found a pretext 
 for claiming, in his despatches, the command of the field and the 
 victory; which he knew belonged to Jackson. . Bat the latter 
 was as clear-sighted, and as determined, as he was humane. No 
 flag of truce, no request was sent. Thanks to the affectionate 
 zeal of the soldiers, all the Confederate dead and wounded had 
 been already removed ; and they were just proceeding to extend 
 the offices of humanity to their enemies, when this treacherous 
 interruption occurred. So that the only result of Fremont s 
 savage generalship was, that his own suffering comrades lay 
 under the drenching rain, until he retired to Harrisonburg. By 
 that time, many had died miserably of hemorrhage, exhaustion 
 and hunger, whom their generous enemies would have rescued; 
 and not a few of their dead, with some, perchance, of the man 
 gled living, were partially devoured by swine before their burial 1 
 
FRUITS OF THE VICTORY. 427 
 
 It was as General Jackson was returning on this day from the 
 pursuit of the routed Federalists, that he first saw their diabol 
 ical explosive rifle-balls. A soldier presented him several which 
 he had found in the dust of the road, unexploded. On examina 
 tion they were found to be composed of two pieces of lead, 
 enclosing a cavity between them, and cemented together by pres 
 sure. The hollow space was filled with fulminating powder, 
 which was intended to explode by percussion, upon the impact 
 of the ball against the bone of the penetrated body. Thus the 
 fragments of lead would be driven in various and erratic direc 
 tions through the mangled flesh, baffling the surgeon s probe, and 
 converting the wound into a mortal one. 
 
 "While Jackson sought a season of secure repose for his over 
 tasked men within the mountain cove of Brown s Gap, Fremont 
 made pretence of bridging the Shenandoah River in order to 
 assail him again. The Confederate pickets reported that on the 
 evening of the 9th he was bringing timber to the bank, and on 
 the morning of the 10th he was using it for some structure in the. 
 water. But soon after, he seemed to think better of his danger 
 ous position, and disappeared from the neighborhood. Doubt 
 less, he had now learned the true condition of General Shields s 
 army. The Confederate cavalry, under Colonel Munford, cross 
 ing the river above Port Republic, pursued to Harrisonburg, 
 which they entered June 12th, Fremont having retired precipi 
 tately down the Valley, leaving his hospitals, and many arms 
 and carriages, to capture. Four hundred and fifty prisoners 
 were taken upon the field ; and the sick and wounded found in 
 the hospitals swelled the number to nine hundred. One thou 
 sand small arms, and nine beautiful field-pieces, with all their 
 apparatus, fell to the victors as prize of war. On the 9th of 
 June, the loss of the Federalists in killed and wounded did not 
 much differ from that of the Confederates. On the 8th the 
 
428 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 disproportion was enormous. In front of General Trimble s bri 
 gade alone, the dead were two hundred and ninety. When the 
 most moderate addition is made for the loss inflicted by the ter 
 rific cannonade of the centre, and the spirited skirmishing on the 
 left of General Swell s line, the whole number of Federal killed 
 and wounded cannot be placed at less than two thousand. And 
 to this agreed the testimony of the prisoners and of the citizens. 
 The heavy loss of the Confederates on the 9th was due to the 
 superior position occupied by the Federalists, to the fact that 
 General Shields s brigades fought better than Fremont s, and to 
 the detention of General Jackson s column at the imperfect foot 
 bridge across South River, which caused his first attack to fail 
 through deficient numbers. His zeal and eagerness led him to 
 forget that no subordinates could be expected to urge their com 
 mands to the field with his fiery energy ; and, in this sense, he 
 required them to undertake too much. If there had been no 
 bridge, and the infantry had been required to ford the summer 
 stream in dense columns, so as to reach the field more simulta- 
 taneously, the victory would have been more promptly and 
 cheaply won. Again, if the Louisiana brigade of General Taylor 
 had been more accurately directed by its guides, through the 
 tangled wilderness to the right of the battle-field, so as to strike 
 the rear of the enemy s left, as was the purpose of their com 
 mander, instead of their left front ; and if they had arrived at 
 the moment of the front attack by Brigadier- General Winder, in 
 place of appearing after he was repulsed, the army of Shields 
 would have been destroyed. For, just below Lewiston, the 
 champaign suddenly terminates, the hill-side thickets approach 
 the river-bank, and to the mouth of the single narrow woodland 
 track, by which the Federalists must have all retreated, Gene 
 ral Taylor would have been nearer than they ; while he would 
 have commanded their approach to it from a superior and a 
 
HIS TROOPS ENCAMP. 429 
 
 sheltered position. The discomfited enemy, thus arrested on 
 the one side, and driven on the other, by the whole weight of the 
 Confederate army, into the neck of such a funnel, would have 
 been crushed to pieces. Such was Jackson s masterly plan:^ 
 natural obstacles, and the mistakes of some subordinates, caused 
 the performance to fall short of it. 
 
 But enough was accomplished to cover General Jackson with 
 a blaze of glory. Fifteen days before, he was a hundred miles 
 from his base, with a little army of fifteen thousand men, while 
 forty thousand enemies were on his immediate front and flanks. 
 Now, he was disembarrassed of them all, with a loss of not more 
 than one thousand five hundred men ; while two armies, whose 
 aggregate was double his own, were flying from him, quivering 
 with disaster, leaving his victorious hands full of trophies. From 
 this hour, doubt and detraction were silenced; he stood forth 
 acknowledged by all as a General of transcendent abilities. His 
 mere name, henceforth, brought assurance of triumph to his 
 friends, and panic to his enemies. Within forty clays he had 
 marched four hundred miles, fought four pitched battles, 
 defeating four separate armies, with numerous combats and 
 skirmishes, sent to the rear three thousand five hundred prison 
 ers, killed and wounded a still larger number of the enemy, and 
 defeated or neutralized forces three times as numerous as his 
 own, upon his proper theatre of war, besides the corps of M Dow- 
 ell, which was rendered inactive at Fredericksburg by the fear 
 of his prowess. 
 
 On the 12th of June, before the dawn, the army were marched 
 out from their confined and uneasy bivouac in Brown s Gap, to the 
 plains of Mount Meridian, upon the middle fork of the Shenan- 
 doah, a few miles above Port Republic. The two days rain 
 was now succeeded by the brilliant suns and genial warmth of 
 June. The troops were encamped in a rar,ge of woodland 
 
430 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 groves between the two rivers, surrounded with the verdure of 
 early summer, and the luxuriant wheat fields whitening for the 
 harvest. In this smiling paradise they solaced themselves 
 five days for their fatigues, the men reposing under the shade, 
 or bathing in the sparkling waters of the Shenandoah, and the 
 horses feeding in the abundant pastures. The Saturday follow 
 ing the battle^ was proclaimed by General Jackson as a day of 
 thanksgiving and prayer, and all the troops were called to join 
 with their General and their chaplains, in praises to God for his 
 deliverances. The next day, a general communion was observed 
 in the 3rd Virginia brigade, at which the Lord s supper was dis 
 pensed, in the wood, to a great company of Christian soldiers 
 from all the army. At this solemnity the General was present, 
 as a worshipper, and modestly participated with his men in the 
 sacred feast. The quiet diffidence with which he took the least 
 obtrusive place, and received the sacred emblems from the hands 
 of a regimental chaplain, was in beautiful contrast with the 
 majesty and authority of his bearing in the crisis of battle. 
 
 The following brief extract from his correspondence with his 
 wife exhibits the same humble and devout temper, which ever 
 characterized him 
 
 " NEAR WIER S CAVE, June 14th. 
 
 " Our God has thrown his shield over me in the various ap 
 parent dangers to which I have been exposed. This evening 
 we have religious services in the army, for the purpose of ren 
 dering thanks to the Most High for the victories with which he 
 has crowned our arms ; and my earnest prayer is that our ever 
 kind Heavenly Father will continue to crown our arms with 
 success, until our independence shall, through his divine blessing, 
 be established." 
 
TttfcJ RICHMOND CAMPAIGN. 431 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE RICHMOND CAMPAIGN. 
 
 AFTER the victory of Winchester in May, General Jackson 
 had requested his friend Hon. A. R. Boteler to represent to the 
 authorities near Richmond, his desire for reinforcements, that 
 he might carry the war toward the Federal Capital. " Tell 
 them," said he, " that I have now fifteen thousand men. I should 
 have forty thousand ; and with them I would invade the North." 
 When this message was delivered to General Lee, the Com- 
 mander-in- Chief, he replied : " But he must help me to drive 
 these people away from Richmond first." Thus it appears that 
 his sagacious mind had already formed the design of concentrat 
 ing the army of Jackson with his own, in order to take the ag 
 gressive against M Clellan. Had the battle of Port Republic 
 been a disaster, this would have been impossible, and Richmond 
 would probably have fallen into the hands of the assailants. 
 As soon as the news of Jackson s victory there was received in 
 Richmond, it was judged that the proper time had arrived for 
 ttie great movement. To make it successful, it was necessary to 
 mask Jackson s removal from the Valley, lest his enemies, lately 
 defeated, should assail some vital point, and to continue the 
 diversion of General McDowell s army from a union with 
 M Clcllan. To further these objects, a strong detachment, con 
 sisting of the brigades of Whiting, Hood, and Lawton, which 
 made an aggregate of seven thousand men, was sent to Jackson 
 
LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 by the way of Lynchburg and Charlottesville. It was so ar 
 ranged that the captives from Port Republic on their way to the 
 military prisons of Richmond, should meet all tkese troops upon 
 the road j and on their arrival there, General Lee dismissed the 
 officers among them upon parole. He knew that they would 
 hasten to Washington and report what they had seen. The re 
 port of General M Clellan reveals the success of the expedient. 
 He states that the answer made by Mr. Lincoln to the nest of 
 his repeated requests for the co-operation of General McDowell, 
 was the following : that he could not now need that aid, inas 
 much as the army of General Lee was weakened by fifteen 
 thousand men just sent to General Jackson, and the dangers of 
 "Washington City were to the same extent increased : (the Federal 
 officers, with their customary exaggeration, had doubled the 
 number of Jackson s reinforcements.) 
 
 He, meanwhile, was deceiving the enemy in the Yalley with 
 equal adroitness. As soon as Colonel Munford established his 
 cavalry at Harrisonburg, he sent him orders to arrest all transit 
 up and down the Valley, and even to limit the communication 
 between his own troops on the outposts and the Confederate 
 infantry, to the narrowest possible bounds ; so that no intelligence 
 might steal through to the enemy. He also instructed him to 
 press his outposts with energy against those of the enemy, and 
 to drive him as far below as practicable. He desired thus to 
 produce in Fremont the persuasion, that the whole Confederate 
 army was about to advance upon him, to improve its victory in 
 that direction. Last, he requested Colonel Munford to do all in 
 his power, by other means, to foster this belief. Opportunity was 
 already provided for carrying out this order. As the advance 
 of the Confederates pressed toward Fremont, they met, twelve 
 miles north of Harrisonburg, a Federal flag of truce, in the hands 
 of a major, followed by a long train of surgeons and ambulances 
 
FEDERAL FLAG OF TRUCE. 133 
 
 bringing a demand for the release of their wounded men. Col- 
 
 O O 
 
 onel Munford had required the train to pause at his outposts, 
 and had brought the major ; with one surgeon, to his quarters at 
 Harrisonburg ; where he entertained them with military courtesy, 
 until their request was answered by the commanding General. 
 He found them full of boasts and arrogance : they said that the 
 answer to their flag was exceedingly unimportant, because Fre 
 mont and Shields were about to effect a junction, when they would 
 recover, by force, all they had lost, and teach Jackson a lesson 
 which would cure his audacity. When Colonel Munford received 
 the instructions we have mentioned, he called for Mr. William 
 Gilmer of Albemarle, a gentleman of infinite spirit and humor, 
 who was serving with his young kinsman as an amateur trooper, 
 and gave him his cue. He silently left the village, but presently 
 returned, in very different fashion, as an orderly, with despatches 
 from General Jackson and from Staunton. With an ostentatious 
 clanking of spurs and sabre, he ascended to Colonel Munford s 
 quarters, arid knocked in a hurried manner. " Come in," said 
 the gallant Colonel. "And what answer do you bring, orderly, 
 from General Jackson?" At this word, the Yankee officers in 
 the adjoining chamber were heard stealthily approaching the 
 partition, for the purpose of eavesdropping. " Why," said Gil 
 mer, " the General laughed at the demand for the surrender of 
 the wounded prisoners. He has no notion of it." "Do you 
 bring any good news ? " asked the Colonel. " Glorious news," 
 he answered. " The road from Staunton this way is chock-full 
 of soldiers, cannon, and wagons, come to reinforce Jackson in 
 his march down the Valley. There is General Whiting, General 
 Plood, General Lawton, and General I-don t-know-who. I never 
 saw so many soldiers and cannon together in my life. People 
 say there are thirty thousand of them." After a few such ques 
 tions and answers, framed for the edification of the eavesdroppers, 
 
 55 
 
434 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXEKAL JACKSON. 
 
 Colonel Munford dismissed him, and he descended, to fill the 
 hotel and the town with his glorious news. The whole place 
 was speedily in a blaze of joy and excitement. Citizens came to 
 offer supplies for the approaching hosts ; and bullocks, flour, and 
 bacon were about to be collected for them in delighted haste. 
 After leaving his guests to digest their contraband news, for 
 several hours, Colonel Munford at length sent for them, and told 
 them that he had a reply from his General, respectfully declining 
 to accede to their request ; so that nothing now remained but to 
 send them back to their friends, in the same honor and safety in 
 which they had come. They departed much humbler, and as 
 they imagined, much wiser men. He pushed his advance soon 
 after them, to New Market ; and upon their arrival at the quar 
 ters of General Fremont near Mount Jackson, the Federal army 
 precipitately broke up its camp, and retreated to Strasbourg; 
 where they began busily to fortify themselves. The Confederate 
 cavalry then drew a cordon of pickets across the country just 
 above them, so strict that the befooled enemy never learned 
 General Jackson s whole army was not on his front, until he 
 discovered it by the disasters of M Clellan. 
 
 The larger part of the reinforcements sent from Kichmond 
 had halted near Sta.unton. On the evening of June 1 7th, Gene 
 ral Jackson began to move his troops from Mount Meridian, and 
 leaving orders with his staff to send away the remainder the 
 next morning, he went to the town to set the new brigades in 
 motion. No man in the whole army knew whither it was going. 
 General Ewell, the second in command, was only instructed to 
 move towards Charlottesville, and the rest were only ordered 
 to follow him. Two marches brought them to the neighborhood 
 of the latter town, where General Jackson rejoined them, and 
 confiding to his chief of staff the direction of his movement, 
 with strict injunctions of secrecy, departed by railroad, to hold 
 
VISITS RICHMOND. 435 
 
 a preliminary conference with General Lee in Richmond. He 
 directed that an advanced guard of cavalry should precede the 
 army continually, and prohibit all persons, whether citizens or 
 soldiers, from passing before them toward Richmond. A rear 
 guard was to prevent all straggling backward, and when they 
 encamped, all lateral roads were to be guarded, to prevent com 
 munication between the army and country. 
 
 But on reaching Gordonsville, whither the brigade of General 
 Lawton had gone by railroad, he was arrested for a day by a 
 groundless rumor of the approach of the enemy from the Rappa- 
 hannock. Then, resuming the direction of the troops, he pro 
 ceeded to a station called Frederickshall, fifty miles from 
 Richmond, where he arrested his march to give the army its 
 Sabbath rest. No General knew better than he, how to employ 
 the transportation of a railroad in combination with the march 
 ing of an army. While the burthen trains forwarded his store? 
 he caused the passenger trains to proceed to the rear of his line 
 of march, which was chosen near the railroad, and take up the 
 hindmost of his brigades. These were forwarded, in a couple 
 of hours, a whole day s march j when they were set down, and 
 the trains returned again, to take up the hindmost, and give 
 them a like assistance. 
 
 After a quiet Sabbath, the General rose at 1 o clock A.M., and 
 mounting a horse, rode express with a single courier, to Rich 
 mond. A few miles from his quarters, a pleasing evidence 
 of the fidelity of his pickets was presented to him. He endea 
 vored to pass this outpost, first as an officer on military 
 business, and then as an officer bearing important intelligence 
 for General Lee. But the guard was inexorable, and declared 
 that his instructions from General Jackson especially prohibited 
 him to pass army men, as well as citizens. The utmost he 
 would concede was, that the captain commanding the picket 
 
436 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 should be called, and the appeal made to him. When he came, 
 he recognized his General; who, praising the soldier for his 
 obedience to instructions, bound them both to secrecy touching 
 his journey. Having held the desired interview with the Com- 
 mander-in- Chief, he returned the next day to the line of march 
 pursued by his troops, and led them, the evening of June 25th 
 to the village of Ashland, twelve miles north of Richmond. 
 
 To understand the subsequent narrative, the reader must have 
 a brief explanation of the position of the two great armies. 
 The Chickahominy River, famous for the adventures and capture 
 of Captain John Smith, in the childhood of Virginia, is a slug 
 gish stream of fifteen yards width, which flows parallel to the 
 James, and only five miles north of Richmond. It is bordered 
 by extensive meadows, which degenerate in many places into 
 marshes, and its bed is miry and treacherous ; so that it con 
 stitutes an obstacle to the passage of armies far more formida 
 ble than its insignificant width would indicate. During this 
 year, especially, the excessive rains and repeated freshets had 
 converted its little current into an important stream, its marshes 
 into lakes, and its rich, level cornfields into bogs. But at the 
 distance of half a mile from the channel, the country on each 
 side rises into undulating hills, with farms interspersed irregu 
 larly among the tracts of forest, and the coppices of young pine. 
 General M Clellan, taking his departure from the White House, 
 on the Pamunkey, and using the York River Railroad as his line 
 of supply, had pressed his vast army to the east and north of 
 Richmond. Its two wings, placed like the open jaws of some 
 mighty dragon, the one on the north and the other on the south 
 side of the Chickahominy, almost embraced the northeast angle 
 of the city. To connect them with each other, he had con 
 structed three or four elaborate bridges across the stream, with 
 causeways leading to them, and along the length of the valley, 
 
TEE BATTLES AROUND RICHMOND. 
 
 43 
 
 THE BATTLES ABOUND EICHMOND. 
 
438 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 by which he hoped to defy both mire and floods. On both 
 sides, his front was so fortified with earthworks, abattis, and 
 heavy artillery, that they could not be assailed, save with cruel 
 loss. These works, on his left, were extended to the front of 
 the battle-field of Seven Pines, and on his right to the hainlet of 
 Mechanicsville ; which, seated upon the north bank of the Chick- 
 ahoniiny, six miles from Eichmond, commanded the road thence 
 to Hanover Court House. 
 
 The Confederate army, now under the immediate order of 
 General Robert E. Lee, confronted M Clellan, and guarded the 
 course of the Chickahominy, as high as the half sink farm, north 
 west of Richmond, where Brigadier- General Branch, of Major 
 General A. P. Hill s division, was stationed within a few miles 
 of Ashland. General Lee, after the battle of Seven Pines, had 
 fortified his front, east of Richmond, in order that a part of his 
 forces might hold the defensive against the Federal army ; while, 
 with the remainder, he attempted to turn its flank north of the 
 Chickahominy. To test the practicability of this grand enter 
 prise, and to explore a way for General Jackson s proposed 
 junction, he had caused General J. E. B. Stuart, of the cavalry 
 to make his famous reconnaissance of the 12th of June; in which 
 that daring officer had marched a detachment of cavalry from 
 north to south around M Clellan s whole rear, and had discov 
 ered that it was unprotected by works, or by proper disposition 
 of forces, against the proposed attack. 
 
 The conception of the Commander-in- Chief is thus developed 
 in his own general order of battle, communicated to General 
 Jackson. He was to march from Ashland on the 25th of June, 
 to encamp for the night, west of the Central Railroad, and to 
 advance at three A. M., on the 26th, and turn the enemy s works 
 at Mechanicsville, and on Beaver-Dam Creek, a stream flowing 
 into the Chickahominy a mile in the rear of that hamlet, where 
 
HIS AKMY AT ASHLAND. 439 
 
 he had a powerful reserve entrenched. Major-General A. P. 
 Hill was to cross the Chickahominy, to the north side, at the 
 meadow bridges, above Mechanicsville, and associating to him 
 self Branch s brigade, which was to advance so soon as the 
 march of General Jackson opened a way for it, was to sweep 
 down against the enemy s right. As soon as the Mechanicsville 
 bridge should be uncovered, Longstreet and D. II. Hill were 
 to cross, the latter to proceed to the support of Jackson, and the 
 former to that of A. P. Hill. The four commands were directed 
 to sweep down the north side of the Chickahominy, toward the 
 York River Railroad; Jackson on the left and in advance, 
 Longstreet nearest the river and in the rear. Huger and 
 Magruder were to hold their positions south of the Chickahoin- 
 iny, against any assault of the enemy, to observe him closely, 
 and to follow him should he retreat. General Stuart, with his 
 cavalry, was thrown out on Jackson s left, to guard his flank, and 
 give notice of the enemy s movements. 
 
 The evening of June 25th found the army of General Jackson 
 a few miles short of their appointed goal at Ashland instead 
 of the line of the Central Railroad. The difficulties of handling 
 so large a force with inexperienced subordinates, concurred with 
 the loss of the bridges on his direct line of march, (lately burned 
 by order of the Federalists,) to delay him thus much. No com 
 mander ever sympathized more fully with the spirit of Napo 
 leon s answer, when he replied to one of his marshals, in view 
 of a similar combination of his armies for a great battle : " Ask 
 me for anything but time." Jackson s ardent soul, on fire with 
 the grandeur of the operations before him, and with delight in 
 their boldness and wisdom, and chafing at the delays of blunder 
 ing and incompetent agents, forbade rest or sleep for him on this 
 important night. He deliberately devoted the whole of it to the 
 review of his preparations, and to prayer. Rations were to be 
 
440 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 distributed and prepared by the men for three days. The lead 
 ers of the different divisions, encamped around Ashland, were to 
 be instructed in their routes, so that the several commands might 
 take their places in the column without confusion or delay. 
 After all his staff were dismissed for a short repose, he still 
 paced his chamber in anxious thought, or devoted to wrestling 
 with God the intervals between the visits of his officers. In the 
 small hours of the night, two of the commanders of divisions 
 came to suggest that he should move the army by two columns, 
 on parallel roads, instead of by one. He listened respectfully, 
 but requested that they would await his decision until morning. 
 When they left him, the one said to the other : " Do you know 
 why General Jackson would not decide upon our suggestion at 
 once ? It was because he has to pray over it, before he makes 
 up his mind." A moment after, the second returned to Jackson s 
 quarters to fetch his sword, which he had forgotten ; and, as he 
 entered, found him upon his knees ! praying, doubtless, for Omni 
 scient guidance in all his responsible duties, for his men, and for 
 his country. 
 
 Notwithstanding his efforts, the army did not move until after 
 sunrise; when, all being ready, it advanced in gallant array 
 toward the southeast, crossed the Central Railroad, and, meet 
 ing here and there the vigilant cavalry of General Stuart, which 
 came in from the left at the cross-roads, approached the Pole- 
 Green church, a century before sanctified by the eloquence of 
 the Rev. Samuel Davies, at 4 o clock in the afternoon. Jackson 
 was now abreast of the enemy s right flank at Mechanicsville, 
 and but a few miles north of it. Between him and the church 
 was the Tottopottamoy, a little stream which still bears its Indian 
 title. The pickets of M Clellan occupied the opposite bank, and 
 had destroyed the light wooden bridge, and obstructed the road 
 beyond with prostrate trees. The Texan brigade of Hood, which 
 
THE SEVEN DAYS FIGHT. 441 
 
 was in front, deployed a few skirmishers, who speedily cleared 
 the opposing bank with their unerring rifles; and the wood 
 beyond was shelled by one of Whiting s batteries while the 
 bridge was rapidly repaired. This initial cannonade was 
 intended to subserve the additional purpose of a signal, by 
 which the Confederates before Mechanicsville might be adver 
 tised of his presence. 
 
 For many hours the brigades of A. P. Hill had been patiently 
 awaiting the expected sound, before the enemy s works. They 
 now pressed forward, and a furious cannonade opened on both 
 sides. General Hill, supported by Ripley s brigade, of D. H. 
 Hill s division, speedily carried the little village, with the field- 
 works and camp of the enemy, while the latter retired a mile to 
 the eastward, to their stronger lines upon Beaver-Dam Creek. 
 Jackson s advance would in due time have turned this position, 
 as it had Mechanicsville, and would thus have given to the two 
 Hills an easy conquest j but the presence of the Commander-in- 
 Chief and the President of the Confederate States upon the field, 
 with their urgency that the place should be carried without 
 delay, impelled them to the attack. The heroic troops pressed 
 up to the stream, and held the nearer brink throughout the night, 
 but could effect no lodgement within the hostile works ; and thus, 
 at nine o clock, the cannonade died away, and the opposing 
 forces lay down upon their arms, after a bloody and useless 
 struggle. As General Jackson s forces passed. the Pole-Green 
 church, and went into camp a little below, at Hundley s Corner, 
 the sound of the guns and the roar of the musketry told them 
 that the gigantic struggle had begun. 
 
 Thus opened the seven days tragedy before Richmond. The 
 
 demeanor of its citizens during the evening of June 26th, gave 
 
 an example of their courage, and their faith in their leaders and 
 
 their cause. For many weeks, the Christians of the city had 
 
 66 
 
442 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 given themselves to prayer j and they drew from heaven a sub 
 lime composure. The spectator passing through the streets saw 
 the people calmly engaged in their usual avocations, or else 
 wending their way to the churches, while the thunders of the 
 cannon shook the city. As the calm summer evening descended, 
 the family groups were seen sitting upon their door-steps, where 
 mothers told the children at their knees, how Lee and his heroes 
 were now driving away the invaders. The young people prome 
 naded the heights north of the town, and watched the distant 
 shells bursting against the sky. At one church, a solemn caval 
 cade stood waiting ; and if the observer had entered, saying to 
 himself: "This funeral reminds me that Death claims all seasons 
 for his own, and refuses to postpone his dread rites for any in 
 ferior horrors," he would have found a bridal before the altar. 
 The heart of old Borne was not more assured and steadfast, 
 when she sold at full price in her Forum, the fields on which the 
 victorious Carthaginian was encamped. 
 
 During the night, detachments of the enemy approached Gen 
 eral Jackson s camps at Hundley s corner, but were checked by 
 Brockenborough s battery, and the 1st Maryland, 13th Virginia, 
 and 6th Louisiana regiments. At an early hour, the troops were 
 put in motion, and speedily crossed the higher streams of the 
 Beaver-Dam, thus turning the right of the enemy s position. 
 The way was now opened, by their retreat, for the advance 
 of General D. H. Hill, who crossing Jackson s line of march, 
 passed to his front and left. The evacuation of the lines of 
 Beaver-Dam also soon followed. At the dawn of day, the con 
 test between the Federal artillery there, and that of General A. 
 P. Hill had been resumed ; but perceiving the divisions of Gen 
 eral Jackson approaching their rear, the enemy retreated pre 
 cipitately down the Chickahominy towards Cold Harbor, pur 
 sued by Generals A. P. Hill and Longstreet, burning vast 
 
MARCHES TO COLD HARBOR. 443 
 
 quantities of army stores, and deserting many uninjured. As 
 General Jackson approached Walnut Grove church, he met the 
 Commander-in-Chief ; and while he halted his column to receive 
 his final instructions from him, the gallant division of A. P. Hill 
 filed past, in as perfect array as though they had been unscathed 
 of battle. General Lee presuming that the Federalists would 
 continue to withdraw, if overpowered, toward the York River 
 Railroad and the White House, directed General Jackson to 
 proceed, with General D. II. Hill, to a point a few miles north of 
 Cold Harbor, and thence to march to that place, and strike 
 their line of retreat. Two roads led thither, the one direct, 
 the other circuitous. The latter, which passed first eastward, 
 and then southward, was the one which offered the desired route 
 for General Jackson; for the former would have conducted 
 him to ground in the rear of the retreating army, already 
 occupied by General A. P. Hill. General Jackson had selected 
 young men of the vicinage, found in a company of cavalry near 
 him, for guides. When he asked them the road to Cold Harbor, 
 his habitual reticence, in this instance too stringent, withheld all 
 explanation of his strategic designs. They therefore naturally 
 pointed him to the direct and larger road, as the route to Cold 
 Harbor. After inarching for a mile and a half, the booming of 
 cannon in his front caught his ear, and he -demanded sharply of 
 the guide near him : " Where is that firing ? " The reply was, that 
 it was in the direction of Gaincs s Mill. "Does this road lead 
 there ? " he asked. The guide told him that it led by Gaines s 
 Mill to Cold Harbor. " But," exclaimed he, " I do not wish 
 to go to Gaincs s Mill. I wish to go to Cold Harbor, leaving 
 that place to the right." Then," said the guide, "the left-hand 
 road was the one which should have been taken j and had you 
 let me know what you desired, I could have directed you aright 
 at first." Nothing now remained, but to reverse the column, 
 
444 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 and return to the proper track. It was manifest that an hour 
 of precious time must be lost in doing this, while the accelerated 
 firing told that the battle was thickening in the front, and every 
 heart trembled with the anxious fear lest the irreparable hour 
 should be lost by the delay. But Jackson bore the same calm 
 and assured countenance, and when this fear was suggested to 
 him, he replied: "No, let us trust that the providence of our 
 God will so overrule it, that no mischief shall result." Nor 
 was he mistaken in this confidence; for the time thus allowed to 
 General D. H. Hill enabled him to reach the desired point of 
 meeting north of Cold Harbor, just in front of Jackson, and 
 brought them into precise conjunction. They then turned to the 
 right and moved directly toward the supposed position of the 
 enemy, with the division of Hill in front, followed by those of 
 Ewell, Whiting, and Jackson in the order of their enumeration. 
 After passing Cold Harbor, and arresting at that spot a few 
 Federal carriages, they perceived the enemy about a half mile 
 southward, drawn up in battle array, and fronting to the north. 
 General Jackson, with a numerous suite, rode forward to observe 
 their position ; and at his suggestion a battery from Hill s di 
 vision was posted opposite to them. But before they began to 
 fire, several Federal batteries opened upon them a furious can 
 nonade, by which the Generals were speedily driven to a distant 
 part of the field, and the Confederate guns were silenced, after 
 a gallant but unequal contest of half an hour. 
 
 It was now two o clock in the afternoon. The firing west 
 of Cold Harbor told that General A. P. Hill was fully engaged 
 with the enemy there. In fact, he was fighting single-handed, 
 the whole centre of the opposing host. For a time, General 
 Jackson held his troops back in the margin of the woods looking 
 toward the highway, and along the line of their mar^h, in the 
 hope that the enemy, retreating before Generals A. P. Hill and 
 
M CLELLAN S POSITION.. 445 
 
 Longstreet, would expose their flank to a crushing blow from 
 him, But the firing on his right began evidently to recede, 
 showing that Hill, instead of driving the savage game into his 
 toils, was giving way before their overpowering numbers. He 
 then determined to bring his whole infantry into action. As 
 signing to General D. II. Hill the extreme left, he placed 
 General Swell s division next him, and sent orders to Generals 
 Whiting and Lawton, and to the Brigadiers of his own original 
 division, which brought up the rear, to form for battle along the 
 road by which they were marching, and then moving in echelon, 
 beginning on the left, to feel for the position of the enemy and 
 engage him. The topography was unknown to Jackson and to his 
 subordinates, the forests forbade a connected view of the country, 
 and no time was left for reconnaissances. Nothing remained, 
 therefore, but to move toward the firing, and engage the foe 
 wherever he was found. 
 
 The expectations that the Federalists would continue their 
 retreat, when hard pressed, toward the White House, was 
 erroneous. Their commander proposed to himself another ex 
 pedient : to concentrate his troops on the south of the Chicka- 
 liominy, and relinquishing his connections with the York River, to 
 open for himself communications with the River James below 
 Richmond, now accessible to his fleets up to Drewry s Bluffs. 
 Accordingly, his present purpose was to stand at bay upon the 
 northern bank of the former stream, until he could withdraw his 
 troops across it in safety. He chose, for this end, a strong position, 
 covering two of his military bridges, and confronting with a con 
 vex array, the Confederates who threatened him from the north 
 and west. His right, or eastern wing occupied an undulating 
 plateau, protected in front by thickets of pine and the rude fences 
 of the country, and presenting numerous commanding positions 
 for artillery. In front of that wing a sluggish rivulet, speedily 
 
LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 degenerated into a marsh, thickset with briers and brushwood, 
 stretched away to the east ; affording a seeming protection to that 
 flank. An interval of a few hundred yards in front of his right 
 was unprotected by any such obstruction ; but the fields were here 
 swept by a powerful artillery. And as his line passed westward, 
 another rivulet commenced its course, and flowed in front of his 
 whole centre and left wing, in an opposite direction to the first, 
 until, merging itself into Powhite Creek, it passed into the Chicka- 
 honiiny above. His centre was enveloped in a dense forest, 
 which, with the marshy stream in front, precluded the use of artil 
 lery by the assailants. His left was posted in a belt of woodland, 
 which descended with a steep inclination from the plateau to a 
 deep and narrow gully, excavated for itself by the rivulet. 
 Three formidable lines of infantry held this hill-side, the first 
 hidden in the natural ditch at its bottom, the second behind a 
 strong barricade of timber a little above, and the third near the 
 top. The brow of the eminence was crowned with numerous 
 batteries, which screened by the narrow zone of trees, commanded 
 every approach to the position. Last, a number of heavy, rifled 
 cannon upon the heights south of the Chickahominy, protected 
 the extreme left, and threatened to enfilade any troops advancing 
 across the open country to the attack. These formidable disposi 
 tions were only disclosed to the Confederates by their actual 
 onset, so that manoeuvre was excluded, and the only resort was 
 to stubborn courage and main force. And it was only on General 
 Jackson s extreme left, that the Confederate artillery could find 
 any position, from which the enemy could be reached effectively. 
 The front upon which these two great armies were to contend 
 was less than three miles in extent. Hence, as the brigades of 
 Longstreet and A. P. Hill from the Confederate right, and of D. 
 II. Hill and Jackson from the left, moved into the combat on con 
 vergent radii, they formed, in many places, an order of battle two 
 
BATTLE OP CHICKAHOMINY. 
 
 447 
 
 BATTLE OF CHICKAHOMIJST Y. 
 
44:8 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 or three lines deep j and those first engaged were supported by 
 those which arrived later. 
 
 The road along which General Jackson drew up his line for 
 "battle, made with the enemy s front an angle of forty or fifty 
 degrees. Hence, the troops toward the right had the longer arc 
 to traverse, in reaching the scene of combat, and all were required 
 to incline toward their left, in order to confront the enemy. 
 General D. H. Hill, on the Confederate left, moved first, and was 
 soon furiously engaged. For two or three hours he struggled 
 with the enemy with wavering fortunes, unable to rout them, but 
 winning some ground, which he stubbornly held against a terrible 
 artillery and musketry fire. General Ewell moved next, with one 
 brigade upon the left, and two upon the right of the road which 
 led from Gaines s Mill toward the Federal left. Crossing the 
 marsh, he ascended the opposing hill-side, and engaged the enemy 
 in the forest. Before their terrific fire, General Elzey, command 
 ing his left brigade, fell severely wounded, and Colonel Seymour, 
 commanding the Louisiana brigade of Taylor, was slain. Whole 
 regiments were killed, wounded, or scattered, under this leaden 
 tempest; but still their dauntless General rallied his fainting 
 men, repaired his line, and held all his ground against the double 
 and triple lines of the enemy ; until just as his ammunition was 
 exhausted, welcome succors arrived under General Lawton. 
 
 One cause of delay in the arrival of the remaining troops has 
 already been seen, in the larger space which they were required 
 to pass over in order to reach the enemy. Another, and a more 
 dangerous one, arose out of a fatal misconception of General 
 Jackson s orders by his messenger. Communicating to all the 
 commanders in the rear of Ewell the plan for their advance, he 
 had concluded by instructing them to await farther orders before 
 engaging the enemy 1 But another officer of the staff, compre 
 hending better the General s true intentions, and the urgency of 
 
D. II. HILL ENGAGES A BATTERY. 449 
 
 the occasion, corrected the error, and at length moved the 
 remaining brigades into action. Their leaders could learn 
 nothing of the country, to which they were all strangers; and 
 their movements were partially concealed from each other by 
 the numerous tracts of coppice and forest. Hence, instead of 
 advancing toward the enemy in parallel lines, they unconsciously 
 crossed each other ; and several of them, at last, went into action 
 far aside from the points at which they were expected to strike. 
 But the Providence of that God to whom their General ever 
 looked, guided them aright to the places where their aid was 
 most essential. 
 
 The Stonewall Brigade, under General Winder, was next the 
 last in the line of march, and should therefore have formed 
 almost the extreme right of General Jackson s battle. Their 
 General, so soon as he comprehended the error of the instruc 
 tions which held him inactive, advanced with chivalrous zeal. 
 But Ms neighbors on the left, with whom he should have con 
 nected his right, having already passed out of sight in the 
 thickets, he had no other guide than the din of the battle. Feel 
 ing his way rapidly toward this, he passed transversely from 
 right to left, across the ground over which the corps had already 
 swept, and found himself behind the struggling line of D. H. Hill. 
 This indomitable soldier was just devising, with his two Briga 
 diers, Garland and Anderson, upon his left, a daring movement, 
 to break the stubborn resistance of the Federalists. Garland 
 proposed to swing around their extreme right with his brigade ; 
 and, taking them in reverse, to charge with the bayonet, while 
 the rest of the division renewed their attack in front. One 
 formidable obstacle existed : a hostile battery at that extremity 
 of the field threatened to enfilade his ranks while marching to 
 the attack. To obviate this danger, Hill determined to storm 
 the battery with five regiments ; but only one that of Colonel 
 57 
 
450 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Iverson, of North Carolina arrived at it. He was severely 
 wounded; and, after ten minutes, his men were driven from it 
 by overpowering numbers; but this interval, during which its 
 guns were silenced, was decisive. For, meantime, Winder had 
 advanced the famed Stonewall Brigade, in perfect order; had 
 rallied to him all the shattered regiments of Elzey and Hill 
 which he found lurking under cover, or waging a defensive 
 struggle; and now swept with an imposing line and a thundering 
 cheer across the whole plateau occupied by the enemy s right. 
 Garland and Anderson dashed simultaneously upon their flank ; 
 the contested battery was in an instant captured a second time ; 
 and the whole wing of the Federal army, with their reinforce 
 ments, hurled back into the swamps of the Chickahominy. There 
 they broke into a scattered rabble in the approaching darkness, 
 and crouched behind the trees, or found their way across the 
 stream to their friends. This brilliant movement, with simulta 
 neous successes upon other parts of the field, decided the day. 
 Nowhere were the panic and confusion of the beaten army 
 more utter than here. The fields which were the scene of 
 this terrific struggle composed the farms of two respectable 
 citizens, named Maghee. The one of these farthest in the Fede 
 ral rear was spectator of their rout. Regiments sent over by 
 M Clellan to support the wavering battle were seen to pause, 
 even before they came under fire; to break, without firing a 
 musket ; and to throw away their arms, and fly to the swamp. 
 As ordnance wagons and ambulances galloped toward the scene 
 of action, they were arrested by the frantic fugitives, who snatched 
 the animals from them, and, mounting two or three on each, fled 
 toward the bridge, leaving ammunition and wounded comrades 
 to their fate. One officer was seen, delirious with terror, with 
 his hat in one hand, and his empty scabbard in the other, scream 
 ing as he ran: "Jackson is comma;! Jackson is coming!" 
 
THE ENEMY GIVE WAY. 451 
 
 Indeed, the baseness of. the Northern soldiery was shown by the 
 fact that, throughout this battle, it was usually the supporting 
 regiments in the rear, unscathed as yet, which gave way first ; 
 while the resistance was sustained by the old United States 
 regulars of Sykes and Porter in the front. In the volunteer 
 regiments, the " will of the majority," which was usually a 
 determination to retire at the critical moment, was sometimes 
 expressed against the authority of the officers by a formal popu 
 lar vote. To the entreaties of their commanders their answers 
 were : "We re tired out fighting;" "Got no more ammunition;" 
 " Guess the rebels will be down to them bridges soon." And so 
 they broke away, and the rout was propagated from the rear to 
 the front. 
 
 The two other brigades of Jackson s old division, the 2nd and 
 3rd Virginia, under the lead of Colonels Cunningham and Fulk- 
 erson, also advanced with spirit as soon as they received correct 
 orders. Having met messengers from the Commander-in- Chief, 
 and General A. P. Hill, they obtained more correct guidance, 
 and advanced to the Confederate right. The second brigade 
 supported Brigadier- General R. H. Anderson, near General 
 Long-street s extreme right. Just as they arrived, the troops 
 of Anderson were giving ground momentarily before the enemy. 
 Colonel Cunningham proposed to take the front, and give him 
 an opportunity to reform behind his lines; but the gallant 
 Carolinian insisted upon completing his own work. The shout 
 was raised; "Jackson s men are here," and his regiments 
 answering with a cheer, rushed forward again, and swept all 
 before them, leaving to the Virginians little more to do than to 
 lire a parting volley. In like manner, the third brigade rein 
 forced the line of A. P. Hill, near the centre, but only arrived 
 in time to see the enemy give way before Whiting s division, 
 winch had come earlier to its help. As Colonel Falkerson 
 
452 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 advanced to relieve these wearied and decimated troops of the 
 labors of the pursuit, the retreating enemy fired a last volley, by 
 which he was mortally wounded. In him General Jackson lost 
 an able and courageous subordinate, who had proved himself 
 equal to every task imposed upon him. Had he lived, the highest 
 distinction must have crowned his merits ; for his judgment, dili 
 gence and talent for command, were equal to his heroic courage. 
 
 Just before the three original brigades of Jackson, had 
 marched the Georgia brigade of Lawton, nearly four thousand 
 strong. The time had now come for them to fight their maiden 
 battle. As they advanced towards the enemy s centre, they 
 unconsciously crossed the line of march just before pursued by 
 General "Whiting, and passing under a severe fire from a battery 
 upon the plateau near Maghee s they crossed the marsh, and 
 entered the wood in rear of General Ewell, passing between two 
 regiments which had retired from the contest after exhausting 
 their ammunition. Here the brigade was thrown into line, and 
 advanced firing, with imposing force. Their appearance was most 
 timely ; for the shattered remnant with which Ewell still stood 
 at bay, were firing their last rounds of cartridges. As the grim 
 veteran saw this magnificent line of thirty-five hundred bayonets 
 sweeping through the woods, he waved his sword with enthusi 
 asm and shouted; "Huzza for Georgia!" Lawton, receiving 
 directions from him, pressed forward with a steady advance, 
 drove the enemy s centre from the woods, into the open fields, 
 nearer the river, and connecting with D. H. Hill and Winder 
 on his left, assisted them in sweeping the Federalists, at night 
 fall, into the swamps. 
 
 But the most brilliant achievement of the day was reserved 
 for the division of General Whiting, consisting of the Mississippi 
 brigade of Colonel Law, and the Texan brigade of General 
 Hood. In Jackson s initial order of battle, they filled the space 
 
HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARGE. 453 
 
 between Ewell and Lawton, thus being the third division, count 
 ing from the left. Whiting, after "being sorely embarrassed by 
 the confused and erroneous instructions received, was properly 
 informed of General Jackson s wishes, and put his two brigades in 
 motion. Before they had advanced far, he met the Commander- 
 in- Chief, who directed him to the part of the field held, at the 
 beginning of the battle, by A. P. Hill. Passing through the 
 forest from which this General had already driven the enemy, 
 he emerged into a broad, open field, in front of that ravine and 
 gully, which have already been described as covering the left- 
 centre, and left of the Federal army. Farther toward the 
 Confederate right, Longstrect was bringing up his division 
 simultaneously, to storm this desperate line ; and, after other 
 brigades had recoiled, broken by a fire under which it seemed 
 impossible that any troops could live, was just sending in his 
 never-failing reserve, Pickett s veteran brigade. These troops, 
 after advancing heroically over the shattered regiments of their 
 friends, within point blank range of the triple lines before them, 
 unfortunately paused to return the fire of the concealed enemy. 
 The entreaties of their officers to charge bayonets were unheard 
 amidst the terrific roar of musketry. It was as they stood thus, 
 decimated at every volley, unable to advance, but too courageous 
 to flee, that the brigades of Hood and Whiting were launched 
 against the Federal lines on the left. The charge may be best 
 described in the language of General Jackson himself. 
 
 " Advancing thence, through a number of retreating and dis 
 ordered regiments, he came within range of the enemy s fire ; 
 who, concealed in an open wood, and protected by breastworks, 
 poured a destructive fire, for a quarter of a mile, into his advanc 
 ing line ; under which many brave officers and men fell. Dash 
 ing on with unfaltering step, in the face of these murder o/is 
 discharges of canister and musketry, General Hood and Colonel 
 
454 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Law, at the heads of their respective brigades, rushed to the 
 charge with a yell. Moving down a precipitous ravine, leaping 
 ditch and stream, clambering up a difficult ascent, and exposed 
 to an incessant and deadly fire from the entrenchments, these 
 brave and determined men pressed forward, driving the enemy 
 from his well-selected and fortified position. 
 
 " In this charge, in which upwards of a thousand men fell, 
 killed and wounded, before the fire of the enemy, and in which 
 fourteen pieces of artillery and nearly a regiment were captured, 
 the fourth Texas, under the lead of General Hood, was the first 
 to pierce these strong-holds and seize the guns." . . . . " The 
 shouts of triumph which rose from our brave men as they, 
 unaided by artillery, had stormed this citadel of their strength, 
 were promptly carried from line to line, and the triumphant 
 issue of this assault, with the well-directed fire of the batteries, 
 and successful charges of Hill and Winder upon the enemy s 
 right, determined the fortunes of the day. The Federalists, 
 routed at every point, and aided by the darkness of the night, 
 escaped across the Chickahominy." 
 
 The next morning, as Jackson inspected this position, and saw 
 the deadly disadvantages under which the Texans had carried it, 
 he exclaimed ; " These men are soldiers indeed ! " Here, and in 
 front of Pickett s charge near by, all the Confederate dead were 
 on the north side of the gorge. Just as soon as the enemy saw 
 them determined to advance, in spite of their fire, and the first 
 line was dislodged from the channel of the rivulet in front, the 
 other two lines incontinently fled from their barricades, although 
 well able still to have repulsed the shattered assailants twice 
 over ; nor did the artillery hold their ground with more firmness 
 upon the brow of the ascent. But now, as the troops of Long- 
 street and Whiting drove the throng of their foes from cover 
 into the open fields, they speedily reaped a bloody revenge for 
 
DIRECTS THE PURSUIT. 455 
 
 all previous losses. The Federal infantry, resigning all thought 
 of battle, fled across the fields or huddled together in the open 
 vales, where the furious Confederates mowed them down by 
 hundreds. The Federal artillery flying to another position a 
 few hundred yards in the rear, opened upon retreating friends 
 and advancing foes, distinguished nothing in the gathering gloom ; 
 and as the victors rushed upon the guns again, they drove before 
 them as a living shield, a confused herd of fugitives, whose bodies 
 received the larger part of the volleys of canister. 
 
 During the afternoon, General Jackson, with his escort, occu 
 pied a position near Cold Harbor, where five roads met, in the 
 rear of his left centre. Ignorant of the delay which had kept his 
 reserves for two hours out of the strife, and of its unlucky cause, 
 he grew more and more anxious as the sun approached the hori 
 zon, and the sustained firing told him that the enemy was 
 nowhere broken. Sending first for Stuart, he suggested to him 
 a vigorous charge of cavalry; but this was relinquished as 
 impracticable. His gigantic spirit was manifestly gathering 
 strength, and its rising tides were chafing stormily against their 
 obstacles. Riding restlessly to and fro to the different points of 
 interest, he issued his orders in a voice which rang with the 
 deadly clang of the rifle, rather than the sonorous peal of the 
 clarion. Check and brow were blazing with the crimson blood, 
 and beneath the vizor of his old drab cap, his eye glared with a 
 fire, before which every other eye quaile d. But a half hour of 
 sunlight now remained. Unconscious that his veteran brigades 
 were but now reaching the ridge of battle, he supposed that all 
 his force had been put forth, and (what had never happened 
 before) the enemy was not crushed. It was then that he de 
 spatched messengers to all the commanders of his divisions, with 
 these words : " Tell them this affair must hang in suspense no 
 longer ; sweep the field with the bayonet." The olficers darted 
 
456 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 away with their messages ; but before they reached the line; the 
 ringing cheers, rising from every side out of the smoking woods, 
 told that his will was anticipated, and the day was won. At 
 this sound, no elation lighted up his features, but subduing the 
 tempest of his passion, he rode calmly forward, to direct the 
 pursuit of the enemy. 
 
 In this battle, General Jackson employed little artillery. 
 Upon his wing a few of the batteries of D. II. Hill were put 
 in action at the extreme left, with small effect at first, upon the 
 enemy s fire. Later in the day, Major Pclham, of Stuart s horse- 
 artillery, whose splendid courage Jackson then first witnessed 
 took position in front of Cold Harbor, with two guns, and 
 engaged the Federal batteries which obstructed the movements 
 of Hill. One of his pieces was speedily disabled ; but with the 
 other, he continued the unequal duel to the close of the day. At 
 sunset, the batteries upon the extreme left were reinforced 
 by those of Courtenay and Brockenborough. Thirty guns now 
 opened upon the retreating enemy, and contributed much to 
 his final discomfiture. 
 
 In the battle of Chickahominy, the Confederates used about 
 forty thousand men, of whom twenty thousand belonged to the 
 command of General Jackson, exclusive of the division of D. H. 
 Hill, temporarily associated with it. General M Clellan asserted 
 that he had but thirty-six thousand men engaged. The length 
 of his triple lines of battle, and the superior numbers met by the 
 Confederates at every point, show that if this statement was 
 correct, it excluded the reserves engaged at the close of the day ; 
 and if a similar subtraction were made on the other side, their 
 numbers also would be reduced far below that amount. General 
 Lee declared that the principal part of the Federal army was 
 engaged. When it is remembered that this force embraced all 
 of their regulars, and that the adroit use of the position selected 
 
THE ENEMY CROSS THE CHICKAIIOMIXY. 457 
 
 by M Clellan debarred the Confederates from the employment 
 of artillery, while it exposed them on both wings to that power 
 ful implement of war, their victory will be received as a glorious 
 proof of their prowess. They captured twenty-five pieces of 
 artillery, and more than four thousand prisoners ; while the field 
 showed that the carnage among the Federalists was considerably 
 heavier than among the patriots. The victory was purchased by 
 a loss of five hundred and eighty-nine men killed on the field, 
 two thousand six hundred and seventy-one wounded, and twenty- 
 four missing, in Jackson s corps. In the other divisions engaged, the 
 loss was also heavy. Several circumstances made the price paid 
 for the splendid advantages of this achievement, heavier than it 
 might have been, and the fruits more scanty. Of these, the one 
 most worthy of the attention of the Confederates, because sus 
 ceptible of a remedy, was the lack of a competent general Staff, 
 by which the plans of the Commander-in- Chief might be carried 
 out with accuracy, and unity of action secured. Next, it should 
 be remarked, that the generals were possessed of no topographi 
 cal surveys, and were therefore compelled to manoeuvre their 
 troops without any acquaintance with the ground, in an intricate 
 country, obscured by woodlands, and devoid of any elevated 
 points of view. The whole space over which Jackson s troops 
 moved, was occupied by a succession of thickets of pine, and 
 insignificant farms ; so that scarcely anywhere did two brigades 
 move in sight of each other, and an advance of a quarter of a 
 mile invariably hid them from view. It was vain therefore, for 
 the General to depend upon his own eyes; and with a scanty 
 and ill-organized staff, he had no means of knowing, for a consid 
 erable time, whether his orders were executed or not. 
 
 On the morning of Saturday, June 28th, there was not a Fed 
 eral soldier in arms north of the Chickahominy. The two 
 bridges by which M Clellan had retreated were jealously guarded 
 
 58 
 
458 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 by his sharpshooters, and by commanding batteries upon the 
 southern heights, which forbade their passage, save at an expense 
 of blood too great to be contemplated. Swell s division, with 
 the cavalry of Stuart, marched, early in the morning, for the 
 York River Railroad ; which they occupied without opposition, at 
 Dispatch Station. The enemy thereupon retreated to the south 
 side of the river, and burned the railroad bridge, while General 
 Ewell destroyed a part of the track. Stuart, pursuing a detach 
 ment of cavalry toward the White House, found all the Stations 
 in flames, including the dwelling and farm buildings of General 
 Lee, at the latter place, and a vast amount of military stores de 
 stroyed. It was now manifest from the enemy s own act, that 
 this line of retreat was finally surrendered. Two other alterna 
 tives remained to him: one was to cross the Chickahominy 
 below, by the Williamsburg road and the neighboring ways; 
 the other, to turn to the river James. To prevent the adoption 
 of the former, General Ewell was ordered to guard Bottom s 
 bridge, the next below the railroad, while the cavalry watched 
 the lower course of the stream. To resist the latter, General 
 Holmes s division was directed to watch the roads leading to 
 ward the James, with a portion of the cavalry, while Generals 
 Magruder and Huger guarded his front, and stood prepared to 
 press the Federalists upon the first appearance of retreat. The 
 Confederate forces upon the north bank of the Chickahominy 
 remained there until their purposes were developed. 
 
 H Clellan, although still superior to Lee in numbers and ma 
 teriel of war, was now in a situation which might well excite his 
 solicitude. His vast army, cut off from its established line of 
 supplies, must either move at once or starve. Before him, and 
 on both his flanks was a determined and victorious foe. Behind 
 him was a forest country, possessing few good roads, and inter 
 sected by sluggish water-courses, which the unprecedented rains 
 
DESTRUCTION OP AMMUNITION BY THE FEDERALS. 459 
 
 liad this year converted into swamps. But the forests were, ia 
 another aspect ; his friends ; for they concealed his designs and 
 prevented the watching of his movements. One vigorous day s 
 march, moreover, would bring him to his powerful fleet, which 
 would give him a secure refuge and the needed supplies. Satur 
 day evening, there were manifest signs of movement behind the 
 Federal entrenchments, and Sunday morning they were aban 
 doned, and the bridges across the Chickahominy were broken 
 down. General Longstreet now marched to the south side by 
 the New Bridge ; but the Grapevine Bridge opposite General 
 Jackson s position was so destroyed that the pioneers consumed 
 nearly the whole day in repairing it. Late in the afternoon, the 
 Stonewall Brigade, with the General and his Staff, passed over, 
 and inspected the country. At the Trent farm near by, were 
 extensive bowers, ingeniously woven of cedar boughs, which had 
 surrounded the headquarters where M Clellan had recently re 
 sided, in a village of canvas, provided with every appliance of 
 luxury. Here also was his telegraph office, whence lines di 
 verged to each corps of his army and to Washington, with the 
 floor littered with the originals of those fictitious despatches, 
 with which his Government was wont to delude its people. A 
 little farther, General Jackson found the forces of General Ma- 
 gruder, with the Commander-in-Chief, watching the retreating 
 enemy ; and, it was agreed, after consultation, that the evening 
 was too far advanced for an effective movement, and that Gene 
 ral Jackson should return to his bivouac, and commence his 
 march in pursuit at dawn the next morning. As he rode across 
 the fields this evening, he witnessed a spectacle of inexpressible 
 grandeur. The attention was attracted toward the east by the 
 roar of an invisible railroad train, which seemed to be rushing 
 toward the Chickahominy, far beyond the distant woods, with a 
 speed which was constantly accelerated until it became frightful. 
 
460 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Suddenly, as the beholders were speculating upon the cause of this 
 sound, a vast pillar of white smoke was seen to spring upwards 
 into the sky, which rose higher and higher, and continually 
 unfolded itself from within, in waves of snowy vapor, until it 
 filled that quarter of the heavens. And, a moment after, the 
 atmosphere, slower than the sunbeams, brought to the ear an 
 astounding explosion, in which a multitude of nearly simulta 
 neous thunder-claps were mingled into a roar louder than can 
 non. The explanation was learned afterwards. The retreating 
 foe had loaded a train with a vast bulk of ammunition, and, 
 firing the engine to its most intense heat, had launched it from 
 Savage s Station, without a guide, with a slow match lighted. 
 Just as it plunged into the Chickahominy, at the chasm where 
 the bridge had lately been, the powder caught j and ammunition, 
 engine, and carriages were blown into one huge wreck. 
 
 This was not the only form of destruction which the Federal 
 ists employed to prevent their enemies from profiting by the 
 spoils. Their industry in attempting to demolish was equal to 
 the haste of their flight. The whole country was full of deserted 
 plunder; and this, indeed, was equally true of the tracts over 
 which they had been driven on the north side of the river, from 
 Mechanic sville downward. Army wagons and pontoon trains, 
 partially burned or crippled ; mounds of grain and rice, and hil 
 locks of mess-beef smouldering ; tens of thousands of axes, picks, 
 and shovels ; camp-kettles gashed with hatchets ; medicine-wagons 
 with their drugs stirred into foul medley ; and all the apparatus 
 of a vast and lavish host, encumbered the roads ; while the mire 
 under foot was mixed with blankets lately new, and overcoats 
 torn in twain from the waist up. For weeks afterwards, the 
 agents of the army were busy gathering in the spoils ; while a 
 multitude of the country people found in them partial indemnity 
 
TAKES MANY PRISONERS. 461 
 
 for the ruin of their farms. Great stores of fixed ammunition 
 were saved, while more was destroyed. 
 
 Scarcely had General Jackson returned to the northern bank, 
 when a rapid outbreak of firing told that G-eneral Magruder had 
 attacked the enemy near Savage s station. Here were the last 
 entrenchments behind which M- Clellan could stand at bay. By 
 a vigorous attack in flank and front, he was driven out of them 
 just at sunset, and pursued for a short space with great slaughter. 
 The sound of this combat kindled again in Jackson s heart the 
 fire of battle, and as he lay down under the open sky for a short 
 repose, he gave orders that everything should be ready to move 
 in pursuit at the earliest dawn. At midnight, however, a sudden 
 shower awoke him, and finding himself wet through, he deter 
 mined to sleep no more, but to precede the troops to the posi 
 tion of General Magruder, in order to have time for fuller 
 conference. When the head of his column, composed again of 
 the division of D. H. Hill, reached the scene of the evening s 
 combat, the General was found drying himself by a camp-fire. 
 Without procuring any food or refreshment, he now advanced 
 through the troops of Magruder, and took the old highway which 
 led to Wiliiamsburg. When the station near Savage s came in 
 view, a city of canvas was seen upon a distant hill-side, glitter 
 ing in the morning sun. This was a vast field-hospital of 
 M Clellan, where twenty-five hundred sick and wounded, with 
 their nurses, had been left by him to the care of the Confed 
 erates. General Jackson, having sent a suitable officer to 
 receive the submission of these, advanced rapidly upon the 
 enemy s traces. At every step the Federal stragglers issued 
 from the thickets,, and submitted themselves as prisoners of war, 
 until a thousand additional men were sent to the rear. A vast 
 drove of mules deserted by the Federal army, was gathered 
 from the woods. Every hut and dwelling near the roadside 
 
462 ,.rE OF L1EUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 was also converted into a refuge for the "wounded, whose 
 numbers showed the sanguinary nature of the struggle of the 
 previous evening. An officer congratulating the General upon 
 the great number of his prisoners, said jocularly, that they 
 surrendered too easily, for the Confederacy would be embar 
 rassed with their maintenance. He answered, smiling ; " It is 
 cheaper to feed them, than to fight them." 
 
 Before reaching White Oak Swamp, an inconsiderable stream 
 which crossed the road, he diverged toward the right in the 
 direction of the Court House of Charles City County, pursuing 
 still the wrecks of the enemy s flight. It now became manifest 
 that he had relinquished all thought of a retreat toward York- 
 town, and had turned decisively toward the river James. To 
 explain the subsequent movements, the disclosure of M- Clellan a 
 plans, still doubtful to the Confederate commander, must be a 
 little anticipated. His purpose was to collect his army and all 
 its apparatus upon the bank of the James, at some point below 
 the mouth of the Appomattox: where the greater width and 
 depth of the stream would enable his great fleets to approach 
 him with convenience, and manoeuvre for his defence. To dis 
 encumber the roads leading directly thither, and leave them free 
 for the march of his columns, he sent his whole baggage trains 
 down the way which Jackson had now reached, leading from the 
 neighborhood of Savage s Station on the railroad, to Charles 
 City Court House. Having followed this route until they were 
 effectually protected, they made their way across from this 
 thoroughfare, to the deep water at Harrison s Landing. To 
 protect them, Franklin s corps was stationed on the eastern bank 
 of White Oak Swamp ; and when Jackson reached it, he stub 
 bornly contested its passage with him during the whole of Mon 
 day, June 30th. On the other hand, the corps of Keyes, from 
 M Clellan s left, with the beaten troops of Porter, were rapidly 
 
M CLELLA^ S DISPOSITIONS. 463 
 
 marched to Malvern Hill, a range of highlands accessible by the 
 shortest march from the southern end of the Federal line ; and 
 overlooking at once the river James, and the New Market, or 
 river road, which leads from the city of Richmond down its 
 northern side. The object of this movement on the part of 
 M-Clellan, was to protect his communications with the deep 
 water from an advance down the New Market road, which he had 
 good reason to fear. The remainder of his great army was 
 massed on Monday midway between the White Oak Swamp 
 and Malvern Hill, under Generals Heintzelman and M Call, to 
 watch the roads going eastward; by which the Confederates 
 might insinuate themselves between his right and left, and pur 
 sue his baggage trains. These judicious dispositions, made in a 
 forest country, and chiefly by night marches, were not immediate 
 ly disclosed in all their details to the Confederate leader. But 
 his troops were now directed, with a masterly and comprehensive 
 foresight, to meet every contingency, in such sort that had all his 
 purposes been carried out, the adroit concealments of his adver 
 sary would have been vain. Major General Holmes was ordered 
 to cross from the south bank of the river James, which he had 
 been left to guard, on the 29th, and march down the New Market 
 road, to prevent the enemy from reaching the water. He did 
 not approach Malvern Hill until the 30th, when he found it al 
 ready powerfully occupied by the enemy under Kcyes and 
 Porter, crowned by a formidable artillery, and flanked by gun 
 boats in the river. Early on the 29th Major-Generals Long- 
 street and A. P. Hill were directed to cross the Chickahominy 
 at the New Bridges, and march eastward by the Darby-town 
 road, a highway parallel to the New Market road, and north of it. 
 Major-Generals Huger and Magrudcr were directed to press the 
 enemy in front, by the road leading direct from Richmond to 
 Charles City ; while Jackson was to advance rapidly upon the 
 
464 
 
 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 left, scour the south side of the Chickahominy, and endeavor to 
 attain the enemy s rear. 
 
 Longstreet and A. P. Hill, who moved first on the 29th ; first 
 came up with the enemy s centre, upon the 30th ; posted a little 
 below the termination of the Darby-town road. Magrudcr, who 
 advanced by the same road, was diverted by a request of General 
 Holmes for reinforcements j and, thus unfortunately, was turned 
 aside from the centre, where a fatal blow was practicable, toward 
 the heights of Malvern Hill, which were now unassailable ; and 
 did not retrace his steps until the day was decided. But Gen 
 eral Huger still remained to support the attack of Longstreet 
 and Hill upon the right; and General Jackson, on the other 
 hand, if able to force his passage across White Oak Swamp, 
 would have found himself upon the enemy s flank and rear. 
 Such was the attitude of the respective parties at mid-day of 
 June 30th. 
 
 When Jackson approached the stream last named, at this 
 hour, he found in the fields near it, extensive camps deserted, 
 and full of spoils, and another field-hospital crowded with 
 wounded. The hills descended by long and gentle declivities 
 on both sides toward the little water-course, and the meadows 
 along its margin were soft and miry from the recent rains. On 
 the Confederate side, the right of the road was occupied by the 
 open fields of an extensive farm, and the left by a dense forest 
 of pines. On the side occupied by Franklin, the fields extended 
 far both to the right and left of the highway but the low margin 
 of the stream opposite the Confederate right was covered by a belt 
 of tall forest, in full leaf, which effectually screened all the Fed 
 eral left from view. But the hills on their right were occupied 
 by fifteen or twenty cannon in position, and were black with 
 long lines of infantry. General Jackson, riding, as was his 
 wont, with the advanced guard, no sooner saw the ground than 
 
WHITE OAK SWAMP. 465 
 
 he halted his army, and ordered twenty-eight guns to be brought 
 up, by a little vale through the fields on his right, just deep 
 enough to hide them effectually from the enemy s view. These, 
 although upon his right wing, were directed to the batteries of 
 the Federalists opposite his left. At a preconcerted signal, the 
 guns, ready shotted, were now moved forward upon the brow of 
 the eminence, and opened their thunders upon the enemy. So 
 sudden and terrible was the revelation, they scarcely made an 
 effort to reply, but galloped away, leaving two or three rifled 
 pieces behind them ; while the ranks of infantry melted swiftly 
 into the woods far in their rear. After a little, several batteries 
 upon the enemy s left, concealed behind the belt of forest, began 
 to reply to this fire ; and, from this time, the two parties kept 
 up a desultory artillery-duel during the day. But as each was 
 invisible to the other, much damage was neither given nor 
 received. 
 
 The General now advanced a section of artillery near the 
 crossing of the stream, which speedily drove the Federal sharp 
 shooters from the opposite bank and trees ; and he ordered over 
 the cavalry regiment of Colonel Munford. They found the 
 wooden bridge broken up, and its timbers floating a tangled 
 mass in the waters. But just above was a deep and narrow 
 ford, by which they passed over, followed immediately by the 
 General. They scoured, with drawn sabres, over the ground 
 lately occupied by the Federal right wing, noted the deserted 
 cannon, and picked up a few prisoners. But the enemy s left, 
 behind the long screen of forest, was found standing fast, while 
 they were bringing both artillery and infantry into position to 
 command the crossing. Colonel Munford therefore passed down 
 the stream to his left, and, finding a spot where it was practica 
 ble, returned to his friends without loss. Jackson, upon observ 
 ing this, advanced the divisions of D. II. Hill and Whiting into 
 
 59 
 
466 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the pine wood on his left, detailed a working party to act with 
 their support, and attempted to repair the bridge, with the pur 
 pose of forcing his way by a simultaneous advance of his infantry 
 and artillery. But the men could not be induced to labor stead 
 ily, exposed to the skirmishers of the enemy; and the attempt 
 was abandoned. The remainder of the afternoon was spent in 
 endeavors to discover some way, on the right or the left, by 
 which the vexatious stream could be crossed, and the enemy s 
 position turned j but the roads were so effectually obstructed with 
 fallen trees, that no hope appeared of removing them in time to 
 light a battle that evening. The troops were then withdrawn 
 out of reach of the enemy s shells, and bivouacked, to await a 
 more propitious morning. On this occasion it would appear, if 
 the vast interests dependent on General Jackson s co-operation 
 with the proposed attack upon the centre were considered, that 
 he came short of that efficiency in action for which he was every 
 where else noted. Surely the prowess of the Confederate infan 
 try might have been trusted, for such a stake as Lee played for 
 that day, to do again what it had so gloriously done, for a stake 
 no greater, on the 27th; it might have routed the Federal infan 
 try and artillery at once, without the assistance of its own 
 cannon. Two columns, pushed with determination across the two 
 fords at which the cavalry of Munford passed over and returned, 
 the one in the centre, and the other at the left, and pro 
 tected in their onset by the oblique fire of a powerful artillery 
 so well posted on the right, would not have failed to dislodge 
 Franklin from a position already half lost. The list of casual 
 ties would indeed have been larger than that presented on the 
 30th, of one cannoneer mortally wounded. But how much shorter 
 would have been the bloody list filled up the next day at Mal- 
 vern Hill? This temporary eclipse of Jackson s genius was 
 probably to be explained by physical causes. The labor of the 
 
FRAZIER S FARM. 467 
 
 previous days, the sleeplessness, the wear of gigantic cares, with 
 the drenching of the comfortless night, had sunk the elasticity of 
 his will and the quickness of his invention, for the once, below 
 their wonted tension. And which of the sons of men is there so 
 great as never to experience this ? The words which fell from 
 Jackson s lips, as he lay down that night among his Staff, showed 
 that he was conscious of depression. After dropping asleep 
 from excessive fatigue, with his supper between his teeth, he 
 said : " Now, gentlemen, let us at once to bed, and rise with the 
 dawn, and see if to-morrow we cannot do something!" Yet he 
 found time, amidst the fatigues of this day, to write to Mrs. Jack 
 son, with a. heart full of piety and of yearning for domestic 
 happiness : 
 
 " NEAR WHITE OAK SWAMP BRIDGE, June 30th. 
 
 "An ever kind Providence has greatly blessed our efforts, 
 and given us great reason for thankfulness in having defended 
 Richmond as he has." 
 
 " I hope that our God will soon bless us with an honorable 
 peace, and permit us to be together at home, in the enjoyment of 
 domestic happiness." 
 
 Meantime, Generals Longstreet and A. P. Hill, after confront 
 ing the enemy s powerful centre until 4 o clock P. M v heard 
 firing upon the Charles City road, which they supposed indicated 
 the near approach of Huger. The former placed a battery in 
 position and discharged it against the enemy to give notice of 
 his presence. The Federalists replied, and the old war-horse, 
 whose mettle forbade his ever declining the gage of battle, 
 rushed to the contest. None of his expected supports came up ; 
 and -the advantage of position and numbers was wholly with his 
 adversaries. But after a sanguinary conflict, he drove them from 
 
468 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 their whole line save at one point, and captured many prisoners, 
 including a general of division, several batteries, and some 
 thousands of small arms ; when night arrested the furious strug 
 gle. This action has been known as the battle of Frazier s 
 farm. So near did its issue bring the enemy s left wing to 
 destruction, even without the expected assistance of Jackson, 
 Huger, and Magruder, that when it closed, at dark, the victorious 
 troops of Longstreet were, unconsciously, within sight of the 
 cross road by which Franklin was required to march his corps, in 
 the r\3ar of the Federal centre, in order to reach the appointed 
 place of concentration at Malvern Hill. Nay, the cornfields 
 beyond that road were ploughed up with Longstreet s cannon- 
 shot. What then might not the triumph have been, if the 
 intended co-operation had been given ? As soon as the night 
 grew quiet, Franklin, informed of his critical position, moved off 
 from White Oak Swamp, glided silently behind the shattered 
 ranks which still confronted Longstreet, and retired, with them, 
 to the protection of M Clellan s lines at Malvern Hill. When 
 the morning dawned, there was nothing in front of Jackson save 
 the forsaken cannon of the enemy, and they had deserted to 
 Longstreet a field ghastly with multitudes of their slain and 
 wounded. His wearied troops, with those of A. P. Hill, were 
 drawn off to seek the needed repose, and Magruder took his 
 place. 
 
 General Jackson putting his corps in motion at an early hour, 
 July 1st, with Whiting s division in front, crossed the White Oak 
 Swamp ; and, a little after, turning south, marched upon the 
 traces of the enemy toward Malvern Hill. As he approached 
 Frazier s farm, a Confederate line of battle was seen a little 
 distance from the right of the road, with their skirmishers upon 
 the opposite side, looking eastward. These were the forces of 
 Magruder, which had relieved those of Longstreet during the 
 
POSITION OF THE FEDERALISTS. 469 
 
 night. Jackson passed between the line and the skirmishers, 
 lustily cheered by them, and pursued the enemy swiftly. The 
 road now plunged into an extensive woodland, with the Willis 7 
 Church upon the right hand, filled with the wounded of both 
 armies. After advancing for a mile and a half through this 
 forest, the General s suite was suddenly greeted with a volley of 
 rifle-balls from the Federal outposts, and a moment after, by a 
 shower of shells. Retiring to a safer spot, he now ordered up 
 his troops, and prepared to attack. His reconnaissance showed 
 him the enemy most advantageously posted upon an elevated ridge 
 in front of Malvern Hill, which was occupied by several lines of 
 infantry partially fortified, and by a powerful artillery. In short, 
 the whole army of M Clellan, with three hundred pieces of field 
 artillery, was now, for the first time, assembled on one field, 
 determined to stand at bay, and .contend for its existence ; while 
 the whole Confederate army was also converging around it, 
 under the immediate eye of the Commander-in-Chief and the 
 President. The war of the giants was now about to begin, 
 indeed ! before which the days of Gaines s Mill and Frazier s 
 Farm were to pale. The position of the Federalists had been 
 selected by M Clellan himself, with consummate skill. His line 
 fronted north, covering the river road behind it, and presenting 
 a convex curve toward the Confederates. His right was covered 
 by a tributary of Turkey creek, and his left by the fire of his 
 gunboats, which threw their monstrous projectiles beyond his 
 whole front. The ground occupied by him dominated by its 
 height over the whole landscape ; and nowhere in his front was 
 there a spot, where artillery could be massed to cope with 
 his on equal terms. For, the country before him was not 
 only of inferior altitude, but covered with woods and thickets, 
 save within a few hundred yards of his own lines. And here, 
 the open fields sloped gently away, offering full sweep to his 
 
470 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 murderous fire ; while this approach was only reached, before 
 his right and centre, by struggling across the treacherous rivulet 
 in front. 
 
 General Lee now assigned the left to Jackson, and the right 
 to Magruder, supported by Huger and Holmes. Longstreet and 
 A. P. Hill, with their wearied divisions, were held in reserve. 
 The only spot where open ground appeared in opposition to the 
 enemy s, was upon Jackson s extreme left. Here an extensive 
 farm, belonging to a gentleman named Poindexter, indented the 
 forests, and its luxuriant wheat fields, partially reaped, descended 
 to the stream from which the Federal position rose on the oppo 
 site side. This field offered the only ground for the manoeuvr 
 ing of artillery. After an examination of it, General Jackson 
 ordered a few batteries to enter it from the covert of the woods, 
 and engage the enemy. But the number of guns directed 
 against them by him was too great ; and after a short contest, 
 they retired crippled. The batteries of Poague and Carpenter 
 from the Stonewall Brigade, and of Balthis from the division of 
 Whiting, were then ordered forward, and by approaching the 
 enemy more nearly, found a position which, though of inferior 
 altitude, offered some shelter. Here they maintained a stubborn 
 and gallant contest with the numerous batteries opposed to them 
 during the remainder of the day, and barred the way to the 
 advance of the enemy s infantry. The infantry of Whiting was 
 now disposed upon the left, the brigade of Colonel Law con 
 cealed in the tall wheat of the field, and that of General Hood 
 in the adjoining forest, while the 3rd Virginia brigade, of Jack 
 son s division, commanded by General Hampton, supported the 
 guns. The centre was occupied by the Louisiana brigade of 
 Taylor, and the right by D. II. Hill. The reserve was com 
 posed of the remainder of the division of Ewell, and the bri 
 gades of Lawton, Winder and Cunningham. These dispositions 
 
D. H. HILL ATTACKS UNSUPPORTED. 471 
 
 were completed by 2 o clock, P. M., and the General anxiously 
 awaited the signal to begin. But the corps of Magruder, moving 
 after Jackson s and delayed by a misconception of the route, 
 was later in reaching its position. Instructions were sent by 
 General Lee, that the onset should begin upon the right, with 
 the brigades of Magruder, and that when D. H. Hill heard the 
 cheer with which they charged the enemy, he should attack with 
 the bayonet, to -be followed immediately by the leaders upon his 
 left. To approach the Federal centre, Hill was compelled to 
 emerge from the forest, and cross an open field, where he suf 
 fered a preliminary loss of no small amount, from their artillery. 
 His own batteries had been left in the rear, their ammunition 
 exhausted ; and the Confederate artillery sent to his support 
 was advanced, piece-meal, only to be crippled in detail and 
 driven from the field. Fording the rivulet, however, in despite 
 of his losses, he found a partial shelter for his division under a 
 body of woodland within four hundred yards of the enemy s 
 front. Accompanied by General Jackson, he then made a more 
 particular examination of the ground, and found himself con 
 fronted by two or three lines of infantry and batteries, whose 
 murderous fire commanded every approach. Five o clock had 
 now arrived, when suddenly Hill heard a mighty shout upon his 
 right, followed by an outburst of firing. Regarding this as 
 doubtless the appointed signal, and the beginning of Magruder s 
 onset, he gave the word, and his men advanced devotedly to the 
 charge under a storm of artillery and musketry. The first line 
 of the enemy was forced, and their guns were compelled to 
 withdraw to avoid capture ; but the other points of their line, 
 unoccupied by a simultaneous attack, advanced reinforcements to 
 them ; and Hill was beaten off, after inflicting and suffering a 
 severe loss. Jackson reinforced him, by sending the brigades of 
 Trimble, Lawton, Winder and Cunningham; but the difficulties 
 
472 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSQX. 
 
 of the position, the approaching darkness, and the terrific fire 
 of the enemy, prevented their doing more than holding their 
 ground, and maintaining an uncertain conflict. 
 
 As sunset approached, and after the attack of Jackson was 
 checked, Magruder at length got his troops into position, and 
 advanced, with similar results. Much heroism was exhibited by 
 his men, some ground was won from the enemy, a bloody loss 
 was inflicted upon them, and received in his -own command. 
 At these attacks, the fire of the Federal artillery, which had been 
 heavy, became inexpressibly furious. Along their whole line, 
 whether assailed or not, their countless field-pieces belched forth 
 their charges of flame with an incessant din, which was answered 
 back by the hoarser bellowings of the gunboats in the rear. 
 Wherever the eye turned, it was met by a ceaseless stream of 
 missiles shrieking and crashing through the forest. A moonless 
 night descended on the turmoil, and the darkness was lighted up 
 for miles with the glare flashing across the heavens, as when two 
 thunder clouds illuminate the adverse quarters of the horizon 
 with sheet lightning. Beneath, the fitful lines of light danced 
 amidst the dark foliage, showing where the stubborn ranks of in 
 fantry plied their deadly work; and the roar of the musketry 
 filled the intervals of the mightier din with its angry monotone j 
 while a fierce yell, from time to time told of some hardly won 
 vantage ground gained by the Confederates. At ten o clock, the 
 battle died away ; for the Federalists were silently withdrawing 
 from the field, under the friendly veil of the darkness. Indeed, 
 much of the cannonade was doubtless intended to cover this 
 retreat ; and no sooner had it sunk into silence, than the rum 
 bling of the multitude of wheels began to tell that the artillery 
 was withdrawing from a field which was already abandoned by 
 their infantry. The Confederates lay down upon their arms 
 where the battle had ceased, in many places within a few paces 
 
HIS FIRMNESS. 473 
 
 of the opposing pickets, and during the night they saw the 
 lanterns flitting over the field, where they were busy removing 
 the wounded. 
 
 When the battle had ceased thus, General Jackson retired 
 slowly and wearily to the rear, to seek some refreshment and 
 rest. In the midst of a confused multitude of wagons and strag 
 glers, his faithful servant had prepared a pallet for him upon the 
 ground ; and here, after taking a morsel of food, he lay down and 
 slept. At one o clock his division commanders awoke him, to 
 report the condition of their forces, and receive instructions for 
 the morrow. None of them knew, as yet, those signs of retreat 
 and discomfiture, which the advanced pickets were observing; 
 they only knew what they had suffered in their own commands. 
 Their imaginations were awe-struck by the sights and sounds of 
 the fearful struggle, and every representation which they gave 
 was gloomy. At length, after many details of losses and disas 
 ters, they all concurred in declaring that M Clellan would proba 
 bly take the aggressive in the morning, and that the Confederate 
 army was in no condition to resist him. Jackson had listened 
 silently, save as he interposed a few brief questions, to all their 
 statements ; but now he replied, with an inexpressible dryness 
 and nonchalance : " No ; I think he will clear out in the morn 
 ing." These words reveal one element of his power and great 
 ness. Such was the clearness of his military intuitions, and the 
 soundness of his judgment, such the steadfastness of his spirit, 
 that he viewed every fact soberly, without distortion or exagger 
 ation. His excited fancy played no tricks with his understand 
 ing. Dangers never loomed into undue proportions before his 
 steady eye. Hence, in .the most agitating or even appalling cir 
 cumstances, his conclusions were still correct. Such they proved 
 to be now; for when morning dawned upon the battle-field, 
 60 
 
474 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 M Clellan was gone indeed, leaving every evidence of precipi 
 tate retreat. 
 
 The morning dawned with a dreary and pitiless rain, in con 
 trast with the splendor of the harvest sun of the previous day, as 
 though the heavens had clad themselves in mourning, and were 
 weeping a flood of tears for the miseries of the innocent, and the 
 crimes of the guilty aggressor. The woods, which, the evening 
 before, were thick with sulphureous smoke, were now wreathed 
 in vapor; and the deep dust of the roads trampled into ashes 
 by the myriad feet of men and horses, was now as speedily con 
 verted into semi-fluid mire. All were of course without tents ; 
 and fatigued and hungry, they wore an aspect of squalid discom 
 fort. The only activity visible was the humane labor of the 
 surgeons and their assistants, who were still bringing in the 
 wounded, exhausted by their sufferings and drenched with rain. 
 General Jackson, however, arose, and without breakfast, hurried 
 to the front to watch over his men. The air was too thick with 
 mist to distinguish anything upon the opposite hill ; but soon the 
 reports from his outposts, and from the cavalry of Munford, con 
 vinced him that the enemy was gone. He now issued orders 
 that the troops should form in the woods which they had occu 
 pied the day before, kindle liberal fires, cook their frtod, and 
 refresh themselves after their fatigues ; while he repaired to the 
 house of Poindexter to meet the Commandcr-in- Chief. General 
 Stuart, whom the latter had recalled from the north side of the 
 Chickahominy, had reached Turkey Creek on the left of the 
 lines of Jackson, just as the battle closed. He was now witness 
 of the precipitate retreat of the enemy, and following him down 
 the river road, found numerous carriage? fast stuck in the mire, 
 or wrecked, with ammunition, clothing, equipments and muskets 
 strewn broadcast over the country. He was informed by the 
 country people, that the Federal axmy reached the open fields of 
 
VEXATIOUS DELAY. 475 
 
 Haxall s at morning, without the semblance of organization, ob 
 serving no ranks nor obedience, spreading over the fields and 
 woods at will, and lying down to sleep under the pelting rain. 
 Instead of meditating the aggressive, the whole host would have 
 surrendered to the summons of ten thousand fresh men. But, 
 alas ! the Confederates had not those men to pursue them. Every 
 division of the army had been worn by marching and fighting, 
 and a certain disarray prevailed throughout. It must also be 
 declared that this inability to reap the fruits of their heroic exer 
 tions arose partly from that lack of persistence which is the 
 infirmity of the Southern character. The army of Lee was as 
 able to pursue, as that of M Clellan was to flee ; and to the true 
 soldier, the zeal to complete a hardly-won victory, and to save 
 his country by one successful blow, should be as pungent a 
 motive for intense exertion, as the instinct of self-preservation 
 itself. Another cause of -delay in the pursuit was the hesitation 
 of the Commander-in- Chief, who, uninformed as yet of all the 
 signs of defeat given by his enemy, and prudently sceptical of 
 the extent of his own success, was uncertain whether this was a 
 flight, or a ruse of M Clellan to draw him from his bridges and 
 from Fort Drewry, in order that he might suddenly pass to the 
 south side, now denuded of defenders, and occupy Petersburg and 
 Richmond without resistance. The remainder of July 2nd was 
 therefore consumed in replenishing the ammunition of the bat 
 teries, and in refreshing the men. Orders were given that on 
 Thursday morning, the 3rd, all the army should pursue the enemy 
 by way of Turkey Creek and the river road, with Longstreet in 
 front. But after that General had put his troops in motion, Gen 
 eral Lee determined to march toward Harrison s landing, where 
 the Federalists were now assembled, by returning to the Charles 
 City road, and making his way thence down to the river. His 
 purpose was to avoid the obstructions which they were reported 
 
476 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSOX. 
 
 to have left behind them to cover their rear. The brigades of 
 Longstreet were therefore countermarched by Willis Church, 
 and Jackson was directed to give him the road. The guides of 
 the former proved incompetent to their duties, and he was com 
 pelled to halt his division before half the day s march was com 
 pleted. Hence General Jackson only moved three miles on 
 Thursday. Chafing like a lion at the delay, he moved his troops 
 at early dawn of Friday, and pressing close upon the heels of 
 Longstreet, reached the enemy s front by the middle of the day. 
 
 The opportunity was already almost gone. M Clellan had 
 now been allowed two unmolested days to select and fortify his 
 position, and to reduce again the huge mob which followed him 
 to the form of an army. The return of genial suns, with rest 
 and rations, and the immediate proximity of their gunboats, were 
 fast restoring their spirits. The ground occupied by them was 
 a beautiful peninsula, between the river James and a tributary 
 called Herring Creek, composing the two estates of Westover 
 and Berkeley. The creek, which enters the river at the eastern 
 extremity of this peninsula, is, first, a tide stream ; then, an im 
 practicable marsh ; and, then, a mill-pond, enlarged by an artifi 
 cial embankment. West of Berkeley, another stream of the like 
 character descends to the river; so that the only access was 
 through a space between the two creeks, of no great extent, and 
 rapidly closing with earthworks. The fire of the gunboats, it 
 was supposed, might also assist to cover this approach, over the 
 heads of their friends. 
 
 "The Commander-in- Chief was disappointed to learn, on his 
 arrival in front of the Federalists, that no opportunity had been 
 found for striking a blow, either on their retreat, or in their 
 present position. He immediately rode forward with General 
 Jackson ; and the two, dismounting, proceeded, without attend 
 ants to make a careful reconnoissance on foot, of the enemy s 
 
MALVERN, A DRAWN BATTLE. 477 
 
 whole line and position. Jackson concurred fully in the reluc 
 tant opinion to which General Lee was brought by this exami 
 nation, that an attack would now be improper ; so that, after 
 mature discussion, it was determined that the enemy should be 
 left, unassailed, to the effects of the summer heats and the mala 
 ria, which were now at hand." 
 
 To this the condition of his troops powerfully inclined him. 
 On Saturday, General Jackson obtained returns of all his corps 
 in front of the enemy, and ready for duty ; and found them just 
 ten thousand men, exclusive of the division of D. H. Hill, which 
 had been left to bury the dead at Malvern Hill. Half his men 
 appeared, therefore, to be out of their ranks, from death or 
 wounds, from the necessary labors of the care of the wounded, 
 from straggling, and from the inefficiency of their inferior officers. 
 The army was therefore allowed to lie quiet in front of the ene 
 my, and refresh themselves after their fatigues. The wagons of 
 the General also arrived ; and, for the first time in a fortnight, 
 the Staff enjoyed the luxury of their tents. These were now 
 pitched beside a beautiful fountain, under the shade of a group 
 of venerable oaks and chestnuts ; and here the quiet Sabbath was 
 spent in religious worship, and in much-needed repose. 
 
 The battle of Malvern Hill was technically a victory for the 
 Confederates, for they held the field, the enemy s killed and 
 wounded, and the spoils ; while the Federalists retreated precip 
 itately at its close. But, practically, it was rather a drawn 
 battle; because the loss inflicted on them was probably no 
 greater than that of the assailants ; and, especially, because the 
 enemy would have retired to the same spot, and at the same 
 time, if no assault had been made. The loss of Jackson s corps 
 was three hundred and seventy-seven men killed, and one thou 
 sand seven hundred and forty-six wounded, with thirty-nine 
 missing. The larger part of this bloodshed was in the division 
 
478 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 of D. H. Hill. The divisions under command of General 
 Magruder lost about two thousand nine hundred men ; killed 
 and wounded. 
 
 The struggle for the possession of the Confederate Capital 
 was now closed. The results of Lee s victories were, indeed, 
 far less than the overweening hopes and expectations of the 
 people j for Richmond was agitated with daily rumors that the 
 Federal army was wholly dissipated; and, then, that it was 
 about to surrender in a body. But, in the language of the Com- 
 mandcr-in- Chief, " Regret that more was not accomplished, gives 
 way to gratitude to the Sovereign Ruler of the universe for the 
 results achieved. The siege of Richmond was raised ; and the 
 object of a campaign, which had been prosecuted, after months 
 of preparation, at an enormous expenditure of men and money, 
 completely frustrated. More than ten thousand prisoners, 
 including officers of rank, fifty-two pieces of artillery, and 
 upwards of thirty-five thousand stand of small arms were cap 
 tured. The stores, and supplies of every description, which fell 
 into our hands, were great in amount and value ; but small in 
 comparison with those destroyed by the enemy. His losses in 
 battle exceeded our own, as attested by the thousands of dead 
 and wounded left on every field ; while his subsequent inaction 
 shows in what condition the survivors reached the protection to 
 which they fled. 
 
 But yet, the same exalted authority has declared, that, under 
 ordinary circumstances, the Federal army should have been 
 destroyed." While that which was effected is creditable to the 
 Confederates, yet the ruin of the enemy was within the scope of 
 probability ; and might have been effected by them, by a higher 
 degree of skill and effort. It is therefore of interest to the stu 
 dent of the military art, to learn what were the obstacles and 
 blunders which prevented the fullest success. Of these, some were 
 
OBSTACLES TO THE FULLEST SUCCESS. 479 
 
 unavoidable ; and among these latter must be reckoned a large 
 part of the ignorance concerning the movements of M Clellao, 
 and the proper directions to be taken by the Confederates, by 
 which General Lee found himself so much embarrassed. There 
 were no topographical surveys of the country, and all the gene 
 ral officers were strangers to it. It was a country of numerous 
 intricate roads, of marshy streams, and of forests. Hence every 
 march and every position of the enemy was enveloped in myste- 
 ry, until it was disclosed in some way at the cost of the Confed 
 erates; and every movement made by them in pursuit was in 
 some degree tentative. 
 
 Among the unavoidable difficulties may, perhaps, be also 
 ranked that which was, directly or indirectly, the fruitful parent 
 of every miscarriage. The army was not sufficiently instructed, 
 either in its officers or its men, for its great work. The capacity 
 to command, the practical skill and tact, the professional knowl 
 edge, the devotion to duty, which make the efficient officer, do 
 not come in a day ; and few are the natures which are capable 
 of learning them to a high degree. When the Confederate Gov 
 ernment attempted to produce extempore officers of all grades for 
 armies so great, out of a people who had been reared in the pur 
 suits of peace, it could only be partially successful. The com 
 pany and field officers competent to instruct and govern their 
 men thoroughly, and to keep them to their colors amidst the 
 confusion of battle and the fatigues of forced marches, were far 
 too few for the regiments to be commanded. There were not 
 enough Brigadiers, who knew how to manoeuvre a brigade 
 quickly or vigorously; nor enough Major-Generals able to 
 handle a great mass of troops. Hence that deficiency in the 
 functions of the Staff which has been already explained, by 
 reason of which the commander was ever in imperfect communi 
 cation with his forces, and was never certain that his wishes 
 
480 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 were properly conveyed to all of them, or that lie was possessed 
 of their whole situation when out of his sight. Through so 
 imperfect a medium perfect unison in action could never be 
 gained, upon a theatre like that of Malvern Hill, extended over 
 miles of wooded country, and including the convergent move 
 ments of several separate armies. It was from these causes the 
 bungling combinations proceeded, upon every important field of 
 this brief campaign. Enough officers always manoeuvred their 
 commands so slowly as to compel the Commander -in-Chief to let 
 slip critical hours, and to wear away the day which should have 
 been employed in attacking and pursuing. Thus it was ever : at 
 Mechanicsvillc, at Cold Harbor, at Savage s Station, at Frazier s 
 Farm, and especially at Malvern Hill ; the prime of the day was 
 spent in waiting for somebody, or in getting into position ; the 
 battle, which should have been the business of that prime, was 
 thrust into the late afternoon ; and when the bloody victory was 
 won, no time remained to gather in its fruits fully by a vigorous 
 pursuit. 
 
 The event also taught, what no forecast, perhaps, would have 
 foreseen, that a more efficient employment of the cavalry upon the 
 enemy s flanks would have put the Cominander-in- Chief in earlier 
 possession of essential information. It has been seen that Gen 
 eral Stuart, after his return from the White House, was directed 
 to remain upon the north side of the Chickahominy, guarding the 
 Long Bridge, and the other crossings below ; and that he only 
 rejoined the army the night of July 1st. He should rather have 
 been required to cross the Chickahominy immediately, and press 
 as closely upon the line of the enemy s actual operations, let it 
 be where it might, as was possible. He would thus have equally 
 fulfilled the purpose of his stay upon the north side, to ascer 
 tain that they did not retire toward Yorktown by the lower 
 roads; and he would probably have discovered at once, their 
 
MISTAKES OF THE SEVEN DAYS. 481 
 
 real movement. It afterward appeared, that the whole bag 
 gage train of M C.lellan, with numerous stragglers, passed nearly 
 to Charles City Court House, by a road parallel to the Chicka- 
 horniny and only a few miles distant from it, on the 29th of 
 June. Had this fact been reported to General Lee by the first 
 of July, it might have thrown a flood of new light upon the 
 momentous question, which he was required that day to decide : 
 must M Clellan be attacked in his almost impregnable position 
 or not ? It was known that he was assembling all the corps of 
 his army at Malvern Hill; that his gunboats had ascended 
 thither ; that he was beginning to entrench himself there. Was 
 it his purpose to convert this spot into a permanent entrenched 
 camp, to defend it from all such assaults as he had just experienced 
 on the Chickahominy, by his engineering skill ; to provision it 
 from his ships, and thus to establish himself again within fifteen 
 miles of Richmond, upon a base which General Lee s wisdom 
 taught him to be a better one than that which he had lost ? 
 If this was his design, then it was imperative that he should be 
 dislodged ; and the more speedily it was attempted, the less 
 patriot blood would it cost. For if he were permitted to fix 
 himself here, all the toil and loss of the glorious week would be 
 vain. But now, add the fact that M Clellan had sent all his 
 trains to another spot, and that he stood upon Malvern Hill 
 with nothing but his ammunition, and the supplies of a day ; and 
 it became probable that he would retreat from this place, whether 
 he were attacked or not ; that he would retreat whither his trains 
 had preceded him, and that he was only standing at bay for a 
 short time, to secure the privilege of that retreat. The ques 
 tion thus assumed a new aspect, whether it were better to assail 
 him on his chosen ground, at such a cost of blood, or to wait for 
 a fairer opportunity as he withdrew. 
 
 If it were granted that M Clellan ought to have been attacked 
 
 61 
 
4:82 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSON. 
 
 at once, on his own ground; much yet remains in the manage 
 ment of the battle on the Confederate side, which, though 
 excused, cannot be justified. The attack was made in detail, 
 first at one point, and then at another, instead of being simulta 
 neous. Had the corps of Jackson and Magruder charged simul 
 taneously, with the devoted gallantry which a part of each 
 exhibited, the Federal lines would doubtless have given way, and 
 a glorious success would have rewarded the Confederates, with 
 out any greater expenditure of blood than they actually incurred. 
 But it is worthy of question whether M Clellan s advantage of 
 position could not have been neutralized. Malvern Hill is upon 
 the convexity of a sharp curve in the river James, which just 
 below that neighborhood, flows away toward the south, while 
 the river road pursues still an easterly course. If M Clellan 
 moved eastward, he must either forsake the coveted help of his 
 gunboats, or, to continue near the water, he must leave the high 
 lands, and descend to a level region commanded from the 
 interior. These facts seemed to point to the policy of extending 
 the Confederate left, until his egress by the river road was so 
 violently threatened as to compel him to weaken his impregnable 
 front. The great body of forest, which confronted his centre, 
 might have been safely left to the guardianship of a skirmish 
 line; for their weakness would have been concealed by the 
 woods, and the enemy was, on that day, in no aggressive mood. 
 A powerful mass of artillery and infantry displayed beyond their 
 extreme right, would probably have produced the happiest effects. 
 Last, the tardy and indirect pursuit which followed the battle, 
 was the least excusable blunder of all. The two days which 
 were allowed to M Clellan proved the salvation of his army. 
 But what arc all these criticisms more than an assertion in 
 different form, of the truths that all man s works are imperfect, 
 and that every art must be learned before it is practised? 
 
FIRE OF THE GUNBOATS. 483 
 
 When it is remembered that the South had very few professional 
 soldiers, that the men who formed the victorious army of Lee 
 were, the year before, a peaceful multitude occupied, since their 
 childhood, in the pursuits of husbandry, and that half the brigades 
 into which they were organized had never been under fire before 
 the beginning of the bloody week, the only wonder will be that 
 the confusion was not worse, and that the failures were not 
 greater. That so much was accomplished is proof of the 
 eminent courage of the people, and their native aptitude for war. 
 It is a fact worthy of note in this narrative, that the fire of 
 the gunboats, so much valued by the Federals and at first so 
 dreaded by the Confederates, had no actual influence whatever 
 in the battle. Their noise and fury doubtless produced a cer 
 tain effect upon the emotions of the assailants; but this was 
 dependent on their novelty. The loss inflicted by them was 
 trivial when compared with the ravages of the field artillery, 
 and it was found chiefly among their own friends. For more of 
 their ponderous missiles fell in their own lines, than in those of 
 the Confederates. Indeed, a fire directed at an invisible foe, 
 across two or three miles of intervening hills and woods, can 
 never reach its aim, save by accident. Nor is the havoc 
 wrought by the larger projectiles proportioned to their magni 
 tude. Where one of them explodes against a human body, it 
 does indeed crush it into a frightful mass, scarcely cognizable as 
 human remains. But it is not likely to strike more men, in the 
 open order of field operations, than a shot of ten pounds ; and 
 the wretch, blown to atoms by it, is not put hors du combat more 
 effectually, than he whose brain is penetrated by half an ounce 
 of lead or iron. The broadside of a modern gunboat may con 
 sist of three hundred pounds of iron, projected by thirty or forty 
 pounds of powder. But it is fired from only two guns. The 
 effect upon a line of men is therefore but one fifteenth of that 
 
484 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 which the same metal might have had, fired from thirty ten- 
 pounder rifled guns. 
 
 In conclusion, a statement of the numbers composing the two 
 armies in this great struggle, is necessary to estimate its merits. 
 Under the orders of General Lee there were, at its beginning, 
 about seventy-five thousand effective men, including the corps 
 brought to his aid by General Jackson. H Clellan confidently 
 represented the numbers opposed to him as much larger than 
 his own; but the habitual exaggerations of his apprehensive 
 temper were patent, even to his own Government. He states 
 that his own force was reduced to eighty thousand effective 
 men. It must be remembered that during the campaign before 
 Richmond, the motives of M Clellan s policy dictated a studied 
 depreciation of his own numbers. In the returns given by 
 himself in another place, his effective force present for duty is 
 set down at one hundred and six thousand men, inclusive of the 
 garrison of Fortress Monroe under General Dix. Halleck de 
 clared, in his letter of Aug. 6th, that M Clellan still had ninety 
 thousand men at Berkeley, after all his losses ! These M Clellan 
 had estimated at fifteen thousand, how truthfully may be known 
 from this : that he places the men lost by desertion and capture 
 under six thousand, whereas the Confederates had in their hands 
 more than ten thousand prisoners ; and the woods of the penin 
 sula were swarming with stragglers. Whatever may have bee* 
 his numerical superiority, it is indisputable that every advantage 
 of equipments, arms, and artillery was on his side. 
 
 But the arrival of General Jackson brought a strength to the 
 Confederates beyond that of his numbers. His fame as a war 
 rior had just risen to the zenith ; while all the other armies of 
 the Confederacy had been retreating before the enemy, or at 
 best holding the defensive with difficulty, his alone had marched, 
 and attacked, and conquered. A disaster had never alighted on 
 
EFFECT OF HIS PRESENCE WITH THE ARMY. 485 
 
 his banners. His assault was regarded by friends and foes as 
 the stroke of doom, and his presence gave assurance of victory. 
 Hence, when the army before Richmond learned that he was 
 with them, they were filled with unbounded joy and confidence, 
 while their enemies were struck with a corresponding panic. 
 
486 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CEDAR RUN. 
 
 WHILE the army lay near Westover, resting from its toils, 
 General Jackson called his friend, the Honorable Mr. Boteler, 
 to his tent, to communicate his views of the future conduct of 
 the war, and to beg that on his next visit to Richmond, he would 
 impress them upon the Government. He said that it was mani 
 fest by every sign, that M Clellan s was a thoroughly beaten 
 army, and was no longer capable of anything, until it was re 
 organized and reinforced. There was danger, he foresaw, of 
 repeating the error of Manassa s Junction ; when the season of 
 victory was let slip by an ill-timed inaction, and the enemy was 
 allowed full leisure to repair his strength. Now, since it was 
 determined not to attempt the destruction of M Clellan where he 
 lay, the Confederate army should at once leave the malarious 
 district, move northward, and carry the horrors of invasion from 
 their own borders, to those of the guilty assailants. This, he 
 said, was the way to bring them to their senses, and to end the 
 war. And it was within the power of the Confederate Govern 
 ment to make a successful invasion, if their resources were 
 rightly concentrated. Sixty thousand men could march into 
 Maryland, and threaten Washington City, producing most valua 
 ble results. But, he added ; while he wished these views to be 
 laid before the President, he would disclaim earnestly the charge 
 of self-seeking, in advocating them. He wished to follow, and 
 
ENEMY CONCENTRATED UNDER GENERAL POPE. 487 
 
 not to lead, in this glorious enterprise : he was willing to follow 
 anybody ; General Lee, or the gallant Ewell. " Why do you 
 not at once urge these things," asked Mr. Boteler, " upon Gen 
 eral Lee himself?" "I have done so;" replied Jackson. "And 
 whai," asked Mr. Boteler, " does he say to them ? " Gen 
 eral Jackson answered : " He says nothing." But he added ; 
 "Do not understand that I complain of this silence ; it is proper 
 that General Lee should observe it : He is a sagacious and 
 prudent man ; he feels that he bears a fearful responsibility : 
 He is right in declining a hasty expression of his purposes, to a 
 subordinate like me." The advice of Jackson was laid before 
 the President. What weight was attached to it, is unknown ; 
 but the campaign soon after took the direction which he had 
 indicated. 
 
 He was extremely anxious to leave the unhealthy region of 
 the lower James, where his own health, with that of his com 
 mand, was suffering, and to return to the upper country. He 
 longed for its pure breezes, its sparkling waters, and a sight of 
 its familiar mountains. Events had already occurred, which 
 procured the speedy gratification of his wish. After the defeat 
 of Fremont and Shields, the Washington Government united the 
 corps of these Generals, of Banks, and of McDowell into one 
 body, under the name of the "Army of Virginia." These parts 
 made an aggregate of fifty or sixty thousand men, who were now 
 sent, under Major-General John Pope, upon the mission of 
 making a demonstration against Richmond by the Orange and 
 Alexandria Railroad, and thus effecting a diversion which would 
 deliver M Clellan from his duress. The former was directed 
 to seize Gordonsville, the point at which the Orange and Central 
 Railroads cross each other, and thus to separate Richmond from 
 the interior. General Pope, who was supposed to have distin 
 guished himself at New Madrid, on the Mississippi, was chiefly 
 
488 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 noted for his claim of ten thousand prisoners captured from 
 General Beauregard in his retreat from Corinth, where the 
 former commanded the advance of the Federalists (a boast 
 which was reduced, by the truthful statement of the Confederate 
 General, to one hundred). He was the most boastful, the most 
 brutal, and the most unlucky of the Federal leaders who had yet 
 appeared in Virginia. In a general order issued to his troops, 
 he ostentatiously announced his purpose, to conduct the war 
 upon new principles. " He had heard much," he said, " of lines 
 of communication, and lines of retreat. The only line a general 
 should know anything of, in his opinion, was the line of his 
 enemy s retreat." He declared also, that hitherto he had never 
 been able to see anything of his enemies but their backs j and 
 announced, that during his campaign, the head-quarters should be 
 in the saddle. So coarse a braggart was sure to be in sympathy 
 with the race for which he promised to fight, and they did not 
 need to wait for any deeds actually accomplished to proclaim 
 him "the coming man" of his day. The reader may easily 
 imagine the quiet smile with which Jackson would hear these 
 biiallow threats of his antagonist, and the silence with which he 
 accepted them as auguries of a certain victory. General Pope s 
 method of dealing with the people of Virginia was to be as 
 novel as his strategy. He deliberately announced his purpose 
 to subsist his troops on the country, and authorized an indis 
 criminate plunder of the inhabitants. His army was let loose 
 upon them, and proceeded like a horde of brigands, through the 
 rich counties of Fauquier and Culpepper, stripping the people 
 of food, live stock, horses, and poultry, and wantonly destroying 
 what they could not use. Their General also ordained, that all 
 the citizens within his lines must perjure themselves by taking 
 an oath of allegiance to Lincoln, or be banished South, to return 
 no more, under the penalty of being executed as spies. 
 
HE MARCHES TO GORDOXSVILLE. 489 
 
 Jackson was now moved toward Gordonsville, to meet this 
 doughty warrior, who, as he left Alexandria to assume command 
 of his army at Manassa s Junction, celebrated the triumphs to 
 be achieved, before they were won, with banners and laurels. 
 The corps returned from Westover to the neigborhood of 
 Richmond, the 10th of July. There the/ remained until the 
 1 7th, preparing for their march ; and it was during this respite 
 that General Jackson first made his appearance openly, in the 
 city which he had clone so much to deliver. He gives the follow 
 ing account of it in a letter to his wife. 
 
 " RICHMOND, July 14th. 
 
 "Yesterday I heard Doctor M. D. Hoge preach in his church, 
 and also in the camp of the Stonewall Brigade. It is a great 
 comfort to have the privilege of spending a quiet Sabbath, 
 within the walls of a house dedicated to the service of God. 
 .... People are very kind to me. How God, our God, does 
 shower blessings upon me, an unworthy sinner ! " 
 
 The manner of his entrance was this. He came to the church 
 without attendants ; and just after the congregation was assem 
 bled, they saw an officer who was manifestly a stranger, in a 
 faded and sunburned uniform, enter quietly, and take his seat 
 near the door. The immediate commencement of the worship 
 forbade any notice or inquiry ; they could only observe that he 
 gave a devout and fixed attention to the services. When they 
 were concluded, it began to be whispered that he was General 
 Jackson; but he scarcely gave them time to turn their eyes 
 upon him, before he was gone, after modestly greeting one or 
 two acquaintances. After visiting a mother, whose son had 
 fallen in his command, he returned to his tent. 
 
 On the 19th of July, he reached Gordonsville with his corps, 
 and took quarters in the hospitable house of Eeverend D. B. 
 
 62 
 
490 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Ewing, where he had before found a pleasant resting place, 
 when passing through the village. He appeared jaded by his 
 excessive labors, and positively unwell ; and said that he had 
 not suffered so much, since his return from Mexico. But the 
 rest, the mountain breezes ; and the fresh fruits in which he so 
 much delighted, speedily restored the vigor of his frame. He 
 loved to refresh himself here, after the labors of the day were 
 finished, with the social converse of the amiable family which 
 surrounded Mr. Ewing s board, and with the prattle of his chil 
 dren. One of these, while sitting upon his knee, was captivated 
 with the bright military buttons upon his coat, and petitioned 
 that when the garment was worn out, he should give her one as 
 a keepsake. This he promised j and months afterward, amidst 
 all his weighty cares, he remembered to send her the gift ; which 
 she ever after hoarded among her treasures. It was his greatest 
 pleasure to share the family prayers of this Christian house 
 hold, and he did not refuse to take his turn in conducting them. 
 His host remarks of these services : " There was something very 
 striking in his prayers he did not pray to men, but to God. 
 His tones were deep, solemn, tremulous. He seemed to realize 
 that he was speaking to Heaven s King. I never heard any 
 one pray, who seemed to be pervaded more fully by a spirit of 
 utter self-abnegation. He seemed to feel more than any man 
 I ever knew, the danger of robbing God of the glory due for 
 our success." Although he was incapable of making an osten 
 tatious display of himself, and would never permit the interrup 
 tion of business by society, yet when time sufficed for social 
 enjoyments, he was easily approached by all who sought to know 
 him, and was careful to contribute to their entertainment by 
 bearing a modest part in conversation. 
 
 After a few days spent near Gordonsville, he retired south 
 ward a few miles into the county of Louisa, whose fertile fields 
 
HE RESOLVES TO ATTACK POPE. 491 
 
 offered abundant pasturage for his jaded animals. Here lie 
 devoted himself to reorganizing his command, and recruiting his 
 artillery horses, for the approaching service. It was at this time 
 that he complained, in his letters to his wife, of being overbur- 
 thencd with cares and labors : but he chided himself by referring 
 to the Apostle of the Gentiles, who " gloried in tribulation," and 
 declared that it was not like a Christian to murmur at any toil 
 for his Redeemer. 
 
 Learning that Pope was advancing toward the Rapid Ann 
 River in great force, he called upon General Lee for reinforce 
 ments ; and the division of General A. P. Hill was sent to join 
 him. This fine body of troops continued henceforth to be a part 
 of his corps. On the 2nd of August, the Federal cavalry occu 
 pied the village at Orange Court House, when Colonel William 
 E. Jones, the comrade of Jackson at West Point, commanding 
 the 7th Virginia cavalry, attacked them in front and flank while 
 crowded into the narrow street, and repulsed them with loss. 
 They, however, speedily perceiving the scanty numbers of their 
 assailants, returned to the charge ; and threatening to envelop 
 Jones, forced him back in turn. But he retired skirmishing with 
 so much stubbornness, that they pursued him a very short 
 distance, when they withdrew across the river. This affair 
 occurred ten miles north of Gordonsville. Pope s infantry 
 paused in the county of Culpepper, which lies over against 
 Orange, across the Rapid Ann. He indiscreetly extended his 
 army a few miles in rear of that stream, upon a very wide front, 
 while some of the troops designed to serve under his orders 
 were still at Fredericksburg, two marches below. This was an 
 opportunity which the enterprise and sagacity of Jackson were 
 certain to seize. He knew that the army of Lee, still detained 
 to watch M Clellan upon the lower James, could not come to his 
 support before that of Pope would be assembled. The mass of 
 
492 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the latter would then be irresistible by his little army; and 
 there was reason to fear that Gordonsville would be lost, the 
 railroad occupied, and a disastrous progress made by Pope 
 before he could be arrested. He therefore determined to strike 
 his centre immediately at Culpepper Court House, and to cripple 
 him so that he would be unable to advance, before other disposi 
 tions could be made for resisting him. Another powerful reason 
 dictated an attack. Jackson s soldierly eye had shown him that 
 the line of the Rapid Ann was the proper one to be held by a 
 defensive army guarding the communications at Gordonsville, and 
 the centre of Virginia; for the commanding heights of the 
 southern bank everywhere dominated over the level plains of 
 the Culpepper border. This judgment was afterward confirmed 
 by the high authority of General Lee, who selected that line 
 for defence against Generals Meade and Grant; and, by its 
 strength, baffled every attempt to force it in front. Pope, then, 
 must not be permitted to occupy it ; but it suited the temper of 
 General Jackson to prevent it by an aggressive blow, rather 
 than by a dangerous extension of his inadequate force upon it. 
 Hence, on the 7th of August, he gave orders to his three divis 
 ions to move toward Culpepper, and to encamp on that night 
 near Orange Court House. 
 
 It was on this occasion that the striking witness was borne by 
 his African servant, Jim, to his devout habits, which was so 
 currently (and correctly) related. Some gentlemen were inquir 
 ing whether he knew when a battle was about to occur. " Oh, 
 yes, Sir," he replied: " The General is a great man for praying; 
 night and morning all times. But when I see him get up sev 
 eral times in the night besides, to go off and pray, then I know 
 there is going to be something to pay ; and I go straight and 
 pack his haversack, because I know he will call for it in the 
 morning." 
 
TOPOGRAPHY OF CEDAR RUN. 493 
 
 August 8th, the division of Ewell, which led the way, bearing 
 off to the nortiwest, crossed the Rapid Ann at the Liberty Mills, 
 as though to attack the extreme right of Pope. Tho other 
 divisions crossed at Barnett s Ford, below ; and Ewell, turning to 
 the east, returned to their line of march, and bore toward 
 Slaughter s Mountain. The division of A. P. Hill, delayed by the 
 trains which followed the preceding troops, and by a misconcep 
 tion of orders, did not cross the river until the morning of the 
 9th. This derangement of the march arrested General Jackson 
 many miles from Culpepper Court House, and he reluctantly 
 postponed his attack to the next day. On the morning of 
 August 9th, having ascertained that A. P. Hill was now within 
 supporting distance, he moved early ; and, with his cavalry in 
 front, pressed toward the Court House. About eight miles from 
 that place, the advance reported the enemy s cavalry before 
 them, guarding the roads, and manoeuvring in a manner which 
 indicated a force behind them; and, a little after, the line of 
 horse was discovered upon a distant ridge, drawn up as if for 
 battle. A few cannon shot from a rifled gun dislodged them ; but 
 speedily the fire was returned by the Federal artillery from a 
 distant position, and the line of cavalry re-appeared. General 
 Jackson, convinced that he had a strong body of the enemy in 
 his front, now made his dispositions for battle, a little after the 
 middle of the day. 
 
 His army had by this time fallen into the main road, leading 
 northeastward to Culpepper Court House ; and to this quarter 
 his front was directed during the remainder of the day. The 
 neighborhood around him was a region of pleasant farms, of 
 hills and dales, and of forests interspersed. But parallel with 
 the road which he was pursuing distant about a mile on his 
 right, was an insulated ridge, rising to the dignity of a mountain, 
 running perfectly straight from southwest to northeast, and 
 
494 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 dropping into the plain as suddenly as it arose. This is called 
 by the country-people, Slaughter s Mountain. The fields next its 
 base are smoother and more akin to meadows than those along 
 the highway at the distance of a mile. Across the northeastern 
 end of the ridge, flow the rivulets which form, by their union, 
 Cedar Run, and make their way thence to the Rapid Ann. Gen 
 eral Early s brigade of Swell s division, which held the front, 
 was ordered to advance along the great road and develop the 
 position of the enemy, supported by the division of Jackson, 
 commanded by Brigadier- General Winder. The remainder of 
 Swell s division, consisting of the brigades of Trimble and Hays, 
 (lately Taylor s) diverged to the right, and skirting the base of 
 Slaughter s Mountain, by an obscure pathway, at length reached 
 the northeast end, whence, from an open field elevated several 
 hundred feet above the plain, they saw the whole scene of action 
 unfolded beneath them. The battery of Lattimer, with half that 
 of Johnson, was drawn up to this promontory, and skilfully posted, 
 so as to cover with its fire the whole front of the Confederate 
 right and centre. It was to the promptitude with which General 
 Jackson seized this point, and the adroitness with which he em 
 ployed its advantages, that he was chiefly indebted, in connec 
 tion with the bravery of his troops, for his victory. The guns 
 of Lattimer and Johnson, in consequence of the elevation of 
 their position, commanded a wide range of the country below, 
 and were themselves secure from the fire of the enemy. Every 
 shot aimed at them fell short, and buried itself, without ricochet, 
 in the hill-side beneath them; while their gunners, in perfect 
 security, and in a clear atmosphere above the smoke of the 
 battle-field, played upon the enemy with all the deliberation and 
 skill of target practice. Thus the level and open fields next the 
 mountain, which otherwise were most favorable to the display 
 of the Federalists superior numbers, were effectually barred 
 
BATTLE OP CEDAR RUN. 
 
 / ( \f~r- I L^y- ) i yi.j ^. ! s >1 ^ 
 
 y *r>?^^cy v*-sQ*x C ; C- j 
 
 ^cji^/ff^ ^S^^f^ 
 
 ^\ ft-ll- II v lC/!4^^VOo^c^<^o,-^^ P 
 
 ^P^^>W^^S^^$S 
 
 BATTLE OF CEDAK BUN. 
 
496 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 from tlieir approach ; or, if they braved the fire of the mountain- 
 battery, the two brigades of Ewell lay hid in the dense pine 
 thickets which clothed the side of the ridge, ready to pour upon 
 their flank a crushing fire from superior ground. These disposi 
 tions at once decided the security of Jackson s right wing for 
 the whole day. He placed no troops in the meadows next the 
 mountain-base; for on this ground the artillery of the enemy 
 could play with best effect. But though this marked hiatus in 
 his line seemed to invite attack, none was seriously attempted ; 
 the disadvantage imposed upon the assailants revealed itself to 
 them so powerfully, at their first approach, that they observed 
 the deadly trap afterward with respectful avoidance. 
 
 Before these dispositions upon the right were completed, Gen 
 eral Early had become engaged with the enemy. Throwing his 
 brigade into line of battle across the road, he advanced obliquely 
 to the right, scouring the woods before him with his skirmishers 
 and driving back the observing force of cavalry. A march of a 
 half-mile brought him to the top of a gentle hill where the road 
 emerged from the forest, and ran forward for a third of a mile 
 farther, between the wood and a large pasture field of undulating 
 ground. In other words, the open ground here cut into the 
 forest by an angle, so that the traveller advancing thenceforward 
 had the field upon his right, and the wood upon his left, for that 
 distance. There the wood terminated, upon the brow of a hil 
 lock overlooking the rivulet ; and there were open fields upon 
 both sides of the highway. That on the right was covered, for a 
 great extent, with a tall growth of Indian corn in all its summer 
 glory. That on the left was a stubble field of narrow extent, 
 with wheat in the shock ; and still farther to the left of this, was 
 another piece of ground of about equal size, which had been 
 denuded of its timber, but was now densely overgrown with 
 brushwood of the height of a man s shoulders. The stubble 
 
EARLY S DISPOSITIONS. 497 
 
 field and the clearing, together, constituted in fact but a species 
 of bay, penetrating the surrounding forests to the left of the main 
 road; for on their farther side the woods commenced again. 
 The cornfield, the stubble field, the brushwood, and the angle of 
 forest on the Confederate side, were destined to be the Aceldama. 
 By the time General Early had reached the rear angle of the 
 great pasture field just described, his whole line was, in conse 
 quence of his oblique advance, on the left of the road, and was 
 soon, by his farther advance, separated from it by a considerable 
 space. Sweeping the Federal skirmishers before him, he pushed 
 his line, in perfect order, to the front of the declivity which de 
 scended to the rivulet and the Indian corn. Several batteries on 
 his right and in front were now opened on him, and the wheat- 
 field on the left of the highway was observed full of squadrons 
 of cavalry. Withdrawing his men into a slight depression behind 
 the foremost crest of the hill, he obtained partial shelter from 
 the enemy s artillery, and brought up four guns from, the bat 
 teries of Captains Brown and Dement, to a favorable position 
 upon his right, whence they engaged the opposing batteries with 
 great credit. But no line of infantry was yet visible before him ; 
 for it was masked in the thick corn. 
 
 The division of Winder had now arrived, and its commander 
 was posting several of its best batteries in echelon along the 
 road in the rear of Early s left, whence they delivered a most 
 effective oblique fire toward the right and front. The second 
 brigade of the division was advanced on the left of the road, to 
 the further edge of the wood, presenting a convex line toward 
 the cornfield and the stubble field ; the third brigade was left in 
 column parallel to the road and in rear of their artillery : and 
 the first, or Stonewall Brigade, was disposed as a reserve to sup 
 port the left. A rapid and continuous thunder of artillery now 
 began on both sides, which was prolonged for two hours. Distant 
 
 63 
 
498 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 spectators perceived that the aim of the Confederates was 
 much more accurate than that of the enemy. While the shells 
 of the latter mostly exploded high in the air and above the tree- 
 tops, those of the former were seen ploughing the ground among the 
 guns of their adversaries, and throwing the dust, with their iron 
 hail, in their midst. .But one fated shot from the Federal batter 
 ies robbed the patriots of one of tiic chief ornaments of their 
 army. While General Winder was standing beside the guns of 
 Poague and Carpenter, directing their working with his customary 
 coolness and skill, a shell struck him upon the side, dashed his 
 field-glass from his hand, and inflicted a ghastly wound, of which 
 he died three hours after. No more just or graceful tribute 
 can be paid to his memory, than that of General Jackson s 
 report. " It is difficult within the proper reserve of an official 
 report, to do justice to the merits of this accomplished officer. 
 Urged by the medical director to take no part in the movements 
 of the day, because of the enfeebled state of his health, his 
 ardent patriotism and military pride could bear no such restraint. 
 Richly endowed with those qualities of mind and person, which 
 fit an officer for command, and which attract the admiration and 
 excite the enthusiasm of troops, he was rapidly rising to the 
 front rank of his profession. His loss has been severely felt," 
 Succeeding General Richard Garnett in the command of the 
 Stonewall Brigade, after the battle of Kernstown, and coming to 
 it wholly a stranger, he had unavoidably inherited some of the 
 odium of that popular officer s removal. During the first two 
 months of his connexion with it, he was respected and obeyed ; 
 for his dignity, bearing, and soldierly qualities were such as 
 to ensure this everywhere ; but he inspired no enthusiasm. It 
 was at Winchester, when General Jackson assigned him the com 
 mand of his left wing, that his prowess broke forth to the appre 
 hension of his men, like the sun bursting through clouds. The 
 
CONFEDERATE LEFT BROKEN. 499 
 
 heroism* with which he shared their dangers, and the mastery 
 with which he directed their strength, placed him thenceforth in 
 their hearts. 
 
 At five o clock in the afternoon, the struggle began in earnest, 
 by the advance of the Federal infantry against Early, through 
 the Indian corn. This General, handling his regiments with 
 admirable coolness and daring, held the heavy masses in his 
 front at bay, with slight loss to himself. Soon after, the enemy 
 advanced a strong force of infantry to turn his right ; but just as 
 the movement was endangering the guns of Brown and Dement, 
 a brigade was seen advancing rapidly to their support. It was 
 the command of Thomas (from the division of A. P. Hill, who 
 had now arrived upon the scene) ; which, with two additional 
 batteries, took post upon Early s right. The Confederate line 
 of battle was thus extended within a half-mile of the mountain, 
 and all the efforts made against*it on this side were hurled back 
 with loss. But, upon the other extremity of the field, grave 
 events were occurring. It has been related, how the second 
 brigade of the division of Winder, under Colonel Garnett, had 
 been stationed on the left of the great road, with its line con 
 formed to the convexity of the wood. The Stonewall Brigade, 
 which was its reserve, was, unhappily, too far to the rear to give 
 it immediate support. One moment it was declared that there 
 was no hostile infantry visible in its front; but the next, the 
 men at the extreme left beheld a formidable line, whose length 
 overlapped them on either hand, advancing swiftly from the 
 opposite woods, -and across the stubble field, to assail them. 
 The battalion at that end of the line, seeing themselves thus 
 overmatched, fired a few ineffectual volleys, and gave way ; the 
 Federal right speedily swept around, entered and filled the 
 woods, and even threatened the rear of the batteries of the 
 division, from which the third brigade of Taliaferro had a little 
 
500 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 before been removed to the front, to fill the interval between the 
 second and that of Early. The whole angle of forest was now 
 filled with clamor and horrid rout. Tho left regiments of the 
 second brigade were taken in reverse, intermingled with the 
 enemy, broken, and massacred from front and rear. The 
 regiments of the right, and especially the 21st Virginia, com 
 manded by the brave Christian soldier, Colonel Cunningham, 
 stood firm, and fought the enemy before them like lions, until 
 the invading line had penetrated within twenty yards of their 
 rear. For the terrific din of the musketry, the smoke, and the 
 dense foliage, concealed friend from foe, until they were only 
 separated from each other by this narrow interval. Their 
 heroic Colonel was slain, the orders of officers were unheard 
 amidst the shouts of the assailants, and all the vast uproar ; yet 
 the remnants of the second brigade fought on, man to man. 
 without rank or method, with bayonet thrusts and muskets 
 clubbed, but borne back like the angry foam on a mighty wave, 
 toward the high road. The third brigade, also, upon the right 
 of the second, was broken, and on both sides of the way the 
 enemy made a vast irruption, in which half of Early s brigade 
 was involved. On his extreme left, next to Taliaferro stood 
 the famous 13th Virginia, which, under the gallant leading of 
 its sturdy Colonel, J. A. Walker, still showed an unbroken front, 
 and fell back, fighting the flood of enemies. The right regiments 
 of Early, under the immediate eye of their veteran General, held 
 their ground like a rampart. But the Federalists were fast 
 gaining their rear in the open field. 
 
 It was at this fearful moment that the genius of the storm 
 reared his head amidst the tumultuous billows ; and in an instant 
 the threatening tide was turned. Jackson appeared in the mid 
 torrent of the highway, his figure instinct with majesty, and his 
 face flaming with the inspiration of battle; he ordered the 
 
THE TIDE TURNED. 501 
 
 batteries which Winder had placed to be instantly withdrawn, 
 to preserve them from capture : he issued Ms summons for his 
 reserves ; he drew his own sword (the first time in this war), 
 and shouted to the broken troops with a voice which pealed 
 higher than the roar of battle : " Rally, brave men, and press 
 forward ! Your general will lead you. Jackson will lead you. 
 Follow me ! * " The fugitives, with a general shame, gathered 
 around their adored general : and rushing with a few score of 
 them to the front, he posted them behind the fence which bor 
 dered the roadside, and received the pursuers with a deadly vol 
 ley. They recoiled in surprise j while officers of every grade, 
 catching the generous fervor of their commander, flew among the 
 men, and in a moment reinstated the failing battle. The frag 
 ments of Early and Taliaferro returned to their places, forming 
 around that heroic nucleus, the 13th Virginia, and swept the 
 open field clear of the enemy. The Stonewall Brigade had 
 already come up and changed the tide of battle in the bloody 
 woodland, for some of the regiments sweeping far around to the 
 left through the field of brushwood, had taken the Federalists, in 
 turn, upon their flank, and were driving them back with a fear 
 ful slaughter into the stubble field. Scarcely was this Titanic 
 blow delivered, when the fine brigade of Branch, from the divi 
 sion of A. P. Hill, hardly allowing itself time to form, rushed 
 forward to second them, and completed the repulse. 
 
 The Federal commander, loth to lose his advantage so quick 
 ly, now brought forward a magnificent column of cavalry, and 
 hurled it along the highway, full against the Confederate centre. 
 Xo cannon was in position to ravage their ranks ; but, as they 
 forced back the line for a little space by their momentum, the 
 infantry of Branch closed in upon their right, and that of Talia 
 ferro and Early upon their left. Especially did the 13th Virginia 
 
 * His own words, as repeated by a member of his staff, who was present. 
 
502 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSON. 
 
 now exact a bloody recompense of them for all their disas 
 ters. Wheeling instantly toward the left, they rushed to the 
 fence beside the road ; and, just as the recoil of the shock began, 
 poured a withering volley into the huddled mass from the dis 
 tance of a few yards. On both sides of the devoted column, the 
 lines of Branch and of Taliaferro blazed, until it fled to the rear, 
 utterly scattered and dissipated. And now Jackson s blood was 
 up; and he delivered blow after blow from his insulted left 
 wing, with stunning rapidity and regulated fury. Scarcely was 
 the charge of this cavalry repelled, when he again reinforced the 
 ranks of Branch in front of the bloody stubble field, with the 
 brigades of Archer and of Fender, from the division of Hill, 
 extending them far to the left. These fresh troops, with the 
 remainder of the first and second brigades of Jackson s division 
 were ordered by him to advance across the field, throwing their 
 left continually forward, and attack the enemy s line in the oppo 
 site wood. They advanced under a heavy fire, when the foe 
 yielded the bloody field, and broke into full retreat. The brig 
 ade of Taliaferro also charged, bearing toward the right, and 
 pierced the field of Indian corn in front of General Early, where 
 they captured four hundred of the enemy, with Brigadier- General 
 Prince. 
 
 The two brigades which had hitherto remained with General 
 Ewell upon the mountain now advanced also upon the right, 
 turned the left flank of the Federalists, and captured one piece 
 of artillery. Thus, at every point, the foe was repulsed, and 
 hurled into full retreat. When night settled upon the field they 
 had been driven two miles, Jackson urging on the pursuit with 
 the fresh brigades of Stafford and Field. It was his cherished 
 desire to penetrate to Culpepper Court House, for he would 
 then have struck the centre of Pope s position, and his chief depot 
 of supplies ; whence he hoped to be able to crush the fragments 
 
HIS TROOPS BIVOUAC. 5UJ 
 
 of his army before the corps of M Dowell could reach him. 
 With this object, he purposed at first to continue the pursuit all 
 night. Ascertaining by his scouts that the enemy had paused in 
 their flight just in his front, he now placed the battery of Pegram 
 in position, and opened a hot fire upon them at short range. 
 This new cannonade threw them for a time into great confusion ; 
 and had the darkness of the night permitted the victor to see 
 distinctly where his blows should be aimed, he would probably 
 have converted the retreat of the Federals into a disastrous rout. 
 But, after a time, three batteries began to reply to Pegram with 
 such vigor as plainly indicated that Pope had received some 
 fresh supports since the night fell. The indefatigable Colonel 
 William E. Jones also, returning with his regiment of cavalry 
 from a fatiguing expedition, had passed to the front, and ascer 
 tained the arrival of the remainder of the corps of Fremont, now 
 commanded by Sigel. The General therefore determined not to 
 hazard more in the darkness of the night, and commanded the 
 troops to halt and bivouac upon the ground which they had won. 
 The long day, sultry with an August sun, and with the heats 
 of battle, had now given place to a night, moonless but placid. 
 Jackson at length gathered his wearied Staff about him, and 
 rode languidly back through the field of strife, lately so stormy, 
 but now silent, save where the groans of the wounded broke the 
 stillness, seeking a place of. repose. Applying at two or three 
 farm-houses for shelter, he was informed that they were full of 
 wounded men, when he persistently refused to enter, lest he 
 should be the occasion of robbing some sufferer of his resting- 
 place. Resuming his way, he observed a little grass-plot, and 
 declared that he could go no farther, but must sleep then and 
 there. A cloak was spread for him upon the ground, when he 
 prostrated himself on it upon his breast, and in a moment forgot 
 his toils and fatigues in deep slumber. 
 
504 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEKAL JACKSON. 
 
 The morning of the 10th of August, General Jackson with 
 drew his lines a short distance, and proceeded to bury his dead, 
 and collect from the field the spoils of his victory. These con 
 sisted of one piece of artillery and three caissons, three colors, 
 and five thousand three hundred small arms. The loss of the 
 Confederates in this battle was two hundred and twenty-three 
 killed, one thousand and sixty wounded, and thirty-one missing,. 
 making a total of one thousand three hundred and fourteen. 
 General Jackson modestly estimated the loss of his enemy as 
 double his own. How moderate that estimate was will appear 
 in the sequel. The Federalists, according to their own returns, 
 had thirty-two thousand men engaged in this battle. The num 
 bers of General Jackson were between eighteen and twenty 
 thousand. The prisoners captured from the enemy were chiefly 
 from the corps of General Banks ; but a few from those of Sigel 
 and McDowell showed that parts of their commands were also 
 engaged. On the llth of August, Pope requested, by flag of 
 truce, access to the field to bury his dead. This privilege was 
 granted to him ; and General Early was appointed commandant 
 of the field, to enforce the terms of the temporary truce. Soon 
 the ground was covered with those who had lately been arrayed 
 -against each other in mortal strife, mingling unarmed. While 
 the burying parties collected their bloody charge, and excavated 
 great pits in which to cover them, the rest were busy trading their 
 horses with each other, arguing upon the politics of the great con 
 troversy, and discussing the merits of their respective Generals. 
 The Federals, with one consent, were loud in their praises of 
 Jackson ; and declared that if they had such Generals to lead 
 them, they also could win victories and display prowess. Not a 
 few of them were prompt to draw parallels between the simpli 
 city, self-reliance, and courage of the Confederate Generals, and 
 the ostentation and timidity of their own, little complimentary to 
 
REPORTS THE VICTORY TO LEE. 505 
 
 them. " See old Early," they said, " riding everywhere, without 
 a single guard, among his enemies of yesterday. If it were 
 one of our mutton-headed Generals, he must needs have half a 
 regiment of cavalry at his heels, to gratify his pride, and defend 
 him from unarmed men ! " General Early saw them bury seven 
 hundred corpses. How many were borne from the field by 
 them during the progress of the battle, cannot be known. If 
 they, like the Confederates, had five wounded for every one 
 slain (the usual ratio), then their total loss was, at the least, four 
 thousand six hundred. While the field of Indian corn was 
 sprinkled over with dead, the most ghastly accumulation was in 
 the stubble field and the brushwood in front of the Confederate 
 left ; which one of their own Generals (taking his metaphor from 
 his own former trade) denominated "the slaughter-pens." The 
 battle of Cedar Run, like all those where Jackson was the assail 
 ant, was remarkable for the narrowness of the front upon which 
 the true contest was enacted. A space of a mile in width here 
 embraced the whole of the ground upon which his centre and 
 left wing had wrestled, for half a day, against thirty thousand 
 men. When it is remembered that these were enough to man a 
 line of battle, six miles long, this fact will appear a singular 
 evidence of the incompetency of the Federal tactics, that their 
 boastful commander should have accepted defeat with all the 
 advantage of his superior numbers, in an open country, without 
 effecting any more extended development of his lines, or resort 
 to the resources of manoeuvre. General Jackson, on his part, 
 pronounced this the most successful of his exploits. But he 
 announced it to his superior, General Lee, in these devout and 
 modest terms : 
 
 " AUGUST llth, 6 A. M. 
 
 " On the evening of the 9th instant, God blessed our arms 
 with another victory. The battle was near Cedar Run, about 
 
 64 
 
506 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 six miles from Culpepper Court House. The enemy, according 
 to statements of prisoners, consisted of Banks s, McDowell s and 
 Sigel s commands. We have over four hundred prisoners, 
 including Brigadier- General Price. "Whilst our list of killed is 
 less than that of the enemy, we have to mourn the loss of some 
 of our best officers and men. Brigadier-General Charles S. 
 Winder was mortally wounded whilst ably discharging his duty 
 at the head of his command, which was the advance of the left 
 wing of the army. We have collected about 1500 small arms, 
 and other ordnance stores." 
 
 Whilst General Jackson was engaged on the 10th, caring for his 
 killed and wounded, he caused careful reconnaissances to be made 
 under the care of General J. E. B. Stuart, who providentially 
 visited his army on that day, on a tour of inspection. He was 
 convinced by this inquiry, that the army of Pope was receiving 
 constant accessions, and that before he could resume the offen 
 sive, it would be swelled to sixty thousand men. The bulk of 
 the forces of McDowell, was upon the march to join the enemy, 
 by a route which seemed to threaten his rear. He therefore 
 determined that it was imprudent to hazard farther offensive 
 movements. Having sent back all his spoils and his wounded, 
 he retired from the front of the enemy the night of August lltli, 
 and returned unmolested to the neighborhood of Gordonsville, 
 hoping that Pope s evil star might tempt him to attack his army 
 there, where the proximity of the railroad would enable him to 
 receive adequate re-inforcements. 
 
 A part of the leisure of his day of truce was employed in 
 writing to Mrs. Jackson a letter, from which the following 
 extract is taken. 
 
 u On last Saturday our God again crowned our arms with 
 
REASONS FOB BATTLE OF CEDAR RUN. 507 
 
 victory, about six miles from Culpepper Court House. All glory 
 be to God for his unnumbered blessings. 
 
 " I can hardly think of the fall of Brigadier- General C. S. 
 Winder, without tearful eyes. Let us all unite more earnestly 
 in imploring God s aid in fighting our battles for us. The 
 thought that there are so many of God s people praying for His 
 blessing upon the army, which, in His providence, is with me, 
 greatly strengthens me. If God be for us, who can be against 
 us ? That He will still be with us, and give us victory after 
 victory, until our independence shall be established, and that He 
 will make our nation that people whose God is the Lord, is my 
 earnest and oft-repeated prayer. Whilst we attach so much 
 importance to being free from temporal bondage, we must attach 
 far more to being free from the bondage of _sin." 
 
 His report of the battle is closed with these words : 
 
 " In order to render thanks to God for the victory at Cedar 
 Run, and other past victories, and to implore His continued 
 favor in the future, divine service was held in the army on the 
 14th of August." 
 
 This battle was claimed by the Federalists, with their usual 
 effrontery, as a victory ; under the pretext that General Jackson 
 had after two days retreated and reorossed the Rapid Ann. 
 Had these measures on his part been caused by anything that 
 was done upon the battle-field by the forces engaged against 
 him August 9th, that pretext would have worn the color of a 
 reason. But since his withdrawal was caused by the arrival of 
 fresh troops in great numbers, after the battle was concluded, it 
 might with as much truth be said that any other victory in histo 
 ry was a defeat, because the material resources of the two 
 parties were afterwards modified or reversed. 
 
 The opinion has been expressed that although Jackson fought 
 well at Cedar Run, it would have been better not to have fought 
 
508 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 at all j - because his victory, while glorious, was without other re 
 sult ; and thus the brave men lost were made a useless sacrifice. 
 This criticism should be met by two answers. The battle 
 was not without solid result, for it arrested the career of Pope 
 until the army of Northern Virginia arrived, and prevented his 
 gaining positions decisive of future operations. It must be 
 remembered that on the 2nd of August, the vanguard of the 
 invading army had crossed the Eapid Ann, and penetrated with 
 in twelve miles of Gordonsville. The troops which came to 
 support Jackson did not move against the enemy from that place, 
 until August 16th. What disastrous progress might not the 
 invaders have made within that time, if Jackson had not arrested 
 them by his timely blow? But second: designs, which must 
 necessarily be made in advance, are entitled to be tried, when 
 the question is of the wisdom of him who formed them, not by 
 the strict rule of the actual event, but by the milder one of the 
 probable result. General Jackson proposed to strike the en 
 emy, not at Cedar Run, but at Culpepper Court House ; and not 
 upon the 9th, but the 8th of August. The space to be traversed 
 to effect this, was not unreasonable, (but one day s rapid 
 marching) and the blunder by which it was prevented was 
 unforeseen. Had his wishes been attained, it is not unreason 
 able to say, that his victory would have been so much more 
 complete as to silence every charge of fruitlessness. For we 
 have seen that the supports which saved Pope from destruction 
 only arrived at nightfall upon the 9th, 
 
SECOND MANASSA S. 509 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 SECOND MANASSA S. 
 
 THE battle of Cedar Run was but the prelude to a more 
 bloody struggle, which was destined, by a strange coincidence; 
 for the historic plains of Manassa s. General Jackson had 
 scarcely returned to his encampment near Gordonsville, when 
 the gathering of the hostile masses in larger volume began. 
 General Lee, convinced that M Clellan was incapable of farther 
 aggression, and that the surest way to remove him finally from 
 the peninsula would be to threaten Washington more violently, 
 began to remove the remainder of his army from Richmond to 
 the Rapid Ann, August 13th; proposing to leave only a sipall 
 force for observation upon his lines there, until the success of his 
 experiment was verified. On that day, General Longstreet com 
 menced his march for Gordonsville, and the remainder of the 
 troops were moved in the same direction, the division of General 
 D. H. Hill bringing up the rear, near the end of the month. Hal- 
 leek, the new Federal generalissimo, was also eagerly dictating 
 the same movement to M Clellan. He found the " Grand Army" 
 divided into two widely separated fragments, and trembled 
 before the activity of Jackson, and the danger of his Capital. 
 M Clellan accordingly broke up his camps at Berkeley on the 
 17th of August, and with sore reluctance shipped the decimated 
 remains of his troops to Aquia Creek on the Potomac. Disease 
 had been carrying on the work which the sword had begun, and 
 
510 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the fever and dysentery of the country had fearfully thinned his 
 ranks. But meantime, General Burnside had brought his corps 
 from North Carolina, and landing it at the same spot on the 
 Potomac, had marched it to the support of General Pope in 
 Culpepper. 
 
 That commander now had his forces tolerably concentrated 
 along the line of the Orange Railroad. But ignorant of the first 
 principles of strategy and possessed with the vain conceit of 
 crossing the Rapid Ann nearer its source, and thus turning 
 Jackson s left wing, he had extended his right toward Madison. 
 He did not advert, seemingly, to the fact that this manoeuvre 
 gave him a line of operations nearly parallel to his adversary s 
 base, and thus exposed his own left and his communications, to a 
 more mortal thrust from him. The course of the Rapid Ann, 
 which had now manifestly become Jackson s temporary base, is 
 north of east; while the curvature of the Orange Railroad 
 is such that its course, eastward .of Culpepper Court House, is 
 parallel to that river, or even brings its stations near the Rappa- 
 hannock, nearer to it than at the Court House. Thus the Con 
 federates, without exposing their own communications, had it in 
 their power to strike those of Pope at Brandy Station by a 
 march shorter than that which would fetch the Federal advance 
 back to that place. So obvious an advantage could not escape 
 any one except the doughty Pope. Jackson of course seized it 
 upon the instant. Upon an elevated hill which is called Clarke s 
 Mountain, east of Orange Court House, he had established a 
 signal station. From this lofty lookout, all the course of the 
 Rapid Ann and the plains of Culpepper, white with the enemy s 
 tents toward Madison, were visible. As soon, therefore, as the 
 troops from Richmond began to arrive, General Jackson left 
 Gordonsville, and on the 15th of August, marched to the eastern 
 base of Clarke s Mountain, where he carefully masked his forces 
 
POPE ESCAPES TO EAPPAHANNOCK. 511 
 
 near the fords of the Rapid Ann. His signal officer upon the 
 peak above, reported to him that the enemy were quiet, or even 
 extending their right still farther up the country, unconscious of 
 their danger. The Commander-in-Chief, who was now upon the 
 ground, appointed the morning of the 18th at dawn of day, for 
 the critical movement ; but the dilatoriness of a part of his sub 
 ordinates disappointed the completeness of his combinations, and 
 overruling the eagerness of Jackson, he postponed it until the 
 20th. He again issued orders for that day, that all the troops 
 should be prepared to advance in light marching order, with 
 three days rations, and throw themselves that afternoon upon 
 the enemy s rear. Jackson was to cross the stream at Somer- 
 ville s ford, so as to occupy the left, supported by the division of 
 General Anderson ; while Longstreet passed below, at Eaccoon 
 ford, and formed the right. General Stuart, now Major- General 
 of cavalry, was to cross with his two brigades of Robertson and 
 FitzHugh Lee, and his flying artillery, at Morton s ford, march 
 direct for the Rappahannock bridge, destroy it, and then turning 
 back along the enemy s line of communication, destroy his trains, 
 and fill every place with panic, until he connected with the 
 infantry of Longstreet upon the extreme right. It was hoped 
 that by these skilful dispositions, the enemy, cut off from his line 
 of retreat, and fiercely attacked upon his left, would be routed, 
 insulated and destroyed. 
 
 But the issue showed the importance of that element of strate 
 gic combinations, which Jackson so keenly estimated, time. The 
 propitious moment was already forfeited by delay. On the 
 night of the eighteenth of August, the day when the movement 
 should have been made, a handful of fugitive negroes reached 
 the army of Pope, and revealed to him enough of the movements 
 of the Confederates, to open his eyes to his danger. On the 
 nineteenth, as the Commander-in-Chief stood upon his lookout 
 
512 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 on Clarke s Mountain, the encampments of the enemy farthest 
 west were seen to disappear, and as the day advanced, the rest 
 vanished from view like a fleeting vision. Pope was in full 
 retreat, eager to place the Rappahannock between himself and 
 his adversary. This was his first lesson upon the soundness of 
 his maxim, that a conquering General should leave his communi 
 cations to take care of themselves; and he was destined to 
 receive others still ruder. General Lee hastened to pursue, and 
 put his army in motion on an early hour of the 20th of August, 
 according to the plan already arranged. General Jackson, 
 crossing the Eapid Ann at Somerville s ford, marched rapidly 
 toward Brandy Station, while General Longstreet, crossing simul 
 taneously below, pressed toward Kelley s Ford on the Rappa 
 hannock. No Federal infantry awaited their approach ; before 
 their arrival, all had crossed the latter stream. But their 
 cavalry still occupied the Culpepper bank, and were driven 
 across by the brigades of Stuart. One of these, the brigade 
 of Robertson, formerly the lamented Ashby s, under the eye of 
 its Major- General, had a brilliant combat with the enemy s horse 
 near Brandy Station, and drove them across the river with loss. 
 Pope s whole army was now found massed upon the northern 
 bank of the Rappahannock, with a powerful artillery prepared 
 to dispute the passage of General Lee. He therefore formed 
 the plan of striking his rear at a point still farther north, and 
 thus dislodging him, and fighting a general battle. But the con 
 ditions under which the second movement must be made, were 
 far less favorable than those of the one projected from the Rapid 
 Ann ; and. the results could not be expected to be so great. The 
 Rappahannock, which was then in Pope s rear, and would have 
 been a fatal obstacle to the retreat of his defeated army, was 
 now in his front, and was his defence. His communications 
 were no longer exposed to a direct blow, but could only be 
 
NEW PLAN AGAINST POPE. 513 
 
 reached by a dangerous, arduous, and circuitous inarch. And 
 when the battle was fought and won, the beaten army would be 
 within a day s march of its place of refuge, the lines of Arling 
 ton. Yet the vigor and courage of Jackson were trusted to 
 effect this difficult enterprise. It was determined to march up 
 the Rappahannock River, until a practicable crossing was found ; 
 and then to throw the corps of Jackson, which, being on the 
 left, became the front in this movement, by forced marches to 
 Manassa s Junction ; and when his threatening presence there 
 had called Pope away, to follow with the remainder of the 
 army. 
 
 The first essay in pursuance of this plan was made on the 
 2 1 st of August. General Jackson, leaving the hamlet of Stevens- 
 burg, where ne had bivouacked, crossed the railroad, and 
 approached the river above it, at Beverly s ford. A lodgement 
 was effected here by a regiment of cavalry, upon the northern 
 bank, which was held until the evening ; but the enemy was 
 approaching in such force, that it was deemed inexpedient to 
 make the passage in their presence, and the advanced party was 
 withdrawn. The artillery of General Longstreet had meantime 
 engaged that of the enemy at the railroad crossing, a few miles 
 below, with such success as to compel them to withdraw to their 
 works on the north side, and then to burn the bridge and desert 
 the position. The morning of August 22nd witnessed a renewal 
 of the same proceedings : the two armies advanced slowly up 
 the Rappahannock, upon its opposite banks, contesting with each 
 other every available crossing, by fierce artillery duels ; and 
 attempting upon each other such assaults as occasion offered. 
 The corps of Jackson having passed the Hazel River, a tributary 
 of the Rappahannock near its mouth, left its baggage train 
 parked there, under the protection of Brigadier- General Trimble, 
 of Swell s division ; while the main force pressed on to secure 
 
 65 
 
514 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the bridge leading from Culpepper to Warrenton. The cupidity 
 of the enemy was excited by this tempting prize, and they 
 crossed to seize it, capturing a few ambulances. These were 
 almost immediately regained, and Trimble, upon receiving the 
 support of General Hood, who formed the van of Longstreet s 
 corps, attacked the intruders, and drove them with loss to the 
 north bank, filling the stream with their floating corpses. A 
 similar enterprise attempted on the other hand, by the Confed 
 erate General Stuart, on this day, was as much more successful 
 than the Federals, as it was more audacious. Crossing the Rap- 
 pahannock, above the enemy s outposts, with a brigade of cavalry, 
 he pressed on through the village of Warrenton, and struck the 
 rear of their army at Catlett s Station after nightfall. Finding 
 here a detachment of troops, with an extensive encampment, in 
 the midst of a furious thunder-storm and Egyptian darkness, 
 they dashed into it with a yell, scattering the astounded occu 
 pants to the winds, and capturing a great spoil, with a number 
 of prisoners. This encampment was found to contain the head 
 quarters of General Pope ; and the baggage, clothing, horses, 
 and money of his Staff, as well as his own, rewarded the bold 
 ness of the assailants. Great exertions were also made to 
 destroy the important railroad bridge spanning a large creek 
 near by ; but the deluge of rain had saturated the timbers beyond 
 the possibility of ignition, and the rising freshet underneath, with 
 the intense darkness, forbade the men to ply their axes with suc 
 cess. Stuart therefore, gathering up his spoils and prisoners, 
 returned the way he came, leaving the enemy confounded by his 
 seeming ubiquity. Pope thus learned, in a second hard lesson, 
 that the communications of an army are worthy of its com 
 mander s attention. The gravest loss which he experienced in 
 this capture, was that of his letter book, which contained copies 
 of his confidential despatches to Washington, and thus revealed 
 
HE CROSSES AT WARREN TON SPRINGS. 515 
 
 to General Lee the most intimate secrets of his numbers, his 
 plans, and his pitiable embarrassments. 
 
 General Jackson, reaching the Warrenton road the afternoon 
 of the 22nd, found the bridge destroyed, and other evidence that 
 the enemy were in close proximity. But they were not yet pre 
 pared to dispute his passage. Opposite to him, on a beautiful 
 hill, rose the buildings of a watering place, known as the War 
 renton Springs, or Fauquier White-Sulphur ; while to his right, a 
 mile below, stretched a forest which clothed the ridge overlook 
 ing the river on that side. He sent the 13th Georgia from 
 Lawton s brigade across, to occupy the Springs j while Early s 
 brigade, supported by two batteries, was passed over on a ruin 
 ous mill-dam a mile below, and occupied the wooded ridge. But 
 now the darkness of the approaching night and storm arrested 
 the passage of other troops j the floods descended, and the cur 
 rent was speedily swollen so as to become impassable. This 
 accident placed the command of Early in extreme peril. The 
 advanced parties of the Federalists were hovering around him 
 in the darkness, and he had nothing to expect but to be crushed 
 at the dawn of day by the whole weight of their army, within 
 sight of his friends, but beyond their reach. But his own skill, 
 with the wise and firm support of Jackson, rescued him without 
 the loss of a man. When the morning came, the latter sent 
 word to General Early to associate the 13th Georgia with his 
 own brigade, and form the whole across the highlands near the 
 watering place, with his left upon the river, and his right upon 
 a creek, now equally swollen and impracticable, which here 
 approached from the north to mingle its waters with the Rappa- 
 hannock. He urged forward, meantime, the construction of a 
 temporary bridge ; and, in the afternoon, passed the remainder 
 of Lawton s brigade to the support of Early. But the freshet 
 which had protected his right was now receding into its banks, 
 
516 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 and the whole army of Pope was manifestly at hand. Yet Early 
 so adroitly concealed his force in the woods, and held his foes at 
 bay with his artillery, that they were able to make no decisive 
 attack before nightfall. During the darkness he retired safely 
 to the southern bank, with his batteries, leaving not a man 
 nor a trophy behind. The deliverance of Early was scarcely 
 completed before the dawn of the 24th. The troops of Long- 
 street had now arrived, and relieved those of Jackson in the 
 afternoon of that day. A fierce cannonade was kept up across 
 the river, chiefly by the guns of A. P. Hill, by which the 
 enemy was occupied, while Jackson retired a few miles from 
 the river-bank to the village of Jeffersonton, relinquishing to 
 Longstreet the task of amusing Pope by the appearance of a 
 crossing at the Springs. 
 
 While the enemy was thus deluded with the belief that the 
 race up the Rappahannock was ended, and that he now had 
 nothing more to do than to hold its northern bank at this place, 
 General Jackson was preparing, under the instructions of the 
 Comniander-in- Chief, for the most adventurous and brilliant of 
 his exploits. This was no less than to separate himself 
 from the support of the remainder of the army, pass around 
 Pope to the westward, and place his corps between him 
 and Washington City, at Manassa s Junction. To effect 
 this, the Rappahannock must be passed on the upper part 
 of its course, and two forced marches made through the 
 western quarters of the county of Fauquier, which lie 
 between the Blue Ridge and the subsidiary range of the Bull 
 Run Mountains. Having made a hasty and imperfect issue of 
 rations, Jackson disembarrassed himself of all his trains, save the 
 ambulances and the carriages for the ammunition, and left Jef 
 fersonton early on the morning of August 25th. Marching first 
 westward, he crossed the two branches of the Rappahannock; 
 
HE ARRIVES AT BRISTOE. 517 
 
 passed the hamlet of Orlean, and paused at night, after a 
 march of twenty-five miles, near Salem, a village upon the 
 Manassa s Gap Railroad. His troops had been constantly march 
 ing and fighting since the 20th ; many of them had no rations, and 
 subsisted upon the green corn gathered along the route; yet 
 their indomitable enthusiasm and devotion knew no flagging. 
 As the weary column approached the end of the day s march, they 
 found Jackson, who had ridden forward, dismounted, and stand 
 ing upon a great stone by the road-side. His sun-burned cap 
 was lifted from his brow, and he was gazing toward the west, 
 where the splendid August sun was about to kiss the distant 
 crest of the Blue Ridge, which stretched far away, bathed in 
 azure and gold ; and his blue eye, beaming with martial pride, 
 returned the rays of the evening with almost equal brightness. 
 His men burst forth into their accustomed cheers, forgetting all 
 their fatigue at his inspiring presence ; but, deprecating the tri 
 bute by a gesture, he sent an officer to request that there should 
 be no cheering, inasmuch as it might betray their presence to the 
 enemy. They at once repressed their applause, and passed the 
 word down the column to their comrades : u No cheering, boys ; 
 the General requests it." But as they passed him, their eyes 
 and gestures, eloquent with suppressed affection, silently declared 
 what their lips were forbidden to utter. Jackson turned to his 
 Staff, his face beaming with delight, and said : " Who could not 
 conquer, with such troops as these ? " His modesty, ever attri 
 buting his glory to his brave men rather than to himself, caused 
 him to forget that it was his genius which had made them such 
 soldiers as they were. 
 
 On the morning of the 26th, he turned eastward, and passing 
 through the Bull Run Mountains, at Thoroughfare Gap, pro 
 ceeded to Bristoe Station, on the Orange Railroad, by another 
 equally arduous march. At Gainsville, he was joined by Stuart, 
 
518 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 with his cavalry, who now assumed the duty of guarding his righl 
 flank, and watching the main army of Pope, about Warrenton 
 As the Confederates approached Bristoe Station, about sunset, 
 the roar of a railroad train proceeding eastward, was heard, 
 and dispositions were made to arrest it, by placing the bri 
 gade of Hays, under Colonel Forno, across the track. The 
 first train broke through the obstructions placed before it, and 
 escaped. Two others which followed it were captured, but 
 were found to contain nothing. The corps of Jackson, had now 
 marched fifty miles in two days. The whole army of Pope was 
 interposed between it and its friends. They had no supplies 
 whatever, save those which they might capture from the enemy. 
 But they were between that enemy and his capital, and were 
 cheered by the hope of inflicting a vital blow upon him before 
 he escaped. This movement would be pronounced wrong, if 
 judged by a formal and common-place application of the maxims 
 of the military art. But it is the very prerogative of true genius 
 to know how to modify the application of those rules According 
 to circumstances. It might have been objected, that such a 
 division of the Confederate army into two parts, subjected it to 
 the risk of being beaten in detail ; that while the Federal com 
 mander detained and amused one by a detachment, he would 
 turn upon the other with the chief weight of his forces, and crush 
 it into fragments. Had Pope been a Jackson, this danger would 
 have been real j but because Pope was but Pope, and General 
 Lee had a Jackson to execute the bold conception, and a Stuart 
 to mask his movement during its progress, the risk was too small 
 to forbid the attempt. The promptitude of General Stuart in 
 seizing the only signal station whence the line of march could 
 possibly be perceived, and the secrecy and rapidity of General 
 Jackson in pursuing it, with the energy of his action when he 
 had reached his goal, ensured the success of the movement. 
 
HE ATTACKS HANASSA S JUNCTION. 519 
 
 The first care of the General, after he reached Bristoe, was to 
 secure the vast stores accumulated at the Junction, four miles 
 North. He determined not to postpone this essential measure 
 until the morning, lest the enemy should be able to destroy them ; 
 and he therefore accepted the offer of Brigadier- General Trim 
 ble, with the 21st North Carolina and 21st Georgia regiments, 
 to volunteer for this service. Major-General Stuart was ordered 
 to support the attack with a part of his cavalry, and as the supe 
 rior officer in rank, to command the whole detachment. The 
 two regiments of General Trimble had already marched twenty- 
 five miles, and the additional distance to the Junction made 
 them thirty ; but they set out with an eagerness which emulated 
 that of the cavalry. Stuart, having unmasked the enemy s pick 
 ets in front of the fortifications of Manassa s, and having sent 
 the regiment of Wickham to the north, in order to arrest the 
 retreat of the garrison, Trimble placed his regiments in line 
 right and left of the railroad, and advanced steadily to the attack. 
 The night was rayless, and the artillery of the place opened upon 
 them at short range. They knew not what force awaited them 
 in the darkness, but dashing forward, they surmounted the works, 
 and seized two batteries of field guns, with all their men and 
 horses, almost without loss to themselves. The whole entrench 
 ments now fell into their hands without farther resistance, with 
 vast spoils. This gallant attack was a happy illustration of the 
 success which may usually be expected from bold and rapid 
 movements. The place was found crowded with stores for 
 Pope s army, all of which, with three hundred prisoners, eight 
 field-pieces, and two hundred and fifty horses, fell into the hands 
 of the victors, besides two miles of burden cars, laden with army 
 stores and luxuries. The sfore-houses were found filled with 
 bacon, beef, flour, and ammunition. Everything was here which 
 the Confederates needed. The confessions of Pope show that 
 
520 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the loss of these stores was a chief element of his subsequent dis 
 asters. It discouraged and intimidated his men, and compelled 
 them to enter the arduous struggle of the three bloody days 
 without adequate rations or ammunition. 
 
 On the morning of August 27th, the two regiments of General 
 Trimble, whg had been under arms all night were relieved by 
 General Jackson s arrival from Bristoe. He brought with him 
 the divisions of A. P. Hill and Taliaferro, leaving that of Ewell 
 at Bristoe to watch for the approach of Pope, with orders to 
 make head against him as long as practicable ; but when pressed 
 by his main force, to retire and join him at Manassa s. Scarcely 
 had General Jackson come upon the ground, when a shot from a 
 distant battery upon the left, announced the purpose of the Fed 
 eralists to contest it with him, and a brigade made its appear 
 ance advancing along the railroad from Alexandria. This was 
 the detachment of Brigadier-General Taylor, of New Jersey, 
 sent out by Halleck to re-open Pope s communications, and to 
 brush away what they supposed was a mere inroad of cavalry. 
 They advanced with all the confidence of ignorance, until they 
 found themselves almost enveloped in the toils. The captured 
 guns were turned against them by Stuart and Trimble j the bat 
 teries of Poague and Carpenter poured destructive volleys upon 
 them in front, and the infantry of A. P. Hill threatened them on 
 both sides. General Jackson now pitying their desperate situa 
 tion, rode toward them alone, waving a white handkerchief as a 
 signal of truce, inviting them to accept quarter. Their answer 
 was a volley of rifle balls. Seeing his compassion thus requited 
 with treachery, he hastened back to his troops and commanded 
 them to let loose their full fury against their foes. In a moment 
 the detachment was routed, their commander slain, and the fugi 
 tives, pursued by Hill and Stuart, were cut to pieces and scat 
 tered. 
 
COMBAT AT BRISTOE. 521 
 
 The General now gave the wearied troops a respite, to recom 
 pense themselves with the spoils, for their labors. Knowing 
 that means of transportation would be utterly wanting to remove 
 the larger part, he allowed the men to use and carry away what 
 ever they were able to appropriate. And now began a scene in 
 ludicrous contrast with the toils of the previous forced march. 
 Dusty Confederates were seen loading themselves with new 
 clothing, boots, hats, and unwonted luxuries. The men who had 
 for days fed on nothing but green apples and the roasted ears 
 of Indian corn, now regaled themselves with sardines, potted 
 game, and sweetmeats. For several hours the troops held 
 carnival. 
 
 General Ewell was not allowed to remain unmolested at Bris- 
 toe all the day. In the afternoon, heavy columns of Federalists 
 were seen approaching on the west of the railroad, from the 
 direction of Warrenton. The 6th and 8th Louisiana regiments 
 of Hays brigade, with the 60th Georgia, were posted to receive 
 them, masked in the edge of the pine thickets, and supported by 
 several batteries. Two heavy columns of the enemy advanced 
 against them, each consisting of not less than a brigade ; but 
 almost at the first volley, they broke and fled in confusion, many 
 of them throwing away their arms. Fresh columns, however, 
 speedily supplied their places, and it was evident that Pope s 
 main force was at hand. General Ewell therefore gave the 
 word to retire, in order to join his friends at Manassa s. This 
 retreat, which must be conducted in the face of a superior force 
 actually engaged with them, was a most delicate and difficult 
 work ; but was effected in perfect order, and without loss. As the 
 three regiments which had received the enemy s first attack were 
 withdrawn, the brigade of Early took their places, and held the 
 enemy in check, with so much steadiness and adroitness, that 
 the stream which separated Bristoe from Manassa s was crossed 
 
 6G 
 
522 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 safely without the capture of a single man. The Federalists 
 then halted at the former point, and left Ewell to pursue his 
 way unmolested, his rear covered by the cavalry regiments of 
 Munford and Rosser. The Railroad bridge across Broad Run 
 was now burned, and after all the troops had supplied their 
 wants from the captured stores, the remainder was destroyed. 
 This task was committed to the division of Taliaferro, which 
 devoted to it the early part of the night, and then retired toward 
 Sudley Church, across the battle-field of July 21st, 1861. There 
 they were joined, on the morning of the 28th of August, by the 
 division of A. P. Hill, which had marched northward to Centre- 
 ville, and then returned across the Stone Bridge, and by the 
 division of Ewell, which had crossed Bull Run and marched up 
 its north bank until it fell into the same route. The cavalry, 
 which had scoured the country as far as Fairfax Court House, 
 also assembled on the flanks of the infantry, and the concentra 
 tion of the corps was completed. 
 
 General Jackson had now successfully executed the first part 
 of the task entrusted to him. He had pierced the enemy s rear, 
 destroyed his supplies, and secured a position between him and his 
 Capital. But in doing this, he had drawn upon himself the whole 
 of the Federal army, and until the remainder of General Lee s 
 forces should arrive, he must either bear the brunt of their 
 attacks with his single corps, reduced by straggling and casualties 
 to eighteen thousand men ; or he must retire again toward his 
 friends, leaving Pope s operations unobstructed, and thus sur 
 render the larger part of the advantages of his brilliant move 
 ments. Jackson was not the man to do the latter ; he therefore 
 selected a position where he could hope to stand successfully at 
 bay, and prevent Pope s retreat, until sufficient forces arrived to 
 deal with him successfully. One alternative was to remain at 
 Manassa s Junction within the old Confederate entrenchments-, 
 
TOPOGKAPHY OF SUDLEY. 523 
 
 but to this there were many conclusive objections. The direct 
 turnpike road from Warrenton, where Pope s army was massed, 
 to Alexandria ran five miles northwest of the Junction, and 
 would be still left open : an avenue more valuable to that Gen 
 eral than the railroad, since its bridges and trains were de 
 stroyed. The Junction, moreover, was a post of limited extent, 
 ill furnished with water, situated in a champaign every way 
 favorable to the operations of the force having the numerical 
 superiority, and denuded of all cover, by the presence of previ 
 ous armies. The other alternative was to retire to the north 
 side of the Warrenton and Alexandria turnpike, nearer to 
 Thoroughfare Gap through which Longstreet was expected to 
 advance, and there occupy the stronger ground, with the advan 
 tage of retreat upon the Confederate reserves in case of disaster. 
 From this position, although the road was not directly obstruct 
 ed, yet the passage of Pope was forbidden ; for his army could 
 not expose itself by marching past such a leader as Jackson, 
 who sat, with eighteen thousand men, ready to pounce upon its 
 exposed flanks. 
 
 If the reader will recall the description of the battle-field of 
 the first Manassa s he will have before him the position assumed 
 by Jackson. The Warrenton turnpike, running due east toward 
 Alexandria, is crossed at right angles, a mile and half before it 
 passes the Bull Run at the stone bridge, by the country road 
 which proceeds, northward from the Junction to Sudley ford, at 
 which the Federal right first crossed the stream on the morning 
 of July 21st, 1861. At this ford, Jackson now rested his left 
 wing, protected by the cavalry brigade of Robertson, while his 
 right stretched eastward across the hills, in a line oblique to the 
 course of Bull Run, toward the road by which Longstreet was 
 expected from Thoroughfare Gap. His front was nearly par 
 allel to the Warrenton turnpike, and distant from it, between one 
 
524 
 
 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 2nd MANASSA S. 
 
FIRST DAY S BATTLE. 525 
 
 and two miles. The division of A. P. Hill formed his left, that 
 of Ewell his centre, and that of Taliaferro, strengthened by the 
 remainder of the cavalry and the horse-artillery of Pelliam, his 
 right. 
 
 Scarcely had these dispositions been completed, when the ene 
 my was found to be advancing along the Warrenton turnpike in 
 heavy masses, as though to force his way back to Alexandria. 
 Mid-day had now arrived. The second brigade of Taliaferro s 
 division, under the temporary command of Colonel Bradley T. 
 Johnson, which had been detached to watch the turnpike, was 
 directed to skirmish with the front of the Federal column, and 
 obstruct their advance. The remainder of the division of Talia- 
 ferro, supported by that of Ewell, was marched by its right flank 
 and toward the turnpike, to attack the enemy in flank. He, per 
 ceiving this movement, and the obstruction in his front, at first 
 attempted to file his masses across the open country toward 
 Manassa s Junction, as though to seek some passage over Bull 
 Run below the stone bridge. But Jackson now threw forward 
 his line with so much energy as to compel him to relinquish this 
 movement, and make a stand. The batteries of Wooding, Car 
 penter, and Poague were advanced to an elevated hill upon the 
 left and rear of Taliaferro s line of skirmishers, whence they 
 delivered so effective a fire of shell and solid shot upon the 
 dense lines of the Federalists, that their numerous batteries were 
 halted, and placed in position to reply. The Confederate artil 
 lery was then promptly removed to another position upon Talia 
 ferro s right, whence they were enabled to enfilade the Federal 
 guns ; and the infantry line was again pressed forward, with its 
 front parallel to the "Warrenton turnpike, and within a hundred 
 yards of it. Sunset was now near at hand, when a struggle com 
 menced unprecedented in its fury. On Taliaferro s right, the par 
 tial screen of an orchard and a cluster of farm-buildings separated 
 
526 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 him from the highway, which was occupied by the Federal infantry. 
 But, on his left, his line occupied the open field, and received and 
 returned their volleys at the distance of a hundred yards. Until 
 nine o clock at night, the first, third, and fourth brigades main 
 tained a stubborn contest upon this ground with successive lines 
 of the enemy, when the latter sullenly retired, and gave up the 
 field. On the left of Taliaferro, Ewell, with a part of his forces, 
 waged a contest of almost equal fury, and with the same results, 
 when the darkness closed the battle, and the Confederates 
 remained masters of the field. In this bloody affair, both the 
 Commanders of the divisions engaged, with many field-officers, 
 were wounded, Taliaferro painfully, and Ewell severely. The 
 latter was struck upon the knee by a rifle-ball, and the 
 joint was so shattered that amputation was necessary to save 
 his life. During the remainder of Jackson s career he was 
 unable to return to the field, and the General was deprived of 
 his valued co-operation. The first of the three bloody days was 
 now closed, and Jackson stoutly held his own. With one more 
 struggle his safety would be assured; for the Commancler-in- 
 Chief, with the corps of Longstreet, leaving the neighborhood of 
 Jeffersonton on the afternoon of the 26th, and following the route 
 of Jackson through upper Fauquier, was now at the western out 
 let of Thoroughfare Gap, preparing to force his way through, the 
 next morning, and come to the relief of the laboring advance. 
 On the morning of the 29th this pass was forced; and the corps 
 of Longstreet, stimulated by the sound of the distant cannon, 
 which told them that Jackson was struggling with the enemy, 
 hurried along the road to Gainesville, where they entered the 
 Warrenton turnpike. Before they reached that village, the 
 indefatigable Stuart, with his cavalry, met them, opened their 
 communication with Jackson s right wing, and informed the 
 Commander-in- Chief of the posture of affairs. 
 
APPROACH OF LONGSTREET. 527 
 
 But the narrative must return to the lines of General Jackson. 
 Anxiously did that General watch the distant road which led 
 from Thoroughfare Gap down to the "Warrenton turnpike, on the 
 morning of the 29th. His little army was now manifestly con 
 fronted by the whole Federal host, which, concentrating itself 
 more toward his left, was preparing to force him back from Bull 
 Run, and to crush him before his supports could arrive. His 
 lines, exhausted by their almost superhuman exertions, thinned 
 by battle, and pallid with hunger, stood grimly at bay ; but the 
 stoutest hearts were anxious, in view of the more terrible struggle 
 before them. In the early morning, clouds of dust arising along 
 the Thoroughfare road had mocked their hopes ; but they were 
 raised by the Federalists, who, having occupied that pass the day 
 before to obstruct the march of Longstree.t, were now retiring 
 upon their masses toward Bristoe Station. As the day verged 
 toward the meridian, other and denser clouds again arose, along 
 the same highway ; and soon the couriers of Stuart came, with 
 the welcome news, that it was the corps of Longstreet, advancing 
 to connect with the right of Jackson. Already the Federalists, 
 warned of the shortness of their time, had begun the attack by a 
 heavy cannonade upon that part of his position, at ten o clock. 
 The batteries of Taliaferro s division now commanded by the brave 
 General Starke, replied. But the head of General Longstreet s 
 column was now at hand, and threatened to insinuate itself 
 behind the Federal left. They therefore shifted their demon 
 stration to Jackson s left, opening upon that part of his position 
 with a furious cannonade, and preparing vast masses of infantry 
 to force it. While Longstreet deployed his line across the 
 Warrenton turnpike, -and fronting toward the east, Jackson s 
 corps was now disposed at right angles to it, along the excava 
 tions and embankments of an unfinished railroad, which, crossing 
 Bull Run a half mile below Sudley, ran westward, parallel to the 
 
 
528 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Warrcnton turnpike. This work had been begun to connect 
 the city of Alexandria directly with the Manassa s Gap road 
 near Thoroughfare. Running across the hills and vales of an 
 undulating country, and presenting now an elevated embankment 
 and anon a cut, it offered to the Confederates almost the advan 
 tages of a regular field-work. Here General Jackson had 
 arranged his infantry in two lines of battle, with the artillery 
 chiefly posted upon eminences in the rear. A. P. Hill formed 
 his left, Ewell his centre, and Starke his right. An interval 
 between his right and the left of Longstreet was occupied by a 
 large collection of the artillery of the latter, posted upon a large 
 hill, whence they assisted, by their fire, in the repulse of the 
 enemy on cither hand. Pope, now contenting himself with 
 showing a front against Longstreet, began, at two o clock, P. M., 
 to hurl his infantry with fury and determination against the 
 lines of Jackson. Especially did the storm of battle rage in 
 front of the left, occupied by the division of A. P. Hill. In 
 defiance of his deadly fire, delivered from the shelter of the 
 railroad embankments, line after line was advanced to close 
 quarters, only to be mowed down, and to recoil in confusion. 
 Soon the second line of Hill was advanced to the support of the 
 first. Six times the Federalists rushed forward in separate and 
 obstinate assaults, and as many times were repulsed. At an 
 interval between the brigade of Gregg, on the extreme left, and 
 that of Thomas, the enemy broke across in great numbers, and 
 threatened to separate the former from his friends, and surround 
 him. But two regiments of the reserve, advancing within ten 
 paces of the triumphant foe, poured such volleys into their dense 
 masses that they were hurled back before this murderous fire, 
 and the lines re-established. The brigade of Hays from the 
 division of Ewcll, now commanded by General Lawton, was first 
 brought to the support of Gregg. The struggle raged until the 
 
SECOND DAY S BATTLE. 520 
 
 cartridges of the infantry were in many places exhausted. When 
 Hill sent to the gallant Gregg to ask if he could hold his own. 
 he answered, " Tell him I have no ammunition, but I will hold 
 my position with the bayonet." In several places, the Confed 
 erate lines, without a single round of cartridges, lay in the 
 railroad cuts, within a few yards of their enemies, sternly 
 defying their nearer approach with the cold steel, while the 
 staff-officers from the rear sent in a scanty supply of ammunition, 
 by the hand of some daring volunteer, who ventured to run the 
 gantlet of a deadly fire to reach them. In other parts the men, 
 laying aside their empty muskets, seized the stones which lay 
 near, and with them beat back the foe. When the bloody field 
 was reviewed, not a few were found whose skulls were broken 
 with these primitive weapons. But the strength of the extreme 
 left was now exhausted by seven hours of strife ; nature could 
 do no more; and General Jackson ordered Early, with his 
 brigade. and the 8th Louisiana and 13th Georgia, to relieve 
 Gregg and Hays. The enemy had by this time occupied a 
 considerable tract of the railroad, and the woods in front of it. 
 Early advanced upon them, drove them out of the thickets and 
 across the excavation with fearful slaughter, and pursued them 
 for a distance beyond it, when he was recalled to the original 
 line. With this magnificent charge, the struggle of the day 
 closed. It had raged in similar manner along the centre, where 
 that sturdy veteran, Brigadier-General Trimble, was severely 
 wounded. But the carnage upon the left was most ghastly. 
 Here might be seen upon the fields, the black lines of corpses, 
 clearly defining the positions where the Federal lines of battle 
 had stood and received the deadly volleys of the Confederates ; 
 while the woods and railroad cuts were thickly strewn for a 
 mile with killed and wounded. In the division of Hill the loss 
 was also serious ; and among the severely wounded were two 
 
 67 
 
530 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 brigade commanders, Field and Forno. During the heat of the 
 battle, a detachment of Federal troops had penetrated to Jack 
 son s rear, near Sudley Church, and captured a few wounded 
 men and ambulances. The horse artillery of Pelham, with a 
 battalion of cavalry, under Major Patrick, speedily brushed the 
 annoyance away, and recovered the captures. But this incident 
 cost the army the loss of one of its most enlightened and efficient 
 officers, the chivalrous Patrick, who was mortally wounded while 
 pursuing the fugitives. 
 
 While this struggle was raging along Jackson s lines, the corps 
 of Longstreet continued to confront the observing force of 
 Federalists before them, and the batteries of his left engaged 
 those of the enemy in a severe cannonade. As the afternoon 
 advanced, Stuart reported to him the approach of a heavy 
 column of the enemy upon his right and rear, from the direction 
 of Bristoe. This was indeed a corps of the army of M Clellan 
 from the peninsula, which, landing on the Potomac, had been 
 pushed forward to support Pope. Against this new enemy Long- 
 street showed a front, while Stuart, raising a mighty dust along 
 the road near Gainsville, by causing a number of his troopers to 
 drag bundles of brushwood along the highway, persuaded him 
 that some heavy mass of fresh Confederate troops was advanc 
 ing from Thoroughfare to meet his assault upon Longstreet s 
 right. The Federal commander therefore recoiled, after a feeble 
 demonstration ; and, passing by a circuit to the eastward, sought 
 to unite himself with the forces in front of Jackson. Longstreet 
 now advanced several brigades to the attack, with those of Hood 
 in the van, and until nine o clock at night, drove back the enemy 
 before him with great vigor, capturing a number of prisoners, a 
 cannon, and three colors. Darkness then closed the bloody day, 
 and the Confederates on every side withdrew to lie upon their 
 arms upon their selected lines of combat. From this respite, 
 
LEE RESUMES THE DEFENSIVE. 531 
 
 the boastful Pope took the pretext to despatch to his masters a 
 pompous bulletin of victory, claiming that the Confederates were 
 repulsed on all hands ! With a stupidity equal to his impu 
 dence; he concealed from himself the fact that this lull in the 
 tempest was but the prelude to its final and resistless burst. 
 The mighty huntsman now had the brutal game secure in his 
 toils, and only awaited the moment of his exhaustion to despatch 
 him. 
 
 As Jackson gathered his officers around him in the darkness, 
 at the close of this second act of the tragedy, and prepared to lie 
 down for a short repose under the open sky, their triumph wore 
 a solemn hue. A week of marching and fighting, without any 
 regular supply for their wants, had worn down their energies to a 
 grade where nothing but a determined will could sustain them. 
 Many of the bravest and best had fallen, and the sufferers and 
 the dead were all around them. The Medical Director, Doctor 
 M Guire, recounting the many casualties which he had witnessed, 
 said, " General, this day has been won by nothing but stark and 
 stern fighting." "No," said Jackson, "It has been won by 
 nothing but the blessing and protection of Providence." It was 
 strong evidence of the devout spirit of the patriot troops, that 
 amidst all these fatigues and horrors, they yet found time for 
 acts of devotion. The Chaplains, after spending the clay in 
 attentions to the wounded, at nightfall returned to their regi 
 ments, and gathered such groups in the woods as could be spared 
 from the watches, where they spent a season in prayer and 
 praise. Many were the brave men who joined in these strange 
 and solemn prayer-meetings, whose next worship was offered in 
 the upper sanctuary. 
 
 The advance of Longstreet at nightfall, upon the Confederate 
 right had disclosed the fact that the Federalists were posted, in 
 heavy masses, upon a position of great natural strength. The 
 
53U LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 choice offered to General Lee now was, to leave the favorable 
 ground which he had chosen, and taking the aggressive, to dis 
 lodge them at a great cost : or else to await their attack, with 
 the prospect of turning their retreat into a disaster if they 
 attempted to cross Bull Run in his immediate front and retire 
 without fighting. He well knew that Pope would scarcely be so 
 rash as to attempt the latter expedient ; for the two armies were 
 now at such close quarters, that there was no room for either to 
 turn away without a deadly side blow from the other ; and the 
 Federal commander had been so obliging, as to manoeuvre him 
 self into a position which had the stream immediately in its rear, 
 with two practicable crossings for artillery, of which one was a 
 stone arch which a few well directed round shot might have dis 
 mantled. General Lee, therefore, calmly awaited the final strug- 
 ple, standing on the defensive in his previous lines. These 
 formed a vast, obtuse fourchette, presenting its concavity toward 
 the enemy. The left of Longstreet did not touch the right of 
 Jackson at the angle ; but a space of half a mile between the 
 two was occupied by an elevated ridge, which commanded the 
 fronts of both wings. This hill was now crowned with the artil 
 lery, battalions of Shumaker of Jackson s corps, and S. D. Lee of 
 Longstreet s, making an aggregate of thirty-sis pieces. From 
 this arrangement it resulted, first, that the troops of Pope, oper 
 ating within the jaws of the Confederate army, would naturally 
 become more densely massed than their opponents, and would 
 thus afford a more certain mark for their accurate fire ; which 
 no force on earth could ever face in close order, without mur 
 derous loss. The second result was, that the superior momentum 
 of the Federal masses must yet result only in a bloody failure, 
 when hurled against either wing of the Confederates, because they 
 would be enfiladed from the other wing. By these dispositions, 
 the battle was decided before it was fought. The only gleam of 
 
THE THIRD DAY S BATTLE. 533 
 
 good sense which the ill starred Federal leader showed, was in 
 delaying the decisive hour until the late afternoon ; so that the 
 friendly darkness might speedily supervene .upon the disaster 
 which was destined to follow, and save him from utter destruc 
 tion. The forenoon of Saturday, August 30th, was therefore 
 spent in a desultory cannonade, addressed first to one, and then 
 to another part of the Confederate lines, with irregular skirmishes 
 interspersed. He was employed in disposing his infantry, under 
 cover of the woods and valleys, chiefly in Jackson s front ; for 
 against him he again destined his main attack. The infantry of 
 the latter was still posted along the unfinished railroad, in two 
 lines, the first sheltered, where the ground was favorable, by the 
 excavations and embankments, and the second massed upon the 
 wooded hills above. At half past three o clock, the enemy made 
 a show of attack along, the lines of Longstreet. But scarcely 
 had this begun, when they advanced, without preliminary skir 
 mishing, in enormous masses, against Jackson. Three lines of 
 battle surged forward like mighty waves, and rolled up to the 
 Confederate position. As one recoiled before their fire, another 
 took its place, with a dogged resolution, as though determined to 
 break through by sheer weight of numbers. The Federal flags 
 were planted sometimes within twenty paces of the excavations 
 which contained the opposing line ; and again the Confederates, 
 after exhausting their ammunition, resorted to the stones of the 
 field to beat back their assailants. When this furious struggle 
 had raged for half an hour, and the wearied lines of Jackson was 
 yielding at some points, he sent word to Longstreet to move for 
 his relief. But his desire was already anticipated ; the artillery 
 in the centre was advanced, and wherever the attacking lines 
 of Federalists exposed themselves before Jackson s front, it 
 showered a crushing and enfilading fire upon them. The third 
 and second lines were first broken, and the woods in which they 
 
534 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSON. 
 
 attempted to rally searched with shells. Meantime, the artillery 
 of E well s and Hill s divisions, from Jackson s rear and left, 
 joined in the melte as position offered. Before this fire in front 
 and flank, the Federal lines wavered, broke, and resolved them 
 selves into huge hordes of men, without order or guidance. 
 General Jackson now ordered the advance of his whole line of 
 infantry; and the Commandcr-in-Chief, seeing that the moment 
 for the final blow had come, sent a similar order to his right 
 wing. But its energetic leader had divined his wishes, and had 
 already begun the movement. Over several miles of hill and 
 dale, of field and forest, the two lines now swept forward, with a 
 terrible grandeur, closing upon the disordered masses of the 
 enemy like the jaws of a leviathan; while Jackson upon the 
 left, and Stuart upon the right, urged forward battery after bat 
 tery at a gallop, to sieze every commanding hill whence they 
 could fire between the gaps, or over the heads of the infantry, 
 and plough up the huddled crowds of fugitives. But at many 
 points, these did not yield without stubborn resistance. The 
 brigades of Jackson dashed at them with fierce enthusiasm, and 
 such scenes of close encounter and murderous strife were wit 
 nessed, as are not often seen on fields of battle. The supreme 
 hour of vengeance had now come ; in the expressive phrase of 
 Cromwell, the victors " had their will upon their enemies." As 
 they drove them for two miles toward Bull Run, they strewed 
 the ground with slaughter, until fury itself was sated and 
 fatigued with the carnival of blood. And now, night again 
 closed upon the third act of the tragedy, black with a double 
 gloom of the battle smoke and a gathering storm ; but still the 
 pursuers plied their work with cannon shot and fierce volleys, 
 fired into the populous darkness before them. At ten o clock 
 they ceased their pursuit, for they found that amidst the confu 
 sion of the field, and the obscurity, friend could no longer be 
 
THE ROUT AXD CARNAGE. 5d5 
 
 distinguished from foe. The army then lay down to rost upon 
 the ground they had won ; while all night long, the broken frag 
 ments of the Federalists were stealing across the stream, and 
 retreating to the heights of Centreville. 
 
 In this three days battle, the Confederate loss was heavy, 
 but that of their enemies was frightful. Compared to it, the car 
 nage of the Chickahominy was child s play. The bloody field 
 told the story of the disproportion for itself, and when the Fed 
 eral surgeons came upon it under a flag of truce, such was the 
 multitude of the wounded lying helpless upon it, that days were 
 exhausted in collecting them, while many wretches perished 
 miserably of neglect during the delay. This disproportionate 
 carnage was due to the masterly handling of the Confederate 
 troops, to their advantageous position, to the density of the ene 
 my s masses, and especially to the terrible moment of the rout, 
 when the work of destruction was pursued, for a time, without 
 resistance. The Sabbath morning dawned upon a scene in most 
 fearful contrast with its peace and sanctity. The storm which 
 had gathered during the night was descending in a comfortless 
 rain, drenching the ghastly dead, the miserable wounded, and the 
 weary victors. The soldiers of Jackson arose from the ground 
 stiffened with the cold, and after devoting a few hours to 
 refreshment, resumed the march, while those of Longstreet 
 remained to bury the dead and collect the spoils. Stuart had 
 reported that he found the enemy rallied upon the heights of 
 Centreville, commanding the Warrenton turnpike, where General 
 Joseph E. Johnston had constructed a powerful line of works, 
 the first winter of the war, which were capable of defence either 
 in front or rear. Here the fragments of Pope, supported by 
 large reinforcements from the army of M Clellan, again showed a 
 front against the pursuers. Jackson was therefore directed to 
 turn this position, and compel the retreat of the enemy from it 
 
53 G LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 without a battle. To effect this, he crossed the Bull Run at 
 Sucllcy, and marching northward by a country road, came the 
 next day into the Little River turnpike, which leads eastward, 
 and intersects the Warrenton road at Fairfax Court House, far 
 in the rear of Centrcville. No sooner was this movement per 
 ceived by the enemy, than they resumed a hasty retreat. But as 
 their crowded column approached Fairfax Court House, they 
 found Jackson at hand, prepared to strike their line of march 
 from the side. They therefore detached a strong force to make 
 head against him, and posted it upon a ridge near the little ham 
 let of Germantown. As soon as Jackson ascertained the position 
 of this force, ho threw his infantry into line of battle, Hill on the 
 right, Ewell in the centre, and his old division on the left, and 
 advanced to the assault. The enemy, knowing that the salvation 
 of their army depended upon them, made a desperate resistance, 
 and the combat assumed a sudden fury in the front of Hill, equal 
 to that of any previous struggle. The enemy were encouraged 
 by a momentary success in breaking Haves brigade, but his lines 
 were immediately reinstated by the reserves, and after a short 
 but bloody strife, the battle died away as suddenly as it had 
 begun, and the enemy retired in the darkness. This affair, 
 which was known as the battle of Ox Hill, closed the evening of 
 September 1st. Its thunders were aggravated by those of a 
 tempest, which burst upon the combatants just before the battle 
 was joined, and the Confederates fought under the disadvan 
 tage of the rain, which was swept by a violent wind directly into 
 their faces. Two Federal Generals fell here, in front of Hill s 
 division, Kearney and Stephens, and their death doubtless com 
 pleted the discouragement of their troops. The next morning, 
 the Federalists were within reach of their powerful works before 
 Washington, and the pursuit was arrested. The Commander-in- 
 chief now purposed to transfer the strife to a new arena. 
 
HIS SHARE IX THE VICTORY. 537 
 
 The total loss of the Confederate army in this series of battles 
 was about seven thousand five hundred, of -whom eleven hundred 
 were killed upon the field. Of this loss, nearly five thousand 
 fell upon the corps of Jackson ; out of which number eight hun 
 dred and five officers and men were killed. The captures from 
 him, in the whole of the long struggle, amounted to only thirty- 
 five. The excessive loss in his command is explained by the 
 fact that it was always the advance, and that the enemy continu 
 ally directed the chief fury of his attacks upon him. The results 
 of the battle of Manassa s were the capture of seven thousand 
 prisoners, in addition to two thousand wounded left in the hands 
 of the Confederates ; with twenty thousand small arms, thirty 
 pieces of artillery, numerous colors, and a large amount of stores j 
 and the deliverance of Northern Virginia from the footsteps of 
 the invader, save where he still clung to a few miles along the 
 Potomac included within his works. General Jackson closed 
 his Report of the Campaign with these words : 
 
 " For these great and signal victories our sincere and humble 
 thanks are due unto Almighty God. We should in all things 
 acknowledge the hand of Him who reigns in Heaven, and rules 
 among the armies of men. In view of the arduous labors and 
 great privations the troops were called to endure, and the iso 
 lated and perilous position which the command occupied, while 
 engaged with greatly superior numbers of the enemy, we can but 
 express the grateful conviction of our mind, that God was with 
 us, and gave us the victory ; and unto His holy name be the 
 praise." 
 
 Few words are needed to point out the share which Jackson 
 and his corps merited, in the glory of the second victory of Ma 
 nassa s. To the rapidity of his march, the promptitude and skill 
 of his action in seizing and destroying the Junction, the wisdom 
 which guided his selection of a position, and the heroic tenacity 
 
 G8 
 
538 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSOX. 
 
 with which he held it against fearful odds until the arrival of 
 General Lee, was the splendid result chiefly due. It was so 
 ordered, as if to illustrate the superior prowess of the Confed 
 erate soldiery, that in this battle the positions of the combatants 
 in July, 1861, were almost precisely reversed. The ground held 
 by Jackson in the second battle, was that held by McDowell in 
 the first; and the ground from which the Confederates drove 
 Pope, at nightfall, the 30th of August, was that from which 
 McDowell could not drive them, on the 21st of July; while the 
 preponderance of numbers was still upon the Federal side. 
 
 The blunders of Pope in this short campaign, which were 
 almost as numerous as it was possible to make them, are an 
 instructive study to the commanders of armies. First, it was 
 little short of lunacy to adopt, in Culpepper, a line of operations 
 along the Orange Railroad, and even west of it, which was paral 
 lel to the Rapid Ann the temporary base of the Confederates 
 in the presence of such masters of the art of war as Lee and 
 Jackson. Instead of extending his right so far toward Madison, 
 with the preposterous design of turning Gordonsville, upon the 
 west, he should have directed the head of his column toward the 
 lower course of the Rapid Ann, and perpendicular to it. He 
 would thus have covered his own line of advance ; and, if he suc 
 ceeded in crossing that river, would have uncovered the commu 
 nications of his adversary, which would then have been by the 
 Central Railroad. Nothing but the delay of Lee s reserves in 
 reaching Raccoon Ford, saved Pope here from a disaster far 
 worse than that of Manassa s. Second : after retiring across the 
 Rappahannock, which was a measure dictated by so stringent 
 a necessity that a fool could not err therein, he repeated the 
 old, but seductive folly, of attempting to hold a river as a defen 
 sive line, by extending his whole force along its immediate bank, 
 to watch and resist the passage of his opponent. Although a 
 
EEMARKS. 539 
 
 river is, to some extent, a barrier to the assailant attempting to 
 cross it in the face of a force defending it ; yet, if the latter con 
 signs itself to the stationary defensive along its banks, the other is 
 always enabled thereby to baffle his vigilance at some one point ; 
 or to mass at a single spot a preponderance of force, which will 
 more than compensate him for the resistance of the natural 
 obstruction, and break its way over it. Then the barrier, broken 
 at one point, becomes useless, and must be forsaken at all. Such 
 was the result here ; the stream was passed above Pope s right, 
 before he was in condition to prevent it. His next mistake was 
 in the singular inefficiency of his cavalry, which seems to have 
 been more busy in harrying the hen-roosts of the citizens, than 
 in ascertaining whither the swift-footed Jackson was bent, when 
 he disappeared to the northwest from his position before War- 
 renton Springs. Thus Pope was left in a shameful ignorance, 
 even after his communications were cut at Bristoe Station, 
 whether it was done by a serious force, or by an audacious 
 incursion of horse. But on the evening of the 2 7th, at least, ho 
 was taught, in a bloody lesson by Ewell, that he had a formida 
 ble foe in his rear. The plainest deduction might have convinced 
 him, that such a General as Lee would not have placed such a 
 body of infantry and artillery, as he saw grimly confronting him 
 across Broad Run at the close of that combat, so far from its 
 base, without powerful supports. 
 
 . From that moment the goal of safety for Pope should have^J 
 been Centreville ; and he should have lost no time in concentrat 
 ing his whole army by forced marches, to strike the formidable 
 obstruction from his rear, and secure his retreat thither. There 
 he would have been front to front with his adversary once more, 
 and within reach of the support of M Clellan, by whose aid he 
 might have advanced again, and quickly resumed his lost ground. 
 But although it is but one march from Warrenton, where his 
 
540 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 headquarters were, to Manassa s, two and a half precious days 
 were wasted, between the 26th, when Jackson struck Bristoe, 
 J and the 29th, when Longstreet reached his right; and neither 
 was Jackson crushed, nor Thoroughfare Gap effectually held, nor 
 the army safely transferred to Centreville. At mid-day, on the 
 29th, the arrival of Longstreet rendered his fortunes difficult 
 enough ; but, as though he were intent to make them desperate, 
 when his left was incommoded by the appearance of Longstreet s 
 column behind it, instead of retiring squarely from his antago 
 nists, keeping his right upon Bull Run, until his left met the 
 support of the approaching column of Fitz-John Porter, from 
 Aquia, he weakly sought to disengage his left, by manoeuvring to 
 his right, and again confining his onset to the lines of Jackson. 
 These were skilfully retracted, to lead him into the trap ; and 
 the result was, that on the third and decisive day, he was com 
 pelled to fight with the stream in his immediate rear, and with 
 his whole army inclosed within the limits of the fatal fourcliette. 
 The Confederates might well pray that such leaders should ever 
 command the armies of their enemies. 
 
 This chapter will be closed with a characteristic letter from 
 General Jackson to his wife. 
 
 " SEPTEMBEB 1st, 1862. 
 
 " We were engaged with the enemy at and near Manassa s 
 Junction Tuesday and Wednesday, and again near the battle-field 
 of Manassa s on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ; in all of which 
 God was with us, and gave us the victory. All Glory be to His 
 holy name ! May He ever be with us, is my earnest prayer, and 
 we ever be His devoted people. It greatly encourages me to feel 
 that so many of God s people are praying for that part of our 
 forces under my command. The Lord has answered their 
 prayers ; and my trust is in Him, that He will still continue to do 
 
EMINENCE OF HIS CHRISTIAN CHARACTER. 541 
 
 so. God, in His providence, has again placed us across Bull 
 Run ; and I pray that He will make our arms entirely successful, 
 and that the glory will be given to His holy name, and none of 
 it to man. 
 
 " God has blessed and preserved me through His great 
 mercy. " 
 
 Thus his soul dwelt habitually upon the plain and familiar 
 promises of Gospel blessings, with a simplicity of faith like that 
 of the little child. He did not entertain his mind with theological 
 refinements and pretended profundities or novelties ; but fed it 
 with those known truths which are the common nourishment of 
 all God s people, wise and simple, and which are, therefore, the 
 greatest truths of redemption. The eminence of his Christian 
 character was not in that he affected to see doctrines unknown 
 or recondite to others ; but in this : that he embraced the doc 
 trines common to all, with a faith so entire and prevalent. This 
 character of his religion often suggested to those less spiritually 
 minded than himself the opinion, that his was a common-place 
 understanding. They forgot that it is by receiving the kingdom 
 of God as a little child that we must enter therein. When they 
 met Jackson in council or in action, in his own profession, they 
 soon learned their mistake, and recognized in him the original 
 force and power of true greatness. 
 
542 LIFE OF LTEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 THE CAMPAIGN IN MARYLAND. 
 
 THE Confederates had abundant reason to be satisfied with 
 the results of the summer s operations. With an aggregate of 
 about eighty thousand men in all Virginia, they had rescued the 
 State from the grasp of M Clellan, with his two hundred and 
 twenty-three thousand. No invaders now polluted its soil, save 
 at the fortified posts along the coast, where they were protected 
 by their overwhelming naval forces, at Alexandria, and at Har 
 per s Ferry, and Martinsburg in the Great Valley. The power 
 ful expedition of Burnside had been recalled from North 
 Carolina, leaving no fruits of its exertions in the hands of his 
 Government, except the occupation of a few feeble places. The 
 " grand army " had been reduced by battle, desertions, captures, 
 and sickness, from its huge proportions, so that M CleUan was 
 now able to set in the field only ninety thousand men, by con 
 centrating all those parts which had lately outnumbered and 
 oppressed the Confederates, from the extreme west of Maryland 
 to the capes of the Carolinian coast. The grateful people of 
 the South might well exclaim with Jackson, in view of so grand 
 a deliverance : " Behold ! what hath God wrought !" 
 
 General Lee now determined to pursue his advantages by 
 invading the country of his enemy in turn, and thus giving such 
 occupation to him as would secure to Virginia, during the 
 remainder of the season, a respite from the cruel devastations it 
 
POLICY OF INVASION OP MARYLAND. 543 
 
 had so long suffered. The temper of the South demanded it, 
 swelling with the grief of its mighty wrongs, and hungering for 
 righteous retribution. Wise policy dictated that the soil of 
 Virginia should, if possible, be relieved of the burden of the 
 invading and the patriot armies, which it had so long borne, 
 and that their ravages should be retorted upon the aggressor. 
 Maryland, it was known, had succumbed reluctantly to his yoke, 
 and the hope was entertained that the presence of the southern 
 army would inspirit its people to attempt something in aid of 
 their own liberation : or that, at least, the well-grounded fears 
 of the despot lest their discontent should endanger his Capital, 
 would detain so large a force to defend it and to hold them 
 prostrate, that his army in the field might be defeated upon their 
 own soil, and a successful incursion might carry a wholesome 
 terror into the heart of Pennsylvania. The two veteran divi 
 sions of E. H. Anderson and D. H. Hill had now overtaken the 
 main army, diminished indeed by the losses of the peninsular 
 campaign, but in excellent condition. Indeed, the former of 
 these had reached Manassa s plains on the 30th of August, 
 early enough to support Longstreet s centre, in its decisive ad 
 vance against Pope. The fragments of his army, reinforced 
 by M Clellan, were now ensconced within their lines near Alex 
 andria, under the skilful direction of the latter General; and to 
 attack them there would be attended with too prodigal a waste of 
 patriot blood. General Lee therefore determined to turn aside 
 and promptly cross the Potomac. But notwithstanding the ac 
 cessions he had just received, he was made conscious, in the 
 very attempt, of that cruel disparity of means and numbers, 
 which robbed the Confederates of the larger part of the fruits of 
 their heroism. The invasion of Maryland, he well knew, would 
 stimulate that recruiting of the depleted armies of the enemy, 
 which their population made so easy j while he could expect no 
 
544 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 material increase of his force. They would operate along great 
 railroads, and sustain their troops with a lavish supply of trans 
 portation; stores, and ammunition, from their vast depots just at 
 hand. He had now left his railroad communication far behind, 
 and must provide for the wants of his army with scanty trains of 
 wagons j while ordnance, clothing, and shoes were deficient, and 
 impossible to obtain in adequate quantities. No generals, there 
 fore, ever adopted a bolder project than that of Lee and Jack 
 son, or executed it with greater promptitude. The battle of Ox 
 Hill ended at nightfall, September 1st, amidst thunder, tempest, 
 and a deluge of rain. On the 2nd the last remains of the beaten 
 Federals were whipped in under the shelter of their ramparts. 
 On the 3rd the Confederate army was upon the march for the 
 fords of the Potomac ! 
 
 The invasion determined on, two places offered themselves 
 to General Lee for penetrating into Maryland. If he removed 
 his army directly across the Blue Ridge to the Lower Valley, he 
 could easily brush away the force which occupied Martinsburg ; 
 when the valley of central Pennsylvania would lie open before him, 
 and his own line of communication could be established with the 
 Central Virginia Railroad at Staunton, along that still abundant 
 country. Or else, he might cross the Potomac between the 
 Federal fortifications and the Blue Ridge, and entering the mid 
 dle regions of Maryland, proceed as the movements of the 
 enemy should indicate. He adopted the latter plan. His pur 
 pose was, first to draw the Federal t army from the Virginian 
 bank by violently threatening their Capital and Baltimore, from 
 the other side, so that his field hospitals at Manassa s Plains, 
 his own communications toward Orange, and the important work 
 of removing his prisoners, wounded and spoils, from the scene of 
 his late triumphs, might be relieved from their incursions for a 
 season. He also hoped, that when the head of his great column 
 
HE CROSSES THE POTOMAC. 545 
 
 began to insinuate itself between Washington and Harper s 
 Ferry, the Federal detachment at the latter place would act upon 
 the obvious dictate of the military art, evacuate that place to 
 him without a struggle, and retire into communication with their 
 friends ; thus clearing his left of that annoyance. His purpose 
 was then to move toward Western Maryland and Central Penn 
 sylvania, establish his communications with the valley of Virginia, 
 and drawing the Federalists afar from their base at Washington, 
 fight them beyond the mountains. He therefore put the army in 
 motion, September the 3rd, with the cavalry of Stuart and the 
 fresh division of D. H. Hill in front, followed by the corps of 
 Jackson, which still formed the body of the advanced force. He 
 marched to Drainsville that day, and to Leesburg, the county- 
 seat of Loudoun, the 4th of September. On the 5th, the corps 
 passed the Potomac, at White s Ford, near Edwards Ferry, a 
 few miles distant, just below the scene of the bloody repulse of 
 Ball s bluff, and established themselves upon the soil of Maryland 
 without opposition. At this place the great river spreads itself 
 out to the width of more than half a mile, over a pebbly and 
 level bed ; and its floods, reduced in volume by the summer 
 heats, were but two or three feet deep. The infantry, and 
 even the cannoneers passed, by wading through the water. All 
 day long the column poured across, belting the shining river with 
 a thin, dark line ; and as the feet of the men were planted upon 
 the northern bank, they uttered their enthusiasm in hearty cheers. 
 Many a gallant man, who now touched that soil, was destined to 
 sleep, till the last day, within it, in a stranger s grave. The first 
 care of the Confederates, after gaining the northern bank, was 
 to interrupt the navigation of the canal effectually, by destroying 
 its locks, and opening the embankments, so that the waters 
 escaped and left its bed dry. Jackson then advanced northward, 
 and on the 6th of September occupied the Baltimore and Ohio 
 
 69 
 
546 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Bailroad, and the flourishing town of Frederick. The arrival of 
 the Confederates in Maryland awakened in a part of the popu 
 lation a faint glow of enthusiasm. A committee of citizens met 
 General Jackson with the present of a costly horse, and a few 
 hundreds of the young men enlisted in the patriot army. But the 
 opinions of the people in the upper regions of the State were 
 divided, and the major part merely acquiesced in the occupation 
 of the country, with a truckling caution. General Jackson 
 employed the most stringent measures against straggling, and 
 every outrage ; and established in the town a police so strict, that 
 its citizens were almost unconscious of the inconveniences of hos 
 tile occupation. Two appearances were now manifest in strong 
 contrast, which have not failed to re-appear at every return of 
 the Confederate army to the northern soil ; on their part a gen 
 erous forbearance and respect for private rights, almost incredible 
 in men who had left their own homes desolated by outrages so 
 diabolical j and on the part of the so called Union population, 
 a disgusting brutality, which declared itself incompetent even to 
 comprehend their magnanimity, by imputing it uniformly to 
 fear. 
 
 All direct communication between Washington and Harper s 
 Ferry was now severed. The first effect which General Lee 
 hoped from his movement was immediately gained. M Clellan, 
 who was placed by the verbal request of Lincoln, in supreme 
 command, began at once to withdraw his troops to the north 
 bank of the Potomac ; and the Confederate rear was delivered 
 from all serious annoyance, save the insults of flying parties of 
 cavalry. The other consequence, the evacuation of Harper s 
 Ferry and Martinsburg, would also have followed, if the sound 
 discretion of M Clellan had prevailed. No sooner had he fully 
 discovered General Lee s drift, than he requested of Ilalleck 
 that the troops there and at Harper s Ferry, useless and in 
 
GENERAL HALLECK ALARMED. 547 
 
 peril where they were, should be withdrawn and brought into 
 connexion with him. His advice was disregarded; and the speedy 
 capture of both those detachments evinced at once the soundness 
 of his counsel and the soundness of General Lee s expectation, 
 that his advance on Frederick ought naturally to result in the 
 peaceable occupation of Harper s Ferry by the Confederates. 
 The blunder of the Federalists in remaining there, did, indeed, 
 exert an unforeseen and indirect influence in favor of their 
 army, as will appear in the sequel; but, as it was one which 
 was not designed by either Halleck or M Clellan, it does 
 not acquit the former of these Generals from the charge of an 
 error of judgment. This commander was now seized with a 
 panic for the safety of Washington, which obfuscated his own 
 senses, and obstructed, for a time, every effort of M Clellan to 
 act with vigor against the invaders. He was haunted with the 
 fear that the march into Maryland was a feint, that only a 
 small detachment was there, while the bulk of their army was 
 somehow hidden away in some llmbus in the woods of Fairfax, 
 whence the terrible Jackson would suddenly emerge, seize the 
 lines of Arlington while denuded of their defenders, and thunder 
 with his cannon upon the White House. Again, he imagined that 
 he would suddenly recross the Potomac somewhere in the moun 
 tains, march down its southern bank, pass it a third time below 
 M Clellan s army, and, approaching Washington by its north side, 
 capture the place, with the precious persons of the President 
 and his minions, before the latter General could turn about. A 
 few days after, when he heard that Jackson was indeed passing 
 to the south side of the Potomac at Williamsport, a hundred 
 miles away, he was sure that the catastrophe was at hand. 
 Hence, he detained M Clellan in his march j he entreated him 
 not to proceed fax from the Capital ; he warned him to look well 
 to his endangered left. These fancies of the Generalissimo are 
 
548 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of interest only as showing the conviction of Jackson s enemies, 
 that there was nothing which was not within reach of his rapid 
 audacity, and as evincing how happily his prowess confounded 
 their counsels. 
 
 These uncertain and dilatory movements of the enemy gave 
 General Jackson a respite from the 6th to the 10th of September, 
 at Frederick, which he improved in resting and refitting his 
 command. The day after his arrival was the Sabbath. Such 
 was the order and discipline of the invading army, that all the 
 churches were opened, and the people attended their worship, 
 with their wives and children, as in profound peace. Jackson 
 himself appeared in the German Keformed Church, as a devout 
 worshipper. He expressed to his wife his lively delight in par 
 ticipating in the divine service again, after so many weeks of 
 privation, with a regular Christian assembly, and in a commo 
 dious temple, consecrated to God. 
 
 Meantime his cavalry, under the gallant Colonel Munford, 
 with some supporting force, observed the approaches of the ene 
 my on the side of Washington. This officer, who had just dis 
 tinguished himself on the plains of Manassa s in the most brilliant 
 cavalry charge of the war, skirmished daily with the enemy s 
 advance ; and, as their masses began to press more heavily upon 
 him, fell back toward Frederick. The whole Confederate army 
 had arrived there, and was encamped near the town. General 
 Lee now assembled his leading Generals in council, to devise a 
 plan of operations for the approaching shock of arms. Harper s 
 Ferry had not been evacuated, as he hoped. His first design, of 
 withdrawing his army in a body toward Western Maryland, for 
 the purpose of threatening Pennsylvania, and fighting M Clellan 
 upon ground of his own selection, was now beset with this diffi 
 culty : that its execution would leave the garrison at Harper s 
 Ferry to re-open their communications with their friends, to 
 
GENERAL LEE S PLAN OF MAECH. 549 
 
 receive an accession of strength, and to sit upon his flank, 
 threatening his new line of supply up the valley of Virginia. 
 Two other plans remained : the one was to leave Harper s Ferry 
 to itself for the present, to concentrate the whole army in a good 
 position, and fight M Clellan as he advanced. The other was to 
 withdraw the army west of the mountains, as at first designed, 
 but by different routes, embracing the reduction of Harper s 
 Ferry by a rapid combination in this movement ; and then to 
 re-assemble the whole at some favorable position in that region, 
 for the decisive struggle with M Clellan. The former was advo 
 cated by Jackson ; he feared lest the other system of movements 
 should prove too complex for realizing that punctual and com 
 plete concentration which sound policy required. The latter, 
 being preferred by the Commander-in-Chief was adopted.- It 
 would be unjust to point to its partial results as proof of supe 
 rior sagacity in Jackson, for the impartial reader would remem 
 ber that the plan of his preference was never tried ; and, if it 
 had been, the test of experiment might have shown that it also 
 was only capable of imperfect success. It should be added that 
 the execution of the plan which was actually adopted was 
 marred, in some measure, by the untimely disclosure of it to the 
 enemy. Either project was bold, and its execution would have 
 been delicate and hazardous. The purposes of General Lee 
 cannot be so clearly set forth in any way as by the order which 
 unfolded them to his Lieutenants, issued at Frederick, Septem 
 ber 9th: 
 
 "The army will resume its march to-morrow, taking the 
 Hagerstown road. General Jackson s command will form the 
 advance, and, after passing Middletown with such portion as he 
 may select, will take the route toward Sharpsburg, cross the 
 Potomac at the most convenient point, and by Friday night take 
 possession of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, capture such of 
 
550 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the enemy as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may 
 attempt to escape from Harper s Ferry. 
 
 " General Longstreet s command will pursue the same road as 
 far as Boonesborough, where it will halt with the reserve, supply, 
 and baggage trains of the army. 
 
 " General M Laws, with his own division, and that of General 
 R. H. Anderson, will follow General Longstreet ; on reaching 
 Middletown he will take the route to Harper s Ferry, and by 
 Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights, and 
 endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper s Ferry and its 
 vicinity. 
 
 " General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the 
 object in which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at 
 Cheek s Ford, ascend its right bank to Lovettsville, take posses 
 sion of Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning; 
 Key s Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the 
 mountain and the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as 
 practicable, co-operate with General M Laws and General Jack 
 son in intercepting the retreat of the enemy. 
 
 " General D. H. Hill s division will form the rear-guard of the 
 army, pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve 
 artillery, ordnance, and supply-trains, &c., will precede General 
 Hill. 
 
 " General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accom 
 pany the commands of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and 
 M Laws ; and with the main body of the cavalry will cover the 
 route of the army, and bring up all stragglers that may have 
 been left behind. 
 
 " The commands of Generals Jackson, M Laws, and Walker, 
 after accomplishing the objects for which they have been de 
 tached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough 
 or Hagerstown." 
 
ORDER OF MARCH. 551 
 
 It will be seen that the advance was again committed to Gen 
 eral Jackson, together with the task of making the Ipnger circuit, 
 and reducing Harper s Ferry. On the morning of Wednesday, 
 September 10th, he set out, and marched across the mountains to 
 Boonsborough. The next day, leaving Hagerstown on his right, 
 General Jackson marched to Williamsport ; and crossing the 
 Potomac at that place, re-entered Virginia a full day s march 
 west of Harper s Ferry. Then, dividing his forces, he sent Gen 
 eral A. P. Hill on the direct road to Martinsburg j while he, with 
 the other two divisions, moved to the North Mountain Depot, the 
 nearest station west of that town. The object of these move 
 ments was to prevent the garrison of Martinsburg from escaping 
 by the west or north. Their commander, Brigadier- General 
 White, finding no other outlet, deserted the place on the 
 approach of the Confederates, and retired to Harper s Ferry. 
 They entered Martinsburg on the morning of the 12th of Sep 
 tember, and found many valuable stores abandoned by the 
 enemy. By the patriotic part of the population of this oppressed 
 town General Jackson was received with an uncontrollable out 
 burst of enthusiasm. He was now in his own military district 
 again, his beloved Valley; and he appeared among the aston 
 ished and delighted people almost as a visitor from the skies. 
 The females, especially, to whom his purity and domestic virtues 
 made him as dear as his lofty chivalry, crowded around him with 
 their affectionate greetings ; while the foremost besieged him for 
 some little souvenir. Blushing with embarrassment, he said: 
 " Really, ladies, this is the first time I was ever surrounded by 
 the enemy j" and disengaged himself from them. Allotting 
 scanty time to the indulgence of this popular emotion, he pressed 
 forward the same day toward Harper s Ferry, and approached 
 it from the west at eleven o clock on the morning of the 13th. 
 His two partners in the enterprise, Generals M Laws and 
 
552 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Walker, had not yet arrived ; and it is striking evidence of his 
 celerity, that .while they had but the distance of a day s march to 
 traverse, he completed a circuit of more than sixty miles, and 
 arrived first. Placing his signal officer upon a conspicuous 
 eminence, he began immediately to question the neighboring 
 heights of Loudoun and Maryland, but received no response. 
 He then sent by couriers; and, during the night of the 13th, 
 received answer that General M Laws had succeeded in seizing 
 the Maryland Heights, after a spirited and successful combat, 
 about four and a half o clock, P. M., while General Walker had 
 the same evening occupied the Loudoun Heights with two regi 
 ments, without opposition. 
 
 The village of Harper s Ferry has already been described, as 
 occupying the angle between the Potomac and Shenandoah, 
 where these two rivers unite, immediately before their passage 
 through the gorge of the Blue Ridge. The town ascends, in a 
 rambling fashion, a ridge which fills the space between the two 
 rivers, and which is itself almost a mountain. This range of 
 highlands, known as Bolivar Heights, upon its reverse, presents 
 a regular acclivity, looking toward the southwest over the open 
 country of the valley, which extends from the Shenandoah to the 
 Potomac. The former stream separates them from the Loudoun 
 Heights, and across the latter, they are confronted by the Mary 
 land Heights. Along the crest of Bolivar Heights the Federal 
 ists had constructed a defensive line of earthworks, with heavy 
 abattis, and many batteries of artillery. On the morning of 
 September 14th, General Jackson placed himself in communica 
 tion with his associates, and taking the chief direction as senior 
 officer, proceeded to dispose everything for the capture of the 
 place, with its entire garrison. Brigadier-General Walker car 
 ried four rifled cannon to the crest of Loudoun Heights, supported 
 by a portion of his infantry ; while with the remainder he guarded 
 
ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CAPTURE OF HARPER S FERRY. 553 
 
 the roads by which the enemy might seek to escape eastward. 
 Major-General M Laws established himself in Pleasant Valley, a 
 mountain vale embraced between the main crest of the Blue Ridge, 
 and a subsidiary range parallel to it on the west, known as Elk 
 Ridge. It is the southern promontory of this, which, immediately 
 overlooking the river and village, is known as Maryland Heights. 
 After seizing this commanding position, as has been related, he 
 devoted the night of the 13th and the forenoon of the 14th, to 
 constructing a r-^ad along the crest of Elk Ridge, by which can 
 non could be carried out upon its southern extremity. By two 
 o clock P. M. four pieces of artillery were established there, 
 with great labor, overlooking the whole town, and a part of the 
 enemy s works on Bolivar Heights. The remainder of General 
 M Laws force was employed in watching the outlets from Har 
 per s Ferry down the Potomac, where the main road, the rail 
 road and the caaal, passed under the mountain s foot, and to 
 guarding his reai against the approach of the heavy force of 
 M-Clellan ; who sought to raise the siege by pressing him from 
 the north. But while the guns of M Laws and Walker upon 
 the mouniains now rendered the town untenable to the Federal 
 ists, they could not dislodge them from their main line upon 
 Bolivar Heights ; and here, it was plain, they would cling, in the 
 hope of being relieved by M Clellan, until the place was actually 
 forced. So that the main struggle, after all, fell to the corps of 
 General Jackson. He directed the division of Hill toward the 
 Shenandoah, and that of Taliaferro, under Brigadier- General J. 
 R. Jones, to the banks of the Potomac. The division of Ewell, 
 under Brigadier-General Lawton, marched upon the Charlestown 
 turnpike, and supported Hill. On the 14th General Jackson, 
 observing an eminence upon the extreme right of the enemy s 
 line, and next the Potomac, occupied only by horsemen, directed 
 the Stonewall Brigade, under Colonel Grigsby, to seize it. This 
 
 70 
 
554 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 was done without much difficulty; and the hill was at once 
 crowned by the batteries of Poague and Carpenter. On his 
 right, a similar operation, of still greater importance, was hap 
 pily effected by General A. P. Hill. Perceiving an elevated 
 piece of ground, (whence the Federal position along Bolivar 
 Heights could be enfiladed at the distance of only a thousand 
 yards,) which seemed to be defended by infantry behind a 
 heavy abattis without artillery, Hill sent three brigades under 
 General Pender, to storm it. This was effected in most gallant 
 style, and with slight loss. During the night Major Walker, 
 director of his artillery, by indefatigable exertions, carried sev 
 eral batteries to the position thus won ; while the remainder of 
 the infantry of the division, availing themselves of the darkness, 
 .and the precipitous ravines which descend to the Shenandoah, 
 insinuated themselves down its left bank, and took post in rear 
 of the enemy s left. By these dispositions, the fate of the garri 
 son was sealed. But General Jackson, to make sure of his 
 work, also directed his chief of artillery, Colonel Crutchfield, to 
 pass eleven pieces of artillery from Swell s division across the 
 Shenandoah, and establish them upon its right bank, so as to 
 take a part of the Federal line in reverse. To the division of 
 Ewell was assigned the front attack, in the centre. 
 
 This arrangement of the Confederate forces has been de 
 scribed in its completeness, because there is no more beautiful 
 instance in the whole history of the military art, of a grand 
 combination absolutely complete and punctual, irrevocably de 
 ciding the struggle before it was begun, and yielding a perfect 
 result, which left nothing more to be desired. In the afternoon 
 of the 14th, the guns of M Laws and Walker, upon the two 
 mountains, had given the enemy a foretaste of their overthrow, 
 by silencing their batteries nearer the Potomac, and searching 
 the whole encampment and barracks with their shells at will. 
 
THE PLACE SURRENDERS. 555 
 
 But Jackson was now ready also; and at dawn on the 15th he 
 proceeded to give to his adversary the coup de grace. He 
 ordered all the different batteries to open at once. M Laws and 
 Walker plunged their shot among the Federal masses from the 
 heights; Poague and Carpenter scourged their right with a 
 resistless fire ; Lawton advanced to the attack with artillery and 
 infantry in front ; and the enfilading batteries of General Hill 
 and Colonel Crutchfield swept their men from the ramparts by a 
 storm of projectiles. After an hour of furious cannonading, all 
 the Federal batteries were silenced. General Jackson had di 
 rected that at this. signal, Hill should instantly advance, and 
 storm the place upoa the right. His brigades were just moving, 
 the gallant Ponder again in front, supported by two advanced 
 batteries, when amidst the surges of smoke, a white flag was seen 
 waving from a prominent height within the town. Hill arrested 
 the tempest of battle at once ; and sending an officer to ascertain 
 tLo purpose of the enemy to surrender, soon after entered the 
 town, and received the submission of its commander. The sen 
 ior officer present, Colonel Miles, had just fallen by a mortal 
 wound ; Brigadier-General White, the next in command, surren 
 dered at discretion, with a garrison of eleven thousand men, 
 seventy-three pieces of artillery, thirteen thousand stand of small 
 arms, a great number of wagons and horses, and a vast accumu 
 lation of stores of every description. When General Hill 
 entered the place, all was confusion and panic, and the defenders 
 had already lost every appearance of subordination. 
 
 General Jackson granted most liberal terms to the prisoners, 
 although they had placed themselves at his will. The officers 
 were dismissed with their side-arms and personal effects, upon 
 their parole ; and wagons, with horses, lent them to remove ^heir 
 baggage to the Federal lines. The privates also, were disarmed, 
 and released upon parole. The force of General Lee was too 
 
556 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 small to permit; at this critical hour, the detachment of men to 
 conduct them into the interior. This magnificent capture con 
 firmed the judgment of General Joseph E. Johnston, who decided 
 in 1861 that Harper s Ferry was an untenable position for a 
 garrison menaced by a large army. The only resource for the 
 Federal commander, when he saw his enemies approaching, was 
 a retreat to the Maryland Heights. These commanded the 
 Loudoun Heights, as they, in turn, commanded the village. He 
 should have retreated thither at the beginning with his light 
 artillery, destroyed his stores, and broken up the bridges be 
 tween himself and Harper s Ferry. That place would have 
 then been as untenable to Jackson as it had been to him, and he 
 would have speedily restored communication between himself 
 and M Clellan, who was approaching from the north, 
 
 The surrender of Harper s Ferry was received at 9 o clock 
 A.M., the 15th of September. General Jackson, assigning to Hill 
 the receiving of the captured persons and property, immediately 
 resumed his march to rejoin General Lee at Sharpsburg with 
 his two remaining divisions. By a toilsome night march, he 
 reached that place on the morning of Tuesday, September 16th. 
 He also ordered M Laws and Walker to descend, pass through 
 Harper s Ferry, and follow him. The Commander-in-Chief was 
 now demanding their presence with urgency. To understand its 
 cause, other lines of events must be resumed. 
 
 On the 12th of September, the advance of M Clellan s grand 
 army having discovered that all the Confederates had left Fred 
 erick, ventured to enter the place. The next day, a copy of 
 General Lee s order, directing the movements of his whole army, 
 which had been unfortunately dropped in the town, was discov 
 ered* and sent to the Federal General. Satisfied at once of its 
 authenticity, he perceived that he now -had the clew for which he 
 had been groping so cautiously, and determined to disregard the 
 
M CLELLAN S MOVEMENTS. 557 
 
 groundless fears of the despotism at Washington, and to press 
 the Confederates, henceforward, with vigor. He saw correctly 
 that celerity of movement might now make him master of the 
 situation, and adopted a plan of operations dictated by the 
 highest skill. This was to push his great army westward as 
 rapidly as possible by several parallel routes so near together 
 as to render a concentration on either rapid and easy ; to feel 
 all the passes across the mountain which were held by Lee, and 
 as soon as he effected an entrance at any, to collect his whole 
 force beyond that barrier between the Confederates near Har 
 per s Ferry and the other wing, supposed to be tending toward 
 Hagerstown ; to crush the former first, delivering the beleaguered 
 garrison, and then turn upon the latter. That all this was not 
 effected, was due to the surprising promptitude with which 
 Jackson reduced Harper s Ferry, and to the heroic tenacity of 
 M Laws and D. H. Hill in holding the Pleasant Valley and Boons- 
 borough Gap against him, until the Confederate army could be 
 concentrated. On the 14th, the Federal left wing, in great 
 force, under General Franklin, forced Crampton s Gap, by which 
 M-Laws had approached Harper s Ferry. But when they 
 passed the first crest of the mountain, they found M Laws, with 
 a strong rear-guard, drawn up across the Pleasant Yalley with 
 so bold a front, that they feared both .to attack him and to 
 expose their flank by proceeding farther west. Here Franklin 
 lost a day invaluable to. his commander, by pausing to con 
 front M Laws until the fall of Harper s Ferry on the 15th 
 opened to the latter a safe exit, by which he retired toward the 
 appointed rendezvous. On the 14th of September, also, the 
 remainder of the Federal army, moving from Frederick by the 
 main road toward Boonsbororough hurled its vast masses all day 
 against D. H. Hill, in the mountain pass in front of that place. 
 This determined soldier held his ground with less than five 
 
558 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 thousand men, when General Longstreet coming to his support 
 in the afternoon, sustained the onset until nightfall. They then 
 withdrew their divisions toward Sharpsburg, under favor of the 
 darkness, and arrived at that position on the 15th ; . while their 
 enemies pursued sluggishly, bravely resisted by the cavalry of 
 FitzHugh Lee. In the combat of Boonsborough Gap, M Clellan, 
 with that usual exaggeration of the numbers of his enemy to 
 which his timid temperament inclined him, placed the force of 
 D. H. Hill at fifteen thousand, and that of Longstreet at as many 
 more. A large portion of his army arrived in front of the Con 
 federate position at Sharpsburg on the same day with them, 
 and he might have immediately attacked with the prospect of 
 overwhelming the three divisions opposed to him. But the 
 absence of Franklin with his whole left wing, which was detained 
 in Pleasant Valley by M Laws, the cumbrous size of his vast 
 and sluggish host, and his own caution, consumed both that day 
 and the 16th. Then, two divisions of the corps of Jackson and 
 that of General Walker were in position, and the hope of beat 
 ing the Southern army in detail was at an end. 
 
 The position selected by General Lee for his final concen 
 tration is marked by the little village of Sharpsburg, a cluster 
 of German farm-houses, which had spent its quiet existence 
 amidst the hills and woods, dreaming little of the fame which 
 was to connect its name forever with the greatest battle of this 
 gigantic campaign. It is situated at the intersection of six roads, 
 two and a half miles east of the Potomac, and one mile west of 
 Antietam Creek, a picturesque mill-stream, which descends from 
 the north, and separates between the rolling hills of the great 
 valley, and the long, sloping ridges which form the western bases 
 of the Blue Ridge, or South Mountain. The roads which centre 
 at the village lead southward to Harper s Ferry, northward to 
 Hagerstown, westward to Shepherdstown, upon the Virginian 
 
CONFEDERATE POSITIONS AT SHARP3BURG. 
 
 559 
 
 WALKER S DIV. 
 LONGSTREET S. 
 D. H. HILL S. 
 LAWTON S. 
 JONES S. 
 EARLY S BRIG. 
 HOOD S DIV. 
 M LAW S . 
 A. P. HILL S. 
 TOOMBS BRIG. 
 STUART S CAV. 
 
 , 3-4 Inch to a Mile. 
 
 CONFEDERATE POSITIONS AT SHARPSBUKG. 
 
560 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 shore of the Potomac, eastward to Boonsborough, and southeast* 
 ward to Pleasant Valley. It was by the last two that M Clellan s 
 army approached ; and these highways passed the Antietam upon 
 substantial bridges of stone; while other practicable crossings, 
 above and below, were offered by fords and country roads of 
 less note. The country around Sharpsburg is elevated and 
 rolling, with woods, fields, farm-houses, and orchards interspersed, 
 divided by stone fences, and scarred here and there with ledges 
 of limestone which project a few feet from the soil. It offered, 
 therefore, a strong defensive position for an army receiving the 
 attack of its enemies; but the ground lay under two grave 
 objections, of which the one was, that this army had the Potomac 
 in its immediate rear, and the other, that its lines were almost 
 enfiladed by the heavy rifled artillery of the assailants, posted 
 upon the ascending ridges which rose from the eastern margin 
 of the Antietam toward the mountain. Here, however, General 
 Lee began the formation of his line of battle, on the 15th of 
 September, by placing the divisions of D. H. Hill, Longstreet 
 and Hood upon the range of hills in front of Sharpsburg, and 
 overlooking Antietam Creek. His line was nearly parallel to 
 this stream, and had Longstreet upon the right and Hill upon 
 the left of the road which led to Boonsborough : while Hood s two 
 brigades, stationed upon the left of Hill, extended that wing to 
 the highway leading to Hagerstown. The evening of that day 
 was expended by the Federalists in feeble reconnaissances. But 
 on the morning of the 16th they were evidently busy in posting 
 their batteries, and disposing their vast masses for a pitched 
 battle. At mid-day General Jackson arrived, with the two 
 divisions under the command of Brigadier- Generals Jones and 
 Lawton, and, after granting his men a few hours repose, took 
 position on the left of Hood, nearly filling the space between the 
 Hagerstown road and the Potomac. To rest his extreme left in 
 
PLAN OF M CLELLAN S BATTLE. 5G1 
 
 the neighborhood of the river, he was compelled to retract it 
 somewhat from the direct line. This exposed him to two incon 
 veniences, that his position was thereby more completely enfi- 
 laded by hostile batteries in front of Ins right, and that space was 
 thus left between him and the Antietam for the collecting of a 
 heavy force of the Federalists before his left, and on the hither 
 side of that barrier. But no other choice was left him ; the vast 
 numbers of M Clellan would otherwise have enabled that General 
 to swing around between his extreme left and the river. Gen 
 eral Walker, arriving with his two brigades a little after Jackson, 
 was posted on the right of Longstreet. After spending the day 
 in a heavy but useless cannonade, M Clellan advanced to the 
 assault about sunset on the 16th and attacked the two brigades 
 of Hood, on the left of the centre, in great numbers. These 
 veteran commands received the onset with firmness, and inflicted 
 serious loss upon the assailants. The combat continued far into 
 the night, and was suspended without result ; when Hood s troops 
 were relieved by the brigades of Trimble and Lawton, from the 
 division of Ewell (now commanded by Lawton), that they might 
 have a much needed respite during the night, to prepare food 
 and replenish their ammunition. The two divisions of Jackson 
 now occupied the whole left, from that of D. H. Hill forth, and 
 the command of Hood became the reserve. Thus the troops 
 lay down upon their arms, with the skirmishers immediately 
 confronting the lines of the enemy, and sought such repose as 
 they might, amidst the alarms of a continual dropping fire. 
 
 The morning of the 17th of September dawned with all the 
 mellow splendor of the American autumn j but scarcely had the 
 sun arisen, when its quiet and beauty were obscured by the 
 thunders and smoke of a terrific cannonade, which burst from 
 the whole Federal line. The plan of M-Clellan s battle was, to 
 advance his right first, under the lead of Generals Hooker and 
 71 
 
562 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Mansfield, who had already made a lodgement west oi the An- 
 tietam, to overpower the Confederate left, and then to sweep 
 down the stream, taking the remainder of General Lee s line in 
 reverse, and forcing it simultaneously by a front attack. To 
 effect the -first part of this design, he hurled against the left the 
 corps of Hooker,. Mansfield, and Sumner, containing, by his own 
 statement, forty-four thousand combatants, and supported by five 
 or six batteries of rifled artillery from his reserves, besides the 
 numerous guns attached directly to their movements. But 
 so far was this force from proving adequate to his purpose, he 
 relates that the corps of Franklin, then numbering twelve thou 
 sand men, was necessarily brought up as a reserve, and a part 
 of it engaged, to prevent the Confederates from retorting his 
 assault upon their left by a serious disaster. Thus, the post of 
 danger and of glory again fell to the devoted corps of Jackson. 
 The divisions present were now diminished by battle, straggling, 
 and overpowering fatigues, to an aggregate of less than seven 
 thousand men. With this little band, supported by five thou 
 sand reserves under Hood and M Laws, of whom the latter only 
 arrived from Harper s Ferry in the crisis of the battle, did 
 Jackson hold his ground throughout the day, and breast every 
 onset of the deluge of enemies. His dispositions have already 
 been described in part. The brigades of Lawton and Trimble 
 were between the Hagerstown road and the command of D. II. 
 Hill. On the left of these, and parallel to that road, was the 
 division of Jones. The brigades of Early and Hayes were at 
 first detached to support the horse artillery of General Stuart, 
 who, with a portion of his cavalry, had seized an elevated hill 
 distant nearly a mile from the infantry, whence he proposed to 
 threaten the extreme right of the Federalists. Hays was imme 
 diately recalled from this movement to the support of Lawton s 
 brigade, leaving Early to guard the batteries of Stuart. This 
 
JACKSON S STUBBORN RESISTANCE. 5G3 
 
 General; finding that the wide interval between him and General 
 Jackson s left allowed the intrusion of the enemy, almost imme 
 diately removed his guns to a height somewhat farther to the 
 rear, and nearer to his friends. From this position he rendered 
 essential service, not only in guarding their flank, but in repuls 
 ing the onsets of the Federalists, by a spirited cannonade. But 
 the advance of their infantry had begun simultaneously with the 
 furious fire of their batteries, and, by sunrise, the skirmishers 
 were hotly engaged in the woods east of the Hagerstown road. 
 Very soon the Confederates were driven out, and the position 
 was occupied by large masses of Federal infantry, with several 
 batteries of artillery, . which assailed the Confederate line in 
 front, while the rifled guns in the distance raked them with a 
 murderous fire from their right. But under this double ordeal, 
 the veterans of Jackson stood firm, and returned the fire, inflict 
 ing a terrible slaughter upon their enemies. For more than an 
 hour this unequal contest raged with unabated fury. The 
 brigade of Hayes was speedily called from the second line into 
 the first. General Lawton, commanding the division, was se 
 verely wounded. Colonel Douglass, leading his brigade, was 
 killed. Colonel Walker, commanding Trimble s brigade, was 
 wounded and unhorsed. General J. R. Jones, commanding the 
 old division of Jackson, was compelled to leave the field, and the 
 gallant General Starke, succeeding him, was immediately slain. 
 Trimble s brigade had one-third, and the others half their men 
 kors du combat ; and four out of five of their field officers were 
 killed or wounded. The whole line was speedily reduced to a 
 shattered remnant, which still fought with invincible tenacity, 
 from hillock to hillock, and ledge to ledge, as they retired. It 
 was in this terrific crisis that General Jackson commanded Hood 
 to return to the front and relieve the division of Lawton, and 
 recalled Early with his brigade, to assume the command vacated 
 
564 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 by the wounding of the latter. With his accustomed prowess 
 the heroic Texan rushed forward against the teeming multitudes 
 of the enemy, and stayed the tide of battle. His two little 
 brigades engaged five times their own numbers ; and in a deadly 
 grapple, of several hours duration, drove them steadily back a 
 quarter of a mile, and re-established the Confederate lines. 
 After firing away all his cartridges, he caused his men to re 
 plenish their supply from the slain of both armies, and still main 
 tained the struggle, until the Federalists, about mid-day, remitted 
 their exertions. 
 
 But General Early brought other succors to the failing line at 
 the same time with Hood. Marching his brigade by its right flank 
 over sheltered ground in the rear of the Confederate lines, he 
 brought it, at the moment when the division of Starke was 
 almost overpowered, to their assistance. They had been driven 
 from the Hagerstown road, across an elevated field, and into a 
 wood beyond, where the dauntless Colonels Grigsby and Staf 
 ford were endeavoring to rally a few score of their brigades. 
 The Federalists had already posted, a battery in the road ; and, 
 thinking the left successfully turned, were advancing heavy 
 columns of infantry against both the right and the left of the 
 ground which Early had just assumed. Informing General Jack 
 son of his critical position, he assigned to Colonel Grigsby the 
 task of holding the left column in check for a few moments, and 
 moved his own brigade farther to the right, so as to confront the 
 other, concealed from them by the undulations of the ground. 
 Having gained the desired position, he suddenly disclosed his 
 line, advanced, and attacked them with fury. They gave way 
 before him, and he pursued them with great slaughter to the road. 
 At this opportune moment the brigades of General M Laws began 
 to arrive to his support, Kershaw and Barksdale upon his right, 
 and Semmes upon his left. The Federal column, threatening 
 
M LAWS ARRIVES ENEMY REPULSED. 565 
 
 thai part of his line had just come far enough to endanger 
 his left flank and rear, as he advanced against the routed enemy 
 in his front. Early therefore arrested his men in the ardor of 
 their pursuit, changed his front, and advanced upon this second 
 body of enemies, in conjunction with Semmes, Grigsby, and Staf 
 ford. By this combined attack they were swept summarily, with 
 great loss, from the woods, and the lines were finally restored. 
 At the same time, the other brigades of M Laws were advanced 
 on Early s right with admirable skill and spirit, by their com 
 mander ; and drove the enemy across the woods and fields for 
 half a mile, strewing the ground with killed and wounded. The 
 whole of General Jackson s line was then re-established by the 
 united troops of Hood, M Laws, and Early ; and the conflict of 
 the infantry sunk into a desultory skirmish of outposts. But the 
 baffled Federalists kept up, during the remainder of the day, a 
 furious cannonade upon his position, under which his men lay 
 quiet behind the hillocks, rocky ledges, and fences, suffering but 
 little loss. The share of his wearied troops in the glories of the 
 day was now completed. In the afternoon, indeed, instructed by 
 the Commander-in-Chief, he made an attempt to effect a diver 
 sion in favor of his comrades upon the right and centre, by 
 attacking the extreme right of the Federalists in conjunction 
 with General Stuart. But their lines were found to extend so 
 near the Potomac, and to be so fortified with artillery, that the 
 experiment was relinquished. During this terrible conflict Gen 
 eral Jackson exposed his life with his customary imperturbable 
 bravery, riding among his batteries and directing their fire, and 
 communicating his own indomitable spirit to his men. Yet he 
 said to a Christian comrade, that on no day of battle had he ever 
 felt so calm an assurance that he should be preserved from all 
 personal harm, through the protection of his Heavenly Father. 
 While M Clellan was accumulating his chief strength against 
 
566 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON-. 
 
 the Confederate left, he was also diligently preparing for an 
 attack in force upon the centre, by feeling its lines with a heavy 
 artillery fire. No sooner had the tempest exhausted its fury 
 upon Jackson, than it burst upon D. H. Hill and Longstreet, with 
 almost equal violence ; but it was met with the same determined 
 resistance. To describe its course would lead the reader over 
 a precisely parallel story of fourfold numbers, resisted by the 
 thin Confederate lines, with a sublime heroism which supplied 
 every defect of force ; of the lamentable martyrdom of devoted 
 officers and men, but avenged by bloody slaughters of the assail 
 ants ; of shattered brigades reduced to handfuls, and of fearful 
 onslaughts, turned back by the rally of these unconquerable men, 
 when the effort seemed almost madness. At one moment, he 
 would see vast masses of the enemy pouring through a breach in 
 the single line of Hill, and about to seize the very key of the Con 
 federate position, arrested and turned back by that General with 
 four field-pieces, and a few hundreds of bayonets, rallied from 
 several broken brigades. . At another, he would see Longstreet, 
 sitting alone upon his horse, near a battery of four field-pieces, 
 which was supported by the North Carolina regiment of Cooke. 
 without a single cartridge, and thus confronting and beating back 
 a whole line of battle. 
 
 At four o clock in the afternoon, M Clellan transferred his 
 attack to the Confederate right, and attempted with the corps of 
 Burnside, to force the bridge over the Antietam, leading from 
 the Pleasant Yalley. This was immediately defended by several 
 batteries, and two regiments of General Toombs s Georgia bri 
 gade, stationed near the stream. These troops held the enemy s 
 advance in check until they had passed the stream in great num 
 bers below; when they were necessarily withdrawn, to avoid 
 capture. Burnside now crossed the bridge in great force, and 
 attacked Longstreet s right, under General D. R. Jones, forcing 
 
A. P. HILL REPULSES THE FEDERAL LEFT. 567 
 
 him from the range of hills which commanded the approaches. 
 An advance of a few hundred yards more would have given the 
 enemy control of the roads leading from Sharpsburg to the 
 Potomac ; but here also through the providence of the Com- 
 mander-in- Chief, timely succor was at hand. The remaining- 
 division of General Jackson s corps, under General A. P. Hill, 
 having been ordered up from Harper s Ferry, had just reached 
 the field, and was now sent to the support of the right wing. 
 This General, advancing four of his brigades, with his batteries, 
 attacked the Federalists, flushed with confidence, but disordered 
 by the rapidity of their advance, and immediately arrested their 
 career. Assailed in flank by Toombs, and in front by Branch, 
 Gregg and Archer, they wavered, broke, and fled in confusion to 
 the banks of the Antietam, where they sought protection under 
 the fire of the numerous artillery upon the opposite hills. In 
 this splendid combat, two thousand men of Hill s division, 
 assisted by the brigade of Toombs, routed the fourteen thousand 
 of "Burnside, and drove them under the shelter of M Clellan s 
 reserves. 
 
 The General was now compelled to pass from the aggressive 
 to the defensive, and was happy to be able to prevent the Con 
 federates from crossing the bridge in turn, forcing back his left, 
 and separating him from the mountain base which he destined 
 for his refuge in case of disaster. To the anxious appeals of 
 Burnside for more men, and more guns, to meet " the overpow 
 ering odds " against him, he had no reply to give. Contenting 
 themselves with posting their beaten infantry, and their artillery 
 so as to contest the passage of Hill, they awaited the night, 
 which speedily came to their assistance. With this affair, the 
 bloody day was closed. The two armies held the same positions 
 which they occupied when it began, save that in the centre, the 
 Confederate line was retracted about two hundred vards. In. 
 
568 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEBAL JACKSON. 
 
 no battle of the war had the shock of arms been so violent as 
 in this, Qr the cannonade so terrible. On both sides, portions of 
 the forces engaged were almost totally disintegrated by the fury 
 of the struggle. The whole organized remainder of brigades 
 appeared in the form of a few companies, and divisions were 
 reduced to the size of regiments. 
 
 The exhaustion of the Confederates forbade the thought of 
 following up their successes. But had they been stronger, the 
 adroit position of M Clellan gave them little encouragement to 
 attempt it. He was able to place the Antietam in his front, and 
 to occupy upon the eastern side, ground of commanding height. 
 Had he been forced back from this, he would have retired to 
 ranges of hills still more elevated, whence his numerous and 
 powerful artillery would have been employed with still more 
 fatal effect; and had he been defeated, this would only have 
 driven him to the mountain, where he would have been unassail 
 able. But on the morning after the battle, General Lee firmly 
 awaited another attack in his first position. His army had been 
 recruited already, by the return of thousands of the foot-sore 
 and the stragglers to their ranks, and he was nothing loth to try 
 conclusions again, upon the same ground, with his gigantic adver 
 sary. M Clellan had no stomach whatever for another wrestle 
 of the sort he had just escaped; and thus, during the 18th, the 
 two adversaries stood at bay, and busied themselves in burying 
 their dead, and removing their wounded. In the afternoon, 
 General Lee, learning that M Clellan was about to receive large 
 accessions of fresh troops, and having no corresponding increase 
 of his own strength in prospect, determined to recross the Poto 
 mac at Shepherdstown. As soon as the darkness set in, this 
 ^movement was commenced, and was continued all night. The 
 trains, the artillery, the wounded, were passed safely over j while 
 the troops forded the shallow stream in a continuous column. 
 
LEE ? S AIM IN THE BATTLE OF SHARfSBURG. 569 
 
 Nothing was left to the enemy, except a few hundred wounded men, 
 whose sufferings would have been aggravated by their removal, 
 and a few disabled guns and caissons. The corps of General 
 Jackson now brought up the rear; and its passage was not 
 completed until 10 o clock A. M. on the 19th. For hours, he 
 was seen seated upon his horse in the middle of the river, as 
 motionless as a statue, watching the passage of his faithful men ; 
 nor did he leave this station until the last man and the last car 
 riage had touched the southern shore. He then retired with his 
 troops ; and having made suitable dispositions for guarding the 
 fords, sought encampments for them, where they might find the 
 much needed repose. 
 
 When M Clellan perceived that the Confederates had retired 
 he began to claim the battle of Sharpsburg as a glorious victory. 
 He forgot that at Malvern Hill he had also claimed a splendid 
 victory because he was permitted to do something similar to that 
 which General Lee had now done, except that it was less suc 
 cessful. There he had stood on the defensive in the position of 
 his choice ; he had beaten off the assailants with a loss equal to 
 his own ; he had held his ground, in the main, until the close of 
 the battle ; and he had then stolen off in the darkness, leav 
 ing his enemy to bury his dead, and to care for many of his 
 wounded. Here General Lee had received the attacks of 
 his foe in his chosen position; had repelled them all with 
 enormous slaughter; had slept upon his own ground; had 
 sent his wounded to the rear; had buried his dead, save 
 where the impetuosity of his victorious men had carried them 
 into the enemy s line; had offered battle defiantly on the 
 succeeding day ; and, after this, had retired at his leisure, and 
 unmolested. If Malvern Hill was a victory for M Clellan, by 
 parity of reasoning, Sharpsburg was more a victory for Lee. 
 But the Confederates did not claim it as a decisive victory, 
 72 
 
570 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 for it did not gain them the main object for which it was fought. 
 It has been said that this object was gained, for it was the whole 
 end of the battle to win a safe exit out of Maryland, after the 
 brilliant capture of Harper s Ferry. This statement is incorrect. 
 The evening of the day on which Harper s Ferry fell, more than 
 half of the army was safely out of Maryland, the corps of Jack 
 son, and the divisions of M Laws, Anderson, and Walker j it was 
 necessary for them to re-enter Maryland, in order to fight at 
 Sharpsburg. Nor is it true that their return was necessary to 
 extricate the remaining divisions of Longstreet, D. II. Hill, and 
 Jones. These crossed the Antietam to Sharpsburg with impunity, 
 in the face of M Clellan s huge host, during the forenoon of 
 September 15th, and the onset upon them did not begin in ear 
 nest until the dawn of the 17th. Surely the same skill and 
 firmness might have conducted them in safety four miles farther, 
 across the Potomac to Shepherdstown. The battle of Sharps 
 burg was fought by the Confederates, not to purchase a secure 
 retreat, but to open their way for triumphant invasion ; to re 
 deem their offers of aid to oppressed Maryland ; to conquer a 
 peace by defeating their oppressors upon their own soil. This 
 truth displays at once the daring and hardihood of General 
 Lee s conceptions, and his confidence in the prowess of his 
 army. He believed them capable of everything, and so was 
 not afraid to require of them the greatest things. 
 
 In the daring policy of delivering this battle, General Jackson 
 had emphatically concurred with him upon his arrival from Har 
 per s Ferry in advance of his corps. When the Commander-in- 
 Chief determined to withdraw across the Potomac again, he also 
 approved this movement ; but added that, in view of all the cir 
 cumstances, it was better to have fought the battle in Maryland, 
 than to have left it without a struggle. In the larger part of 
 this admirable army, it may be truly said, his confidence was 
 
HIS ARMY REDUCED BY STRAGGLING. 571 
 
 justly reposed ; but in this instance, he exacted of them that of 
 which human nature was scarcely capable. The marches and 
 combats which introduced the great day of Sharpsburg, ex 
 hausted the strength of the men in advance. Many were absent 
 because they were unable to march with deficient rations, and ill- 
 shod ; and many others, who had faithfully dragged their weary 
 limbs to the field, had neither strength of muscle nor animal spirits 
 for its duties. This army, jaded, foot-sore, and half famished, 
 was sustained under the toils of the bloody day, only by its lofty 
 principle, and its devotion to its leaders. To their adversaries, 
 even, they appeared wan and haggard, albeit they were as terri 
 ble as hungry wolves. Men among them were seen, while 
 advancing to the charge through orchards of the G-erman farmers, 
 under a hail of death, greedily devouring the apples from the 
 trees. 
 
 Here, then, was one explanation of the imperfection of Gen 
 eral Lee s victory. Another, more important, was in the miser 
 able vice of straggling, which the mistaken good nature of officers 
 had fostered. For in this army, so heroic as a body, there were 
 two elements commingled, the precious metal and the vile 
 dross, the true, patriot, citizen soldier, animated by a high 
 principle, and the base skulker, who did nothing, save under 
 compulsion. The great vice of the Southern armies was on this 
 occasion prevalent : that the ignorance of the practical details 
 of duty among officers, with the easy bonhonunie of their charac 
 ter, remitted the bonds of discipline ; so that the base were not 
 compelled to act with the true, as one body. The losses of the 
 army from straggling had begun upon the Rappahannock. When 
 it moved thence against Pope, at Manassa s, the country behind 
 it was left infested with thousands of laggards and deserters, 
 who preyed upon the substance of the citizens, and wandered 
 about, with arms in their hands, defying arrest. At every stage 
 
572 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of the march this depletion increased; until, at the final struggle, 
 there were fewer Confederate soldiers in line of battle, along 
 the Antietam, than there were along the course of the Potomac, 
 and the roads over which the army had marched. General Lee 
 declares that the battle was fought with less than forty thousand 
 men. The confusion reigning in many parts of the army make 
 an accurate enumeration forever impossible. But the highest 
 estimate made by well-informed actors in the scene gave him 
 thirty-three thousand effective men. General M Clellan declares 
 officially, that Lee s line of battle was exeedingly short. All 
 who fought in it testified that it was also exceedingly thin. In 
 contrast with this sober revelation of facts, the confident estimates 
 of the Federal General are set in a ridiculous light, when he 
 formally announces, to a man, the exact number present in each 
 of the Confederate corps, and makes up an aggregate of ninety- 
 seven thousand four hundred and forty-five combatants, opposed 
 to him on the Antietam. The fact that the Confederates defended 
 themselves successfully against the ninety thousand men whom 
 he hurled against them, supported by the most numerous and 
 complete artillery ever arrayed on a field of battle, is a testimony 
 to the heroism of the men and the skill of the officers, almost 
 inexpressibly glorious. The commendation of Jackson is best 
 written by his adversary, when he says, in his Report, " One 
 division of Sumner s, and all of Hooker s corps, on the right, had, 
 after fighting most valiantly for several hours, been overpowered 
 by numbers, driven back in great disorder, and much scattered." 
 Those numbers, so overpowering, were, as the reader has seen, 
 less than seven thousand jaded men, supported by a few hundreds 
 of reserves from M Laws. That the Confederates accomplished 
 so much with their fragment of an army, is the best apology for the 
 daring policy of their commander. Had all his men been in their 
 places, and had they fought as the thirty-three thousand fought, 
 
THE ODDS AGAINST LEE. 573 
 
 it is ho idle vaticination to say, that the battle of Sharpsburg 
 would have been a magnificent and decisive triumph. The 
 apprehensions which M Clellan confessed as possessing his breast 
 after its close (September ISth), shall express its probable re 
 sults. "At that moment, Virginia lost, Washington menaced, 
 Maryland invaded, the national cause could aiford no risks of 
 defeat. One battle lost, and almost all would have been lost. 
 Lee s army might then have marched, as it pleased, on Washing 
 ton. Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New York. It could have levied 
 its supplies from a fertile and undevastated country, extorted 
 tribute from wealthy and populous cities; and nowhere east 
 of the Alleghanies was . there another organized force able to 
 arrest its march." 
 
 But it will be well to pause here, and answer a question which 
 has doubless been frequently raised in the reader s mind, by the 
 astonishing discrepancies between the confident estimates made 
 by M-Clellan of his adversary s numbers and the sober statements 
 of the Confederate reports. The doubt has arisen, " Can it be, 
 that a General of M Clellan s acknowledged skill should be so 
 incapable of measuring the size of the force acting before him, 
 or that an official occupying so high a position among a civilized 
 people can be so capable of deliberate lying concerning matters 
 of fact ? " The answer is to be found chiefly in the traits of his 
 people. Their general vanity and falsehood prompted his offi 
 cers and men, when beaten by the Confederates, to cover their 
 own cowardice under wondrous tales of the overpowering num 
 bers before which they gave way. Thus, M Clellan, who, it was 
 well known, was not accustomed to risk his person by too near 
 an inspection of the incidents of battle, was perpetually made 
 the victim of a system of lies and exaggerations, passed upon 
 him by his subordinates, to cloak their own cowardice. It is to 
 precisely this source that the most of his military blunders are 
 
574 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 traceable. And this is one among the manifold illustrations ol 
 the intrinsic weakness of sin. Virtue is always the stronger in 
 the end. 
 
 To return. Another cause of imperfect success to the Con 
 federate arms, was the too great dispersion of their forces 
 before the battle. The fact that so much was effected with the 
 portion present on the morning of the 17th, shows how complete 
 the victory might have been, had all the divisions been on the 
 ground, and suitably refreshed by rest and food. The prize at 
 Harper s Ferry, left within General Lee s grasp., not by the fore 
 cast, but by the folly of the enemy, yet proved the occasion of 
 their rescue from destruction. The splendid bait was seized ; 
 but it caused Jackson to arrive wearied and depleted by forced 
 marches, and it detained the divisions of A. P. Hill, M Laws, and 
 Anderson, and then placed them at the scene of combat with 
 exhausted strength, after it had been raging for hours. Had 
 those forces been present at the beginning, which arrived during 
 the day, a concerted onset would have converted the repulse of 
 M Clellan into a disastrous defeat. 
 
 The cause of the Confederates suffered also from, indiscreet 
 management of their artillery in some parts of the field. Inferior 
 in number and range of guns, in the quantity and quality of 
 ammunition, and in the experience of the gunners, it should not 
 have attempted to cope with the distant Federal batteries. To 
 them it should have made no reply : but, protecting itself from 
 their fire until the auspicious moment, it should have confined 
 itself to driving back- their masses of infantry, when they ven 
 tured to expose themselves at close quarters. 
 
 The prime error of M Clellan in this campaign was his mis 
 take concerning the numbers of his opponent j for out of this his 
 other errors grew. Of these, not the least wa s his timid delay 
 in pressing General Lee at Sharpsburg, and M Laws at Pleasant 
 
RESPECTIVE LOSSES. 575 
 
 Valley, on the 15th and 16th. He had then attained that oppor 
 tunity to deal with the parts of the invading army separated, for 
 which he represented himself as manoeuvring: a great captain 
 would have used the precious advantage while it lasted, by hurl 
 ing his troops at once, with such imperfect preparation as they 
 might have, against their foes. His handling of his forces on the 
 1 7th was also faulty in two important particulars. His attacks 
 upon the Confederate left, centre, and right, were successive, 
 instead of simultaneous. The one movement was decided 
 adversely before the next was seriously begun, and the wings 
 of his army consequently gave each other little mutual support. 
 And second : it was an inexcusable error to permit the day to 
 be decided against him, with fifteen thousand reserves of veteran 
 troops lying passive behind the Antietarn. For all useful pur 
 poses, the corps of Fitz-John Porter might as well have been in 
 Washington City. It may be right for the. General who is very 
 distant from his supplies and reinforcements, to husband his 
 reserves, even at the cost of surrendering a victory ; but M Clel- 
 lan was very near to his, having two or three fresh divisions 
 within a few hours march. It appears, therefore, that the faults 
 of his tactics here were again those of over-caution. His best 
 apology is to be found in the indomitable quality of the troops 
 opposed to him. 
 
 It remains to speak of the losses of the two parties to this 
 sanguinary battle. General Jackson reported a total loss in his 
 command, during the operations at Harper s Ferry and Sharps- 
 burg, of three hundred and fifty-one officers and men killed, two 
 thousand and thirty wounded, and fifty-seven missing. Nearly 
 all of this loss was incurred at the latter place. The loss of the 
 whole Confederate army, while in Maryland, was ten thousand 
 three hundred, killed and wounded, of whom one thousand five 
 hundred and sixty-seven were killed. The confusions of the 
 
576 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 campaign left no means to discriminate between those lost at 
 Boonsborough and Crampton s Gaps, at Harper s Ferry, and in 
 the final struggle. General M Clellan asserts that the losses of 
 the Confederates in killed and wounded, at the two places first 
 named, were as great as two thousand five hundred. If this is 
 true, then the casualties of the Confederates at Sharpsburg were 
 under eight thousand. He sets down the aggregate of his own 
 losses during the Maryland campaign at about fifteen thousand 
 two hundred men, of whom two thousand were killed and 
 wounded in the preliminary skirmishes and combats. He thus 
 leaves thirteen thousand as his loss in the battle of Sharpsburg. 
 His own blunders, in the indiscreet attempts he so often made 
 to estimate the casualties of his adversary, are a lesson of cau 
 tion against a too dogmatic attempt to correct this statement. 
 It will therefore be left, with the accompanying fact, that the 
 hospital returns of the medical authorities of his Government 
 showed an increase of thirty thousand patients, from his com 
 mand, as consequent upon the operations of this short campaign. 
 The close of this series of events was marked by one more 
 combat, which shed a parting beam of glory upon the military 
 genius of General Jackson, and the bravery of a part of his 
 troops. After crossing the Potomac upon the 19th of September, 
 he withdrew his corps four miles, upon the road toward Martins- 
 burg, and caused them to encamp. Brigadier- General Pendleton,. 
 the chief of the reserved artillery of General Lee s army, was 
 stationed with thirty guns upon the heights overlooking the 
 river, supported by the shattered remnant of Lawton s brigade, 
 to guard it against the passage of the enemy in pursuit. These 
 arrangements had not long been made, when the Federalists 
 began to establish heavy batteries of artillery upon the opposite 
 heights, to protect the advance of their troops to the attack ; and 
 Mtz-John Porter s corps, which had been held in reserve at 
 
COMBAT OF BOTELER S FORD. 577 
 
 Sharpsburg, appeared on the river-bank. This General, after 
 nightfall, sent a detachment across a point above the batteries of 
 Pendleton : which, advancing unobserved, came so near the base 
 of the heights upon which he was posted, as to be protected from 
 an effectual cannonade ; while the infantry, discouraged by their 
 previous losses, and the absence of their accustomed commander, 
 were seized with panic, and fled. The thirty guns of Pendleton 
 were now exposed to capture, and four of them fell at once into 
 the hands of the Federalists; while the captains of the other 
 batteries withdrew the 1 remainder, to rescue them from a similar 
 fate. At midnight General Pendleton came to the camps of the 
 army, to report these alarming facts ; and added to them, what 
 he then supposed to be true, that all his guns had met the fate 
 of the four first taken. 
 
 "Lee had already made provision against a pursuit of M Clel- 
 lan, although deeming him probably too much crippled at 
 Sharpsburg to venture immediately into Virginia, by entrusting 
 the defence of his rear to General Jackson, and by sending 
 General Stuart with his cavalry back across the river at Wil- 
 lianisport, to threaten the enemy s right flank and harass his 
 movements. But now, concluding from the report of General 
 Pendleton, that the Federal army might be attempting to follow 
 him, he sent at once to General Jackson, directing him to pre 
 pare for assailing them, and informing him of his purpose to 
 support the attack, if necessary, with his whole army. But 
 General Jackson, to whom Pendleton had made the same report, 
 as to the General commanding the approaches next the enemy, 
 did not tarry for further prompting. He had already risen, and 
 gone toward Boteler s Ford, a crossing a little below the posi 
 tion just lost by Pendleton, and had ordered the division of A. 
 P. Hill, that of Early, (who was now t?*e successor of Lawton,) 
 and that of D. II. Hill, (which had the day before been perma- 
 73 
 
678 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 nently assigned to his corps,} to follow him thither immediately. 
 Meantime General Lee had sent orders to General Longstreet to 
 countermarch his corps and rejoin him, that he might proceed 
 with him to the support of Jackson. The messengers sent to 
 place the latter in communication with the Commandcr-in- Chief, 
 with difficulty found him, in advance of all his troops, without, 
 escort, examining the posture of the enemy s force, while the 
 division of A. P. Hill was rapidly advancing to the front." 
 
 On the north bank of the Potomac were planted seventy 
 pieces of heavy artillery, while under their protection, a consid 
 erable force of infantry had passed to the southern side, and 
 were drawn up in line upon the high banks next the river. 
 Under the direction of General Jackson, Hill formed his gallant 
 division in two lines, and advanced to the attack, regardless of 
 the terrific storm of projectiles from the batteries beyond the 
 river. The enemy attempted for a time to resist him, by bear 
 ing heavily against his left ; but his second line, marching by the 
 left flank, disclosed itself from behind the first, and advanced to 
 its support ; when the two charging simultaneously, and converg 
 ing toward the mass of the Federalists, swept them down the 
 hill, and drove them into the river. Now occurred a scene of 
 carnage, in which the bloodiest spirit of revenge might have 
 Bated itself for all the losses suffered at the hands of the enemy. 
 The troops of Hill rushed down the declivity regardless of the 
 plunging shot and shell of the opposing batteries, hurled their 
 adversaries by hundreds into the water, and as they endeavored 
 to struggle across, picked them off with unerring aim. The sur 
 face of the broad river was black with the corpses of the foe, 
 and few of the luckless column ever reached the northern bank. 
 This was one of those rare opportunities, which victory some 
 times gives to her favorites, to repay themselves in one trium 
 phant hour for all the sufferings and injuries of a campaign ; 
 
M CLELLAN S NOTICE OF IT. 579 
 
 and well did the veterans of Hill employ the precious season. 
 When the last of the intruders was destroyed or escaped, they 
 withdrew a short distance, and guarded the ford for the 
 remainder of the day ; but M Clellan had learned a lesson which 
 inspired due regard for the Confederate rear, and henceforth 
 kept a respectful distance. When a second messenger from 
 General Lee arrived, to seek for General Jackson, he found him 
 watching the repulse of the enemy. His only remark was : 
 " With the blessing of Providence, they will soon be driven 
 back." In this combat, General A. P. Hill did not employ a 
 single piece of artillery^ but relied upon the musket and bayonet 
 alone. Early was at hand with his division to support him ; but 
 no occasion arose for his assistance. The whole loss of the 
 Confederates was thirty killed, and two hundred and thirty-one 
 wounded. The Federalists admitted a loss of three thousand 
 killed and drowned, and two hundred prisoners ; and one large 
 brigade was nearly extinguished by the disaster. 
 
 General M Clellan, in his narrative of his war, only notices 
 the combat of Boteler s Ford as a reconnaissance of secondary 
 importance, which he despatches in a few lines. But it does not 
 admit of question, that it was the beginning of a General 
 advance against General Lee. Commanders do not make mere 
 reconnaissances with seventy pieces of heavy artillery, laboriously 
 posted upon difficult heights. General M Clellan declared him 
 self under the most urgent pressure from Washington, not to 
 allow the "Rebels," whom he had described to his masters as a 
 herd of fugitives discomfited by his mighty arm, to escape with 
 out destruction. He was commanded to follow stroke with 
 stroke, until they were consumed from off the face of the earth. 
 He found it necessary to make a formal argument, to show that 
 he was not blameworthy for postponing their destruction later 
 than the morning of September 18th. He declared that all his 
 
580 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 dispositions were made to fight a general action on the 19th, 
 and that nothing prevented it, save the retreat of General Lee 
 during the night. The reader who duly weighs these things will 
 hardly believe but that the advance of the 20th, at Boteler s 
 Ford, was the commencement of that general assault, intended 
 for the previous day. 
 
 This truth is necessary to enable him to apprehend the value 
 of the service now rendered to his country by the military 
 genius of Jackson. The Confederate army, wearied by almost 
 superhuman exertions; reduced by battle and straggling; de 
 prived of its known leaders, by the wounding or death of the 
 larger number of the gallant field officers present ; and disheart 
 ened by its terrible sufferings, was in no condition to fight 
 another pitched battle. General Jackson appreciated these 
 facts, and hence felt the urgent necessity of avoiding a general 
 action by a prompt resistance to the initial movements of the 
 Federalists. When he had decided this, he showed equal judg 
 ment in selecting the division of A. P. Hill to lead the attack- 
 Tins body of troops, arriving at Sharpsburg late in that dread 
 ful day, had taken a short and comparatively bloodless, but 
 glorious, share in its labors in repulsing the corps of the feeble 
 Burnside. Their numbers were less diminished and their spirits 
 less worn than those of any other troops in the army. To them 
 therefore, General Jackson entrusted the post of honor on this 
 morning, and well did they discharge the trust. Through 
 them, General Jackson probably saved the army on that occa 
 sion from destruction. 
 
 It is always as unwise as it is evil, to misrepresent the truth. 
 The Federalists, in their overweening vanity and arrogance, 
 claimed a victory at Sharpsburg to which they knew they were 
 riot entitled ; and filled the public ear with fictions of the discomfi 
 ture of the Confederates which they knew were exaggerated. 
 
PRICfl OF FEDERAL MISREPRESENTATIONS. 531 
 
 They thus created for themselves a moral necessity to press 
 them with boldness, and the penalty was the slaughter of Sep 
 tember 20th. The three thousand corpses floating down the 
 Potomac, or lining its banks, were the price paid by them for the 
 vain boastings of September 17th. 
 
OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER XYIII. 
 
 FREDEEICKSBURG. 
 
 A EESPITE now occurred in the storms of war, when it was 
 permitted to contemplate General Jackson and his soldiers in a 
 more peaceful and pleasing attitude. The army was withdrawn 
 a few miles, to the banks of the Opequon, a tributary of the 
 Potomac, which flows to the eastward of Winchester and Mar- 
 tinsburg, and empties into it a little above Harper s Ferry. 
 Here they encamped for a number of weeks, in the bosom of 
 the most charming regions of the lower Valley. The beauty of 
 the season surpassed even the accustomed glories of the Virgin 
 ian autumn ; and amidst days of unclouded serenity, free alike 
 from the ardors of summer, and the extremes of winter, the 
 tired soldiers recruited their strength, reposing upon the "rich 
 meadows and pastures of the Opequon. Man and beast alike 
 revelled in abundance ; for the teeming productiveness of those 
 Valley farms seemed to defy the exhaustion of war, and the 
 sweet and luxuriant greensward made the war-horse forget the 
 necessity of other provender. Here, a few days of repose 
 restored the elastic spirits of the men ; for the Southern soldier 
 is quick to forget his toils, and resume his hopes. The livouacs 
 under the golden and crimson foliage of the trees, echoed with 
 exuberant laughter and mirth; and the heroes of a score of 
 deadly fields, with the light hearts of pleased children, made a jest 
 of every trifle. Their passionate attachment to " Olfl Stonewall " 
 
THE ARMY RESTS AND RECRUITS. 583 
 
 was now at its height; and his appearance rarely failed to 
 evoke a burst of enthusiasm. As the men heard the mighty 
 cheer rolling toward them like a wave, from the distant camps, 
 they sprung to their feet, saying, " There comes old Jack," and 
 prepared to join in swelling the chorus. His heart also was 
 soothed and gladdened with the rest, and the society of the peo 
 ple of his beloved District. He was now in the Valley, for 
 which he had fought first and longest, the region of his chosen 
 home, the scenery in which he most delighted, and amidst that 
 sturdy population whose loyalty so cheered his heart. Win 
 chester, that gallant and hospitable town, was near by ; and he 
 could once more mingle there with the friends of the first year 
 of the war, and see them emancipated from the hated yoke of 
 the Federals. 
 
 But General Jackson s rest was never idleness. He was dili 
 gently improving the interval of quiet, in refitting his men with 
 shoes and clothing, in recalling the stragglers to the ranks, 
 and composing the disorders of organization, produced by the 
 arduous service of the summer. His regiments were again 
 rapidly filled up by the return of the foot-sore, the wounded, and 
 the sick, and the addition of new recruits ; and his corps was 
 enlarged to the proportions of a gallant army. On the llth of 
 October, the Government conferred on him the rank of Lieuten- 
 ant-General, Jiext to the highest military grade in its service. 
 The army of General Lee was now divided into two great corps, 
 or wings, of which the one was permanently assigned to Jackson, 
 and the other to Longstreet. Henceforth these two great sol 
 diers became as the two hands of their Commander, and served 
 him with a generous emulation and mutual respect, as honorable 
 to them as their well proved heroism. The organization of 
 General Jackson s corps, was now confirmed. It consisted of 
 four divisions, the original division commanded by him in the 
 
584 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Valley campaign, now led by Brigadier- General TVm. B. Talia- 
 ferro ; the division of Ewell, commanded by Brigadier-General 
 Early, who was soon after rewarded for his eminent services by 
 the rank of Major-General ; the division of Major-General A. P. 
 Hill; and that of Major-General D. II. Hill. To these were 
 attached numerous batteries, arranged into battalions of artillery 
 under the various division Generals, but all supervised by Colo 
 nel Crutchfield. A part of the spoils of Harper s Ferry was 
 now assigned to the most meritorious of these batteries ; ana 
 their equipment became more perfect than ever before. To the 
 famous company of Poague, of the Stonewall Brigade, especially, 
 were assigned four of the heavy rifled guns, upon the construc 
 tion of which the Federals had exhausted all their resources t)f 
 skill and wealth ; and this battery continued to hold its hardly 
 earned place as the elite body of the corps. 
 
 This pleasing leisure was also employed in a manner yet more 
 congenial to the heart of Jackson, in extraordinary labors for 
 the spiritual good of the men. Not only did the chaplains now 
 redouble their diligence in preaching, and instructing the soldiers 
 from tent to tent; but many eminent ministers availed them 
 selves of the lull in the storm of war, and of the genial weather, 
 to visit the camps, and preach the gospel as missionaries. These 
 were received by General Jackson with affectionate hospitality ; 
 and while no military duty was neglected for a moment, to make 
 way for their ministrations, his pious ingenuity found abundant 
 openings for them. It was now that the series of labors, and the 
 ingathering of precious souls began in the Confederate army, 
 which have continued ever since so extraordinary a feature of 
 its character. The most enlightened and apostolic clergymen 
 of the country, forgetting for the time the distinctions of sect, 
 joined in these meetings. Nightly, these novel and sacred scenes 
 might be witnessed, after the drill and the labors of the day 
 
RELIGIOUS REVIVAL. 585 
 
 were over. From the bosom of some moon-lit grove a hymn was 
 heard ; raised by a few voices, the signal for the service ; "and, at 
 this sound, the multitudinous noises of the camps died away, 
 while the men were seen gathering from every side, until the 
 group from which the hymn had arisen was swelled into a great 
 crowd. The man of God then arose, and began his service by 
 the light of a solitary candle, or a fire of resinous pine-wood, 
 elevated on a rude platform. While his face and the pages of 
 the holy "Word were illuminated thus, all else was in solemn 
 shadow ; and his eye could distinguish nothing of his audience, 
 save the dusky outline of the multitude seated all around, in a 
 wide circle, upon the dry leaves, or the greensward. But though 
 his eye could not mark the impress of the truth, it was drank in 
 by eager ears ; and many was the bearded cheek, which had not 
 been blanched amidst the horrors of Sharpsburg, which was now 
 wet with silent tears. At some of these meetings General Jack 
 son was a constant worshipper, seated modestly in an unnoticed 
 corner amidst the common soldiers, but setting the example of 
 the most devout attention. In his letters to his friends, he 
 related the success of the Word among his men, with ascriptions 
 of warm and adoring gratitude to God. One of these, addressed 
 to Mrs. Jackson, must suffice as an instance : 
 
 " BUNKER HILL, October 13th. 
 
 " Mr. G invited me to be present at communion in his 
 
 church yesterday, but I was prevented from enjoying the privi 
 lege. But I heard an excellent sermon from the Rev. Dr. S . 
 
 His text was I. Timothy, chap, ii: 5th and* 6th verses." ("For 
 there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the 
 man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testi 
 fied in due time.") " It was a powerful exposition of the word 
 of God. He is a great revival minister j and when he came to 
 74 
 
586 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the word l himself] he placed an emphasis on it, and gave to it, 
 
 ttirough God s blessing, a power that I never before felt 
 
 And I felt, with an intensity that I never before recollect having 
 realized, that truly the sinner who does not, under gospel priv 
 ileges, turn to God,, deserves the agonies of perdition. The Doctor 
 several times in appealing to the sinner, repeated the sixth verse 
 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 
 What more could God do than give himself a ransom ? .... He 
 is laboring in a revival in General Swell s division. Oh, it is a 
 glorious privilege to be a minister of the gospel of the Prince 
 of Peace ! There is no equal position in this world." 
 
 Such was the estimate of the worth of the minister s work, by 
 one whose fame was then filling the civilized world. It may be 
 added, once for all, that this religious reformation, which was 
 destined to be spread so widely through the army by General 
 Jackson s efforts, bore the fruits of a true work of God s grace. 
 That there was more apparent bloom than fruit, as in every 
 other ingathering which ever blessed the Church, from the Pen 
 tecostal down, is, of course, fully admitted. It is not to be 
 supposed that there were no good people engaged in it, whose 
 mistaken zeal led them to push it on by indiscreet means, and 
 no converts whose temporary warmth was due rather to the 
 gregarious sympathies of the camp ; than to the truth and Spirit. 
 But still, there was a glorious reformation in many souls to true 
 holiness, diminishing permanently the wickedness of the camps, 
 turning many finally away from their sins. It was the uniform 
 testimony of even the ungodly, that the commands most largely 
 blessed by this reform became the most efficient in the service 
 of their country ; with the best discipline, the fewest stragglers, 
 and the steadiest behavior in battle. It was the general con 
 clusion of the whole people, that the subsequent efficiency 
 
HIS SPIRITUAL JOY. 587 
 
 of the corps was promoted as much by this work of divine grace 
 as by the professional ability of General Jackson. 
 
 It was a little after the date of the letter just quoted, that one 
 of those instances arose in which he disclosed to others his spiri 
 tual emotions. The night was damp and rainy, when a brother 
 officer whom he greatly valued visited him on business. After 
 this was despatched, Jackson seemed to have a leisure unwonted 
 for him, and urged his friend to remain, and spend a short time 
 in relaxation. Although the latter did not -yet call himself a 
 Christian, indeed, he was one for whose spiritual good the Gene 
 ral was greatly concerned. The conversation was soon insensi 
 bly turned on the things of Redemption. His friend related how 
 Dr. S., the eminent minister mentioned in the last letter, 
 had been understood by him to declare, that the fear of wrath 
 did not enter at all as an element of that godly sorrow for sin, 
 which marks true repentance ; but that it was prompted solely 
 by love and gratitude. The General answered, that the doctrine 
 intended by Dr. S. had probably been misapprehended by him. 
 For his part, he supposed that, in the new-born believer, both 
 fear and love actuated his repentance. But as his assurance 
 became more clear of the Redeemer s mercy to his soul, his obe 
 dience became less servile, and more affectionate ; until, in the 
 most favored saints, perfect love cast out fear. He then declared 
 that he had been, himself, for a long time, a stranger to fear of 
 wrath 5 because he Jc?iew and was assured of the love of Christ to 
 his soul ; that he felt not the faintest dread that he should ever 
 fall under the wrath of God, although a great sinner ; because 
 he knew that it was forever reconciled by the righteousness of 
 Christ, and that love for God and Christ was now the practical 
 spring of all his penitence. Speaking thus, Jackson arose from 
 his seat, and, witli an impressive union of humility and solemn 
 elation, continued in substance thus : " Nothing earthly can mar 
 
588 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 my happiness. I know that heaven is in store for me ; and I 
 should rejoice in the prospect of going there to-morrow. Under 
 stand me : I am not sick ; I am not sad ; God has greatly blessed 
 me ; and I have as much to love here as any man, and life is very 
 bright to me. But, still, I am ready to leave it any day, without 
 trepidation or regret, for that heaven which I know awaits me, 
 through the mercy of my Heavenly Father. And I would not agree 
 
 to the slightest diminution of one shade of my glory there" 
 
 [Here he paused, as though to consider what terrestrial measure 
 
 he might best select to express the largeness of his joys] " No : 
 
 not for all the fame which I have acquired, or shall ever win in 
 this world." "With these words he sunk into his chair, and his 
 friend retired awe-struck, as though he had seen the face of an 
 angel. But he did not fail to notice the revelation made of 
 Jackson s master-passion by nature, in the object he had chosen 
 to express the value of his heavenly inheritance. It was fame ! 
 Not wealth, nor domestic joys, nor literature but well-earned 
 fame. Let the young aspirant consider also, how even this pas 
 sion, which the world calls the most honorable of all, was chas 
 tened and crucified in him by a nobler longing. 
 
 It was manifestly about the same time, that the following letter 
 was written to Mrs. Jackson. Mentioning several presents, he 
 says: 
 
 "OCT. 27. 
 
 " Our God makes me so many friends ! I mention these 
 things in order that you may see how much kindness has been 
 shown me ; and to express things for which I should be more 
 grateful, and to give you renewed cause for gratitude." .... 
 
 " Don t trouble yourself about representations that are made 
 of me. These things are earthly and transitory. There are 
 real and glorious blessings, I trust, in reserve for us, beyond this 
 
RAILROAD DESTROYED. 589 
 
 life. It is best for us to keep our eyes fixed upon the throne of 
 God, and the realities of a more glorious existence beyond the 
 verge of time. It is gratifying to be beloved, and to have our 
 conduct approved by our fellow men ; bnt this is not worthy to 
 be compared with the glory that is in reservation for us, in the 
 presence of tho glorified Redeemer. Let us endeavor to adorn 
 the doctrine of Christ our Saviour, in all things ; knowing that 
 there awaits us < a far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory. I would not relinquish the slightest diminution of that 
 glory, for all this world, and all that it can give. My prayer is, 
 that such may ever be the feeling of my heart. It appears to me 
 that it would be better for you not to have any thing written 
 about me. Let us follow the teaching of inspiration: Let 
 another praise thee, and not thyself. I appreciate the loving 
 interest that prompted the desire." 
 
 On the 1 8th of October, General Jackson removed his head 
 quarters from Bunker Hill to Martinsburg, to superintend the 
 destruction of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which was com 
 mitted to his corps. The importance of this great thoroughfare 
 between Washington and the West has been already described ; 
 and it was determined that the enemy should be as thoroughly 
 deprived of its use as possible. General Jackson now applied a 
 system of his own to dismantle it. Besides burning all bridges, 
 and breaking up all culverts, he ripped the iron nails from the 
 cross-ties, using the former as levers, collected the latter into 
 heaps two or three feet high, and laying the bars of iron across 
 the top, set fire to the whole. The heat of such log-heaps in 
 full blaze rendered the iron red-hot, and the weight of the pro 
 jecting ends warped and bent it into every imaginable shape. 
 But as though this were not enough, the soldiers, seizing the 
 great bars while heated in the middle, bent them around trees, 
 
590 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 and amused their ingenuity in reducing them to every fantastic 
 use. From the hamlet of Hedgesville, west of Martinsburg, to a 
 point near Harper s Ferry, the track was thus utterly destroyed, 
 for a distance of thirty miles; and after the work was done, 
 Jackson rode deliberately over the whole, to assure himself of 
 its completeness. 
 
 At the end of the month, the corps, moved toward the Shenan- 
 doah river and the Blue Ridge, and encamped upon the road 
 from Chaiiestown to Berryville. The purpose of this change was 
 to watch M Clellan, who had now begun to cross the Potomac 
 below Harper s Ferry. The Government at Washington had 
 indicated their discontent with the sluggish : movements of this 
 General in many ways, and had urged him to advance into Vir 
 ginia, and assail the Confederates again, before they could 
 recruit their strength. But he had contented himself with a few 
 reconnaissances of cavalry, and had refused to move until his 
 vast army received large accessions, and a new outfit of clothing 
 and equipments. At length all his requisitions were met: and 
 with a thoroughly furnished army of one hundred and forty 
 thousand men, he began to cross the Potomac from Berlin into 
 the county of Loudoun, on the 23rd of October. But so vast 
 was the apparatus of this huge host, six days were consumed in 
 transferring it to the south bank of the river. The plan which 
 its leader seemed to propose to himself was to occupy the passes 
 of the Blue Ridge between himself, and General Lee, as he pro 
 ceeded Southward, so as to protect himself from an attack in 
 flank; and by advancing toward the interior of the State, to 
 compel him to leave Maryland free from invasion, in order to 
 place himself between the Federalists and Richmond.- In its 
 first results, this strategy was successful ; the Confederate army 
 was promptly recalled from the neighborhood of the Potomac. 
 As soon as the direction of M Clellan s advance was disclosed, a 
 
CAMPAIGN AGAIN ON RAPPAHANNOCK. 591 
 
 part of General Longstreet s corps was thrown before him at 
 Upperville, and the remainder speedily followed it, and took 
 position in M Clellan s front, on the east of Blue Ridge ; while 
 the corps of General Jackson was left to guard the Valley. 
 M Clellan, after his usual cautious fashion, advanced his outposts 
 as far south as Warrenton, in Fauquier County, while his masses 
 occupied, the line of the Manassa s Gap road, and the country 
 thereabouts. On the 5th of November one of his detachments, 
 proceeding westward through Snicker s Gap, attempted to pass 
 the Shenandoah at Castleman s Ferry, in the face of two brigades 
 of A. P. Hill s division. They were chastised by him with a 
 severe repulse, and the loss of two hundred men ; and made no 
 further attempts to penetrate the Valley. 
 
 General Lee, accompanying the corps of Longstreet and 
 Stuart s cavalry, now took post at Culpepper Court House, and 
 the two adversaries again confronted each other, with the Rap- 
 pahannock, between them. M Clellan was apparently pursuing 
 the same line of operations which the unlucky Pope had found 
 so difficult. If his purpose was to follow the Orange Railroad 
 to Gordonsville, and thence turn eastward to Richmond, it was 
 beset by the grave inconveniences, that in obliquely approaching 
 the Rapid Ann by this line, he exposed his communications to a 
 fatal side-thrust ; and that, at Gordonsville, he must pass around 
 an acute angle, which must present his flank most awkwardly to 
 his adversary. If, forsaking the Orange Railroad, he marched 
 directly southeast, the vast dimensions of his army, and the 
 enormous consumption of supplies by it, would render it a diffi 
 cult problem how it was to be provisioned without other 
 transportation than wagon trains over the country roads of 
 Virginia. If M Clellan had expedients for overcoming these 
 difficulties, they remained undisclosed; for about this time 
 the political jealousies between him and his Government 
 
592 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 became so irrepressible, that ho was suddenly relieved of his 
 command, and ordered to retire into private life. His suc 
 cessor was Major-General Burnside, who seems to have been 
 commended to the authorities chiefly by the fact, that the im 
 patient public could say nothing against him, because nothing 
 was known of him. 
 
 While the Federalists were advancing into Fauquier, and 
 General Lee was confronting them in Culpepper, it was a subject 
 of anxious discussion between him and General Jackson, what 
 disposition should be now made of his corps. The latter desired 
 to remain with it in the Valley, or at least, to continue to threaten 
 the enemy s right wing by the passes of the Blue Ridge. Rea 
 soning from the axiom, that one ought never to do the thing 
 which his adversary desires him to do, he concluded that the 
 manifest wish of M Clellan to draw the Confederates away from 
 the Valley, by his threatened advance into Eastern Virginia, 
 should not be gratified. He believed that if one wing of the 
 army held fast to that country and the Blue Ridge, his advance 
 would be effectually checked ; or if it were not, his communica 
 tions would speedily be exposed to a side blow as disastrous as 
 that which he had dealt to Pope at Manassa s. Moreover, his 
 love for the country, and his knowledge of the inestimable value 
 of its teeming resources, made him reluctant to see it vacated to 
 the enemy. True, the disposition of forces which he advocated 
 seemed to give the enemy the power to place himself between the 
 two parts of the Confederate army. But Jackson s knowledge 
 of the sluggish movements of that unwieldy force, and of its lack 
 of enterprise, with his own vigilance and celerity, removed all 
 fear of being beaten in detail. The Commander-in- Chief acqui 
 esced, for a time, in his suggestions. An expedition to assail the 
 Federal right and rear was proposed ; but the lack of shoes and 
 clothing in Jackson s corps prevented its execution. And new 
 
BURNSIDE COMMANDS. HIS PLANS. 593 
 
 movements of Burnside, after a time, required the relinquishment 
 of all the plans which have been detailed. 
 
 This General, after gathering the reins of authority into his 
 hands, determined to direct his command to a new base, whence 
 to attack the Confederate capital. The route by Fredericksburg. 
 whence there ran a railroad of sixty miles length, direct to 
 Richmond, possessed at least the advantage that it had not yet 
 been signalized by any Federal disaster. Burnside determined 
 to adopt this line, making his base of supplies the landing of Acquia 
 Creek, upon the Potomac, where the Fredericksburg Railroad 
 terminated, thirteen miles north of that town. It was an impor 
 tant recommendation of this route to his jealous masters in Wash 
 ington, that by pursuing it, he kept that city covered during his 
 advance upon the rival metropolis, and composed the fears in 
 the breast of the Government which had so retarded the opera 
 tions of M Clellan on the peninsula. In truth, the reasonings 
 of the latter General in favor of the James river as the true line 
 by which to take Richmond were just. But next to that line, 
 the one selected by Burnside obviously offered the fewest diffi 
 culties. It gave him an unobstructed water-carriage for his 
 supplies, more than one-third of the way. It was the most direct 
 route between the two cities j and therefore he uncovered his 
 own line of operations least, as he advanced. It gave him, from 
 the Potomac to Richmond, a continuous line of railroad to trans 
 port the apparatus of his army. It was true, that this route 
 brought him upon the Rappahannock where its current was 
 enlarged by the accession of the Rapid Ann ; but Burnside might 
 have argued that military experience has proved a river is not 
 usually an effectual obstacle to an attacking army, and that the 
 vast resources of his Government would easily enable him to 
 overcome it. The result, moreover, justified his action,, so far as 
 the river was concerned; for he did, in, fact, experience little 
 75 
 
594. LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEBAL JACKSON. 
 
 difficulty iii the actual passage of the stream. How much influ 
 ence he may have allowed to the threatening attitude of General 
 Jackson upon the right of his position in Fauquier, cannot be 
 known; but his proposed change of base was manifestly the 
 most ready way to elude that danger. About the middle of 
 November, therefore; he began to transfer his army, by a side 
 march, down the north bank of the Rappahannock, to the heights 
 opposite Fredericksburg. He hoped to arrive there before his 
 designs were known to General Lee, to occupy the town and the 
 crossings of the river without resistance, and to commence the 
 race for Richmond in advance of the Confederates. 
 
 But the vigilance of his adversary, and" the customary heavi 
 ness of the movement of his plethoric army, disappointed his 
 hopes. On the 18th of November, General Stuart, crossing the 
 Rappahannock from Culpepper, made a thorough reconnaissance 
 as far as Warrenton, and learned with certainty that the whole 
 Federal army was moving upon Fredericksburg. When the 
 Federal General Sumner reached Falmouth, on the north side of 
 the Rappahannock, he found a force of Confederates guarding 
 the passage across it ; and before he could overpower them, the 
 divisions of M Laws and Ransom appeared. The whole remain 
 der of Longstrect s corps followed from Culpepper soon after, 
 and took up a strong position on the southern bank. 
 
 As soon as this movement of Burnside was unmasked, Gen 
 eral Lee suggested to General Jackson the propriety of his 
 leaving the Valley of Virginia, to support Longstreet. He there 
 fore complied at once, and beginning his march from Winchester, 
 November 22nd, in eight days transferred his corps with an inter 
 val of two days rest, to the vicinity of Fredericksburg. His 
 journey was through the great Valley to New Market, and thence 
 by the Columbia Bridge, Fisher s Gap and Madison Court House, 
 to Guinea s Station dipon the railroad, a few miles south of 
 
FREDERICKSBURG DESERTED. 595 
 
 Longstreet s position; where the troops arrived the 1st of 
 December. But on the 21st of November, Sumner had sum 
 moned the town to surrender, under a threat of cannonading it 
 the next day. The weather was rainy and tempestuous, and 
 only a few hours of darkness were allowed the inhabitants to 
 remove from their homes. General Lee assured the city author 
 ities that he would pledge himself not to use the place for mili 
 tary purposes j but that he could not permit the enemy to occupy 
 it. Although no garrison was within its precincts at that time, 
 to justify the outrage of a bombardment, yet the Federal Com 
 mander refused to retract his threat, and only extended to the 
 people the poor privilege of a prolongation of the time for 
 removal to forty-eight hours. Nearly the whole population of 
 the city now deserted their homes, at the beginning of winter, 
 and with an unexampled patriotism, accepted all the horrors of 
 exile, rather than submit to the yoke of the enemies of their 
 country. The bombardment was, however, deferred. 
 
 When General Jackson arrived near Fredericksburg, several 
 Federal gunboats had appeared at the village of Port Royal, 
 upon the Rappahannock, twenty miles below. As the positions 
 upon the southern bank were there less strong, it was surmised 
 that the enemy might design a landing or a crossing. General 
 Jackson was therefore directed to send the division of D. H. Hill 
 to guard that place. When he gave him this order he said to 
 him : " I am opposed to fighting here. We will whip the enemy 
 but gain no fruits of victory. I have advised the line of the 
 North Anna, but have been overruled." These words were pro 
 phetic. The objection which General Jackson stated had also 
 been maturely weighed by the C ommander-in- Chief ; but it was 
 counterpoised by other considerations, which he did not feel at 
 liberty to disregard. To adopt the North Anna as his line "of 
 defence, would have been to surrender to the occupation of the 
 
596 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 enemy, a breadth of thirty-five miles of territory. The Confed 
 erate Government was reluctant to submit to the political effect 
 of such a retreat ; and the waning resources of the Common 
 wealth warned them to relinquish no space to the enemy, which 
 u light yield important supplies for the sustenance of the army. 
 
 General D. H. Hill proceeded to Port Royal on the 3rd of 
 December, constructed a slight entrenchment above that village 
 during the night, and the next day, chose positions for his artil 
 lery. Carter s battery of Parrot guns was placed on a com 
 manding hill west of the place, and Hardaway s, with one English 
 V\ r hitworth gun of great power and range, was posted three 
 miles below. On the 5th these two officers opened upon the 
 Federal gunboats with such effect as to compel them promptly 
 to change their position. By retiring behind the village they 
 shielded themselves from the fire of Carter, but were still 
 exposed to that of Hardaway. They now proceeded to vent 
 their spleen in a dastardly outrage, which, were it not overshad 
 owed by so many others more enormous, would fix upon them 
 the detestation of all men. Although the peaceful village was 
 not occupied as a position by any Confederate battery or other 
 force ; the ships of war now opened a furious bombardment upon 
 it, without a moment s notice. The little town was battered half 
 into ruins ; but although all the females, aged, sick, and children, 
 were caught within it, in unsuspecting security, the superintend 
 ing mercy of Providence delivered them all from death. The 
 only casualties were the killing of a dog, and the wounding of a 
 poor African slave. But while this dastardly attack was proceed 
 ing, Hardaway continued pertinaciously to pound them with his 
 Whitworth shot, until they gave up the contest, and retired with 
 loss down the river, running the gantlet of the guns of Major 
 Pclham s horse artillery, which lined the bank. A few days after, 
 they returned toward Port Royal with five additional ships ; but 
 
BURXSIDE S DELAYS. 597 
 
 were again driven away by the artillery of Hill, reinforced by 
 Colonel Brown from the reserves. 
 
 A few miles above Port Royal an insignificant stream, at a 
 place known as the Hop Yard, enters the Rappahannock. The 
 attention of General D. H. Hill was somehow called to it, as 
 offering an eligible place for the passage of the enemy ; and he 
 resolved to examine it thoroughly. He found that the configura 
 tion of the country did, indeed, give special advantages to the 
 force attempting to pass from the north side, and moreover; that 
 there were marks not to be mistaken, of its occupation for that 
 purpose by the enemy. When these facts were reported to 
 General Jackson, he immediately appreciated their importance, 
 and sent the division of Early to the place, which began dili 
 gently to fortify the southern bank. The reports of the Federal 
 Generals subsequently disclosed the importance of these pre 
 cautions. Halleck had himself selected the Hop Yard as the 
 place for crossing, and Burnside had planned a surprise there, 
 which was relinquished when they perceived that the ground was 
 pre-occupied. 
 
 Meantime the Federal Government was urging that unhappy 
 commander to force the line of the Rappahannock before further 
 obstacles were accumulated in his front; and he was excusing 
 himself by complaining that his pontoon trains had not been 
 forwarded to him from the upper Potomac. Twenty days were 
 spent in these mutual criminations. Of the merits of the quarrel, 
 it is enough to say, that the delay of the bridge trains probably 
 evinced the incompetency both of himself and Halleck. But the 
 interval was diligently improved by him in perfecting his com 
 munications at Acquia Creek, fortifying the heights north of the 
 Rappahannock, and arming them with the most potent equipment 
 of heavy guns ever marshalled in the field by any general. The 
 lavish preparations of his government supplied him with an 
 
598 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 apparatus, compared with which the gigantic artillery of Na 
 poleon was puny. Besides innumerable field batteries of lighter 
 guns, which were intended to march and fight with his divisions 
 of infantry, one hundred and eighty heavy cannon, some of them 
 throwing shot of a hundred pounds weight, frowned upon the 
 town and its approaches, from the opposing hills. The " grand 
 army " was now arranged into three great corps, under Sumner, 
 Hooker, and Franklin, which made an aggregate of one hundred 
 and twenty-five thousand men, besides a corps of twenty-five 
 thousand more, under the German Sigel, which performed the 
 duties of a rear-guard. 
 
 Upon the 10th of December, Burnside at length received his 
 pontoon trains ; and he determined at once to prepare for forcing 
 his way in the front of the Confederate army, and beginning 
 his onward march to Richmond. He was confronted, upon the 
 heights before Fredericksburg, by the corps of Longstreet. At 
 Port Royal was the division of D. H. Hill; between him and 
 Longstreet, was the division of Early ; and the remainder of 
 Jackson s corps was held in reserve about Guinea s Station, 
 ready to support either point. The cavalry division of Stuart 
 guarded the course of the Rappahannock for many miles above 
 and below ; and prosecuted, with their usual audacity, their raids 
 within the enemy s lines. The defensive force may be stated 
 with substantial, although not with exact correctness, at sixty- 
 five thousand men of all arms. Of these, General Jackson s 
 corps included about twenty-five thousand effective men. 
 
 The impressive drama which was now about to occur upon the 
 plains of Fredericksburg, presents to the student of history one 
 of the most brilliant examples of defensive warfare. To com 
 prehend its true merits, he must acquire a distinct conception of 
 the topography of the arena, upon which it was enacted. The 
 general course of the Rappahannock, though sinuous, may be 
 
BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG. 
 
 590 
 
 Scale, 1 Inch to a Mile. 
 
 BATTLE OF PRE D E RICK S BUEG 
 
GOO LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 said to be, here, from west to east; and it divides the county 
 of Stafford on the north, from that of Spottsylvania on the 
 south. The town of Fredericksburg is in the latter ;. and the 
 village of Falmouth, a mile above, is in the former. The tides 
 flow to the foot of the town ; so that below, the stream is deep, 
 though narrow ; while immediately above, it is shallow and ford- 
 able during dry seasons. The country along its banks here has, 
 in a marked degree, those features which characterize the tidal 
 streams of Eastern Virginia. There are three stages, or grades, 
 proceeding from the water, of which the second is more elevated 
 than the first, and the third than the second. The first of these 
 levels, next the water s edge, is the modern alluvium, or low 
 ground proper, rarely marshy, yet subject to the inundations of 
 the great freshets, with a horizontal surface, and a deep, black 
 soil. It is of very variable width, spreading in some places to 
 the extent of a beautiful meadow, and in others, contracted to a 
 narrow strip of land. The traveller moving directly from the 
 river, after passing over this low belt, ascends a short, steep hill, 
 thirty or forty feet high, and then finds himself upon a table 
 land of greater extent, which is of an older alluvial deposit, but 
 nearly horizontal likewise. It is this level, extending to the 
 width of miles, in many places, which constitutes the great grain 
 region of the Rappahannock. Its dry, kindly and fertile soil has 
 long ago tempted the inhabitants to strip it of its forest ; and the 
 whole surface was divided into extensive fields, enclosed by 
 wooden fences or hedge-rows, and dotted over with country 
 mansions and the humbler homes of the servants. The streams 
 making their way across the table land from the interior to the 
 Rappahannock, as may easily be surmised, have excavated for 
 themselves deep channels through its alluvial structure; along 
 which they flow sluggishly upon the level of the first bottoms 
 below. Finally, the river, like all other great streams, is inclined 
 
TOPOGRAPHY. GO.l 
 
 to throw the main bulk of its flats wholly on the one side 
 or the other, by running at, or near, the base of the highlands ; 
 and at Fredericksburg, nearly all the level lands are on the south 
 side. It is on this second stage or table land, that the town of 
 Fredericksburg is seated ; and it stretches along the river for 
 more than a mile, with a breadth of a half mile backward. 
 
 If the traveller would proceed farther from this table land 
 toward the interior, he next ascends the highlands proper, which 
 rise in swelling hills of the altitude of fifty or a hundred feet, 
 nowhere rocky or craggy, but sometimes bold ; and pierced here 
 and there by the vales through which the inland rivulets descend 
 to the lower stages. From the top of this range of hills, the 
 interior stretches away into a region of gentle hills and dales, of 
 which the average altitude is far above the table lands. And as 
 the soil of the highlands is thin and gravelly, the larger part of 
 the bordering front of hills was left to the original forest, 
 whence the fuel and timber for the vast farms of the table land 
 were taken. It will now be easily understood how the town of 
 Fredericksburg, with the narrow plain in which it is seated, is 
 commanded both from the hills of Stafford, and from those of 
 Spottsylvania, which are here separated by the distance of a 
 mile. These heights are lofty, and perhaps of equal altitude 
 near the town. Where the main country road going south, 
 issues from the streets, it is overlooked near at hand by a noble 
 hill, known, from the country seat upon its brow, as Marye s 
 Hill. The highway, striking the base of this height, turns aside 
 to the eastward, in order to avoid its acclivity, and thus skirts 
 its base for a few hundred yards, until reaching the course of a 
 sparkling rivulet called the Hazel, it again resumes its southern 
 direction, and finds its way up the vale of that stream into the 
 interior, by a gradual ascent. It will be perceived from this 
 that the road has a tract of a few hundred yards, which runs 
 
 76 
 
602 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 parallel with the edge of the town. This is bordered on the 
 left, or town- ward side, by a massive stone fence, embanked with 
 earth; and between it and the edge of the suburb, is a narrow 
 and level field. After passing the Hazel, the highlands take a 
 wide sweep to the southeastward (receding from the Rappa- 
 hannock, until the ample table land acquires a breadth of nearly 
 three miles) ; and continually declines in elevation and boldness, 
 as it is followed in that direction. At the broadest place, the 
 plain is watered by another rivulet, called Deep Run, whose 
 springs, breaking from the base of the heights, collect into a 
 stream, and make their way along a deep channel, to the Rappa- 
 hannock, a half mile below the mouth of the Hazel, and a mile 
 below the town. The rim of highland, after encircling the 
 sources of Deep Run, again approaches the river somewhat, 
 continually diminishing its altitude, until, at the distance of four 
 and a half miles east of Fredericksburg, the height gently de 
 clines into a series of soft waves of land, which terminate at the 
 valley of the Massaponax. This is a tributary of the Rappahan- 
 nock, which taking its rise in the interior of Spottsylvania, flows 
 northward with a current of greater pretensions than the Hazel 
 and Deep Run, and enters the river five miles below Fredericks- 
 burg. It is itself bordered, for several miles upward, by an 
 expansive valley of broad meadows and gentle slopes, which are, 
 in fact, an extension of the greater table land of the Rappahan- 
 nock. Immediately east of the Massaponax, the highlands ap 
 proach the very margin of the river on both sides, and hug it 
 closely for several miles. 
 
 A country road, known as the Port-Royal or River Road, 
 issues from the town at its eastern corner, and proceeds down 
 the middle of the great table land, at the distance of a mile from 
 the river, and a mile and a half from the heights, until it crosses 
 the Massaponax, and penetrates the eastern highlands. This 
 
ROADS. 603 
 
 road runs, the larger part of its course, between two fences, each 
 of which is set upon an earthen bank of a yard s height, thickly 
 grown, with cedars and other hedge-row trees. It therefore 
 offered to the occupants the advantages of a double line of low, 
 but very substantial field-works ; for the embankments, consoli 
 dated by time, and interlaced with the roots of trees, offered a 
 perfect defence against rifle balls, and no mean protection against 
 heavier projectiles. This whole lane of four and a - half miles 
 length, was commanded by a multitude of Federal guns of long 
 range, upon the Stafford heights. The railroad to Richmond, 
 also emerging from the eastern end of the town, passed through 
 the plain upon an embankment a couple of feet high, parallel to 
 the river road, and between it and the hills, until approaching 
 the Massaponax, it turned southward with a wide and sweeping 
 curve, seeking to make its way, by the valley of that stream, to 
 the interior. It is just where the heights finally sink into the 
 wide valley of that creek, that the railroad crosses an old country 
 thoroughfare, known as the mine road ; and here was seated a 
 little way-side station, called Hamilton s Crossing. The plain 
 of Fredericksburg, which was destined to be the great battle 
 field, may be roughly compared to the half of a vast ellipsis, 
 divided by its longer axis, with the west end containing the 
 town, contracted to a narrow apex, and the eastern expanded 
 into an ample section of a circle. 
 
 The reader is requested to master this somewhat particular 
 description, because it is necessary to the correct understanding 
 of transactions much misunderstood. The zeal of the Federals, 
 of all mortals most passionately thirsting for that reputation for 
 military prowess to which they are so little entitled, has led them 
 with one voice to excuse their disaster, after it occurred, by 
 attributing it to the excellence of the Confederate position, and 
 the natural difficulties of the crossing. Justice both to the much- 
 
604 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 abused Burnside, and to the Confederate army, requires that the 
 topography be correctly conceived. It will then be seen, that 
 while the position of General Lee was good as a whole, and on 
 his left strong, it gave him no advantage whatever upon his right 
 (save a slight superiority of elevation for his batteries), which 
 was not matched by at least equal advantages in the position of 
 the enemy. The ground which Jackson so successfully held 
 against the double numbers of Franklin and Hooker in the com 
 ing battle, was no stronger than that which he wrested from 
 Shields at Port Republic, and not near so strong as that which 
 he and Longstreet stormed at the Chickahominy, with inferior 
 forces. When the battle of Fredericksburg was fought, General 
 Jackson had not a yard of entrenchment in his front ; indeed his 
 corps only came upon their ground during the night, and the 
 early morning preceding the struggle. The elaborate lines which 
 the military tourist saw afterward, were all the work of subse 
 quent weeks, provided by General Lee against the possibility of 
 future attacks. On the left, the battle-line of Longstreet was 
 strengthened, at several places, by light earthworks, or barri 
 cades of timber, and abattls; while the heavy field-guns upon 
 Marye s Heights, and thence toward the west were protected by 
 slight lunettes or epaulements. It should also be remembered, 
 that the position of General Lee gave no effectual advantage 
 toward the resistance of the passage of the river by Burnside, 
 and his quiet establishment on the southern bank, in a situation 
 perfectly teno.ble and secure. The configuration of the Stafford 
 Heights and of the river flats and bluffs, the superiority of the 
 Federal numbers, and the power of their countless batteries, 
 made him master of those points. It was therefore with perfect 
 truth that he claimed, in his despatches of the 12th of December, 
 that the difficulties of the Rappahannock were surmounted, and 
 that nothing remained between him and the march to Richmond 
 
BARKSD ALE S COMBAT IN FKEDEPJCKSBURG. 605 
 
 except the equal grapple with the army of Lee upon a fair and 
 open battle-field. It was only after that grapple had occurred, 
 and the heroism of the Confederate soldiery, with the masterly . 
 skill of their leaders, had made it a frightful disaster, that these 
 facts were diligently obscured. The river bank in the possession 
 of the Federalists did not, indeed, present that concave curve 
 which the military authorities recommend as favorable to the 
 success of the assailants seeking to pass a stream in the face of 
 an enemy. But it showed, in every other respect, all the requi 
 sites which they ask for a successful crossing ; and the peculiar 
 form of the opposite flats made the absence of this curvature 
 wholly unimportant to Burnside. These truths will manifest 
 themselves without discussion, as the narrative proceeds. 
 
 Before the break of day, on the llth of December, the signal 
 guns of the Confederates gave note that Burnside was moving, 
 and the whole army stood to its weapons. The guardianship of 
 the river bank had been committed to Barksdale s Mississippi 
 brigade, from M Laws s division. One regiment was at the 
 mouth of Deep Run, and the remainder, assisted by the Sth 
 Florida, was in the town ; two of the regiments being posted in 
 the cellars of houses overlooking the water, and in trenches and 
 other hiding-places, to resist the construction of bridges. At 
 Deep Run there was no protection from the overpowering fire 
 of the numerous batteries on. the Stafford Heights, and of the 
 large bodies of infantry which lined the opposing bank. After 
 a struggle, protracted, beyond all expectation, to the middle of 
 the day, this detachment was compelled to retire ; and about one 
 o clock, P. M., the Federalists completed a pontoon bridge, and 
 immediately began the passage of a heavy column of infantry 
 and artillery. Upon the low and narrow bench of the first bot 
 tom, and beneath the steep bluff which separates it from the 
 second level, they found a secure place to land and extend their 
 
606 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 lines. Unless the Confederates could advance across the wide 
 plain, to the very brink of that bluff, which was rendered impos 
 sible by the frowning batteries of the opposing heights, the enemy 
 was as completely shielded from their fire as though behind the 
 walls of a great castle. Having gained this lodgement, the Fede 
 ralists busied themselves in laying down other bridges, and pass 
 ing over additional trgops. But at Fredericksburg they found 
 sterner work. The riflemen of Barksdale, availing themselves 
 of every covert, poured so deadly a fire upon the working par 
 ties and their guards, that they were again and again driven 
 back with great slaughter, in their attempts to gain the southern 
 bank. Nine times did the thronging multitudes encourage each 
 other to return to the task. The floating bridge projected itself 
 nine times from the northern shore, covered with a busy swarm 
 of men bearing timbers; when the Mississippians, awaiting their 
 approach within their deadly aim, opened upon them stinging 
 volleys which strewed the bridge and the water with corpses! 
 Until one o clock, p. M., this contest continued, and no progress 
 was made toward winning the southern bank. Burnside then 
 opened upon the town every piece of artillery which could be 
 brought to bear upon it. One hundred and eighty cannon began 
 to belch their thunders upon the devoted city. To the specta 
 tors upon the opposing hill it seemed wrapped in a whirlwind of 
 smoke and flame ; while from the, bosom of the gloom the crash 
 of falling buildings, the explosion of shells, the hissing of the 
 fires, and the yells of the combatants arose in frightful chorus, 
 as from a pandemonium. Yet, amidst this terrific tempest, the 
 little brigade of Barksdale clung to the bank with invincible 
 tenacity; and it was only after three hours more that they stub 
 bornly retired a couple of squares, before a heavy detachment 
 of infantry landed from boats under the protection of the can 
 nonade. But here they again resumed the contest, and, fighting 
 
JACKSON CONCENTRATES. 607 
 
 from street to street, held the enemy at bay until far into the 
 night. When they were told that they had now accomplished 
 all that was desired, and commanded to withdraw, they said that 
 their position was tenable enough still, and entreated to be 
 allowed to remain and fight the enemy. He had now completed 
 two or three bridges, by which heavy columns of infantry were 
 pouring into the town. It was no part of General Lee s plan to 
 contest the occupation longer ; for his position was chosen, not 
 to prevent the crossing of the river, but the advance from it. 
 He therefore withdrew the regiments of Barksdale, during the 
 early part of the night, to his lines about Marye s Hill. The 
 desired time for preparing a reception for the enemy had been 
 gained. 
 
 During all the next day, the landscape was obscured by a 
 dense fog, beneath which as a mask the Federalists carried on 
 their preparations for attack. Whenever this curtain was lifted 
 up momentarily, the ravines leading from the Stafford Heights to 
 the river bank, were seen black with the vast masses of Federal 
 infantry pressing toward the bridges, and their lines were per 
 ceived upon the plain advanced as far as the river road. The 
 Confederate artillerists now and then seized these glimpses, to 
 direct a cannon shot where the throngs were thickest, never fail 
 ing to elicit an angry reply from the opposing heights. But 
 otherwise, the whole day passed without hostile collision. The 
 two divisions of General Jackson near Guinea s Station, were 
 brought forward to strengthen the right ; and as it was now 
 beyond a doubt that Fredericksburg was to be the place of the 
 great collision, messengers were sent to Port Royal for the other 
 divisions. The summons reached General D. H. Hill a little 
 before sunset on the 12th. His troops were then eighteen miles 
 from the post they were designed to occupy upon the battle-field ; 
 but such was the promptitude of their action, by dawn on the 
 
608 9 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 next morning they were in their places, and ready to meet the 
 enemy. The division of Early, which was somewhat nearer at 
 hand, preceded them in their arrival upon the field. 
 
 The morning of Saturday, December 13th, now arose, like its 
 predecessor, calm and foggy. The city and the extended plain 
 vrere wrapped in the impenetrable mantle of mist, until ten 
 o clock A. M. ; but on both sides, every sound which arose from 
 the obscurity gave token of grim preparation. The line of Gen 
 eral Lee was stretched for five and a half miles, from the 
 heights overlooking Falmouth, along the edge of the highlands, 
 to Hamilton s Crossing, near the Massaponax. Upon the crests 
 of the hills were placed his numerous batteries ; while Marye s 
 Hill, as the post of honor, was assigned to the Louisiana battal 
 ion of Colonel Walton. The corps of Longstreet held the left, 
 and that of Jackson the right. Next the river, upon the extreme 
 left, was the division of Major-General Anderson, extending to 
 the neighborhood of Marye s Hill. Then came that of M Laws 
 in the front line, supported by that of Ransom, in reserve. To 
 the brigade of General T. It. Cobb, of Georgia, from M Laws s 
 division, was assigned the post of advanced guard, along the 
 road and stone wall which has been described as skirting the 
 base of that hill. Upon another, still more commanding height, 
 in its rear, were planted other powerful batteries, designed to 
 sweep the Federalists from its crest, should they succeed in gain 
 ing it. Next to M- Laws came the division of Pickett, occupying 
 the edge of the highlands opposite to the widest part of the 
 plain ; and next to him the division of Hood. On the right the 
 country was less elevated ; it offered every way fewer difficulties 
 to the enemy ; and it was flanked by the wide and imooth valley 
 of the Massaponax, which was so favorable to the operations of his 
 vast masses. Here, therefore, General Jackson strengthened him 
 self with a triple line of battle, to compensate for the weakness 
 
JACKSON REVIEWS HIS LINE. 609 
 
 of his ground. His front line was formed of two regiments 
 of the brigade of Field, from the division of A. P. Hill, with 
 the brigades of Archer, Lane and Fender. These stretched in 
 the order named, from Hamilton s Crossing to the right of Hood. 
 But they did not form a continuous line ; for the brigade of Lane 
 in the centre was advanced two hundred yards to the front, to 
 occupy a tongue of woodland which here projected itself far into 
 the plain. This patch of forest was low and marshy; and 
 behind it, the ridge sunk almost into the same level ; so that no 
 position for artillery could be obtained upon Jackson s centre. 
 Behind the interval thus left between the brigades of Archer and 
 Lane, was placed that of Gregg ; and behind the space which 
 separated the brigades of Lane and Fender, was that of Thomas. 
 Thus the whole front was composed of the division of A. P. 
 Hill. A second line was composed of the two divisions of Tal~ 
 iaferro and Early, the former behind Fender and Thomas, and 
 the latter behind Gregg and Archer. The division of D. H. 
 Hill was held as a reserve in the third line. All these troops 
 were posted in the woods, which covered the base and He gentle 
 acclivities of the hills, so that they were not disclosed to the 
 view of the enemy. They formed a line of battle a mile and 
 a half long. On General Jackson s right was Stuart with two 
 brigades of cavalry, and his famous horse artillery, under the 
 boy hero, Pelham, thrown forward toward the enemy s left flank 
 in the plain. In front of Archer, near Hamilton s Crossing, the 
 range of hills which, behind Fender, had sunk almost into the 
 plain, rises again to the altitude of forty feet ; with the open 
 field extending to its summit. Here General Jackson placed 
 fourteen picked guns from the artillery of A. P. Hill, under the 
 command of Colonel Lindsay Walker. On the left of his line 
 were posted thirty-three guns, from the batteries of Early and 
 Taliaferro, twelve of them advanced into the plain beyond the 
 77 
 
610 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 railroad track, and all on level ground ; for the place offered no 
 superior position for them. On the right, twelve more guns 
 were also advanced to assist the movements of Stuart, and to 
 cross their fire with those of Colonel Walker. And Captain 
 Hardaway from the division of D. H. Hill, was sent with his 
 long Whitworth rifle, to the Highlands east of the Massaponax ; 
 whence he enfiladed the Federal line of battle as it advanced 
 from the river road. 
 
 Having ordered these dispositions, General Jackson now rode 
 along his whole front, to assure himself of their completeness, 
 accompanied by several general officers and a brilliant Staff. 
 As he appeared this morning upon his favorite battle steed, clad 
 in a new and elegant suit of uniform, the gift of his friend, 
 Stuart, and the old drab fatigue cap, which had so long been to 
 his followers as glorious a guide to victory as the white plume 
 of Harry of Navarre, replaced by the hat of a Lieutenant- Gen 
 eral, resplendent with gold braid, he was scarcely recognized by 
 his veterans. They saw not in this gallant cavalier, so instinct 
 in his gait with martial elation, the sunburned "old Stonewall," 
 to whom their eyes were accustomed upon the field of battle. 
 As he passed along his lines, his suite was made the target of 
 the Federal sharp-shooters. "When he reached the tongue of 
 woodland occupied by the brigade of Lane, he said : " The 
 enemy will attack here ;" a prediction which a few hours fully 
 verified. Thence he proceeded to the station of the Commander- 
 in-Chief, upon a commanding hill near the Hazel overlooking the 
 whole plain, to receive his last suggestions. It was now past 
 nine o clock, and the sun, mounting up the eastern sky with 
 almost a summer power, was rapidly exhaling the mist. As the 
 white folds dissolved and rolled away, disclosing the whole plain 
 to view, such a spectacle met the eyes of the Generals as the 
 pomps of earth can seldom rival. Marshalled upon the vast 
 
THE BATTLE JOINED. 611 
 
 arena beneath them, stood the hundred and twenty-five thousand 
 foes ; with countless batteries of field guns blackening the ground. 
 Long triple lines of infantry crossed the field from right to 
 left, and hid their western extreme in the streets of the little 
 city; while down the valleys descending from the Stafford 
 heights to the bridges, were pouring, in vast avalanches of men, 
 the huge reserves. For once, war unmasked its terrible propor 
 tions to the view, with a distinctness hitherto unknown in the 
 forest-clad landscapes of America ; and the plain of Fredericks- 
 burg presented a panorama that was dreadful in its grandeur. To 
 the Confederate soldiers, the multitudinous hosts of their enemies 
 appeared as though all the families of men had been assembled 
 there, for the great assize of the Last Day ; but confident in 
 their leaders, they beheld their numbers with steady courage. 
 Not a cheek was blanched, nor a heart appalled. Lee stood 
 upon his chosen hill of observation, inspiring every spectator 
 by his calm heroism, with his two great Lieutenants beside him, 
 and reviewed every quarter of the field with his glass. It was 
 then that Longstreet, to whose sturdy breast the approach of bat 
 tle seemed to bring gaiety, said to Jackson : " General, do not 
 all these multitudes of Federals frighten you?" He replied; 
 " We shall see very soon, whether I shall not frighten them." 
 Such was the jest in T diich the stern joy of battle in their spirits 
 found utterance, while other hearts stood still with awe. They 
 then separated to seek their several posts, and a? the last 
 remnants of the mist rolled away, the battle began, with a gen 
 eral cannonade. Three hundred guns now burst forth from the 
 opposing heights ; hill answered to lull with their thunders, while 
 the battle sw>ke rolling sullenly down their sides, again envel 
 oped the plain in a more dreadful pall than the morning fogs ; 
 and through the gloom, the fiery projectiles flew shrieking 
 across in stunning confusion. Under the cover of this tempest, 
 
612 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Burnside advanced his columns to the attack, at once, upon the 
 right and upon the left. 
 
 In the plain before him General Jackson saw the wing of 
 Franklin, supported by a part of the grand division of Hooker, 
 drawn out in three vast lines of battle, which he estimated at 
 fifty-five thousand men. They were supported by numerous 
 batteries, which advanced with them upon the plain. But as 
 they passed the line of the river road, Pelham dashed forward 
 into the open fields with two chosen guns of his horse-artillery, 
 and unlimbering upon their left flank, began to rake their massive 
 line with a rapid and damaging fire. At this audacious diversion 
 the Federalists paused, threw a division of infantry into crotchet 
 at right angles to their main line, so as to confront Pelham, and 
 directed upon him the whole fire of four batteries, besides the 
 distant heavy guns upon the Stafford Heights. But for a- whole 
 hour the two guns maintained the unequal duel, shifting their 
 position upon the plain as fast as the enemy obtained their range 
 accurately, disturbing the aim of their cannoneers by an occa 
 sional shot of deadly accuracy, and still pouring a rapid fire into 
 the infantry. It was not until Pelham was recalled by positive 
 orders, that he would surrender his hazardous position ; and yet 
 he brought off his command without serious loss. Such was the 
 prelude to the tragedy upon Jackson s side ; and this splendid 
 example, doubtless, did much to inspire the rest of the artillery 
 with hign determination. 
 
 The Federalists, having been relieved of this antagonist, now 
 advanced in earnest, feeling the whole forest, which enveloped 
 Jackson s position, with a shower of cannon-shots. He com 
 manded his batteries to make no response. Apparrotly satisfied 
 that the woods were not occupied by any heavy force, they now 
 moved forward with confidence, but still covering their front 
 with a storm of projectiles. When their lines of infantry had 
 
HIS INSENSIBILITY TO FEAR. 613 
 
 approached within eight hundred yards of Jackson s position, 
 they at last awoke the response. The guns of Colonel Walker, 
 upon the front of Archer, were thrust forward, and opened 
 furiously upon the Federal infantry, firing to their front and left, 
 while Pelharn, supported by the twelve guns of Jackson in front 
 of his extreme right, again scourged them with a cross fire. The 
 Federals paused, wavered, while visible gaps were made in their 
 ranks by every discharge, and then broke and retreated to the 
 river road. For two hours the struggle now degenerated into 
 a desultory skirmish of sharpshooters. While this lull in the 
 tempest continued, General Jackson rode to ward his extreme 
 right, and dismounting, advanced on foot far into the plain, fol 
 lowed by no escort save a single aid. This was Lieutenant 
 James Power Smith, a young man of that class of which the 
 Confederate army contained so many honorable members, who, 
 though educated and well-connected, had served long and faith 
 fully as a private in the Poague battery. Jackson having noted 
 his devotion and intelligence, with his wonted sagacity, selected 
 him from the ranks, and promoted him to be his aide-de-camp, a 
 favor which, as will appear in the sequel, was requited by young 
 Smith with a fidelity which deserves to link his name in enduring 
 bonds with the memory of his patron. The General, followed 
 by this zealous attendant, now walked far out into the fields, to 
 observe the dispositions of the enemy, when a sharp-shooter, sud 
 denly arising out of the tall weeds, at two hundred yards dis 
 tance, levelled his rifle, and fired at him. The bullet hissed 
 between the heads of the General and his aide, who were standing 
 about two paces asunder. Thereupon he turned to him with a 
 sunny smile upon his face, and said, " Mr Smith, had you not 
 better go to the rear ? they may shoot you ! " The audacity of 
 the sharp-shooter seemed to strike him as a pleasant jest; but, 
 insensible to fear for himself, his caution only concerned itself 
 
614 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 for those committed to his care. After he had deliberately sat 
 isfied his curiosity, he returned to his lines, to await another 
 attack, which he knew was at hand. 
 
 Having remained passive until past noon, the Federalists 
 now moved their left again. Three lines of battle advanced to 
 the charge, preceded by clouds of skirmishers, and strengthened 
 by ten batteries of field-guns upon the flanks. Again they 
 approached under a furious cannonade, to which the batteries of 
 Jackson made no response until their infantry was within point- 
 blank range, when they replied with equal violence. But the 
 Federal lines* now advanced with determination, and, as General 
 Jackson foresaw, directed their attack to the projecting point of 
 woods occupied by Lane s brigade. They hoped to find here a 
 lodgement, and a protection from the Confederate artillery ; for, 
 when they came to close quarters, the oblique fire of the bat 
 teries on the right and left was necessarily suspended, to avoid 
 overwhelming friend with foe, and the place occupied by Lane 
 offered no position for cannon. Yet his sturdy infantry stood 
 their ground for a time against triple odds, until the thronging 
 multitudes of enemies insinuated themselves into the gap between 
 his right and the left of Archer, deployed rapidly in the woods, 
 and attacked his flank and rear. Some of his men wheeled, and 
 made front against the new advance of the Federalists upon 
 their side ; a part of his line was broken and overwhelmed in 
 the tangled woods, and the remainder retired upon its supports, 
 fighting stubbornly; while the twelve guns which had been 
 advanced upon his left, across the railroad track, were hurriedly 
 withdrawn to avoid capture, suffering not a little from the Fede 
 ral sharp-shooters. The left of Archer s brigade met a like fate 
 with Lane s. Finding themselves taken in reverse, they broke 
 and fled before overpowering numbers ; thus widening the great 
 breach in the front line, through which the Federal columns 
 
SECOND ATTACK ON JACKSON. 615 
 
 poured into the woods. But Archer still held fast to the right 
 of his position with two or three regiments, with a stubborn 
 tenacity which contributed much to save the day; and at 
 tempted, with another regiment, to form a new front against the 
 enemy s flank. 
 
 But Jackson had provided many additional resources against 
 this casualty. The triumphant irruption of the Federalists was 
 first checked by the brigades of Thomas and Gregg, which 
 covered the intervals of the front line. As the throng of enemies 
 spread themselves from the breach in divergent columns, the one 
 bearing most toward the Confederate right found itself suddenly 
 confronted, at close quarters, by Gregg. His foremost regiment, 
 mistaking them for friends, received a sudden volley, and was 
 thrown into confusion. As their lion-hearted General, Gregg, 
 rushed forward to reinstate his battle, he was shot down with a 
 mortal wound. But Colonel Hamilton speedily rallied a part of 
 his brigade, and made head against the enemy until other suc 
 cors could arrive. Another torrent of Federalists, directing 
 themselves along Lane s rear, and toward the Confederate left, 
 was met by Thomas, and their efforts were partially contained. 
 The battle had now passed within the range of the artillery, 
 which suspended its fire j but the struggle raged in a confused 
 manner within the woods, and the fragments of the line of Hill 
 and of his enemies were mixed in inextricable confusion. It was 
 at this critical moment that General Jackson ordered up his 
 second line. But the Generals commanding it, anticipating 
 his wishes with intelligent zeal, were about to rush into the 
 wavering conflict, when they received his instructions. General 
 Early, whose division covered all the right of A. P. Hill s broken 
 line, threw the Georgia brigade of Lawton, commanded by Colo 
 nel Atkinson, directly forward; and then moved the brigade of 
 Walker by its left flank, at a double-quick, until it covered the 
 
616 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 yawning chasm upon Atkinson s left. The two now dashed for 
 ward upon the confused masses of the enemy, with such a yell as 
 only the Confederate soldiers know how to give. Walker con 
 nected his left with the right of Thomas, of Hill s division, who 
 was still showing an unbroken front; and the three brigades 
 swept the intruders in a moment from the woods, and pursued 
 them, with heavy carnage, across the railroad track, and far into 
 the fields beyond. Here, indeed, the enthusiasm of the Georgi 
 ans led them too far; for, rushing several hundred yards in 
 advance of the railroad, they exposed their right to a whole 
 division of Federal infantry, which fired into their flank, and 
 forced them back to that embankment, capturing among their 
 wounded the commanding Colonel and his Adjutant. 
 
 But no sooner had General Early assisted in restoring the 
 wavering fortunes of the centre, than he was entreated for suc 
 cors for the fragment of the line of Archer, which was stagger 
 ing under the unequal pressure. He therefore advanced the 
 brigade of Trimble, under Colonel Hoke, supported by Hays, 
 upon the extreme right, relieved Archer, and driving the enemy 
 across the railroad here also, established his men along that line. 
 As soon as the enemy s infantry was sufficiently disengaged from 
 the woods on their retreat, the gallant Colonel Walker opened 
 his guns upon them again, and before they reached the shelter of 
 the river road, inflicted a severe punishment. While these 
 events occurred on Jackson s right, the division of Taliaferro 
 also advanced with the greatest enthusiasm, to support the front 
 line upon his left. But so speedily was the irruption of the 
 enemy repulsed, nothing remained for them to do, save that the 
 2nd Virginia regiment, of the Stonewall Brigade, assisted in 
 driving out the Federalists who had threatened the right of 
 Thomas. 
 
 The division of General Hood, also, upon General Jackson s 
 
HIS LINE ADVANCED. 617 
 
 left, instructed by Longstreet to lend a generous aid to their 
 neighbors, had assisted with two or three regiments, to repulse a 
 threatening attack there. A large detachment of the enemy 
 advancing up the channel of Deep Run, shielded from view, 
 suddenly emerged in line of battle, and confronted the left of 
 Fender s brigade, and the numerous batteries which he sup 
 ported. One of his regiments, assisted by those of Hood, 
 immediately attacked them, and drove them back with great 
 spirit. Especially did the 57th and 54th North Carolina, two 
 new regiments of conscripts, which had never been under fire 
 before, cover themselves with glory. They pursued the broken 
 enemy, the 57th in front, across the railroad, and for a mile into 
 the plain, although scourged by a flank fire from the channel of 
 the creek ; and it was not until repeated messengers had been 
 sent to repress their ardor, that they were recalled. The gal 
 lant Hood said, that he verily thought the mad fellows would go 
 to the Rappahannock in spite of him and the enemy together. 
 And as they returned, some were seen weeping with vexation, 
 because they were dragged from the bleeding haunches of the 
 foe, and exclaiming : " It is because he has not confidence in 
 Carolinians. If we had been some of his Texans, he would 
 have let us go on ! " But the men of Fender displayed equal 
 merit, in enduring an ordeal of a different nature. Their chief 
 part was to sustain the numerous batteries with which General 
 Jackson had guarded his left upon the open plain. Lying be 
 hind these guns, insulted by a cloud of skirmishers, and receiv 
 ing a large part of the projectiles aimed at the artillery, they 
 patiently held their ground, unrelieved by the solace of active 
 resistance, until the day was won. 
 
 A new front line was now formed by the Confederates, com 
 posed of portions of the divisions of A. P. Hill and Early, with 
 the- Stonewall Brigade, under General Paxton, along the railroad 
 
 73 
 
618 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 embankment in front of their former position. It began near 
 Hamilton s Crossing on the extreme right, and extending along 
 the wide curve with which that thoroughfare sweeps into the 
 plain, confronted the enemy all the way to the position of Gen 
 eral Hood. The division of D. H. Hill, whose services had not 
 been needed to complete the enemy s repulse, was now advanced 
 to the second line ; while the shattered portions of A. P. Hill s 
 division were drawn to the third. The Federalists did not 
 seriously renew their attack upon General Jackson during the 
 day; but kept a spiteful cannonade, under which he suffered 
 aome loss. In this battle, Franklin had almost Qqual advantages 
 of ground, and double numbers. But such was the skill of 
 Jackson and his assistants, and the superior prowess of the Con 
 federate soldiery, he was beaten, and driven hopelessly back to 
 his starting place, before more than half of his antagonist s force 
 had been displayed. He left about five hundred prisoners, 
 besides many wounded men, and five thousand muskets, in Jack 
 son s grasp, as trophies of his victory. 
 
 While this battle was raging with General Jackson s corps, 
 events of equal magnitude were occurring upon the left, in front 
 of Fredericksburg, which are detailed with less fulness, only be 
 cause the immediate subject of this narrative was unconnected 
 with them. Here BuPnside, with an almost insane policy, 
 selected Marye s Hill as the point of pertinacious attack; a 
 position which, in the hands of Confederate soldiers, was impreg 
 nable; and which, if captured, would have been found com 
 manded in turn by other positions of greater strength. But, 
 endeavoring to silence the batteries of Colonel Walton upon its 
 crest, by the tremendous fire of his heavy guns upon the Stafford 
 Heights, he hurled brigade after brigade of Simmer s wing 
 against it, throughout the day, with no other result than the piti 
 able slaughter of his men. Six times his fresh reserves were 
 
THE ATTACKS ON MARYE S HILL. 619 
 
 advanced to the attack. But "Walton, disregarding the hurricane 
 of shells from the opposing hills, reserved his fire for the dense 
 lines of infantry ; and as soon as they emerged from the town, 
 and formed for the charge, shattered them with well directed, 
 plunging volleys. XThe advanced line of Cobb, behind the stone 
 fence at the base of the hill, supported by Eansom upon the face 
 of the declivity, awaited the Federals whenever they advanced, 
 with withering discharges of musketry. The narrow field before 
 them was literally encumbered with corpses ; the gallant Cobb, 
 statesman and orator, as well as soldier, was borne from his 
 post, mortally wounded, assigning it to Kershaw ; but still the 
 night closed upon the carnage, and the Confederates had not 
 been dislodged from a single foot of the outworks of their posi 
 tion. The depressions of ground along the Hazel, in which the 
 routed columns of the Federalists sought refuge from the scathing 
 fires of Marye s Hill, were raked by the more distant batteries 
 near General Lee s position upon the centre ; and the frightened 
 wretches found no refuge, save behind the dwellings of the town. 
 There, also, they were only secure, because the Comrnander-in- 
 Chief spared the city from bombardment, in mercy to a few 
 hundred of the inhabitants, who, he knew, had clung to their 
 homes throughout these horrors. In a word, the Confederates 
 at length had here, a position which was really strong, and 
 which they had adequate forces to defend. It was such a posi 
 tion as they had been accustomed to wrest from Federalists in 
 previous battles. The consequence was, that the attempt to 
 wrest it from them never approximated the first appearance of 
 success, and resulted only in a frightful loss. 
 
 On the right, the afternoon was wearing away without event, 
 save that the contest of artillery was still actively sustained 
 between Stuart and Colonel Walker, supported by some of the 
 guns of Colonel Brown, and the Federalists. General Jackson 
 
C20 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 desired them to attack him again in his position ; but when he 
 perceived that they had learned too much wisdom by their chas 
 tisement, he was desirous that the important juncture should not 
 pass, without at least an attempt to turn their repulse into a 
 defeat. He longed to try ; whether by one grand advance, 
 disregarding the fire from the Stafford Hills, their shattered 
 masses might not be routed from their hold along the river 
 road, forced back upon the deep river, mowed down at the 
 narrow approaches to their bridges, and hurled into the water. 
 He thirsted for at least one victory, where the blood of his 
 faithful men, and his own cares and toils, should be rewarded 
 by grand results, like those of an Austerlitz or a Waterloo. 
 But he knew something of the double embankments of the 
 river road, before him, and of the double numbers of the 
 enemy s men and guns. He knew that while the Federal was 
 no match in prowess for the Confederate soldier, yet he never 
 permitted any advantage to fail him, which could be gained by 
 adroit cunning or mechanical industry. He was well aware that 
 it was no easy task for the inferior force to inflict an utter over 
 throw upon the superior, sustained by such resources, however 
 the latter might be repelled, by a higher courage. As the sun 
 declined toward the west, he was seen sitting upon his horse a 
 long time, with his watch in his hand, considering the effect of 
 the cannonade with which Stuart was still plying the enemy s 
 left, and counting the minutes until the sun should touch the 
 horizon. After anxious hesitation, his resolve was formed ; he 
 determined to make the essay, postponing it until the approach 
 of night, in order that, if it were successful, the death grapple 
 with the Federal infantry might be shielded from the fire of their 
 protecting artillery by the darkness, and might be enhanced in 
 its confusion and horrors ; or, if it were unsuccessful, the same 
 friendly veil might assist him in drawing off his forces without 
 
HIS UNFULFILLED PLAN. 621 
 
 serious disaster. He therefore issued orders, that every gun, of 
 whatever calibre or range, which was not disabled, should be 
 advanced to the front ;. that, at sunset, they should move across 
 the plain together, and open upon the enemy; that all the 
 infantry should follow, in lines of battle, and that as soon as the 
 Federal front showed signs of wavering under the cannonade, 
 the whole should charge with fixed bayonets, and sweep the 
 invaders into the river. The attempt was hurriedly made to 
 effect these dispositions; a number of fresh batteries were 
 advanced and opened upon the enemy ; and the first line, which 
 the General had committed to the charge of Early, was just 
 springing to its work, when he recalled his orders. He per 
 ceived that the concert between his different batteries of artillery 
 was too imperfect to promise him success ; that his subordinates 
 proceeded to the enterprise with doubtful determination ; and 
 that the enemy covered his whole front with so terrible a fire 
 from his countless artillery, that it threatened too great a loss of 
 patriot Mood. He therefore, unwillingly relinquished the 
 endeavor, and made his dispositions for the night, assigning the 
 front to Early, and ordering all the troops to be relieved for a 
 short time, by detachments, that they might replenish their ammu 
 nition for the morrow. With this exception the whole army lay 
 upon their weapons during the night, in the positions they had 
 held during the day. 
 
 The unfulfilled plan of General Jackson has not been related 
 in order to impress the imagination of the reader with a picture 
 which was, perhaps, impossible to be realized, of the horrors of 
 Botelcr s Ford, re-enacted on a grander scale, amidst the acces 
 sories of darkness and a stupendous confusion ; of murderous 
 lines of Confederate bayonets rushing through the gloom, re 
 vealed to the affrighted invaders by the angry glare of the can 
 non alone ; of huddled masses of fugitives, mowed down by shot 
 
622 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 and thrust of invisible hands ; and engulphed in the black waters ; 
 while Jackson and his fierce subordinates urged on the carnival 
 of death. The purpose is to prove, by a great and notable 
 instance, that General Jackson s determination had none of that 
 headstrong imprudence which has sometimes been imputed to 
 him. He was capable of grand resolves ; no commander ever 
 engaged his adversary with more of " the unconquerable will, and 
 purpose never to submit or yield " than he ; but none was ever 
 more careful of the blood of his men, or tempered his daring 
 with greater wisdom. 
 
 Thus ended the great battle of Fredericksburg, in which the 
 Federalists confessed a loss of twelve thousand men killed and 
 wounded, nine thousand small arms, and about a thousand pris 
 oners. In repelling the attacks of their vast army, General Lee 
 had employed less than twenty-five thousand men, and had expe- 
 rierhced a loss of four thousand two hundred. Of these nearly 
 twenty-nine hundred were killed and wounded in. the corps of 
 General Jackson ; and there were, in addition, five hundred and 
 twenty-six officers and men captured, chiefly from the division of 
 A. P. Hill. That division also bore the heavier part of the loss 
 in killed and wounded : a price which the brave are accustomed 
 to pay for the post of honor. The batteries which were long 
 engaged suffered much in this action, and especially those of 
 Colonel Lindsay Walker. Placed in a prominent position, from 
 which there was no retreat, and made the target for a continual 
 .fire for many hours, they were often struck, and lost many men 
 and horses. 
 
 After all the necessary dispositions had been made for the 
 night, General Jackson retired to his tent to seek a few hours 
 repose. There his friend, Colonel Boteler, awaited him, to whom 
 he offered a share of his pallet ; but long after the other had 
 lain down, he continued to write and send despatches. At 
 
THE NIGHT AFTER THE BATTLE. 623 
 
 length, near midnight, he lay down beside him, without removing 
 any of his clothing, and slept for two or three hours ; when he 
 again arose, lighted his candle, and resumed his writing. But, 
 observing that the rays fell full in the face of his friend, whom 
 he supposed to be still asleep, he immediately procured a book, 
 which ho so adjusted upon his table as to screen him from the 
 light, that he might not disturb his slumbers. About four o clock 
 in the morning, he called to his faithful Jim for his horse : and, 
 after a friendly altercation with him, concerning his desire to 
 ride the same one which had borne him through the battle of the 
 previous day, in which Jim came off victorious, he rode away 
 with a single aide. He had mounted thus early in order to 
 redeem an hour before the day dawned, to pay a visit to the 
 dying soldier, General Maxey Gregg. This heroic man had 
 fallen the day before, shot through the body in the irruption of 
 the enemy through the line of A. P. Hill, and now lay in a 
 neighboring dwelling, drawing near to his last hour ; but still as 
 calm as upon the field of battle, and as ready to render up his 
 life a sacrifice for his country. General Jackson spent a few 
 solemn moments by his couch, and bade adieu to him with tender 
 sympathy. He then returned to the front, to meet the first 
 dawn of day among his men, and to assure himself that they 
 were prepared for the expected renewal of the assault. 
 
 General Lee, on his part, had spent the night in diligent pre 
 parations for such an event. The enemy had been so easily 
 repulsed by a fraction of the Confederate army, and still pos 
 sessed so enormous a superiority of numbers, that he could not 
 believe Burnside would accept a final defeat on those terms. He 
 therefore supposed that the attempt of Saturday was but the pre 
 lude to a more strenuous attack to be made on the Sabbath. He 
 earnestly desired that the assault should be renewed j because 
 the strength of his position assured him that it would only result 
 
624 LIFE OF LJ.EUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 in the further destruction of the enemy. His troops were 
 therefore all prepared with supplies of ammunition for another 
 day of yet more tremendous battle ; and the weaker points of his 
 line were strengthened with works hastily thrown up during the 
 night. The morning disclosed the Federalists still drawn up 
 upon the plain, in full array, and showing a steady front ; but 
 the day wore away without any demonstration, save a continual 
 skirmish of the sharp-shooters and artillery. In truth, Burnside 
 purposed a renewal of the attack ; but his three Lieutenants, who 
 seem to have assumed a practical independence of his will, 
 remonstrated so boldly, and gave such representations of the 
 demoralization of their troops, that he was compelled to relin 
 quish his design. The next subject for his consideration there 
 fore was, in what way he might best extricate himself from his 
 perilous position. This was a problem which was not easy of 
 solution; for, to retreat across his narrow floating bridges, in 
 the face of a watchful and victorious foe, was to invite destruc 
 tion. He therefore spent the day strengthening his position, 
 especially before the front of the town, with hastily-dug trenches, 
 and kept his outposts pressed close up to those of General Lee, 
 as though preparing for further aggressive movements. 
 
 During the night of the 14th of December, General Jackson 
 held his troops in the same lines, except that the division of 
 D. H. Hill was placed in the front, and that of Early was re 
 lieved by retiring to a less exposed place. During Monday, the 
 15th, a flag of truce was sent, requesting a few hours truce 
 between the Confederate right wing and the Federal left, in 
 order that the latter might relieve their wounded, many of whom 
 had now been lying upon the freezing ground two days and two 
 nights. The note containing this request was signed by a Gen 
 eral of subordinate rank. At Sharpsburg, some of the Confed 
 erate Generals had granted a temporary truce upon a similar 
 
THE ENEMY WITHDRAWS. 625 
 
 application, which had been afterwards disclaimed by M Clellan. 
 General Jackson therefore replied to this, that when authenti 
 cated by the General commanding the Federal army, the ap 
 plication would receive an answer. After a time, it was returned 
 with the authority of Burnside, when the truce was promptly 
 granted. In his front, grim-visaged war now smoothed its horrors 
 for a few hours ; and while the hospital attendants were busy 
 in removing the dead and wounded, officers and men from the 
 adverse ranks mingled together in familiar intercourse. 
 
 The second day after the battle was now ended. The Con 
 federates were eager in their hopes that the enemy would attack 
 again on the morrow, when an opportunity would be again found 
 to avenge, upon the invaders of their homes, the barbarities which 
 had marked the war. Such was LQ enthusiasm which reigned 
 among them, the division of D. H. Hill, which should, in turn, 
 have been relieved from the front on the 15th, sent a written 
 request to General Jackson, to be allowed to remain there 
 another night, in the hope that they might have the honor of 
 receiving the enemy s first attack the next morning. Their 
 request was granted ; but with the morning came a grievous dis 
 appointment. The whole opposing army was gone, with all its 
 appurtenances, and had removed its bridges, and resumed its 
 post upon the Stafford heights. The weather had come to their 
 assistance, in the shape of a storm of rain, accompanied with a 
 tempestuous wind from the south, which, driving from the Con 
 federates toward the enemy, had effectually stifled the sound of 
 every note of preparation for the march. Under cover of this 
 wind and the Egyptian darkness, they had been busy all night, 
 withdrawing their army and artillery over a number of bridges, 
 while the numerous sentries close to the Confederate front kept 
 up a bold show to the last. After all the rest had retired, these 
 out-posts also were called in, their officers passing from man to 
 79 
 
626 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 man, and giving the order to fall back in a whisper. With such 
 industry and adroitness was the retreat conducted, all the vast 
 multitude, with its countless carriages, was withdrawn in one 
 night, in the midst of intense darkness, and without the aid of 
 even a lamp; for they feared to draw on themselves the fire 
 of the Confederate cannon. When some of the citizens, who 
 had remained shut up in their houses during the whole struggle, 
 came with candles to their doors, to learn the cause of the 
 strange, dull buzz which filled the air, they were startled to find 
 the streets packed with dense columns of men, whose faces were 
 all turned toward the river, and who instantly greeted their 
 appearance with the stern whisper; " Put out that light ! Put 
 out that light ! " Some of the officers also sprung from the ranks, 
 snatched the lights from their hands, extinguished them, and thrust 
 the bearers back within doors. The movement was all accom 
 plished before the Confederate pickets learned anything. When 
 the dull and dreary dawn began to steal over the ground, they 
 perceived that the sentries who had confronted them were either 
 gone or were motionless ; and upon approaching the latter, they 
 found that they were dead corpses, stiff and stark, which the 
 Federals had propped up against stones or posts, placing 
 muskets in- their hands ! 
 
 On re-entering the afflicted city, the Confederates discovered 
 also, that the enemy had employed the leisure of the two days 
 after the battle, in sacking its dwellings from one end to the 
 other. The only houses which escaped were those which, being 
 occupied by wounded men, or by the quarters of general officers, 
 were guarded by their sentries. Not only was every species of 
 food and other portable property, which a soldier could desire, 
 carried away, but the most ingenious and laborious destruction 
 was wrought upon that which they did not need. Costly furni 
 ture and pianos were hewn to pieces with axes, the wardrobes 
 
FREDERICKSBURG SACKED. REMARKS. 627 
 
 of ladies torn into shreds, mirrors precipitated upon the pave 
 ments, and the morocco-bound books of gentlemen s libraries 
 carried in hampers to the river, and tumbled into the slime of 
 the tides. But otherwise, the general aspect of the buildings 
 gave singular proof of the difficulty of actually destroying a city 
 by a bombardment. After all the tempest of projectiles by 
 which it seemed the doomed city must be levelled with the 
 ground, only a few houses were burned, and a few seriously 
 broken down. In the others, the only signs of bombardment 
 were a few small holes perforated in the walls and roofs by the 
 shot, and a number of places, where glass and plastering had 
 been broken by the explosions; while many buildings had 
 almost miraculously escaped. 
 
 In this retreat, the Federalists had every circumstance to 
 favor the secrecy of their movements ; yet their success casts a 
 reflection upon the watchfulness of the Confederates. It was 
 true that the darkness, the rain, and the tempestuous wind, were 
 sufficient to hide all the movements of the fugitives from the 
 sentries ; but surely, on all that extended front, there ought to 
 have been some scouts adventurous and shrewd enough to pene 
 trate the enemy s lines, by some mode, and gather some data 
 which would be decisive of their purpose to fight or flee. The 
 Confederate commander was much disappointed by the result. 
 Another imperfect victory had been added to the list of his 
 exploits, in which the glory of a masterly strategy and heroic 
 courage at the beginning, was overclouded by a partial forfeiture 
 of the anticipated fruits of victory. His beaten enemy had 
 again extricated himself from a situation, which promised a com 
 plete triumph and a speedy peace to the Confederacy. Doubt 
 less General Lee admitted in his own breast, that had he 
 foreseen this escape of Burnside, he ought to have taken the 
 aggressive against him during the two days of inaction, in some 
 
628 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 way. But what that way should have been, it was still not so 
 easy to determine. His advantage over Burnside in position 
 and facility of attack, was after all more seeming than real. In 
 front of the Confederate right, the Federalists held fast to the 
 two embankments of the river road, which they made almost im 
 pregnable with countless batteries, and double lines of infantry ; 
 and where they were protected by the fire of their guns of long 
 range from the north bank. If General Jackson would reach 
 these lines, he must leave his position in the wooded hills, and 
 advance into the plain, where every advantage passed from his 
 side to that of his enemy. At Fredericksburg, the more con 
 tracted space brought either party which took the aggressive 
 immediately under a murderous fire from the opposing heights. 
 If the Confederates advanced, they seemed to incur the same" 
 disadvantages which the Federalists had found so disastrous at 
 Marye s Hill. 
 
 But in one particular, General Jackson differed from his asso 
 ciates, in his estimate of the situation. He did not consider the 
 battle of the 13th of December as a mere prelude to a greater 
 struggle. He appreciated the full influence of the events of that 
 day upon the army of Burnside, and was convinced that it was at 
 the end of that day a beaten army, and would attempt nothing 
 more on that ground. He did not expect a renewal of their as 
 saults the next morning, although his vigilance prompted to take 
 every precaution against it. He saw clearly that it was for the 
 Confederates to take the initiative next, or else the affair would 
 continue incomplete. In this, he showed his customary sagacity, 
 and that almost infallible insight into his adversary s condition 
 and temper, which had guided him in previous campaigns. But 
 his habitual modesty prevented his obtruding his opinions ; and 
 there is no certain evidence what plan of action he would have 
 recommended. 
 
POSSIBLE MODE OP IMPROVING THE VICTORY. 629 
 
 The handling of Captain Hardaway s Whitworth rifle during 
 the 14th, upon the highlands east of the Massaponax, gave one 
 indication, which deserved to be followed up. Mounting a straw- 
 rick which stood upon a bold hill there, in range with the distant 
 line of the river road, he stationed his gun beside it ; and glass 
 in hand, directed a slow and accurate fire upon the enemy s 
 position. They could make no effective reply ; and with his one 
 piece, he so enfiladed and raked that road as to compel them to 
 remove their batteries to other ground. One of his shells was 
 supposed to have slain the Federal General Bayard, near the 
 centre of the Federal army, and three miles distant. Now, had 
 a strong detachment of Jackson s guns of longest range been 
 likewise posted in the Highlands, during the 14th, their fire 
 might so far have counterbalanced that of the Federal artillery, 
 as to enable him, with the remainder of his corps, to overwhelm 
 their left, without ruinous loss to himself, by a front and flank 
 attack combined. But the most obvious expedient for completing 
 the discomfiture of Burnside s army, was to concentrate powerful 
 masses of artillery on all the hills commanding the city itself, 
 and disregarding the reply from the Stafford Heights, to 
 overwhelm the whole locality with a sustained cannonade. 
 The drift of the Federal troops was continually toward the 
 streets of the town, after the battle of Saturday; there were 
 their most numerous bridges ; and thither the stragglers rushed 
 for spoils. The streets and open spaces were doubtless so 
 crowded with men during the whole occupation, that such a 
 bombardment must have inflicted a bloody loss; and the 
 approaches to all the bridges near the town being thus made 
 impracticable, the sense of its insecurity might have plunged 
 the whole army into panic. Two motives held back the 
 hands of the Confederates from this obvious experiment; 
 the expectation of having a more urgent use for the ammunition, 
 
630 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 to fight another general action in their chosen position; and 
 compassion for two or three hundred citizens of the gallant 
 town, who were supposed to be still clinging to their ruined 
 homes. 
 
 The failure of this grand attempt of Burnside plunged the 
 Federal Government and people into mortification and rage. 
 For once, the disappointment was too bitter to be concealed ; 
 and their anguish rendered them temporarily honest enough to 
 forego their customary boastings. The butchery of their men, 
 and the profound discouragement of the survivors, were fully 
 avowed. The Federal ministry compelled poor Burnside to 
 make himself the scape-goat for the fault, by assuming, in a pub 
 lished order, the whole responsibility of the movement. The 
 blatant press now denounced their late favorite with an injustice 
 equal to their former senseless adulation. And a Congressional 
 Committee of inquiry visited the army, and gathered the evidence 
 for completing his disgrace. He was, after a little, removed 
 from his command, and succeeded by his insubordinate and boast 
 ful Lieutenant, Hooker. His army was quietly withdrawn a 
 few miles from the river, and cantoned in winter-quarters in the 
 counties of Stafford and King George. 
 
 It is believed that the reader, in reviewing the affair of Fred- 
 ericksburg, will concur in the assertion with which the narrative 
 began: that Burnside s plan was not ill-conceived. With the 
 means which his Government placed at his disposal, the attempt 
 to cross the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg, in the face of 
 Lee s army, was feasible ; and since Burnside s masters dictated 
 to him the necessity of marching on Richmond by some route, the 
 essay which he chose, was proper for him to make. The only 
 real obstacle was the Confederate army ; but that must be met 
 somewhere ; and his Government and people were unanimous in 
 asserting that he both could and must overthrow it in some way. 
 
THE BLUNDERS. 631 
 
 The conception of Burnside, then, was good. His first fault was, 
 that he did not estimate with practical wisdom the uncertainties 
 and bureau impotency of the administration ; so as to make sure 
 of all the apparatus necessary for a prompt movement, such 
 as pontoon trains, by his own personal superintendence. He 
 began to move from Warrenton to his new base on the 13th 
 of November. Two marches should have brought him to Fred- 
 ericksburg. The last of Longstreet s corps did not arrive until 
 the 21st. With all his preparations duly anticipated, and with 
 reasonably prompt movements, he should have crossed the river 
 in force, and been master of the southern bank, before the Con 
 federates were in a condition to meet him. But the very odds 
 >hich they found themselves compelled to bring against the 
 ^Confederates, in order to cope with them, always rendered their 
 army an unwieldy monster, too cumbrous for any one mind to 
 comprehend or handle with precision. 
 
 After the opportunity for a sudden surprise was thus lost, 
 Burnside proceeded with skill and judgment in the disposition 
 which he made of his superior artillery, and in the measures by 
 which he forced the passage of the river. But then his blunders 
 began again. Of these the greatest was the direct attempt to 
 storm Marye s Hill, which was the very last point to which his 
 efforts should have been directed. An attack upon the extreme 
 of the Confederate left, or upon their centre, anything would 
 have been less reprehensible. But his opportunity was, in fact, 
 only upon the right j and all his real weight should have been 
 thrown against Jackson. If he had moved promptly under the 
 dense fog of the 12th of December, while as yet neither Early 
 hor D. H. Hill were in position, he might have carried, by his 
 infantry, positions which would have transferred the decisive bat 
 tle to the interior of Spottsylvania, or to the North Anna. Or 
 else, if he had employed that day in bridging the Massaponax 
 
632 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 near its mouth, and in opening ways for Ms vast artillery force 
 near the eastern highlands ; if he had made all his operations 
 nearer Fredericksburg, on the 13th, a feint, and instead of allow 
 ing a large part of Hooker s grand division to hang as a useless 
 reserve about the Stafford heights until the day was practically 
 lost, had pressed forward the whole of it to support Franklin, 
 and had thus moved in force upon both sides of the Massaponax, 
 he might have reasonably promised himself a successful issue. It 
 was manifest that the railroad from Fredericksburg to Richmond 
 must be the essential part of General Lee s line of operations. 
 But the direction of that thoroughfare down the valley of the 
 Rappahannock, indicated that Burnside should advance only by 
 his left ; besides that, the country on his left flank was every 
 way the more favorable to him. There is no boast in saying, that 
 if it had been Jackson, with the Confederate army, who had 
 seized the northern edge of the plateau of Fredericksburg, and 
 Burnside who stood on the defensive upon the Spottsylvania hills, 
 the former would have been as sure of occupying enough of the 
 hills of the Massaponax to turn the position of the latter success 
 fully, as the sun of the 13th rose upon the two armies. 
 
 It was manifest that the retreat of Burnside was the end of 
 the campaign for the winter. The army of General Lee there 
 fore proceeded to construct its winter-quarters in the wooded 
 country behind the Rappahannock, the corps of General Jackson 
 stretching from the neighborhood of Guinea s Station toward 
 Port Royal. Very soon the men were comfortably housed in 
 huts of their own construction, and settled down into the mono 
 tonous routine of the cantonment. General Jackson, after a few 
 days hesitation, established his head-quarters at Moss Neck, the* 
 hospitable mansion of Mr. Corbin, midway between Fredericks 
 burg and Port Royal, and near the centre of his troops. De 
 clining the offer of rooms in the commodious dwelling, lest he 
 
JACKSON AT MOSS NECK. C33 
 
 should unavoidably trespass upon the convenience of its inmates, 
 he accepted the use of a sporting-lodge at the edge of the lawn 
 for his lodgings. In the upper room of this cottage his pallet was 
 spread ; and the lower, still ornamented with the prints and tro 
 phies of the chase appropriate to its former uses, was occupied 
 as his office. A large tent, erected near by, supplied the place of 
 a dining-room for his mess. With these humble arrangements 
 he addressed himself diligently to the improvement of his com 
 mand, and the preparation of his official reports, to which the 
 bustle of the extraordinary campaign just closed had forbidden 
 his giving attention before. While the troops were steadily 
 engaged in the construction of their winter-quarters, of roads to 
 the stations whence they drew their supplies through the rail 
 road, and of an elaborate line of entrenchments, which covered 
 the whole country from Fredericksburg to Port Royal, he set 
 himself busily to bring up this arrear of office-work. In the com 
 position of the reports of his battles his reverence for truth and 
 justice was conspicuous. The facts were laboriously examined . 
 by him j and then every sentence of his narrative was reviewed 
 and scanned with most anxious care, that all might be true to 
 the reality. The language of exaggeration was jealously avoided, 
 nor did he descend to rhetorical portraiture : all was the severe 
 simplicity of history; Yet these reports are models of perspi 
 cuity, of transparent plainness, and of true graphic power ; and 
 the literary man of true taste will esteem them as excellent 
 specimens of narrative. This labor was continued, at intervals, 
 throughout the winter; and was just completed when the ad 
 vance of Hooker, in the following spring, summoned him to that 
 crowning exploit, of which his death left the narration in other 
 hands. 
 
 His attention was now addressed to an evil which had always 
 been grievous in the Confederate armies, absence from the 
 
 80 
 
634 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GEXEKAL JACKSOX. 
 
 ranks without leave. Employing his friend, the Hon. Mr. Bote- 
 ler, as his advocate in Congress, he urgently called the attention 
 of the Committee on Military Affairs to this abuse. He declared 
 that if it could be corrected even approximately, and the larger 
 part of the absentees could be recalled to the ranks, the army 
 would be so increased that, with the Divine blessing, one more 
 campaign would sweep the enemy from the soil of the Confede 
 rate States. One of his brigades reported twelve hundred 
 absentees! He proposed a novel plan, in which he expressed 
 great confidence, for abating the nuisance. This was, to offer a 
 pecuniary reward for the apprehension and delivery of all men 
 reported as absent without leave, to be paid at first by the Gov 
 ernment, but afterwards re-imbursed from the pay of the delin 
 quent. To carry out this conception, he proposed that it should 
 be embodied substantially in the following form : 
 
 "Suppose, for instance, that a brigade-commander makes an 
 arrangement with persons not liable to military duty, to arrest 
 and deliver his absentees ; and that he requires each company- 
 commander, as soon as he knows that one of his men is absent 
 without leave, to send up to brigade-headquarters a certificate of 
 the fact ; and the brigade-commander sends the certificate to one 
 of the persons with whom he has previously agreed to arrest and 
 bring back his absentees ; and that ivhenever the delinquent and 
 certificate shall be delivered to the commanding officer, of a military 
 post or camp, such commanding officer gives a receipt for the, same. ; 
 and upon the presentation of such receipt to the Quartermaster of 
 the post or camp, he pays the reward, - say, fifteen dollars. In 
 order to indemnify the Government, let the commanding officer 
 of the post or camp not only send to the company-commander 
 the man, but also a notification that a receipt has been given for 
 his delivery, in order that the company-commander may enter 
 
HE DECLINES A FURLOUGH. 635 
 
 the reward opposite the man s name on the muster and pay-roll, 
 so as to have it stopped from his pay." 
 
 This proposal was never submitted to the test of experiment. 
 General Jackson at least endeavored to set a wholesome example 
 of the duty of adherence to the service. He had never had a 
 day of furlough. When invited by a friend to allow himself a 
 little respite for a visit at his house, where he might meet his 
 wife and the infant daughter which he had never seen, he replied 
 expressing the delight which such a vacation would give him j 
 but firmly declining the proposal. A characteristic letter to Mrs. 
 Jackson may be introduced here, illustrating this matter. 
 
 "CHRISTMAS, 1862. 
 
 " I do earnestly pray for peace. Oh that our country was 
 such a Christian, God-fearing people as it should be! Then 
 might we very speedily look for peace. 
 
 " It appears to me, that it is better for me to remain with my 
 command so long as the war continues, if our ever gracious 
 Heavenly Father permits. The army suffers immensely by 
 absentees. If all our troops, officers and men, were at their 
 posts, we might, through God s blessing, expect a more speedy 
 termination of the war. The temporal affairs of some are so 
 deranged as to make a strong plea for their returning home for 
 a short time ; but our God has greatly blessed me and mine 
 during my absence ; and whilst it would be a great comfort to 
 see you, and our darling little daughter, and others in whom I 
 take special interest, yet duty appears to require me to remain 
 with my command. It is important that those at head-quarters 
 set an example by remaining at the post of duty. 
 
 Dr. writes, l our little prayer meeting is still meeting 
 
 daily, to pray for pur army and leaders. This prayer meeting 
 may be the means of accomplishing more than an army. I wish 
 
636 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 that such existed everywhere. How it does cheer my heart, to 
 hear of God s people praying for our cause, and for me 1 I 
 greatly prize the prayers of the pious." 
 
 The new year brought him the sad news of the re-occupation 
 of Winchester by the Federal army. His friends there were now 
 subjected to the tyranny and outrages of the Federal General Mil- 
 roy. Under his rule, the most vexatious and cruel restrictions 
 were placed upon the people ; and the plunder of their dwellings 
 was shamelessly transferred to the private baggage of the Com 
 mander. Nothing which could characterize the baseness of a 
 petty despot, was lacking to the history of this man ; and when, 
 after the fall of General Jackson, Winchester was recaptured 
 by his corps under General Ewell, Milroy crowned his infamy by 
 running away from his command through by-roads, leaving them 
 without a leader in the clutches of the avenging patriots. The 
 story of the wrongs of the people now stirred the depths of 
 Jackson s heart. His estimate of the value of the district to 
 the Confederacy was revived by his grief and indignation, and 
 he exerted all his influence with the Commander-in- Chief, to have 
 an army sent for its deliverance. His constant judgment was 
 still, that a force stationed in the lower Valley, and subsisted 
 from the resources of the country, would render a service more 
 efficient than the same numbers could render elsewhere, by pre 
 serving the riches of the country to the Confederacy, and by 
 making a threatening diversion, which would embarrass any 
 invasion of northern Virginia. He declared that the country 
 would still sustain twenty thousand men, who should be sent 
 there under an energetic leader, and he proposed General Early 
 for the post. But General Lee did not deem that he had men 
 to spare for the detachment ; although the difficulty of provision 
 ing his army in Spottsylvania did induce him, later in the season, 
 
JACKSON IN QUARTERS. 637 
 
 to send General Longstreet, with a part of his corps, to south 
 eastern Virginia j where they were detained until after the battle 
 of Chancellorsville, without other result than some successful 
 foraging. 
 
 While General Jackson was himself the commander in the 
 Valley District, his modesty and disinterestedness had prevented 
 his asking for larger powers, although he had felt, in the cam 
 paign of 1862, the cruel inconvenience of his subordination to a 
 distant commander, who was necessarily ignorant of much which 
 should guide his action there. But now, in asking that another 
 should command there, he urged that the country should be ele 
 vated to an independent Military Department, with its own Gen 
 eral, who should receive his orders directly from the supreme 
 power. He strenuously declared that he did not desire to be 
 again detachecJ for that service, but every way preferred a subor 
 dinate command, near General Lee s person. 
 
 Indeed, it was manifest that his happiness was greatly in 
 creased by the removal of the load of separate responsibility, 
 and administrative cares, which his present position gained for 
 him. His companions in arms noted in him a considerable and 
 pleasing change.. The brow of care was more frequently re 
 laxed ; his warm social impulses were more freely indulged ; and 
 his meals, which had been usually despatched in haste and silence, 
 became now seasons of cheerful relaxation, in which he was a 
 quiet and unobtrusive, but joyous participant. Especially did he 
 unbend, when visited after the hours of business, by his valued 
 comrade in arms, General Stuart. In patriotism, in zeal for 
 duty, in daring courage, and in military enterprise, these two 
 men were kindred and sympathetic spirits ; but in temperament, 
 Stuart s exuberant cheerfulness and humor seemed to be the 
 happy relief, as they were the opposites to Jackson s serious and 
 diffident temper. To Jackson himself, it was a pleasure to hare 
 
638 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 his sobriety thawed by the gay laugh and jest of the great 
 cavalier ; while his occasional visits to the mess were the signals 
 of high fan to the young men of the Staff. While Stuart poured 
 out his " quips and cranks/ not seldom at Jackson s expense, the 
 latter sat by ; sometimes unprepared with any repartee, sometimes 
 blushing, but always enjoying the jest with a quiet and sunny 
 laugh. The ornaments which the former proprietor of Moss 
 Neck had left upon the walls of the General s quarters, gave 
 Stuart many a topic for badinage. Affecting to believe that 
 they were of General Jackson s selection, he pointed now to the 
 portrait of some famous racer, and now to the print of some dog, 
 celebrated for his hunting feats, as queer revelations of the 
 private tastes of the great Presbyterian. He, with a quiet smile, 
 only replied, that perhaps he had, in his youth, had more to do 
 with race-horses than his friends suspected. He referred to his 
 school-boy days at the forest home of his uncle, Cummings Jack 
 son. It was in the midst of such a scene as this, one day, that 
 dinner was announced; and the two Generals passed to the 
 mess-table. It so happened that Jackson had just received, as a 
 present from a patriotic lady, some butter, upon the adornment 
 of which the fair donor had exhausted her housewife s skill, and 
 that the print impressed upon its surface was a gallant cock. 
 The servants, in honor of General Stuart s presence, had chosen 
 this to grace the centre of the board. As his eye fell upon it, he 
 paused, and with mock gravity, pointed to it, saying : " See there, 
 gentlemen ! If there is not the crowning evidence of our host s 
 sporting tastes. He even puts his favorite game-cock upon his 
 butter ! " The dinner of course began with inextinguishable 
 laughter, in which General Jackson joined with as much enjoy 
 ment as any. 
 
 His fame had now become world- wide ; and while he attracted 
 the enthusiastic admiration of his countrymen, strangers from 
 
LITTLE JANE CORBIN. 639 
 
 Europe made pilgrimages to the army to gain a view of the 
 great soldier. They found him, not the bizarre and austere hero 
 he had been described by popular fancy, but the modest, courte 
 ous gentleman, who offered the scanty hospitality of his quarters, 
 and cared for their comfort with an almost feminine tenderness. 
 His domestic tastes _soon began to seek their solace among the 
 children of the family near by ; and he selected one, a sweet girl 
 of six years, Jane Corbin, as his especial favorite. He requested 
 of her mother that she should visit him every afternoon, after the 
 labors of -the day were finished ; and he always provided him 
 self with some present, suitable for her child s taste, which he 
 laid away in his drawer : an apple, an orange, a bundle of candy, 
 or a gay print. Sometimes the interview was passed with his 
 little friend sitting upon his knee, engaged in eager converse; 
 while at others, the noises which proceeded from the office showed 
 that they were indulging in a good, hearty romp together. One 
 evening, when she came, he had no gift for her. At the close of 
 their play, his eye fell upon a new cap, which Mrs. Jackson had 
 lately sent him, which was far plainer than that appropriate to a 
 Lieutenant-General : but which still was encircled with one band 
 of broad gold braid. Taking his penknife, he ripped this off, 
 and saying to the child, " This shall be your coronet," fastened it 
 with his own hand around her fair locks; and then stood con 
 templating her with delight. A letter to his wife contains the 
 following reference to it : 
 
 " I became so much ashamed of the broad gold lace that was 
 on the cap you sent me, as to induce me to take it off. I like 
 simplicity." This gift, the reader will say, Jane Corbin doubt 
 less preserved with jealous care, to .be the most cherished orna 
 ment of her womanhood. Alas! no. The sweet child was 
 destined to precede her hero-friend to that world where they 
 both wear a purer crown; and the sad mother, now also a 
 
640 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 soldier s widow, guards it as the memorial of her bereavement. 
 The very day General Jackson left Moss Neck to prepare for 
 the spring campaign, little Jane was seized with that fearful 
 scourge of the innocents, scarlet fever, and expired after a sick 
 ness of a day. The General felt her loss with a pungent grief; 
 but the sterner cares of the army forbade his expending time in 
 the indulgence of sorrow. He left his quarters for the last time, 
 cumbered with the thousand wants of his great command, while 
 the child lay dying. His sympathy with the bereaved parents 
 was also quickened by his own parental anxieties. It was about 
 this time that his letters brought him news that his own infant 
 daughter, whose face he had never seen, was ill with a threatening 
 disease. He stated the accounts of its symptoms to his friend, Dr. 
 M Guire, in whose medical wisdom he so confided, and asked his 
 advice, that he might write it to his wife. As he closed his 
 inquiries, he said, with a voice quivering with emotion, " I do 
 wish that dear child, if it is God s will, to be spared to us." 
 This prayer was answered ; and the witnessing of its smiles was 
 the last earthly joy which was assigned to him, as he finished his 
 course. 
 
 The winter at Moss Neck was also marked by a farther 
 increase of General Jackson s spirituality and Christian activity. 
 Like the planet approaching its central sun, his soul moved with 
 accelerated speed toward the Sun of righteousness. As he drew 
 nearer to the centre of his divine attraction, his spiritual joy 
 became yet more abundant. While his modesty was undimin- 
 ished, his plans of exertion for the Church of God became more 
 bold and comprehensive. His enjoyment of the Sabbath Day 
 became higher than ever; and every source of happiness was 
 traced up more gratefully to the heavenly Giver. A few extracts 
 from his letters to his wife are introduced here, evincing the 
 glowing piety of his affections : 
 
CORRESPONDENCE. 641 
 
 
 
 " Our ever gracious heavenly Father is exceedingly kind to 
 me, and strikingly manifests it by the kindness with which He 
 disposes people to treat me." (Then mentioning a number 
 of presents.) "And so God, my exceeding great Joy, is contin 
 ually showering His blessings upon me, an unworthy creature. 
 
 "I hope to have the privilege of joining in prayer for peace at 
 the tim<f you name, and hope that all our Christian people will ; 
 but peace should not be the chief object of prayer in our country. 
 It should aim more specially at imploring God s forgiveness of 
 our sins, and praying that He will make our people a holy people. 
 If we are but his, all things shall work together for the good of 
 our country, and no good thing will He withhold from it." .... 
 " If I know my unworthy self, my desire is to live entirely and 
 unreservedly to Gods glory. Pray that I may so live." 
 
 January 17th, 1863. "I derive an additional pleasure in 
 reading a letter* resulting from a conviction that it has not been 
 travelling on the Sabbath. How delightful will be our heavenly 
 home, where everything is sanctified ! " 
 
 January 22nd. "I regret to see our Winchester friends again 
 in the hands of the enemy. I trust that, in answer to prayer, 
 our country will soon be blessed with peace. If we were only 
 that obedient people that we should be, I should, with increased 
 confidence, look for a speedy termination of hostilities. Let us 
 pray more, and live more to the glory of God." 
 
 " Our heavenly Father is continually blessing me with presents. 
 He withholds no good thing from me. I desire to be more thank 
 ful, and trust that through His blessing I shall grow in grace." 
 
 February 3d. "I trust, that in answer to the prayers of 
 Gods people, He will soon give us peace. I haven t seen my 
 wife for nearly a year, and my home for nearly two years ; and 
 I never have seen my sweet little daughter." . . . . " My old 
 brigade has built a log church ; as yet I have not been in it. I 
 
 81 
 
642 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 am much interested in reading Hunter s l Life of Moses. It is 
 a delightful book ; and I feel more improved in reading it than 
 by an ordinary sermon. I am thankful to say that my Sabbaths 
 are passed more in meditation than formerly. Time thus spent 
 is genuine enjoyment." 
 
 Writing of some presents from London, he says : " Our ever 
 kind heavenly Father gives me friends among strangers. He is 
 the source of every blessing, and I desire to be more grateful to 
 Him." 
 
 " To-morrow is the Sabbath. My Sabbaths are looked for 
 ward to with pleasure. I don t know that I ever enjoyed Sab 
 baths as I do this winter. I do hope, trust, and pray, that our 
 people will religiously observe the 27th day of next month as a 
 day of humiliation, prayer, and fasting, as the President has 
 designated in his proclamation." 
 
 General Jackson, hoping, in common with many of his fellow- 
 citizens, that the victories which God had vouchsafed to the Confed 
 erate arms in the year 1862, would convince the Federal people 
 of the wickedness and unreasonable nature of their war, indulged 
 some expectation that peace was not far off. It was his earnest de 
 sire, that when the people of the Confederate States then proceeded 
 to adjust the working of their institutions, they should recognize 
 the rights of God more distinctly, and that the Christian Church 
 should put forth more saving power in society. One subject of 
 his pious solicitude was, the laws of Congress which required the 
 carrying and opening of the mails on the Sabbath ; thus, not only 
 permitting, but exacting, of a class of the citizens, the profaning 
 of the day by secular labor. He had ever been accustomed to 
 cherish a peculiar reverence for the Sabbath Day; and hearing 
 that the propriety of this anti- Christian legislation was discussed 
 in Congress, he exerted every lawful influence to bring about its 
 repeal. To his friend, Hon. Mr. Botelcr, he wrote as follows : < 
 
HIS LETTERS .AGAINST SABBATH MAILS. 613 
 
 "DECEMBER 10, 1862. 
 MY DEAR COLONEL : 
 
 " I have read with great interest the Congressional Eeport of 
 the Committee ; recommending the repeal of the law requiring 
 the mails to be carried on the Sabbath ,* and I hope that you will 
 feel it a duty, as well as a pleasure, to urge its repeal. I do not 
 see how a nation that thus arrays itself, by such a law, against 
 God s holy day, can expect to escape His wrath. The punish 
 ment of national sins must be confined to this world, as there are 
 no nationalities beyond the grave. For fifteen years I have 
 refused to mail letters on Sunday, or to take them out of the 
 office on that day, except since I came into the field ; and, so far 
 from having to regret my course, it has been a source of true 
 enjoyment. I have never sustained loss in observing what God 
 enjoins ; and I am well satisfied that the law should be repealed 
 at the earliest practicable moment. My rule is, to let the Sab 
 bath mails remain unopened, unless they contain a despatch ; but 
 despatches are generally sent by couriers or telegraph, or some 
 special messenger. I do not recollect a single instance of any 
 special despatch having reached me, since the commencement of 
 the war, by the mails. 
 
 " If you desire the repeal of the law, I trust you will bring all 
 your influence to bear in its accomplishment. Now is the time, 
 it appears to me, to effect so desirable an object. I understand 
 that not only our President, but also most of his Cabinet, and a 
 majority of our Congressmen, are professing Christians. God 
 has greatly blessed us, and I trust He will make us that people 
 whose God is the Lord. Let us look to God for an illustration 
 in our history, that righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a 
 reproach to any people. .... 
 
 " Very truly, your friend, 
 
 "T. J. JACKSON." 
 
644 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Similar letters were also written to others, engaging their 
 assistance to further the repeal of the law. To his friend, Colo 
 nel Preston, of Lexington, an elder of his church, he wrote to the 
 same effect, seeking to enlist his pen ; and afterward to secure, 
 through him, the weight of the General Assemby of the Presby 
 terian Church, at its approaching meeting. To Colonel Preston 
 he wrote thus : 
 
 " I greatly desire to see peace, blessed peace. And I am 
 persuaded, that if God s people throughout our Confederacy will 
 earnestly and perseveringly unite in imploring His interposition 
 for peace, we may expect it. Let our Government acknowledge 
 the God of the Bible as its God, and we may expect soon to be 
 a happy and independent people. It appears to me that ex 
 tremes are to be avoided ; and it also appears to me that the old 
 United States occupied an extreme position in the means it took 
 to prevent the union of Church and State. We call ourselves a 
 Christian people ; and it seems to me that our Government may 
 be of the same character, without connecting itself with an estab 
 lished Church. It does appear to me that as our President, our 
 Congress, and our people have thanked God for victories, and 
 prayed to Him for additional ones, and He has answered such 
 prayers, and gives us a Government, it is gross ingratitude not 
 to acknowledge Him in the gift. Let the framework of our Gov 
 ernment show that we are not ungrateful to Him." 
 
 But the great work which most engrossed his heart was the 
 spiritual improvement of the army, and especially of his corps. 
 His soul had rejoiced, with unspeakable gladness, at the incipient 
 showers of Divine grace which began to descend during the 
 autumn. He had from the first lamented the destitutions of the 
 army, where more than half the regiments were without chap 
 lains, and the inefficiency of those who were present. He saw 
 them laboring without plan and concert, and therefore without 
 
LETTER OX CHAPLAINS LABORS. 645 
 
 efficiency. He saw them leaving their charges in the midst of 
 hardships and dangers, upon unnecessary grounds ; thus uncon 
 sciously fostering the feeling of the unbelieving many, that the 
 spiritual officer was less essential to the regiment than the secu 
 lar ; and so, inviting indifference to their labors when they were 
 present. He was accustomed to say, that if an ecclesiastical 
 organization and control for clergymen had been found necessary 
 in civil life, they should equally be applied to these military pas 
 tors ; and, again, that it was as reasonable that they should be 
 hfid to their duties by a due subordination, as surgeons or 
 captains. It had long been his desire to have some impulse 
 communicated to their labors ; and he now made the following 
 suggestions to the Rev. Dr. White : 
 
 " CAROLINE COUNTY, VIRGINIA, March 9th, 1863. 
 "MY DEAR PASTOR: 
 
 " Your letter of the 5th inst., was handed me yesterday. I 
 am much obliged to you for it, and thankful to God and yourself 
 for the deep interest you take in the army. I feel that, if you 
 were a young man, you would delight to labor in the army. 
 Though your health will not admit of such constant labor, yet I 
 trust that you will find it convenient to come and preach a few 
 sermons. I do not feel that I can adequately express by letter, 
 the inducements that exist for Christian labor among our troops. 
 If you could come and spend a few days, and see for yourself, 
 T believe that good would be accomplished, not only by your 
 labors here, but by the impressions which you would carry 
 away. 
 
 " When I wrote the letter to Colonel Preston, which he showed 
 you, I had given up the idea that the Rev. B. T. Lacy would 
 return." (The letter here referred to had authorized and 
 requested Colonel Preston to invite the Rev. Dr. Palmer, an 
 eminent minister recently driven from his pulpit in New Orleans, 
 
646 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 by the enemy, to come to his head-quarters, and labor as a 
 missionary in his corps; promising to make a contribution of 
 five hundred dollars per year to his support out of his private 
 purse.) " Pie had visited me soon after my arrival here ; and I 
 desired him to labor in my army corps, and expected him to 
 return in about a week : though not necessarily to accept a prop 
 osition which I had made him : For he told me that, as he was in 
 charge of a congregation, he could not decide what his course 
 would be, until he should see more respecting his charge. 
 Shortly after my writing to Colonel Preston, Mr. Lacy returned : 
 and I hope that through God s blessing, his labors will be with 
 the army until the war terminates 
 
 " "Whilst I hope to have Mr. L. in my corps, yet if you think 
 that our church, in making a proper distribution of her minis 
 terial talent and piety, can send to my corps another of her gifted 
 sons, I will be greatly gratified, and will contribute to his sup 
 port as promised in my letter to Colonel Preston. And I should 
 like very much to have Dr. Palmer, judging from what I have 
 heard of him. But I do not wish to make invidious distinctions. 
 My desire is to see just such a distribution of labors as will 
 most promote the glory of God 
 
 " You suggest that I give my views and wishes in such form 
 and extent as I am willing should be made public. This I shrink 
 from doing, because it looks like presumption in me, to come 
 before the public and even intimate what course I think should 
 be pursued by the people of God. I have had so little experi 
 ence in church matters, as to make it very proper, it appears to 
 me, to keep quite beyond the expression of my views to friends. 
 Whilst I feel that this is the proper course for me to pursue, and 
 the one which is congenial to my feelings, yet if you and Colonel 
 Preston, after prayerful consultation, are of opinion that my 
 name, in connexion with my wishes, will be the means of doing 
 
HIS PLAN OP ORGANIZATION. 647 
 
 good, I do not desire any sensibility that I may have to be a 
 draw-back in the way of doing good. I desire myself and all 
 that I have to be dedicated to the service of God. So averse 
 am I to appearing as though I would like to attempt in any way 
 publicly to suggest what, in my opinion, the church should do, 
 that I do not feel justified in consenting to my name being used 
 as you have suggested, except after prayerful consultation 
 between yourself and Colonel Preston. I take the liberty of 
 writing to you and him my views : both of you have had large 
 experience in the church, you have both been known to the 
 church for years, and after maturely considering what I write, 
 you can with propriety publish, should you think best, any tiling 
 that I may have said without saying that such was my view. 
 
 " My views are summed up in a few words, which are these : 
 Each Christian branch of the church should send into the army 
 some of its most prominent ministers, who are distinguished for 
 their piety, talents, and zeal ; and such ministers should labor 
 to produce concert of action among chaplains and Christians in 
 the army. These ministers should give special attention to 
 preaching to regiments which are without chaplains, and induce 
 them to take steps to get chaplains, to let the regiments name 
 the denomination from which they desire chaplains selected ; and 
 then to see that suitable chaplains are secured. A bad selec 
 tion of a chaplain may prove a curse instead of a blessing. If 
 the few prominent ministers thus connected with each army would 
 cordially co-operate, I believe that glorious fruits would be the 
 result. Denominational distinctions should be kept out of view, 
 and not touched upon ; and as a general rule, I do not think that a 
 chaplain who would preach denominational sermons, should be in 
 the army. His congregation is his regiment, and it is composed 
 of persons of various denominations. I would like to see no 
 question asked in the army, as to what denomination a chaplain 
 
6-18 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 belongs; but let tlie question be, does he preach the Gospel? 
 The neglect of spiritual interests in the army may be partially 
 seen in the fact that not half of my regiments have chaplains." 
 
 On the first of March, Rev. Mr. Lacy, a minister of the Pres 
 byterian church, came, on General Jackson s invitation, to his 
 head-quarters, to begin the species of labors described in the 
 above letter. The Government, after a time, commissioned him 
 as an army chaplain, without assigning him to a particular regi 
 ment ; an exceptional act of courtesy accorded to General Jack 
 son s high character and express request. In his letter to his 
 other friends, he had modestly expressed his inexperience of 
 ecclesiastical affairs, and his intention to commit the details 
 of the plan of evangelical labors in the army to the advice of the 
 clergyman, after Mr. Lacy had examined his ground. But the 
 scheme adopted was that which the General had entertained in 
 his own mind in the beginning of the campaign of 1862, and 
 which, indeed, he had then attempted to effect. The exacting 
 nature of the campaign, and the failure to enjoy at that time the 
 assistance upon which he relied for its execution, had caused its 
 postponement. But it was his design, which was now in substance 
 resumed. His objects were three : to supply regiments destitute 
 of chaplains with a partial substitute in the shape of the itinerant 
 labors of efficient ministers ; to supply a channel of intercourse 
 between the army and the bodies of clergy of different denomina 
 tions, through which the latter might learn the wants of the former, 
 and to give to the labors of the chaplains and other ministers in 
 the army, the unity and impulse of an ecclesiastical organization 
 within their own peculiar field. His chaplain was intended by 
 him to be an exemplar, who, he hoped, would be followed by many 
 others from among the most efficient preachers of all churches, 
 until they should be brought into vital sympathy with the army. 
 
THE CAMP CHAPELS. 649 
 
 One of the measures adopted was the preaching of the gospel at 
 the head-quarters of General Jackson, and under his immediate 
 countenance, every Sabbath, while the troops were in their 
 camps. For this end, a place in the open field was prepared, 
 near Hamilton s crossing, (to which General- Jackson removed 
 his quarters soon after,) with rude seats and a temporary pulpit, 
 where public worship was held in the open air. The example 
 of so famous a warrior, always potent among soldiers when sus 
 tained by official rank, the curiosity to see him and the galaxy of 
 celebrities who came to worship with him, the eloquence of the 
 preachers, and the purer motives which the great religious 
 awakening now began to propagate far and wide, soon drew a 
 vast congregation to this spot on the Sabbath days. From hun 
 dreds it grew to thousands, until the assemblage surrounded the 
 preacher in a compact mass, as far as his voice could be dis 
 tinctly heard. Here, on a bright Sabbath in the spring, might 
 be seen the stately head of the Commander-in- Chief, with a 
 crowd of Generals, whose names had been borne by fame across 
 the ocean, and of legislators and statesmen, bowed along with 
 the multitude of private soldiers, in divine worship ; while the 
 solemn and tender wave of sacred emotion subdued the great 
 and the unknown alike before it. At these scenes, which were 
 so directly produced by his instrumentality, General Jackson 
 was the most unobtrusive assistant. Seated in some retired 
 spot amidst the private soldiers, he listened to the worship and 
 the preaching with an edifying attention, and watched the power 
 of the truth upon the great congregation, with a glow of elevated 
 and tender delight. Never, since the days when Whitefield 
 preached to the mingled crowd of peers and beggars in 
 Moorfields, has the sky looked down upon a more imposing 
 worship. 
 
 Another enterprise whicn marked the evangelical labors of 
 
 82 
 
650 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 this winter, was the building of temporary chapels by the men 
 for their own worship. Two or three contiguous regiments 
 usually concurred in the work. Tall trees were cut down, and 
 brought to the spot by the teams of the Quartermasters, and 
 built into walls of logs. Chimneys were built of the same 
 rude material, and plastered with clay, whence the huge fires, 
 and the torches of resinous pine, diffused a ruddy glow of warmth 
 and light. The structure was roofed with clapboards, and 
 seated with rude benches formed from the split bodies of trees. 
 The Stonewall Brigade was the first to begin this work, to 
 General Jackson s great delight. No sooner had they completed 
 their own huts, than they set to work, and by a multitude of 
 willing hands, completed their church in a few days. The next 
 Sabbath it was formally .dedicated to the worship of God; and 
 during the winter, was constantly occupied in turn by the 
 chaplains of the several regiments. During the week, frequent 
 meetings for prayer, and bible classes, were held here by torch 
 light, and the men were encouraged to expend their leisure in 
 the study of the scriptures, and in sacred music, instead of 
 the degrading amusements of the card-table. As this chapel 
 was near the quarters of General Jackson, .he often came to 
 worship in it with his favorite brigade. Instead of affecting 
 the chief seat in the synagogue, he delighted to sit among the 
 rough, weather-beaten privates, and lay aside all official dignity 
 to accompany them to the throne of grace on the common 
 footing of worshippers. Their reverence for his person some 
 times led them to leave a respectful distance between themselves 
 and the seat he occupied ; but he would never consent that any 
 space should be thus lost, where so many were crowding to hear 
 the word. As he saw them seeking seats elsewhere, he was 
 accustomed to rise, and invite them by gesture to the vacancies 
 near him ; and was never so well satisfied as when he had an 
 
THE CHAPLAINS ASSOCIATION. 651 
 
 unkempt soldier touching his elbow on either hand, and all the 
 room about him compactly filled. Then he was ready to 
 address himself with his usual fixed attention to the services. 
 
 The most important measure which he introduced was the 
 weekly chaplains meeting. This was a temporary association 
 of all the chaplains and evangelists of his corps, who, on 
 meeting, appointed one of their own number to preside as a 
 chairman or moderator, and another as their secretary, and 
 after joining in public worship, proceeded to consult upon the 
 spiritual interests of their charges, to arrange and concert their 
 labors, and to devise means for supplying the destitutions of the 
 army. These counsels were a true evangelical union. By a 
 common and silent consent, which bears high testimony to the 
 cultivation and honor of these laborious men, all subjects of 
 sectarian debate, were effectually excluded, and their delibera 
 tions were confined to the interests of our common Christianity. 
 But it was also a high evidence of the general soundness of 
 religious opinion in the Confederate States, that there was not a 
 single regiment in the army, which showed a disposition to 
 introduce a minister who did not belong to an evangelical and 
 orthodox communion, as their chaplain, except one or two priests 
 of the Romish Church. On the other hand, the office in the 
 Federal army was as frequently filled by Universalists, and other 
 erratic heretics, or by laymen who never preached, as by regular 
 ministers of the gospel. 
 
 General Jackson displayed his delicate sense of propriety by 
 not attending these weekly synods of his chaplains statedly 
 himself. But he watched them with lively interest. As soon as 
 his own chaplain returned from them, he was accustomed to call 
 him, and say : " Now come and report." He inquired into all 
 that was said and done, and all the measures proposed, for 
 evangelizing his command. When he was told of the fraternal 
 
652 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEKAL JACKSON. 
 
 love which reigned among the chaplains, of the devout spirit 
 manifested in their worship, and of the news of the ingathering 
 of souls which they brought from their several charges, his eyes 
 were often filled with happy tears, and he blessed God for the 
 grace. The stated meetings of the chaplains were the means of 
 awakening them to a greatly increased zeal and fidelity, as 
 well as for adding system and concert to their labors. So that 
 this service, which, while adorned by the fidelity of a number of 
 truly apostolic men, had yet fallen, in general, into no little 
 disfavor, was now thoroughly renovated. Thus the energy of 
 General Jackson s will, though so modestly exerted, made itself 
 felt among his chaplains, just as among his staff and field officers, 
 in communicating efficiency and vigor to all their performance of 
 duty. It was remarked of him, that while no General o fficer 
 had so unpretending a Staff, none other was so efficient as his. 
 This was due not so much to the character of the men who 
 constituted it, as to the force of his own example and energy, in 
 inspiring the spirit of endeavor, among all who were subject to 
 his authority. 
 
 The weekly meetings of the chaplains effected more good than 
 he had hoped from them ; for he had warned others not to anti 
 cipate too much. Hence, when he found that his plans were bear 
 ing so much fruit, he was filled with delight. One of the benefits of 
 the movement was the bringing of the ministers in the army into 
 closer connexion with his person. His own chaplain was a bond 
 of union also between himself and the others, through which they 
 were encouraged to visit his quarters more unreservedly, and to 
 know and love him, not as a commander only, but also as a 
 Christian. To every worthy preacher of the gospel his manner 
 was full of warmth and tenderness, showing that he esteemed 
 them very highly in love for their work s sake. Everything was 
 done with a thoughtful affection, to- facilitate their labors, and 
 
JACKSON EXACTS FIDELITY OF CHAPLAINS. 653 
 
 provide for their comforts. His contributions from his private 
 purse were also large, to provide them with means for supplying 
 their charges with Bibles and religious reading. The Govern 
 ment had never made any provision for the support of the chap 
 lains in their work, other than a very inadequate salary. The 
 General now applied to the Military Committee of Congress, to 
 bring in a law enabling Quartermasters to provide chaplains, 
 like other officers, with tents, fuel, and forage for horses. This 
 just measure was indeed neglected amidst the hurry of the clos 
 ing session, but was finally adopted by a subsequent Congress. 
 
 General Jackson, in his intercourse with his chaplains, often 
 inculcated their obligation " to endure hardness, as good soldiers 
 of Jesus Christ," to live with their regiments, and acquire thci? 
 confidence by sharing their exposures, and to cleave to their 
 work amidst all the pains and crosses which the common soldiers 
 were compelled by the law of their country to endure. He said 
 that a chaplain should not think of resigning his post for any 
 less cause than would justify a field-officer in laying down his 
 commission; and that they should no more think than he, of 
 leaving his regiment without a regular furlough, founded upon 
 just cause. To do so, he argued, taught the men by a practical 
 lesson, that the soul was less important than the body, and that 
 secular duties were more urgent than the business of redemp 
 tion. 
 
 When with chaplains whom he esteemed like-minded, General 
 Jackson was very sure to turn all conversation speedily into a 
 spiritual channel. With intimate Christian friends, the things 
 of God were almost his exclusive topics in private. His favorite 
 subjects now were, the importance of an unshaken faith ; of casting 
 all our care upon God in the diligent performance of duty ; and 
 of the evidences of the Divine faithfulness in the course of Provi 
 dence and redemption. He spoke emphatically of the duty of 
 
654 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 conforming our wills to God s, and of a thoroughly cheerful 
 acquiescence whenever His will was manifested. He was often 
 delighted to speculate upon the modes in which the Divine will 
 might be safely ascertained. His favorite maxim was: "Duty 
 is ours : consequences are God s." He spoke much also of the 
 blessedness of a full and hearty obedience, in its effects upon 
 the Christian s own happiness. He often declared that it was his 
 first desire to command a " converted army." This, he believed, 
 enjoying the spiritual favor of God upon their individual souls, 
 engaged in a just cause, and undertaking every enterprise with 
 prayer, must meet with success ; and prove, in the end, invincible. 
 He spoke frequently also of the connexion between national 
 obedience and public prosperity; declaring that it is holiness 
 which exalteth a people ; and showing the supreme importance 
 of the Government s at least refraining from placing itself, in 
 any way, in opposition to God s laws and institutions. Hence 
 his zeal for the outward and spiritual observance of the Sabbath, 
 which has been noted. 
 
 One more favorite project remains to be mentioned, in" which 
 about this time, he sought to interest those who met him. This 
 was the establishment of a Christian Daily Newspaper, which 
 should honor God by refraining from all Sabbath work. He 
 argued that their issue of Monday should contain nothing printed 
 after Saturday evening; and that Christians should be willing to 
 receive their news later by one day, once during the week, in 
 order to honor God s law. If this delay should diminish the 
 circulation of such a journal, and make it less remunerative than 
 others ; he declared that he was willing to repay a part of this 
 loss out of his own means. 
 
 As soon as his quarters were established at Hamilton s Cross 
 ing, he began the custom of regular domestic worship in his 
 mess, each morning. These services were willingly attended by 
 
LETTERS. 
 
 655 
 
 all liis staff, out of respect for his Christian character, or from 
 their own interest in them. He, who was of all men least 
 obtrusive in his religion, carefully forbore from commanding their 
 attendance, although his beaming face indicated plainly enough 
 the pleasure he felt in seeing them present. Whenever his chap 
 lain was not there, he always conducted these services himself, 
 with his customary unction and humility. On Wednesday and 
 Sunday nights, there was also a prayer meeting observed at his 
 quarters, where he was always a worshipper, and led the devo 
 tions of his brethren, when desired to do so by a minister. A 
 few of the young men upon his Staff had cultivated the delightful 
 art of sacred music. On the afternoon of the Sabbaths, when 
 the necessary business, which he always reduced within the nar 
 rowest limits, was despatched, it was his favorite occupation to 
 have singing; and frequently, as the little choir was conclud 
 ing, he said ; " Now let us have the hymn ;" 
 
 "How happy are they 
 "Who their Saviour obey." 
 
 On every intelligent Christian who approached him at this time, 
 he made the impression of the most eminent sanctity. They all 
 left him with this testimony : that he was the holiest man they 
 had ever seen. 
 
 The following extracts from letters to Mrs. Jackson may be 
 introduced here. 
 
 MARCH 14th, 1863. 
 
 "On next Monday there is to be a meeting of the chaplains of 
 my corps, and I pray that good may result from the meeting. 
 
 " The time has about come for campaigning, and I hope early 
 next week to leave my room and go into a tent near Hamilton s 
 crossing, which is on the railroad, about five miles from Freder- 
 
656 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 icksburg. It is rather a relief to get where there will be less 
 comfort than in a room ; as I hope thereby persons will be pre 
 vented from encroaching so much on my time. I am greatly 
 behind with my reports, and am very desirous of getting through 
 with them before another campaign commences." 
 
 "APRIL 10th. 
 
 " I trust that God is going to bless us with great success, and 
 in such a manner as to show that it is all His gift ; and I trust 
 and pray that it will lead our country to acknowledge Him, and 
 to live in accordance with His will as revealed in the Bible. 
 There appears to be an increased religious interest among our 
 troops here. Our chaplains have weekly meetings, on Tuesdays : 
 and the one of this week was more charming than the preceding 
 one," -&c. 
 
 The effort thus begun in General Jackson s corps, was imitated 
 in the others. The movement was not limited to the army of 
 Virginia: but was also propagated in the South and West. 
 Soon the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and the 
 other ecclesiastical authorities, encouraged by the advice which 
 the friends of General Jackson were permitted to quote from 
 him, began to take action on behalf of the army ; and a number 
 of the most distinguished ministers were sent to the different 
 corps to labor with the chaplains as itinerants, and to communi 
 cate the wants of the army to the churches. The speedy fall of 
 the originator of the work rather gave new impetus to it, than 
 retarded it ; and the result was, that general revival of religion 
 in the Confederate armies, which has been even more astonishing 
 to the world, than the herculean exertions of the Confederate 
 States. A wide-spread reform of morals was wrought, which was 
 obvious to every spectator, in the repression of profanity and 
 drunkenness, the increase of order and discipline, and the good 
 
NEW CAMPAIGN OPENS> 657 
 
 conduct of the troops in battle. It was just those commands in 
 which this work of grace was most powerful, that became the 
 most trustworthy in the post of danger. The brigade of Barks- 
 dale, for instance, which had held its ground in Fredericksburg 
 with almost incredible resolution under the great bombardment, 
 was equally noted for its religious zeal. Returning to their post 
 of honor in the city, they occupied one of the deserted churches 
 as their chapel, and maintained a constant series of nightly meet 
 ings, attended by numerous conversions, for many weeks . In 
 short, the conversions in the various Confederate armies within 
 the ensuing year, were counted, by the most sober estimate, at 
 twelve thousand men. The strange spectacle was now pre 
 sented, of a people among whom the active religious life seemed 
 to be transferred from the churches at home the customary 
 seats of piety to the army ; which, among other nations, has 
 always been dreaded as the school of vice and infidelity. Thus, 
 the grief and fears of the good, lest this gigantic war should 
 arrest the religious training of the whole youth of the land, cut 
 off the supply of young preachers for its pulpits, and rear up 
 for the country a generation of men profane and unchristian, 
 were happily consoled; they accepted this new marvel, of an 
 army made the home and source of the religious life of a nation, 
 with grateful joy, as another evidence of the favor of God to the 
 afflicted people. 
 
 The reader has seen an allusion of General Jackson s letter, 
 to the brigK hopes which he entertained of a prosperous cam 
 paign. By his diligence during the winter, his corps had been 
 brought to such numbers and efficiency as it had never reached 
 before. It now contained more than thirty thousand fighting 
 men; and it was animated by a towering spirit of determina 
 tion and confidence. It was soon after his removal to Hamil 
 ton s Crossing, that a member of his Staff, alluding to the 
 
 83 
 
658 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 reported vast preparations of the enemy, described to him the 
 temper of his own men, and their eagerness for the coming 
 collision. As he listened, the fire of battle kindled more and 
 more in his face, until he sprung from his seat, and exclaimed : 
 I wish the enemy would come on !" Then raising his eyes rev 
 erently, he added : " My trust is in God." Thus his spirit was 
 girding itself for the coming struggle, with faith and prayer. 
 The collision which was approaching promised indeed to be one 
 which might well have made the heart stand still with awe. 
 Hooker was again recruiting his monstrous army to its former 
 numbers, and was preparing every means for a new advance on 
 Richmond. The precursor of the new campaign was an irrup 
 tion of three thousand Federal cavalry across Kelly s Ford into 
 the county of Culpepper. The design of their General, Averill, 
 was to reach the Central Railroad, ascertain something of the 
 positions and numbers of the Confederates, and break up their 
 line of supplies toward Gordonsville. But General Stuart met 
 him near Kelly s Ford with eight hundred men of the brigade of 
 Fitzllugh Lee, and after a stubbornly-contested combat drove 
 him back across the Rappahannock. 
 
 The season of quiet was happily closed for General Jackson 
 by a visit from his wife and daughter. Having secured lodgings 
 for them at the neighboring country-seat of a gentleman, near 
 Hamilton s Crossing, he yielded at length to Mrs. Jackson s 
 solicitations, and to his own affection, and about the middle of 
 April met them at the railroad station. The arrival of the mail- 
 train from Richmond was the signal, every day, for the assem 
 blage of a great crowd of officers and soldiers off duty, around 
 the place. In the midst of these the General came forward 
 to the doors of the cars, to receive his expected treasures. 
 
 " The infant, refreshed by long slumber, had just awakened, 
 and looked up at him with a countenance very fresh and bright. 
 
VISIT FROM MRS. JACKSON. 659 
 
 His first care, after the accustomed salutation, was to get the 
 mother and child safely through the crowd and rain into the car 
 riage which was to convey them to their temporary home. 
 Arrived there, he divested himself of his wet overcoat, and tak 
 ing his baby into his arms, caressed it with tender delight, 
 exclaiming upon its beauty and size. Henceforth, his chief 
 pleasure was in caressing her, and he was several times seen, 
 while she was sleeping, kneeling long over her cradle, watching 
 her with a face beaming with admiration and happiness." 
 
 This visit was a source of unalloyed delight to him. His 
 first care was to make arrangements for the baptism of the 
 child ; for the uncertainties of the day warned him that both the 
 parents might not speedily meet again to concur in the sacred 
 rite. He therefore caused his chaplain to administer baptism 
 to it at the quarters of Mrs. Jackson, among a small circle of 
 their personal friends. Such was Ms devotion to duty, that the 
 attractions of his family made slight change in his busy habits ; 
 and his time was employed as strictly as ever, in the care of 
 his command. After the labors of the day were completed, he 
 was accustomed to leave his tent, and dine, with one or two 
 comrades, with Mrs. Jackson, spending his evenings with her, 
 chiefly in joyous romps with little Julia. She, on her part, imme 
 diately formed the closest intimacy with her new admirer, and 
 learned to prefer his caresses to all others. 
 
660 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CHANCELLOESVILLE. 
 
 As the time drew near for that resumption of active hostil 
 ities, which General Jackson knew to be inevitable, his temper 
 began to rise in its animation and resolve, to meet the crisis. 
 He now spoke with less reserve than before, to the members of 
 his military family, concerning the general principles which should 
 govern the war, upon the Confederate side. Speaking of the 
 coming campaign, he said with an intense concentration of fire 
 and will : " We must make it an exceedingly active one. Only 
 thus can a weaker country cope with a stronger ; it must make 
 up in activity what it lacks in strength. A defensive campaign 
 can only be made successful by taking the aggressive at the 
 proper time. Napoleon never waited for his adversary to 
 become fully prepared ; but struck him the first blow, by virtue 
 of his superior activity." 
 
 Early upon the 29th of April, he was aroused by a message, 
 which said that an officer was below with something important 
 to communicate immediately. As he arose he remarked : " That 
 sounds as if something stirring were afoot." After a few 
 moments, he returned and informed Mrs. Jackson, that General 
 Early, to whom he had committed the guardianship of the river 
 bank, had sent his adjutant to report that Hooker was crossing 
 in force. He said that great events were probably at hand, and 
 that he must go immediately to verify the news he had received ; 
 
TODDSTAV 
 
ENEMY CROSS THE RIVER. G61 
 
 that if it were as lie supposed, and the hostilities were about to 
 be resumed on a great scale, Mr. Yerby s would be no place for 
 a lady and infant ; and she would be compelled to retire to 
 Richmond. He therefore, requested Mrs. Jackson to make 
 immediate preparations for her journey, so that, if his surmises 
 proved true, she might leave at a moment s warning, in the fore 
 noon. He promised, if it were practicable, to return in person 
 and assist her departure, but added that, as his duties might 
 deprive him of the power to do so, he would say good-by now. 
 Thus, after an affectionate leave-taking, he hurried away, without 
 breakfast, and she saw him no more until she returned to the 
 side of his dying bed. Her heart was oppressed with gloomy 
 forebodings for his safety, arising from her anticipation of the 
 desperate struggle into which she well knew, it was his purpose 
 to plunge, rather than yield ground to his gigantic adversary ; 
 his animated eagerness seemed to leave him no time for such 
 thoughts for self. 
 
 Hurrying to his troops, he now made it his first business to 
 communicate the movements of the enemy to the Commander- 
 in- Chief. The Aide whom he sent, found him still in his tent ; 
 and in reply to the message, he said, " Well, I heard firing ; and 
 I was beginning to think it was time some of you lazy young 
 fellows were coming, to tell me what it was all about. Say to 
 General Jackson, that he knows just as well what to do with the 
 enemy, as I do." This answer indicated his high confidence in 
 his great Lieutenant ; and the strain of kindly pleasantry, habit 
 ual with Lee, had a happy influence in infusing into all who came 
 near him, his own composure and serene courage in great emer 
 gencies. When General Jackson joined his troops, he found so 
 much demanding his oversight, that he did not return to the as 
 sistance of his wife ; but sent her brother, Ms Aide, Lieutenant 
 Joseph Morrison, to provide her with an ambulance, and escort 
 
662 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 her to Guinea s Station ; whence she was to proceed by railroad 
 to Richmond. This young officer, eager to be in the post of 
 danger with Ms chief, transferred his task to his chaplain ; who 
 convoyed her to Guinea s, and then also hurried back to his 
 duties with the army. 
 
 When General Jackson got his corps under arms, he saw that 
 the Federalists were crossing in great force below Deep Run, 
 and entrenching themselves at the edge of the plateau ; on the 
 same ground occupied by Franklin and Hooker at the battle of 
 Fredericksburg. He estimated their numbers at thirty-five 
 thousand men. But he saw at a glance, that there was, as yet, 
 no sufficient evidence that Hooker was about to provoke a seri 
 ous collision on the ground which had been so disastrous to 
 Burnside. That ground had now been strengthened by a con- 
 tinous line of field-works, along the edge of the plateau near 
 the Spottsylvania hills, and by a second partial line within the 
 verge of the forest. He suspected that this crossing was the 
 feint, while the real movement was made upon one or the other 
 flank ; and he therefore awaited the reports of the vigilant Stuart, 
 whose cavalry pickets were stretched from Port Royal to the 
 higher course of the Rappahannock. It has already been ex 
 plained, that the character of the ground, rendered an assault 
 upon the enemy near the northern edge of the plain inexpedient, 
 because of their commanding artillery upon the Stafford Heights. 
 The Confederate Generals were not left long in doubt, Stuart 
 soon reported appearances which indicated a passage of the 
 Rappahannock by Hooker west of Fredericksburg. He had now 
 restored the Federal army to the same vast numbers which had 
 accompanied Burnside ; and discarding the three grand divisions 
 with their commanders, which had afforded to him, when one of 
 the three, so good a pretext for insubordination, had thrown his 
 forces into nine corps d armee commanded by as many generals, 
 
HOOKER S TRUE PLAN. 6G3 
 
 besides the cavalry division under Stoneman. The plan of 
 campaign which he now adopted, was a complicated one. He 
 proposed with three corps under General Sedgwick, to cross 
 the Rappahannock below Fredericksbnrg, and make a demonstra 
 tion sufficiently formidable in appearance, to occupy General 
 Lee there. Meantime, the remainder of his great army was to 
 proceed by forced marches up the northern bank of the Rappa- 
 hannock, screened from observation by the forest country, and 
 an intervening line of pickets, to Kelly s ford. There ho pro 
 posed to force a passage into Culpepper, and marching rapidly to 
 Germanna and Ely s fords, upon the Eapid Ann, in a southeast 
 erly direction, to cross them while the Confederates were amused 
 at Fredericksburg, establish himself in the Wilderness of Spott- 
 sylvania and fortify on General Lee s flank. If he remained at 
 Fredericksburg, Hooker persuaded himself that he would be 
 able, from this new temporary base, to command his communica 
 tions with Richmond. If he left Fredericksburg, to make head 
 against this formidable threat upon his left and rear, Hooker 
 proposed to withdraw the larger part of his troops employed 
 in the feint there, to bring them over by the United States ford, 
 which his movement into the Wilderness would uncover to him, 
 and receive the attack of General Lee in his entrenched position. 
 While his infantry was thus employed, nearly all his cavalry, 
 under Stoneman, was to cross the Rapid Ann above the army, 
 upon a grand raid, to penetrate the country across the Central 
 Railroad, destroy it, pass down toward the junction of the 
 Central and Fredericksburg roads, cut the latter, and thus break 
 up all communication between the Confederates and their Capi 
 tal. The Federal Commander had persuaded himself that Gen 
 eral Lee was laid aside by sickness, that all his force, except 
 Jackson s corps, was either absent with Longstreet, or disaf 
 fected and scattered, and that with his vast numbers he would 
 
664 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 easily surround and crush the remainder, leaving no organized 
 foe between him and Richmond, In his usual boastful spirit, he 
 exalted the invincibility of his host declaring it to be " the finest 
 army upon the planet." 
 
 To meet this tremendous force, General Lee had the corps of 
 General Jackson, and two divisions of the corps of General 
 Longstreet, those of Anderson and McLaws. The other three, 
 with Longstreet, under Hood, Pickett, Ransom, were absent in 
 Southeastern Yirginia, making a demonstration against Suffolk, 
 whither they had been directed by the scarcity of forage and 
 food in Spottsylvania. The corps of General Jackson now con 
 sisted of four divisions, those of A. P. Kill; D. H. Hill, com 
 manded by Brigadier General Rhodes ; Trimble, commanded by 
 Brigadier General Colston; and Early. General D. II. Hill 
 had been detached to another and more important command, 
 and Major- General Trimble was detained by infirmity at his 
 home. The four divisions now contained about twenty-eight 
 thousand muskets, and an aggregate of more than thirty thou 
 sand men and officers. They were supported by twenty-eight 
 field batteries, containing one hundred and fifteen guns ; but of 
 these many were deficient in horses to move them with prompti 
 tude. The scarcity of forage had reduced the larger part of 
 the artillery horses, and had destroyed not a few. Besides these 
 batteries, the army was still accompanied by a reserved corps of 
 artillery, commanded by Brigadier General Pendleton. Stuart s 
 division of cavalry was also acting upon the left. So that Gen 
 eral Lee had, in all, an aggregate of about forty-five thousand 
 men, with which to meet one hundred and twenty-five thousand. 
 
 The enemy no sooner appeared upon the Rapid Ann, than 
 General Anderson s division was marched westward to meet 
 them, supported by a part of M Laws s. On Thursday, the re 
 mainder of M Laws s brigades, except one left upon Marye s Hill, 
 
MOVEMENTS AGAINST HOOKER. 665 
 
 was sent to the support of Anderson. Meantime, General Jack 
 son lay in the lines occupied by the Confederate army on the 
 13th of December, watching the proceedings of Sedgwick before 
 him, who was ostentatiously parading his force, and seeking to 
 magnify the impression of his numbers. The attitude of Hooker 
 was now most threatening to the Confederates ; but he had com 
 mitted the capital error of dividing his army, and operating with 
 the parts upon two lines, which, although convergent, were exte 
 rior lines to General Lee. The latter had his option to attack 
 the one or the other part with the weight of his main force, and 
 thus to deal with the two fragments in detail. No doubt could 
 be entertained by the true strategist as to this leading principle. 
 When some person about the Staff, after the development of 
 Hooker s plan, expressed his anxiety and his fear lest the army 
 should be compelled to retreat before him, General Jackson re 
 plied sharply, " Who said that ? No, sir, we shall not fall back ; 
 we shall attack them." But the question to be decided was, which 
 part should be attacked first ? In favor of assailing Sedgwick 
 were some plausible reasons. Time was an important element 
 in the movements of the inferior army, possessing the interior 
 lines ; and if it were not improved, the loss of its own line of 
 communications, or the approximation of the two separated parts 
 of its enemy would speedily transfer the advantage of concentra 
 tion to him again. But Jackson was already in front of Sedg 
 wick, and no march was necessary to bring him into collision 
 with him ; whereas a day must be consumed in going to the Wil 
 derness, to seek Hooker. Sedgwick s was also the smaller force ; 
 but still, its overthrow would probably decide the failure of 
 Hooker s grand combination. These considerations were coun 
 terbalanced by the facts, that Sedgwick had now entrenched 
 himself, and that the assault upon him must be made under the 
 fire of the Stafford batteries. After animated discussion between 
 
 84 
 
6G6 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 G-enerals Lee and Jackson, the former decided to meet Sedg- 
 wick s feint by a feint ; to leave Early s division, of about seven 
 thousand men, in the entrenchments with Barksdale s brigade, 
 upon Marye s Hill, to confront his thirty-five thousand, while the 
 whole remainder of the army stole away to reinforce Generals 
 Anderson and M Laws, and to take the aggressive against 
 Hooker. In this plan General Jackson cheerfully acquiesced. 
 
 Thursday, the 30th of April, had now arrived, and he pre 
 pared to break up his quarters. The opening of the campaign 
 had metamorphosed the whole man. Those who had seen him 
 in his winter-quarters, toiling with a patient smile over his heaps 
 of official papers, who had received his gentle and almost feminine 
 kindnesses there, who had only beheld him among his chaplains, or 
 at public worship, the deferential and tender Christian, had been 
 tempted to wonder whether this were indeed the thunderbolt of 
 war, he was described by fame ; and whether so meek a spirit 
 as his would be capable of directing its terrors. But when they 
 met him on this morning, all such doubts fled before his first 
 glance. His step was quick and firm, his whole stature uncon 
 sciously erected and elate with genius and majesty, while all 
 comprehending thought, decision, and unconquerable will, burned 
 in his eye. His mind seemed, with equal rapidity and clearness, 
 to remember everything, and to judge everything. In a firm and 
 decisive tone, he issued his rapid orders to every branch of his 
 service, overlooking nothing which could possibly affect the 
 efficiency of his corps. The tents which for a month and a half 
 had formed his quarters, were now about to be struck and 
 removed, when he rode up to them for the last time ; a mob of 
 officers, aids, soldiers, and teamsters, was bustling around, in all 
 the confusion of a hurried removal, when he dismounted and 
 threw the rein of his horse to his servant Jim, and retired within 
 his tent. A moment after, he raised his hand to the people 
 
GENERAL LEE CALLS HIM TO CONFRONT HOOKER. 667 
 
 around, with a warning gesture, and whispered : " Hush 
 
 The General is praying !" An instant silence fell on every per 
 son. After a full quarter of an hour he raised the curtain and 
 came out, with an elevated and serene countenance, and mount 
 ing his horse, after some final directions, rode away. That tent 
 had doubtless been pitched with prayer ; and now the last act of 
 its occupant was prayer. With this final preparation he turned 
 to meet the enemies of his country. 
 
 General Lee had now proceeded in person to examine the 
 formidable demonstration of Hooker above, and had written 
 back to General Jackson, informing him of the situation of 
 affairs, and instructing him to move to his support. The enemy, 
 in great force, had crossed the Rapid Ann at Germanna and 
 Ely s fords, driving back the guards placed there by General 
 Stuart, had advanced into the country a number of miles, uncov 
 ering for themselves the United States ford, which crosses the 
 Rappahannock a mile below the junction of the two rivers, and 
 had established themselves at the villa of Chancellorsville, fifteen 
 miles west of Fredericksburg. The reader s attention must now 
 be claimed for a description of the place. Two main roads 
 lead from Fredericksburg, westward to Orange j the one called 
 the old turnpike, because first made, the other, called the plank- 
 road; because once paved with wooden boards. The plank- 
 road is south of the old turnpike, and separated from it during 
 the most of its course, by a space of a few miles. But the trav 
 eller who proceeds along it from Fredericksburg, westward, at 
 the distance of fifteen miles from the town, finds the two 
 thoroughfares merge themselves into one, and continue to pur 
 sue the same track for three miles ; when they again diverge, 
 even more widely than before ; the plank-road, as before, bearing 
 toward the left or south. At the spot where the two highways 
 unite, stood the ample villa of Chancellor, in the midst of a 
 
668 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 farm of a mile in extent, which, like an island amidst the waters, 
 was surrounded on every side by forests. From the same spot, 
 two other roads diverged, the one leading toward the northeast 
 and Banks ford, the other toward the northwest. This last, 
 after proceeding two miles, divided into two, of which the right 
 or northern branch led to the United States ford, and the left or 
 western, to the ford of Ely, over the Rapid Ann. The surface 
 of the country around Chancellorsville is undulating, but pre 
 sents no hills of great altitude. Immediately west of that farm, 
 begins the country known as the Wilderness of Spottsylv ania ; a 
 region interspersed with a few small and inferior farms, but 
 whose poor and gravelly soil is otherwise covered, for a few 
 miles, with a tangled forest of oak and shrubbery. It was in this 
 region, that the fuel had been cut, ever since the days when Gov 
 ernor Spottiswoode of the colony, first wrought the iron mines 
 of the neighborhood, to supply the furnaces. Hence arose the 
 dense coppices which covered the larger part of the surface of 
 the country ; in which every stump had sent up two or three 
 minor stems in place of the parent trunk removed by the axe of 
 the woodsman, and the undergrowth had availed itself of the tem 
 porary flood of sunlight let in upon the soil, to occupy it with an 
 almost impenetrable thicket of dwarf oak, chinquepin, and 
 whortleberrv. But six or seven miles west of Chancellorsville, 
 the "Wilderness Run, a pellucid stream flowing northward to 
 the Rapid Ann presents a zone of better soil, which is covered 
 with handsome farms and country seats. 
 
 Hooker had concentrated his forces at Chancellorsville by the 
 30th of April, and was now busy in protecting himself by bar 
 ricades and earthworks fronting toward the east, south, and 
 southwest; which, with an irregular circuit conformed to the 
 gentle declivities of the surface, embraced, not only the whole 
 farm of Chancellor, but an annular belt of the forest in which 
 
HOOKER ARRESTED AT CPIANCELLORSVILLE. 669 
 
 it was embosomed also. By this arrangement, Hooker s whole 
 circuit of defences was masked in the woods ; and, as the thickets 
 in front were infested with his sharp-shooters, an exact discovery 
 of the position and nature of his works could only be made by 
 an attack in force. The difficulties of the assault were thus 
 vastly increased ; and it was with some show of reason that the 
 braggart general declared on Thursday that he now had a posi 
 tion from which nothing could dislodge him. The longer axis 
 of the partially entrenched camp thus formed, extending from 
 east to west, was about two miles. But other works were 
 stretched two or three miles farther westward, fronting toward 
 the south and southwest, and designed to cover the turnpike 
 and the two farms of Melzi Chancellor and Talley, which were 
 also occupied with Federal camps, from an attack coming from 
 the south. 
 
 Having thus established himself, Hooker began on Thursday 
 to push forward his skirmishing parties to the east, in order to 
 feel his way toward General Lee s supposed rear, and to reach 
 his hand toward Sedgwick. Proceeding three miles toward 
 Fredericksburg, he was estopped by the division of General An 
 derson, at Tabernacle Church, which was drawn up on a strong 
 north and south line, and defended on its flanks by artillery and 
 cavalry. To his assistance M Laws also came speedily ; and it 
 was expected that General Stuart, who had retired out of Cul- 
 pepper before the Federalists, and had placed himself upon their 
 south front, would connect himself with General Anderson s left 
 before dawn on Friday morning. Meantime Hooker was en 
 deavoring to watch every Confederate movement, by means of 
 sundry balloons raised to the sky from the north side of the 
 Rappahannock ; from which his scouts maintained a constant in 
 tercourse with the earth and with his headquarters by telegraph 
 
670 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 wires. Such was the position of affairs at nightfall on the last 
 day of April. 
 
 General Jackson now debated with himself the question of 
 moving to the support of General Anderson at once by a night 
 march, or of awaiting the dawn of Friday, the 1st of May. He 
 was reluctant to adopt the former determination, because the 
 troops would be unfitted for the arduous work before them by 
 occupying in the toil of a march the hours which should be 
 devoted to sleep. But, on the other hand, he was powerfully 
 persuaded to it by the facts that Anderson and M Laws might 
 be assailed with overwhelming numbers at the dawn of the next 
 morning, and that a night march would conceal his withdrawal 
 much more effectually from Sedgwick. Having obtained trusty 
 guides) he therefore determined to draw his whole corps, except 
 the division of Early, out of the trenches silently, beginning at 
 midnight, to retire a few miles southward, as though proceeding 
 toward Spottsylvania Court House, and then make his way by 
 the country roads of the interior across to the Orange plank- 
 road, and thus proceed westward. Orders were accordingly 
 issued to all the staff departments and commanders of divisions, 
 and the movement was begun at the appointed time by the light 
 of a brilliant moon. The column was led by the division of 
 General D. H. Hill, under Brigadier- General Rhodes. Before 
 the mists of the morning had cleared away, the whole corps was 
 far on its way, and securely out of view amidst the woods of the 
 interior, beyond the most piercing espionage of Hooker s bal- 
 loonists, General Jackson reached the position of Anderson 
 about eleven o clock A. M., and found him still confronting the 
 detachments of Hooker, which were of unknown strength. The 
 Confederate line now reached from the plank road northward 
 to . the old turnpike, and thence toward the Rappahannock 
 through a region chiefly covered with dense woods and thickets. 
 
HE SKIRMISHES WITH HOOKER. 671 
 
 General Jackson, as the superior officer under the Comnian- 
 der-in- Chief, was now entrusted with the direction of the field, 
 and was ordered to take the aggressive and press back the Fed 
 eral out-posts, until Hooker s real strength and position were 
 disclosed. This he proceeded to do, with all his accustomed 
 vigor. Some of the best regiments of Anderson s and his own 
 divisions were deployed as skirmishers, and steadily advanced 
 through the woods, hunting out the concealed enemy, and driving 
 them in with continual slaughter. The rattle of the rifles was 
 heard creeping along, upon a front of several miles extent, like 
 the crackling of some vast forest conflagration, while a few light 
 field-pieces, advanced along the several roads, abreast of the rifle 
 men, cleared the way as often as the enemy attempted to gather 
 a force in any open space. General Jackson himself rode with 
 the line of skirmishers, and often before them, urging them on 
 whenever they paused, and assuring them of his powerful sup 
 port. There are few services which put the nerve of the brave 
 soldier to a more trying test, than such an advance upon a con 
 cealed enemy in a tangled wood. He knows not what danger 
 is near him in front, or at what moment the stealthy shot may 
 burst upon him from an unseen foe. He cannot practise the 
 same concealment with the enemy who lies in ambush for him, 
 because he is continually in motion. But the Confederate line, 
 urged on by General Jackson and his Staff, kept up a slow but 
 steady advance throughout the afternoon, until the Federal pick 
 ets were, at nightfall, driven in upon their main line. Hooker, 
 on his part, endeavored to retard their advance by detachments 
 of riflemen, and by batteries, which, masked behind the dense 
 woods, dropped their shells over in every direction toward the 
 roads which were occupied by the Confederates. But all this 
 proved rather an annoyance than a resistance, and the successes 
 of the day were won with slight loss. 
 
672 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 When Friday night arrived, Generals Lee and Jackson met, 
 at a spot where the road to the Catharine Iron Furnace turned 
 southwestward from the plank-road, which was barely a mile in 
 front of Hooker s works. Here, upon the brow of a gentle hill, 
 grew a cluster of pine-trees, while the gound was carpeted with 
 the clean, dry sedge and fallen leaves. They selected this spot, 
 with their respective Staffs, to bivouac, while the army lay upon 
 their weapons, a few yards before them, and prepared to sleep 
 upon the ground, like their men. General Stuart had now joined 
 them, and reported the results of his reconnaissances upon the 
 south and west of Hooker s position. He had ascertained that 
 the Federal commander had left a whole corps, under General 
 Reynolds, at Ely s Ford, to guard his communications there, and 
 that he had massed ninety thousand men around Chancellorsville, 
 under his own eye, fortifying them upon the east, south and, 
 southwest, as has been described. But upon the west and 
 northwest his encampments were open, and their movements 
 were watched by Stuart s pickets, who were secreted in the wil 
 derness there. He had also ascertained, that almost all their 
 cavalry had broken through the line of the Rapid Ann in one 
 body, and had invaded the south, followed and watched by the 
 brigade- of "W. H. Lee, evidently bent upon a grand raid against 
 the Confederate communications. 
 
 Generals Lee and Jackson now withdrew, and held an anxious 
 consultation. That Hooker must be attacked, and that speedily, 
 was clear to the judgments of both. It was not to be hoped that 
 the absence of Jackson s corps from the front of Sedgwick could 
 remain very long unknown to that General; or that Early s 
 seven thousand could permanently restrain his corps, with such 
 additions as it might receive from Hooker. To hold the station 
 ary defensive in front of Chancellorsville would, therefore, be 
 equivalent to the loss of the whole line of the Rappahannock, 
 
JACKSON S PROJECT. G73 
 
 with a hazardous retreat along a new and crooked line of opera 
 tions ; for the success of Sedgwick would deprive them of the 
 direct one, and place him in alarming proximity to any other 
 which they might adopt. Hooker, then, must be at once fought 
 and beaten, or the initial act of the campaign would close in 
 disaster. 
 
 " General Lee had promptly concluded, that while, on the one 
 hand, immediate attack was proper, some more favorable place 
 for assault must be sought, by moving farther toward Hooker s 
 right. The attempt to rout ninety thousand well armed troops, 
 entrenched at their leisure, by a front attack, with thirty-five 
 thousand, would be too prodigal of patriot blood, and would 
 offer too great a risk of repulse. He had accordingly already 
 commanded his troops to commence a movement toward their 
 left, and communicated his views to General Jackson, who 
 warmly concurred in their wisdom. A report was about this 
 time received from General FitzIIugh Lee, of Stuart s com 
 mand, describing the position of the Federal army, and the 
 roads which he held with his cavalry leading to its rear. Gen 
 eral Jackson now proposed to throw, his command entirely into 
 Hooker s rear, availing himself of the absence of the Federal 
 cavalry, and the presence of the Confederate horse, and to 
 assail him from the West, in concert with Anderson and 
 M-Laws. 
 
 Stuart was there with his active horsemen to cover this move 
 ment ; and he believed that it could be made with comparatively 
 little risk, and, when accomplished, would enable him to crush 
 the surprised enemy. He well knew that ho was apparently 
 proposing a "grand detachment"; a measure pronounced by 
 military science so reprehensible, in the presence of an active 
 adversary. It might seem that, in venturing one instance of this 
 hazardous measure, the detaching of Early to remain at 
 
 85 
 
674 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Fredericksburg, -7- they had tempted fortune sufficiently far, with* 
 out again repeating it by a further division of forces before Hooker. 
 But the maxims of the military art should be our servants, and 
 not our masters j and the part of good sense is to modify their 
 application to actual instances, according to circumstances. In 
 this case, the only choice was between his proposed expedient ; 
 which he well knew was unusual and hazardous, and another 
 measure still more hazardous. -The unwieldy and sluggish 
 strategy of the huge Federal armies was to be considered j and, 
 along with that, the unsuspecting, boastful, and overweening 
 temper of their chief, who was precisely the man to be thus dealt 
 with. He was known to be a man who would make a stubborn 
 fight against a plain, front attack ; but whose lack of vigilance 
 would make surprise practicable, and whose small resources of 
 mind in the moment of confusion would probably offer him little 
 aid in extricating himself from that surprise. It must be remem 
 bered also, that if General Jackson s proposal were adopted, it 
 would be the body moving with him which would really be the 
 main army, and the divisions of Anderson and M Laws which 
 would be the detachment. But if the issue of affairs at Chan- 
 cellorsville were adverse, whatever were the $lan of assault 
 adopted, the retreat which must follow must be by a new line at 
 any rate ; so that the separation of his corps from its original 
 line of operations was not, in this case, a valid objection. It 
 would still have its chance of retreat upon the Central Railroad, 
 in Louisa county; and in whatever sha^e a repulse came at 
 Chancellorsville, if it should perchance come, the army there 
 would have no other resort. But if the assault were a victory, 
 then the question of lines of retreat lost all its importance. 
 Last, the two parts of the army would be in supporting dis 
 tance during the whole movement. 
 
 After profound reflection, General Lee gave the sanction of 
 
JACKSON SEEKS A ROUTE TO THE REAR. 675 
 
 his judgment to this plan, and committed its execution to Gene 
 ral Jackson. He proposed to remain with Anderson and 
 M Laws, and superintend their efforts to " contain "the vast army 
 of Hooker until the hour for the critical attack should arrive. 
 They then lay down upon the ground to seek a few hours of 
 repose, which they so much needed. General Jackson, with his 
 usual self-forgetfulness, had left his quarters, his mind absorbed 
 in the care of the army, without any of those provisions of over 
 coat or blanket, which the professional soldier is usually so 
 careful to attach to his saddle. He now lay down at the foot 
 of a pine-tree, without covering. One of his adjutants, Colonel 
 Alex. S. Pendleton, urged upon him his overcoat ; but he, with 
 persistent politeness, declined it. He then detached the large 
 cape, and spread it over the General, retaining the body of the 
 garment for himself. The General remained quiet until Pendle 
 ton fell asleep, when he arose and spread the cape upon him, and 
 resumed his place without covering. In the morning he awoke 
 chilled, and found that he had contracted a cold, but made no 
 remark about it. 
 
 When his chaplain awoke in the morning, before the dawn of 
 day, he perceived a little fire kindled under the trees, and 
 General Jackson sitting by it upon a box, such as was used to 
 contain biscuit for the soldiers. The General knew that his 
 former pastoral labors had led him to this region, and desired 
 to learn something from him about its by-roads. He therefore 
 requested him to sit beside him on the box ; and when the other 
 declined to incommode him by doing so, made room for him and 
 repeated : Come, sit down : I wish to talk with you." As he 
 took his seat, he perceived that Jackson was shuddering with 
 cold, and was embracing the little blaze with expressions of 
 great enjoyment. He then proceeded to state that the enemy 
 were in great force at Chancellorsville, in a, fortified position, 
 
676 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 and that to dislodge them by a front attack, would cost a fearful 
 loss of life. He wished to know whether he was acquainted 
 with any way, by which their flank might be turned, cither on 
 the right or the left. He was informed in reply, that after 
 proceeding southward along the furnace road for a space, a 
 blind road would present itself, leading westward and nearly 
 parallel to the Orange plank-road, which, in its turn, would 
 conduct into a plainer route, that fell into the great road four 
 miles above Chancellorsville. The General, quickly drawing 
 from his pocket an outline map, prepared for him by one of his 
 engineers, and a pencil, said : " Take this map, and mark it 
 down for me." When he saw it, he said: "That is too near: 
 it goes within the line of the enemy s pickets. I wish to get 
 around well to his rear, without being observed: Do you know 
 no other road ? " He replied that he had no perfect knowledge 
 of any other, but presumed that the road which he had 
 described as entering the Orange plank-road, four miles above 
 Chancellorsville, must intersect the furnace road somewhere in 
 the interior, because their directions were convergent. " Then, 
 said Jackson: "Where can you find this out certainly?" He 
 was told that everything could doubtless be learned at the house 
 of tlafi proprietor of the furnace, a mile and a half distant, 
 whose son, a patriotic and gallant man, would be an excellent 
 guide. He then said : " Go with Mr. Hotchkiss (his topograph 
 ical engineer) to the furnace, ascertain whether those roads 
 meet, at what distance, and whether they are practicable for 
 artillery send Mr. Hotchkiss back with the information, and 
 r]o you procure me a guide." 
 
 The desired information was speedily obtained; and it was 
 discovered that the two roads crossed each other at the distance 
 of a few miles; so that, by a circuit of fifteen miles, a point 
 would be reached near Wilderness Run, several miles above the 
 
HOOKER MISUNDERSTANDS JACKSON s MOVEMENT. 677 
 
 farthest outposts of Hooker. The intersecting road, by which 
 the Orange plank-road was to be regained, was known as the 
 Brock road. Leading from Culpepper southeastward, it crosses 
 the old turnpike near the Wilderness tavern, and the plank- 
 road two or three miles south of it ; so that by this route Gen 
 eral Jackson s purposes were perfectly met. As soon as he 
 received the necessary assurance of this, he gave orders for his 
 corps to begin their march, and a little after sunr fee appeared at 
 the furnace at the head of the column. He declined the urgent 
 request of the family there to partake of the breakfast which 
 they were preparing for him, and without any refreshment busied 
 himself in pushing on his troops. Forgetful of no prudent pre 
 caution, he directed that a regiment of General M Laws should 
 be sent to guard the entrance of the blind road near the Fur 
 nace, lest the Federalists should attack the side of his passing 
 column by that outlet. He then caused the regiments of Stuart, 
 which were present, to patrol the country between his line of 
 inarch and their outposts, that they might learn nothing of his 
 journey. 
 
 But, before the whole column had passed the Furnace, some 
 of Hooker s scouts, mounted in the tops of the highest trees 
 southeast of Chancellor s house, perceived it, and reported its 
 movement to him. That sagacious commander was now per 
 fectly certain that the disheartened " Rebels " were in full 
 retreat upon Richmond. Their early march to the southward 
 could bear, in his judgment, no other explanation. He therefore 
 prepared to harass the rear of their flight; and to this end 
 posted some artillery upon the declivities facing the Furnace 
 Road, which cannonaded the ammunition train of* General Jack 
 son ; and sent down a few regiments, after a time, to ascertain 
 the direction of his retreat. These came into collision with the 
 regiment of M Laws, captured a part of them, and were, in turn 
 
G78 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 V 
 
 driven off by a demonstration of other Confederate troops from 
 the plank-road. Hooker now found the same firm resistance 
 upon his eastern front which he had met the day before, and, 
 after some feeble skirmishing of artillery and riflemen, became 
 quiescent, awaiting further developments. It was here that he 
 committed his fatal blunder, a blunder inexcusable even when 
 judged, in the absence of the light cast upon his situation by 
 subsequent events, by his own professed conclusions. If he 
 believed that the Confederate army was indeed retreating into 
 the interior of Spottsylvania, and thence toward Richmond, it is 
 strange. that the bold front still maintained against him on the 
 east by General" Lee did not suggest an anxious doubt. Was 
 not this a new manner for the rear-guard of a baffled and fleeing 
 army to behave ? Did it not point, too strongly for a moment s 
 hesitation, to the propriety of his at once attacking them in such 
 force as to learn what they truly meant ? And if he found them 
 obstinate and immovable upon his east front, would not that 
 result dictate still more clearly that he should move upon their 
 south or left flank, if necessary, with his whole force, until they 
 were forced back, and the mystery of Jackson s disappearance 
 on that side, and of the unaccountable gap which he was placing 
 between himself and his friends, was cleared up ? The history 
 of war contains no stronger instance of the danger of the policy 
 of " the stationary defensive," when adhered to in disregard of 
 new circumstances. It was very properly a part of Hooker s 
 programme, after gaining his strong position at Chancellorsvillc, 
 to await the attack of the Confederates. But the prudence of 
 this plan depended wholly upon their making that attack in that 
 mode in which he had prepared himself to receive it. Just as 
 soon as it became doubtful whether they purposed to do this, the 
 defensive policy became of doubtful propriety ; and sound judg 
 ment dictated that Hooker should modify his purposes also, and 
 
HIS POSITION IN HOOKER S BEAR. 679 
 
 should immediately assume the aggressive, sufficiently, at least, 
 to determine their true project. By sitting still now, he forfeited 
 all the strength of his defensive position. The best justification 
 of General Jackson s strategy is found in the fact that he so cor 
 rectly estimated the temper of his adversary, and anticipated the 
 blunder which he would commit. 
 
 The narrative returns now to his march. The troops, com 
 prehending instantly that he was engaged in one of his famous 
 assaults upon his enemy s flanks, responded to his eager spirit 
 zealously, and pressed forward along the narrow country road 
 at a rapid gait. Often the men were compelled to advance at 
 a double-quick, in order to close up the column. After proceed 
 ing southwest, a few miles beyond the Catharine furnace, they 
 came to the intersection of the Brock road, and turning to the 
 right at a sharp angle, assumed a northwestern direction. "When 
 General Jackson reached the plank-road again, he quietly 
 advanced the Stonewall Brigade down it, under General Paxton, 
 with instructions to form across it at the junction of the road 
 which led thence toward Germanna ford, so as to prevent egress 
 at that place. He then continued his march, with the remainder 
 of the corps, until he found himself in the old turnpike near 
 Wilderness Run. He had marched fifteen miles, and three o clock 
 in the afternoon had arrived. He was six miles west of Chan- 
 cellorsville, and upon precisely the opposite side of the enemy 
 to that occupied by General Lee. He now addressed to him 
 the following, which is the last of his official notes : 
 
 "NEAR 3, P. M., MAY 2nd, 1863. 
 " GENERAL: 
 
 " The enemy has made a stand at Chancellor s, which is about 
 two miles from Chancellorsville. I hope, so soon as practicable, 
 to attack. 
 
G80 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 " I trust tliat an ever kind Providence will bless us with suc 
 cess. 
 
 "Respectfully, 
 
 "T. J. JACKSON, Lieutenant- General. 
 " GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE. 
 
 " P. S. The leading division is up, and the next two appear 
 to be well closed. T. J. J." 
 
 The place here mentioned as Chancellor s, two miles west of 
 Chancellorsville, was the farm of Melzi Chancellor, which was 
 embraced within the western wing of Hooker s defences, and 
 occupied by the corps of Sigel, now commanded by General 
 Howard. General Jackson found both the plank-road, and the 
 old turnpike guarded on the west by the vigilant pickets of 
 Stuart. Advancing to these outposts, he gained a glimpse of the 
 position of the enemy, which convinced him that he had obtained 
 the desired vantage ground from which to attack them. He 
 therefore directed his column to advance across the old turnpike, 
 and then to wheel to the eastward, so as to present a line toward 
 the foe. The open fields near the old Wilderness Tavern 
 afforded him space in which to complete his array. He now 
 formed his army in three parallel lines : the division of Rhodes 
 in front, that of Colston next, and that of A. P. Hill in the rear. 
 He detailed one or two picked batteries to advance along the 
 turnpike, which marked the centre of his lines ; and. such was 
 the extent of the thickets into which he was about to plunge, that 
 no position could be gained for his other artillery. Two hours 
 were consumed by the issuing of orders, and the galloping of 
 aides and orderlies, when, between five and six o clock, everything 
 was ready for the advance. The three lines swept grandly for 
 ward, at the word, in battle array, and speedily buried them 
 selves in the tangled forests. So dense were the thickets, that the 
 
THE EOUT OF THE FEDERALS. 68,1 
 
 soldiers had their clothing almost torn from their bodies, and could 
 only advance by creeping through the thickest spots ; but still 
 the lines swept forward, in tolerable order, and with high enthu 
 siasm. General A. P. Hill, finding this toilsome march unneces 
 sary to support Rhodes, whose division had Colston just in their 
 rear, was allowed to withdraw his men from line into column 
 again, and thus advanced along the turnpike, leaving a part of 
 its breadth open for the passage of artillery and ambulances, 
 but ready to reinforce any part of the line which might waver. 
 
 As the Confederates approached the little farms of Talley and 
 Melzi Chancellor, after a march of two miles through the woods, 
 they came upon the right wing of Hooker s army, in all the 
 security of unsuspicious indolence. Their little earthworks, 
 which fronted the south, were taken in reverse, and the men 
 were scattered about the fields and woods, preparing for their 
 evening meal. With a wild hurra, the line of Rhodes burst 
 upon them from the woods, and the first volley decided their 
 utter rout. The second line, commanded by Colston^ unable to 
 restrain their impetuosity, rushed forward at the shout, pressed 
 upon the first, filling up their gaps, and firing over their heads, 
 so that thenceforward the two were almost merged into one, 
 and advanced together, a dense and impetuous mass. For three 
 miles the Federalists were now swept back by a resistless charge. 
 Even the works which confronted the west afforded them no 
 protection ; no sooner were they manned by the enemy, than the 
 Confederates clashed upon them with the bayonet, and the 
 defenders were either captured or again put to flight. The battle 
 was but a continued onward march, with no other pause than 
 that required for the rectification of the line, disordered by the 
 density of the woods. The eleven thousand German merce 
 naries of Howard fled almost without resistance, carrying away 
 with them the troops sent to their support j they did not pause 
 
 86 
 
682 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 in Hooker s entrenched camp, but dashing through his whole 
 army in frantic terror, without muskets, without hats, they 
 rushed toward the fords of the Rappahannock. Fugitives, 
 armed men, ambulances, artillery, were mixed together in vast 
 masses, all struggling madly to flee as rapidly as possible from 
 the deadly volleys which were scourging their rear, and those 
 terrible war-cries of the vengeful patriots. While these con 
 fused herds offered an unfailing mark for the bullets of the 
 Confederates, they were able to make no effective reply. Hence 
 the slaughter of the Federalists was heavy, and the loss of the 
 assailants trifling. The ground moreover was left strewed with 
 incalculable amounts of spoils. The lavish equipments with 
 which the Federal Government fitted out its armies, now fell a 
 prey, in a moment, to the victors. Blankets, clothing, arms, 
 ammunition, cooking utensils, food, almost covered the surface of 
 the highway, and were thickly scattered though the fields and 
 coppices for three miles. 
 
 In this fashion General Jackson urged forward the attacl; 
 until after nightfall. After the dispositions for the first attack 
 were made, the only order given by him had been his favorite 
 battle-cry: "Press forward." This was his message to every 
 General, and his answer to every inquiry. As he uttered it, he 
 leaned forward upon his horse, and waved his hand as though 
 endeavoring, by its single strength, to urge forward his whole 
 line. Never before had his pre-occupation of mind, and his 
 insensibility to danger been so great. At every cheer from 
 the front,, which announced some new success, the smile of 
 triumph flashed over his face, followed and banished immediately 
 by the reverential gratitude, with which he raised his face and 
 his right hand to the heavens in prayer and thanksgiving. It 
 was evident that he regarded this as his greatest victory, and 
 never before was he seen so frequently engaged in worship upon 
 
JACKSON RE-FORMS HIS LINE. 683 
 
 the field. Eight o clock arrived, and the moon was shedding a 
 doubtful light through the openings of the forest, but the 
 darkness was sufficient to arrest the pursuit of the fugitives. 
 The line of Rhodes was now within a mile of Chancellorsville, 
 but still enveloped within the bushy woods which surrounded 
 the entrenchments there; and they had no means of knowing 
 what was the character of the ground, or of the defences 
 before them. Their array had been much disordered by their 
 rapid advance ; and now, by a species of common impulse, the 
 whole line, finding no visible enemy, and no firing in their front, 
 paused to rest. The men, leaving their places in the ranks, 
 were clustering in groups, to discuss the triumphs of the 
 evening, and many were reclining at the roots of the trees. 
 They had now marched .more than twenty miles since the 
 morning, had fought over three miles of difficult ground, and 
 their weariness demanded repose. General Jackson perceiving 
 this, determined to relieve his front line, by replacing them with 
 the fresh troops of A. P. Hill, who had closely followed up his 
 advance, keeping the head of his columns a little behind the 
 line of battle, upon both margins of the turnpike. He therefore 
 rh rected that General to file a part of his brigade to the right, 
 and a part to the left of the highway, to replace those of Rhodes 
 and Colston, which were to be withdrawn to the second line, as 
 fast as the others were ready to take their places. But his 
 vigilance was dissatisfied with the disorder to which the men 
 in front had yielded ; he knew that the present quiet was but a 
 lull in the storm of war j and that the completion of* his own 
 movement would be so ruinous to Hooker, it was impossible 
 that General could fail to make another attempt to arrest it. 
 He therefore expected another collision, with fresh troops, and 
 knew not when it might begin. 
 
 It was just at this moment that the gallant Colonel Cobb, of 
 
684 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 the 44th Virginia regiment; in Colston s division, came to report 
 to him, that advancing through the woods on the right of the 
 turnpike, a little space beyond the line where the Confederates 
 had paused in their career, he had captured a number of pris 
 oners, and had also ascertained the existence of a strong barri 
 cade of timber, fronted by sm.abattis which, beginning at the 
 right margin of the road, seemed to run down a gentle, sinuous 
 vale of the forest, an indefinite distance, toward the south and 
 east, and was now deserted by the Federalists. (This defence 
 was, in fact, a part of the main circuit by which Hooker had en 
 closed his entrenched camp at Chancellorsville, and was now 
 surrendered into General Jackson s hands, almost without a 
 struggle. So complete were the results of his attack, the very 
 citadel of Hooker was now in his gyasp.) He found General 
 Jackson near the road, busily engaged in correcting the partial 
 disorder into which the men had fallen. Riding along the lines, he 
 was saying, Men, get into line ! get into line ! Whose regiment is 
 this ? Colonel, get your men instantly into line." He was almost 
 unattended, and had obviously sent away his Staff to aid in correct 
 ing the confusion, or to direct the advance of A. P. Hill s division 
 to the front. Upon receiving the report of Cobb, he said to him, 
 " Find General Rhodes, and tell him to occupy that barricade at 
 once, with his troops." He added, " I need your help for a time ; 
 this disorder must be corrected. As you go along the right, tell 
 the troops, from me, to get into line, and preserve their order." 
 He then busily resumed his efforts for the same object, and a 
 moment after rode along the turnpike toward Chancellorsville, 
 endeavoring to discover the intentions of the enemy. 
 
 His anticipations were, indeed, verified at once. Hooker was 
 just then advancing a powerful body of fresh troops, to endeavor 
 to break the fatal cordon which General Jackson was drawing 
 around his rear, and to escape from General Lee, who was 
 
JACKSON GOES TO THE FRONT. 685 
 
 pressing his front. He was pushing a strong battery along the 
 highway, preceded by infantry skirmishers, and in front of Gen 
 eral Jackson s right, was sending a heavy line of infantry through 
 the woods, to retake the all-important barricade. The latter, 
 according to the usual perfidy of the enemy s tactics, was pre 
 ceded by a flag of truce, which attempted to amuse General 
 Rhodes with some trumpery fable, until the enemy could creep 
 upon him unprepared. Rhodes, instantly perceiving the cheat, 
 directed him to be taken to General Jackson with his message ; 
 and resumed the effort to man the barricade in accordance with 
 his order. But the trick was partially successful. The men 
 had not yet resumed their ranks, nor was the work fully occupied, 
 before the Federal line of battle appeared upon the brow of the 
 little hill within it, and poured a heavy volley upon the Confed 
 erates, at point blank distance. They replied, firing wildly, and 
 made efforts to sustain the strife, but in a feeble and irrregular 
 fashion. This combat upon the right was the signal for the 
 resumption of the battle along the whole line ; and in its open 
 ing upon the turnpike, General Jackson received a mortal 
 wound. 
 
 He had now advanced a hundred yards beyond his line of 
 battle, evidently supposing that, in accordance with his constant 
 orders, a line of skirmishers had been sent to the front, immedi 
 ately upon the recent cessation of the advance. He probably 
 intended to proceed to the place where he supposed this line 
 crossed the turnpike, to ascertain from them what they could 
 learn concerning the enemy. He was attended only by a half 
 dozen mounted orderlies, his signal officer, Captain Wilbourne, 
 with one of his men, and his aide, Lieutenant Morrison, who had 
 just returned to him. General A. P. Hill, with his staff also 
 proceeded immediately after him, to the front of the line, accom 
 panied by Captain Boswell of the Engineers, whom General 
 
686 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 Jackson had just detached to assist him. After the General and 
 his escort had proceeded down the road a hundred yards, they 
 were surprised by a volley of musketry from the right, which 
 spread toward their front, until the bullets began to whistle 
 among them, and struck several horses. This was, in fact, the 
 advance of the Federal line assailing the barricade, which they 
 were attempting to regain. General Jackson was now aware of 
 their proximity, and perceived that there was no picket or skir 
 misher between him and his enemies: He therefore, turned to 
 ride hurriedly back to his own troops ; and, to avoid the fire, 
 which was, thus far, limited to the south side of the road, he 
 turned into the woods upon the north side. It so happened that 
 General Hill, with his escort, had been directed by the same 
 motive almost to the same spot. As the party approached within 
 twenty paces of the Confederate troops, these, evidently mistak 
 ing them for cavalry, stooped, and delivered a deadly fire. So 
 sudden and stunning w*as this volley, and so near at hand, that 
 every horse which was not shot down, recoiled from it in panic, 
 and turned to rush back, bearing their riders toward the 
 approaching enemy. Several fell dead upon the spot, among 
 them the amiable and courageous Boswell; and more were 
 wounded. Among the latter was General Jackson. His right 
 hand was penetrated by a ball, his left fore arm lacerated by 
 another, and the same limb broken a little below the shoulder by 
 a third, which not only crushed the bone, but severed the main 
 artery. His horse also dashed, panic-stricken, toward the enemy, 
 carrying him beneath the boughs of a tree which inflicted severe 
 blows, lacerated his face, and almost dragged him from the sad 
 dle. His bridle hand was now powerless, but seizing the reins 
 with the right hand, notwithstanding its wound, he arrested his 
 career, and brought the animal back toward his own lines. He 
 was followed by his faithful attendant, Captain Wilbourne, and 
 
HIS WOUNDS. 687 
 
 his assistant, Wynn, who overtook him as he paused again in 
 the turnpike, near the spot where he had received the fatal shots. 
 The firing of the Confederates had now been arrested by the 
 officers : but the wounded and frantic horses were rushing, with 
 out riders, through the woods, and the ground was strewn with 
 the dead and dying. Here General Jackson drew up his horse, 
 and sat for an instant gazing toward his own men, as if in 
 astonishment at their cruel mistake, and in doubt whether he 
 should again venture to approach them. To the anxious in 
 quiries of Captain Wilbourne, he replied that he believed his 
 arm was broken ; and requested him to assist him from his 
 horse, and examine whether the wounds were bleeding danger 
 ously. But before he could dismount he sunk fainting into their 
 arms, so completely prostrate, that they were compelled to dis 
 engage his feet from the stirrups. They now bore him aside a 
 few yards into the woods north of the turnpike, to shield him 
 from the expected advance of the Federalists ; and while Wynn 
 was sent for an ambulance and surgeon, Wilbourne proceeded, 
 supporting his head upon his bosom, to strip his mangled arm, 
 and bind up his wound. The warm blood was flowing in a 
 stream down his wrist ; his clothing impeded all access to its 
 source, and nothing was at hand more efficient than a penknife, 
 to remove the obstructions. But at this terrible moment, he saw 
 General Hill, with the remnant of his staff, approaching ; and 
 called to him for assistance. He, with his volunteer aide, Major 
 Leigh, dismounted, and taking the body of the General into his 
 arms, succeeded in reaching the wound, and stanching the blood 
 with a handkerchief. The swelling of the lacerated flesh had 
 already performed this office in part. His two aides, Lieuten 
 ants Smith and Morrison, arrived at this moment, the former 
 having been left at the rear to execute some orders, and the lai> 
 ter having just saved himself, at the expense of a stunning fall, 
 
688 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 by leaping from liis horse, as ho was carrying him, in uncontrol- 
 able fright, into the enemy s ranks. Morrison, the General s 
 brother by marriage, was agitated by grief; but Smith was full 
 at once of tenderness, and of that clear self-possession, which is 
 so valuable in the hour of danger. "With the skilful direction of 
 General Hill, they now effectually arrested the hemorrhage, and 
 adjusted a sling to support the mangled arm. 
 
 It was at this moment that two Federal skirmishers ap 
 proached within a few feet of the spot where he lay, with their 
 muskets cocked. They little knew what a prize was in their 
 grasp ; and when, at the command of General Hill, two orderlies 
 arose from the kneeling group, and demanded their surrender, 
 they seemed amazed at their nearness to their enemies, and 
 yielded their arms without resistance. Lieutenant Morrison, sus 
 pecting from their approach that the Federalists must be near at 
 hand, stepped out into the road to examine ; and by the light of 
 the moon saw a field-piece pointed toward him, apparently not 
 more than a hundred yards distant. Indeed it was so near that 
 the orders given by the officers to the cannoneers could be dis 
 tinctly heard. Returning hurriedly, he announced that the ene 
 my were planting artillery in the road, and that the General 
 must be immediately removed. General Hill now remounted, 
 and hurried back to make his dispositions to meet this attack. 
 In the combat which ensued he was himself wounded a few mo 
 ments after, and compelled to leave the field. No ambulance or 
 litter was yet at hand, although Captain Wilbourne had also 
 been sent to seek them; and the necessity of an immediate 
 removal suggested that they should bear the General away in 
 their arms. To this he replied, that if they would assist him to 
 rise, he could walk to the rear ; and he was accordingly raised 
 to his feet, and leaning upon the shoulders of Major Leigh and 
 Lieutenant Smith, went slowly out into the highway, and toward 
 
FIDELITY OP HIS AIDES. 689 
 
 his troops. The party was now met by a litter, which some one 
 had sent from the rear ; and the General was placed upon it, and 
 borne along by two soldiers, and Lieutenants Smith and Morri 
 son. As they were placing him upon it, the enemy fired a volley 
 of canister-shot up the road, which passed over their heads. 
 But they had proceeded only a few steps before the discharge 
 was repeated, with a more accurate aim. One of the soldiers 
 bearing the litter was struck down, severely wounded ; and had 
 not Major Leigh, who was walking beside it, broken his fall, the 
 General would have been precipitated to the ground. He was 
 placed again upon the earth ; and the causeway was now swept 
 by a hurricane of projectiles of every species, before which it 
 seemed that no living thing could survive. The bearers of the 
 litter, and all the attendants, excepting Major Leigh and the 
 General s two aides, left him, and fled into the woods on either 
 hand, to escape the fatal tempest ; while the sufferer lay along 
 the road, with his feet toward the foe, exposed to all its fury. 
 It was now that his three faithful attendants displayed a heroic 
 fidelity, which deserves to go down with the immortal name of 
 Jackson to future ages. Disdaining to save their lives by desert 
 ing their chief, they lay down beside him in the causeway, and 
 sought to protect him as far as possible with their bodies. On one 
 side was Major Leigh, and on the other Lieutenant Smith. Again 
 and again was the earth around them torn with volleys of can 
 ister, while shells and minie balls flew hissing over them, and 
 the stroke of the iron hail raised sparkling flashes from the flinty 
 gravel of the roadway. General Jackson struggled violently to 
 rise, as though to endeavor to leave the road ; but Smith threw 
 his arm over him, and with friendly force held him to the earth, 
 saying.: " Sir, you must lie still ; it will cost you your life if you 
 rise." He speedily acquiesced, and lay quiet ; but none of the 
 four hoped to escape alive. Yet, almost by miracle, they wero 
 
 87 
 
690 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 unharmed; and, after a few moments ; the Federalists, having 
 cleared the road of all except this little party, ceased to fire along 
 it, and directed their aim to another quarter. 
 
 They now arose, and resumed their retreat, the General lean 
 ing upon his friends, and proceeding along the gutter at the 
 margin of the highway, in order to avoid the troops who were 
 again hurrying to the front. Perceiving that he was recognized 
 by some of them, they diverged still farther into the edge of the 
 thicket. It was here that General Fender of North Carolina, 
 who had succeeded to the command of Hill s division upon the 
 wounding of that officer, recognized General Jackson, and, after 
 expressing his hearty sympathy for his sufferings, added, " My 
 men are thrown into such confusion by this fire, that I fear I 
 shall not be able to hold my ground." Almost fainting with 
 anguish and loss of blood, he still replied, in a voice feeble but 
 full of his old determination and authority, " General Fender, 
 you must keep your men together, and hold your ground." This 
 was the last military order ever given by Jackson ! How fit 
 was the termination for such a career as his, and how expressive 
 of the resolute purpose of his soul I His bleeding country could 
 do nothing better than to adopt this as her motto in her hour of 
 trial, inscribe it on all her banners, and make it the rallying cry 
 of all her armies. 
 
 General Jackson now complained of faintness, and was again 
 placed upon the litter , and, after some difficulty, men were ob 
 tained to bear him. To avoid the enemy s fire, which was again 
 sweeping the road, they made their way through the tangled 
 brushwood, almost tearing his clothing from him, and lacerating 
 his face, in their hurried progress. The foot of one of the men 
 bearing his head was here entangled in a vine, and he fell pros 
 trate. The General was thus thrown heavily to the ground 
 upon Ms wounded side, inflicting painful bruises on his body 
 
HE IS CARRIED OFF THE FIELD. G91 
 
 and intolerable agony on his mangled arm, and renewing the 
 flow of blood from it. As they lifted him up, he uttered one 
 piteous groan, the only complaint which escaped his lips dur 
 ing the whole scene. Lieutenant Smith raised his head upon his 
 bosom, almost fearing to see him expiring in his arms, and asked, 
 " General, are you much hurt ? " He replied, " No, Mr. Smith ; 
 don t trouble yourself about me." He was then replaced a sec 
 ond time upon the litter, and, under a continuous shower of 
 shells and cannon-balls, borne a half mile farther to the rear, 
 when an ambulance was found, containing his chief of artillery, 
 Colonel Crutchfield, who was also wounded. In this he was 
 placed, and hurried towards the field hospital near Wilderness 
 Run. As the vehicle passed the house of Melzi Chancellor, Dr. 
 M Guire met the party. Colonel Pendleton, the faithful adjutant 
 of General Jackson, upon ascertaining the misfortune of his chief, 
 had taken upon himself the task of seeking him, and bringing him 
 to the General s aid. Indeed, one of the first requests made by 
 the latter was to ask for this well-tried friend; and he was, 
 therefore, summoned from the rear, where he was busily engaged 
 organizing the relief for the numerous wounded from the battle. 
 Upon meeting the sad cavalcade, Dr. M Guire obtained a candle, 
 and sprung into the ambulance to examine the wound. He found 
 the General almost pulseless, but the hemorrhage had again 
 ceased. Some alcoholic stimulant had been anxiously sought 
 for him, but hitherto only a few drops could be obtained. Now, 
 through the activity of the Eev. Mr. Yass, a chaplain in the 
 Stonewall Brigade, a sufficient quantity of spirits was found, and 
 the patient was freely stimulated. They then resumed their way 
 to the field hospital near Wilderness Run, Dr. M Guire support 
 ing the General as he sat. beside him in the carriage. To his 
 anxious inquiries he replied that he was now somewhat revived, 
 but that, several times he had felt as though he were about to 
 
692 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 die. This lie said in a tone of perfect calmness. It was, doubt 
 less, the literal truth, and during the removal ho was indeed 
 vibrating upon the very turn between life and death. The 
 artery of his left arm was severed ; and, in consequence of the 
 inexperience and distress of his affectionate assistants, and yet 
 more of the horrible confusion of the battle, he had nearly bled 
 to death before his wound was stanched. Arriving at the hos 
 pital, he was tenderly removed to a tent which had been erected 
 for him ; where he was laid in a camp bed, and covered with 
 blankets, in an atmosphere carefully warmed. Here he speedily 
 sank into a deep sleep, which showed the thorough prostration 
 of his energies. 
 
 The melancholy scene which has now been simply and exactly 
 described, occupied but a few minutes ; for the events followed 
 each other with stunning rapidity. The report, of the discovery 
 of the deserted barricade by Colonel Cobb, the order to General 
 Rhodes to occupy it, the attempt to restore the order to his line 
 of battle, the advance of the General and hi ^cort down the 
 road, his collision with the advancing enemy, his hurried retreat, 
 and the fatal fire of his own men, all followed each other almost 
 as rapidly as they are here recited. While he lay upon the 
 ground, assisted at first only by Captain Wilbourne and his 
 man, and afterwards by General A. P. Hill and the officers of 
 the two escorts, the battle was again joined between Hooker and 
 the Confederates ; and it was just as the difficult removal of the 
 General was made, that it raged through its short but furious 
 course. General Hill had scarcely flown to assume the com 
 mand of his line, in order to resist the onset, and protect Gen 
 eral Jackson from capture, when he was himself struck down 
 with a violent contusion, and compelled to leave the field, sur 
 rendering the direction of affairs to Brigadier-Generals Rhodes 
 and Fender. Colonel Crutchfield, chief-of-artillery, and his 
 
JACKSON S DEMEANOR. C93 
 
 assistant; Major Rogers, attempting to make an effective reply to 
 the cannonade which swept the great road, were both severely 
 wounded. In the darkness and confusion, the Federalists re 
 gained their barricade, and pushed back the right of the Con 
 federates a short distance ; but here their successes ended ; and 
 the brigades of Hill stubbornly held their ground in the thickets 
 near the turnpike. The fire now gradually died away into a, 
 fitful skirmish, which was continued at intervals all niglit, with 
 out result on either side. 
 
 While General Jackson lay bleeding upon the ground, he dis 
 played several traits very characteristic of his nature. Amidst 
 all his sufferings, he was absolutely uncomplaining ; save when 
 his agonizing fall wrung a groan from his breast. It was only 
 in answer to the questions of his friends, that he said, " I be 
 lieve my arm is broken," and, " It gives me severe pain ;" but 
 this was uttered in a tone perfectly calm and self-possessed. 
 When he was asked whether he was hurt elsewhere, he replied : 
 " Yes, in the right hand." (He seemed to be unconscious that 
 the other fore-arm was shattered by a third ball : nor did thg 
 surgeons themselves advert to it, until they examined it in pre 
 paring for the amputation.) When he was asked whether his 
 right hand should not also be bound up, he replied : " No, never 
 mind ; it is a trifle." Yet two of the bones were broken, and 
 the palm was almost perforated by the bullet ! To the many 
 exclamations touching the source of his misfortune, he answered 
 decisively, but without a shade of passion : " All my wounds 
 WQTC undoubtedly from my own men;" and added that they 
 were exactly simultaneous. When he was informed, in answer 
 to his first demand for the assistance of Dr. M Guire, that that 
 officer must be now engaged in his onerous duties far to the 
 rear, and could not be immediately brought to him, he said to 
 Captain Wilbourne, "Then I wish you to get me a skilful 
 
G94 LIFE OP LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 surgeon." On the arrival of General Hill, the anxious inquiry 
 was made of him, wnerc a surgeon could be most quickly found. 
 He stated that Dr. Barr, an assistant surgeon in one of the regi 
 ments of Fender, which had just come to the front, was near at 
 hand; and this gentleman being called, promptly answered. 
 General Jackson now repeated in a whisper, to General Hill, 
 the question : " Is he a skilful surgeon ? " He answered in sub 
 stance, that he stood high in his brigade ; and that at most, he 
 did not propose to have him do anything until Dr. McGuire 
 arrived, save the necessary precautionary acts. To this General 
 Jackson replied: "Very good;" and Dr. Barr speedily pro 
 cured a tourniquet to apply above the wound : but finding the 
 blood no longer flowing, postponed its application. When 
 General Jackson s .field-glass and haversack were removed, they 
 were preserved by Captain Wilbourne. The latter was found 
 to contain no refreshments : its only contents were a few official 
 papers, and two Gospel-tracts. No sooner had friends began to 
 gather around him, than numerous suggestions were made, con 
 cerning the importance of concealing his fall from his troops. 
 While he was lying upon General Hill s breast, that officer com 
 manded that no one should tell the men he was wounded. Gen 
 eral Jackson opened his eyes, and looking fixedly upon his Aides 
 Smith and Morrison, said : " Tell them simply that you have a 
 wounded Confederate officer." He recognized, on the one hand, 
 the importance of concealment ; but on the other hand, he was 
 anxious that the truth should not be violated in any degree, 
 upon his account. With these exceptions, he lay silent and 
 passive in the arms of his friends ; his soul doubtless occupied 
 with silent prayer. As he was led past the column of Fender, 
 the unusual attention paid him escited.the lively curiosity of the 
 men. Many asked : " Whom have you there ? " and some made 
 vigorous exertions to gain a view of his face. Notwithstanding 
 
ARM AMPUTATED. GO 5 
 
 the efforts of Captain Wilbourne to shield him from their view, 
 one or two recognized him ; and exclaimed, their faces blanched 
 with horror and grief: " Great God ! it is General Jackson." 
 Thus the news of the catastrophe rapidly spread along the 
 lines ; but the men believed that his wounds were slight : and 
 their sorrow only made them more determined. 
 
 About midnight, Dr. M Guire summoned as assistants, Drs. 
 Coleman, Black and Walls, and watched the pulse of the Gen 
 eral for such evidences of the re-action of his exhausted powers, as 
 would permit a more thorough dealing with his wound. Perceiv 
 ing that the animal heat had returned, and the pulsations had 
 resumed their volume, they aroused him ; and on examining the 
 whole extent of ins injuries, were convinced beyond all doubt, 
 that his left arm should be immediately removed. Dr. M Guire 
 now explained to him that it seemed necessary to amputate his 
 arm ; and inquired whether he was willing that it should be 
 done immediately. He replied, without tremor: "Dr. M Guire; 
 do for me what you think best j I am resigned to whatever is 
 necessary." Preparations were then made for the work. Chlo 
 roform* was administered by Dr. Coleman; Dr. M Guire, with a 
 steady and deliberate hand, severed the mangled limb from the 
 shoulder ; Dr. Walls secured the arteries, and Dr. Black watched 
 the pulse ; while Lieutenant Smith stood by, holding the lights. 
 The General seemed insensible to pain, although he spoke once 
 or twice, as though conscious, saying with a placid and dreamy 
 voice: "Dr. M Guire; I am lying 1 very comfortably." The ball 
 was also extracted from his right hand, and the wound was 
 dressed. The surgeons then directed Smith to watch beside him 
 the remainder of the night ; and after an interval of half an 
 hour, to arouse him, in order that he might drink a cup of coffee. 
 During this interval, he lay perfectly quiet, as though sleeping : 
 but when he was called, aWoke promptly, and in full possession 
 
696 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 of his faculties. He received the coffee, drank it with appetite, and 
 remarked that it was very good and refreshing. This was, indeed, 
 the first nourishment which he had taken since Friday evening. 
 He now looked at the stump of his arm ; and comprehending its 
 loss fully, asked Mr. Smith: "Were you here?" (meaning when 
 the operation was performed.) He then, after a moment s 
 silence, inquired whether he had said anything when under the 
 power of the chloroform ; and continued, after being satisfied on 
 this point, in substance thus : " I have always thought it wrong 
 to administer chloroform, in cases where there is a probability 
 of immediate death. But it was, I think, the most delightful 
 physical sensation I ever enjoyed. I had enough consciousness 
 to know what was doing ; and at one time thought I heard the 
 most delightful music that ever greeted my ears. I believe it 
 was the sawing of the bone. But I should dislike above all 
 things, to enter eternity in such a condition." His meaning evi 
 dently was, that he would not wish to be ushered into that spir 
 itual existence, from the midst of sensations so thoroughly 
 physical and illusory. He afterwards exclaimed to other friends ; 
 " What an inestimable blessing is chloroform to the sufferer ! " 
 His condition now appeared to be every way hopeful } and Mr. 
 Smith exhorted him to postpone conversation, and to resign him 
 self to sleep. He acquiesced in this, and being well wrapped 
 up, soon fell into a quiet slumber, which continued until nine 
 o clock in the Sabbath morning. 
 
 Leaving him to his much needed sleep, the narrative will now 
 return to the history t)f the great battle which he had so 
 gloriously begun ; that the interest of the reader in it may be 
 briefly satisfied. About dark on Saturday evening, General 
 Jackson had directed Brigadier-General Fender, to send him a 
 regiment for a special service. The 16th North Carolina, 
 Colonel M Elroy, was sent. Jackson commanded him to 
 
GENERAL STUART IN TEMPORARY COMMAND. 697 
 
 accompany a squadron of cavalry detached by General Stuart, 
 to Ely s Ford, where they would find a corps of Federal troops 
 encamped; to approach them as nearly as possible, and at a 
 preconcerted signal, to fire three volleys into them, with loud 
 cheers, and then make their way back to their Brigade. 
 Colonel M Elroy reached the enemy s encampment about 
 midnight, and carried out his instructions to the letter. He 
 returned to the field of battle at three o clock in the morning ; 
 and remained for a time ignorant alike of the reasons and 
 results of this strange proceeding. The Federal officers of 
 Reynolds corps at last revealed it. They stated that while 
 resting for the night at Ely s Ford, on their way to Chancellors- 
 ville, they were so furiously attacked by the "Rebels" in the 
 darkness, that their leader arrested his march, and commenced 
 fortifying his position; and in this work the Sabbath was 
 consumed. Had this largo corps arrived at the main scene of 
 battle that morning, the odds already so fearful against the 
 Confederates, might have become overpowering. But by this 
 adroit manoeuvre they were detained where they were wholly 
 useless. Such was the last of the strokes, by which the ubi 
 quitous Jackson was accustomed to astonish and baffle his foes. 
 Upon the retirement of General Hill from the field, a hurried 
 consultation was held between Colonel Pendlcton, the acting 
 adjutant of the corps, and the remaining Generals, touching the 
 command of the troops. The night was passing away, and they 
 well knew that the morning must bring a fierce renewal of the 
 struggle ; or all that had been won would be lost. Brigadier 
 General Rhodes, commanding the former division of D. II. Hill, 
 was found to be the senior officer upon the field; and his 
 modesty, with the lack of acquaintanceship between him and 
 the army, made him concur in the suggestion, that Major-Gen* 
 eral Stuart should be sent for, and requested to assume the 
 83 
 
698 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 direction of affairs until the pleasure of the Commander-in- Chief 
 should be known. This measure was therefore adopted. It 
 has been said that he was selected by General Jackson, to com 
 plete the battle after he was himself disabled. This is an error. 
 He was too strict in his obedience to the rules and proprieties 
 of the service, to transcend under any circumstances, his powers 
 as the commander of a corps ; and he knew that all his authority 
 could do, was to transmit his functions to the General next in 
 rank in his own command. If any other disposition was to be 
 made of them, he knew that it must be done by an authority 
 higher than his own. But when Colonel Pendleton, the next 
 morning, reported to him the assumption of temporary command 
 by General Stuart he cheerfully acquiesced. In reply to the 
 request of Stuart that he would communicate, through Pendleton, 
 his plans for the second day, he answered, that he preferred to 
 leave everything to his own judgment. This reply was an 
 eminent instance of his wisdom. He knew, on the one hand, 
 that as all the reconnaissances on which he himself had acted, 
 had been made by General Stuart, that officer was fully possessed 
 of the enemy s attitude. But on the other hand, he was not now 
 informed what changes in the posture of affairs might have 
 occurred, which, if he were on the field, might modify his plans. 
 To seem to enjoin upon General Stuart the execution of all his 
 purposes of yesterday, might therefore impose on him mischiev 
 ous trammels. He well knew, moreover, that the wisdom of the 
 methods adopted by himself, depended in part on his own prestige, 
 his moral power over his men, his celerity in action, the momentum 
 of his tremendous will; properties in which no other leader 
 might be able to imitate him. He therefore left General Stuart 
 to adopt his own plan of battle, believing, what was doubtless 
 true, that an inferior conception of that commander s mind, 
 applied by him, would be more successful than the impracticable 
 
HE DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH STU ART S COMMAND. 699 
 
 effort to unite the plan of one, with the execution of an 
 other. 
 
 But both General Stuart and General Rhodes proved them 
 selves worthy of the command : and both of them followed their 
 great exemplar to a soldier s grave, in the subsequent campaigns 
 of 1864. The brilliant execution of General Jackson s orders 
 by Rhodes at Chancellorsville, won his warm applause ; and he 
 declared that his commission as Major-General should date from 
 the 2nd of May : when, with one division, he drove before him 
 the whole right wing of Hooker for three hours. This purpose 
 of General Jackson the Government fulfilled immediately after 
 his death; and General Rhodes was promoted and placed in 
 permanent command of the division. He continued to lead this 
 with consummate gallantry and skill, until the disastrous battle 
 of Winchester, in the autumn of 1864; when he fell at its head, 
 in the execution of an attack against the enemy as splendid and 
 as successful as that of Chancellorsville. And with his fall vic 
 tory departed from the Confederate banners, to perch upon those 
 of the oppressors. 
 
 Jnt we are not left in doubt concerning General Jackson s 
 own designs. Speaking afterward to his friends, he said that if 
 he had had an hour more of daylight, or had not been wounded, 
 he should have occupied the outlets toward Ely s and United 
 States fords, as well as those on the west. (It has been already 
 explained that of the four -roads diverging from Chancellorsville, 
 the one which leads north, after proceeding for a mile and a half 
 m that direction, turns northwestward, and divides into two, the 
 left hand leading to Ely s, and the right to United States ford. 
 And the point of their junction, afterwards so carefully fortified 
 by Hooker, was on Saturday night entirely open.) General 
 Jackson proposed, therefore, to move still farther to his left, dur 
 ing the night, and occupy that point. He declared that if he had 
 
700 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 been able to do so, the dispersion or capture of Hooker s army 
 would have been certain. " For," said he, " my men sometimes 
 fail to drive the enemy from their position j but the enemy are 
 never able to drive my men from theirs." It has already been 
 seen, that in the confusion of his fall, aa important vantage- 
 ground, won by him almost without loss, was forfeited ; and it 
 was necessary to fight over this ground again on the morrow. 
 General Stuart now departed from the plans of General Jackson, 
 by extending his right rather than his left, so as to approximate 
 the Confederate troops on the southeast of Chancellorsville, 
 under the immediate command of General Lee. Thus, the 
 weight of his attack was thrown against the southwest side of 
 Hooker s position. General Jackson would rather have frown 
 it against the northwest. But the true design of the latter was 
 to assume the defensive for a few hours, on Sabbath morning, 
 after occupying both the Orange turnpike, and the road to Ely s 
 ford. He purposed to stand at bay there, and receive, amidst 
 the dense thickets, the attack, which he knew this occupation of 
 his line of retreat would force upon Hooker ; while General Lee 
 thundered upon his other side. Then, after permitting him to 
 break his strength in these vain assaults, he would have advanced 
 upon his disheartened masses, over ground defended by no 
 works ; and Hooker would have been crushed between the upper 
 and the nether mill-stones. To comprehend the plausibility of 
 this design, it must be remembered that Chancellorsville, with its 
 few adjoining farms, was an island, completely environed by a 
 sea of forests, through whose tangled depths infantry could 
 scarcely march in line ; and the passage of carriages was impos 
 sible. Of the four roads which centred at the Villa, General 
 Lee held two, the old turnpike, and the plank-road, leading 
 toward Fredericksburg. General Jackson proposed to occupy 
 the other two. Had this been done, the strong defence of the 
 
MESSAGES TO GENERAL LEE. 701 
 
 surrounding woods, in which Hooker trusted, would have been 
 his ruin ; he would have found his imaginary castle his prison 
 The necessity which compelled him again to take the aggressive 
 in the leafy woods, would have thrown the advantage vastly to 
 General Jackson; by rendering the powerful Federal artillery, 
 in which they so much trusted, a cypher, and by requiring the 
 Federals to come to close quarters with the terrible Confederate 
 infantry. And this was a work always more dreaded by them, 
 than the meeting of a " bear bereaved of her whelps." But on 
 the southwest sicle of his position, within the open farm of 
 Chancellor, Hooker had constructed a second and interior line 
 of works, upon the brow of a long declivity, consisting of a 
 row of lunettes pierced for artillery, and of rifle-pits. General 
 Stuart s line of battle, after running the barricade, once before 
 won by General Jackson, and emerging from the belt of woods 
 which enveloped it, found themselves confronted by these works, 
 manned by numerous batteries; and hence the cruel loss at 
 which the splendid victory of Sunday was won. 
 
 The Brigadiers of General Jackson s corps, after determining 
 to offer the temporary command to General Stuart,*scnt Captain 
 Wilbourne to General Lee, to announce what had been done, 
 and to request that he would himself come to that side and 
 assume the direction of affairs. That officer, accompanied by 
 Captain Eotchkiss, reached the cluster of pines east of Chancel- 
 lorsville, where he lay, before the break of day, and they an 
 nounced themselves to his Chief-of-Staff. They found the General 
 lying upon the ground, beneath a thick pine-tree ; and he at once 
 requested them to come to him and tell the news. They related 
 the incidents of the battle, and described the glorious victory ; 
 but when they told the wounding of their General, he said, after 
 a pause, in which he was struggling to suppress his emotion, 
 "Ah! any victory is dearly bought which deprives us of the 
 
702 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 services of Jackson, even for a short time." When reminded 
 that General Rhodes was now the senior officer in the corps, he 
 said he was a gallant, efficient, and energetic officer. But he 
 acquiesced in the selection of General Stuart to lead the troops 
 on that day, and, after a multitude of inquiries, called his adju 
 tant to write instructions for him. He also dictated that gener 
 ous note to General Jackson, which has conferred equal honor 
 on its author and its recipient, and which deserves to be im 
 mortalized along with the fame of the two noble men. It was 
 in these words : 
 
 " GENERAL : I have just received your note, informing me that 
 you were wounded. I cannot express my regret at the occur 
 rence. Could I have directed events, I should have chosen, for 
 the good of the country, to have been disabled in your stead. 
 
 " I congratulate you upon the victory which is due to your 
 skill and energy. 
 
 " Most truly yours, 
 
 (Signed) R. E. LEE, General." 
 
 One of the* messengers then informed him that General Jack 
 son, after his wounding, had only expressed this thought con 
 cerning the future management of the campaign : that " the 
 ^nemy should be pressed in the morning." General Lee replied, 
 fl Those people shall be pressed immediately " ; arose, and in a 
 .few moments was in the saddle, and busy with his dispositions 
 for attack. Meanwhile, General Stuart, on his side, brought for 
 ward the Stonewall Brigade from the junction of the Orange and 
 Culpepper plank-roads, and joined it to his line of battle. The 
 remainder of the night was spent in busy preparation. When 
 the light appeared, both wings of the Confederate army assumed 
 the aggressive, and advanced against the Federal lines. General 
 Lee thundered from the east and south, and General Stuart from 
 
BATTLE OF SUNDAY. 703 
 
 the west. The latter ; especially, hurled his infantry impetuously 
 against their enemies, and a furious and bloody struggle ensued. 
 Twenty-one thousand men* now composed the whole of Jackson s 
 corps present upon the field ; and these, assisted by the two divis 
 ions of M Laws and Anderson, now assailed eighty thousand. 
 In three hours, seven thousand men, one-third of the whole num 
 ber, were killed and wounded from the corps. But the enemy 
 were steadily driven from every work, with frightful losses in 
 killed, wounded, and prisoners, until they took refuge in a new 
 line of entrenchments, covering the United States ford. Seven 
 thousand captives, forty thousand muskets, and a quantity of 
 spoil almost incredible fell into the hands of the conquerors. 
 When the general onset was ordered by Stuart, the Stonewall 
 Brigade advanced with the cry, " Charge ; and remember 
 Jackson ! " Even as they moved from their position, their 
 General, Paxton, his friend and former adjutant, was struck dead 
 where he stood 1 His men rushed forward, unconscious of his 
 absence, and, without other leader than the NAME which formed 
 their battle-cry, swept everything before them. 
 
 The sequel of the campaign of Chancellorsville may now be 
 related in a few words. While this great struggle was raging 
 there, General Sedgwick retired to the north bank of the Rap- 
 pahannock, and laying down his bridges again opposite to Fred- 
 ericksburg, on Sunday morning crossed into the town, and with 
 one corps captured Marye s Hill by a surprise. His other corps 
 were despatched, through Stafford, to the support of Hooker, 
 while he retained about eighteen thousand men. General Early 
 now confronted Marye s Hill on another line, while Sedgwick, 
 leaving a detachment to hold him in check, marched westward 
 to open his way to Hooker, at Chaneellorsville. But the fate 
 of that General had been already sealed. General Lee was 
 now at liberty to send a part of his force to meet Sedgwick j so 
 
704 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 that on Monday, lie found himself confronted and arrested in his 
 march by his troops, while General Early re-captured Marye s 
 Hill, and cut off his retreat toward Fredericksburg. Nothing now 
 remained for him save a retreat across the river at Banks s 
 Ford, a point between that town and Hooker s position, 
 which, by the aid of his artillery upon the northern bank, he 
 effected, though not without heavy loss. The next day, his chief 
 also made preparation to retire ; and during the night of Tues 
 day, withdrew the remainder of his army. Thus ended the 
 invasion, and the short career of Hooker as a commander. His 
 cavalry, which had met with slight resistance, had penetrated 
 as far south as the River James, which they reached fifty miles 
 above Richmond. Thence they spread themselves downward 
 through the country, and some detachments had the audacity to 
 venture within ten miles of the city. They caused temporary 
 interruptions in the Central and Fredericksburg Railroads, and 
 the James River Canal; and then, upon hearing of Hooker s 
 disasters, retired precipitate^, having effected no other result 
 than a villanous plundering of the peaceful inhabitants. 
 
 The short campaign of Chancellor sville was the most brilliant 
 of all which General Lee had hitherto conducted, and stamped 
 his fame as that of a commander of transcendent courage and 
 ability. With forty-five thousand men, he had met and defeated 
 one hundred and twenty-five thousand, who were equipped for 
 their onset with everything which lavish wealth, careful disci 
 pline, and deliberate preparation, could provide. He had in 
 flicted on them a total loss nearly equal to his whole army, had 
 captured enough small arms and camp equipage to furnish forth 
 every man in his .command, and, in precisely a week, had hurled 
 back the fragments of this multitudinous host to its starting 
 point, baffled and broken. His line of defence was successfully 
 turned on his right and left, by an adroit movement ; his commu- 
 
RESULTS EVINCE LEE S GREATNESS. 705 
 
 nications severed ; and his little army seemingly placed within 
 the jaws of destruction. But with an impregnable equanimity, 
 he had awaited the full development of his adversary s designs ; 
 and then, disregarding for the time those parts of his assault 
 which his wisdom showed him were not vital, had concentrated 
 his chief strength upon the important point, and with a towering 
 courage which no odds could appal, had assailed his gigantic 
 adversary on his vulnerable side with resistless fury. How 
 much of the credit of this unexampled success is due to the 
 assistance of General Jackson, has already been indicated. But 
 the history would be incomplete if it failed to refute the state 
 ment, which has been made by some of the pretended assertors 
 of Jackson s fame ; that the victories of Lee were due wholly 
 to his military genius, and ceased when he fell. The reputation 
 of Jackson does not need to be supported by these invidious 
 follies. The Commander-in- Chief was the first to recognize, 
 with unrivalled grace and magnanimity, his obligations to Jack 
 son s valued assistance. But he fell in the midst of the struggle, 
 and Lee conducted it to its close with the same skill, genius, and 
 happy audacity, with which it was commenced. It was the glory 
 of Virginia that, superior to the lioness, which rears but one 
 young lion, her fruitful breasts could nourish at once the great 
 ness of more than one heroic son. 
 
 69 
 
706 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 DEATH AND BURIAL. 
 
 THE history of Jackson now turns finally from the camp and 
 the battle-field, to the sacred quiet of the sick room, and the 
 dying bed. The far different scenes which are to be unfolded, 
 may be appropriately introduced by a reference to the calm and 
 thorough acquiescence of General Jackson in his sudden help 
 lessness. So eager and determined a spirit as his might have 
 been expected to chafe at his enforced inactivity at such a time. 
 It might be expected that he would now be seen, like an 
 eagle with broken pinion, beating against the bars of his cage, 
 with a tumultuous struggle to soar again into the storm-cloud 
 which was his native air. Such anticipations did injustice to 
 the Christian temper which he constantly cultivated. To the 
 amazement of his own nearest friends, from the moment he felt 
 the hand of Providence laid upon his efforts, in the shape of 
 those wounds, he dismissed all the cares of command, and the 
 heat of his soul sank into a sweet and placid calm. He who, 
 just before, seemed to be pursuing victory with a devouring 
 hunger, was now all acquiescence. He cast upon God every 
 anxiety for his country, and seemed unconscious of the grand 
 designs which, the day before, were burning in his heart. "When 
 1^ awoke from his long and quiet slumber on the Sabbath morn 
 ing, the distant sounds of a furious cannonade told his experi 
 enced ear, that a great battle was again raging. But the 
 
JACKSON S CHRISTIAN SUBMISSION. 707 
 
 thought did not quicken his pulse, nor draw from him a single 
 expression of restlessness. lie waited for news of the result 
 with full faith in God, and in the valor of his army, only express 
 ing such anxieties as an affectionate female might feel/ for the 
 safety of his comrades in arms. 
 
 His first act, after receiving refreshments, was to request 
 Lieut. Morrison to go to Richmond, and bring Mrs. Jackson to 
 his bedside. He then admitted his chaplain, Kev. Mr. Lacy, who 
 had just arrived, and learned his misfortune, to his tent. As he 
 entered, and saw the stump where the left arm had lately been, 
 he exclaimed in distress, " Oh, General ! what a calamity ! " 
 Jackson first thanked him, with his usual courtesy, for his sym 
 pathy, and then proceeded, with marked deliberation and empha 
 sis, as though delivering his Christian testimony touching God s 
 dealing with him, to speak in substance thus j and at a length 
 which was unusual with his taciturn habits. " You see me 
 severely wounded, but not depressed ; not unhappy. I believe 
 that it has been done according to God s holy will, and I acquiesce 
 entirely in it. You may think it strange ; but you never saw me 
 more perfectly contented than I am to-day j for I am sure that 
 my Heavenly Father designs this affliction for my good. I am 
 perfectly satisfied, that either in this life, or in that which is to 
 come, I shall discover that what is now regarded as a calamity. 
 is a blessing. And if it appears a great calamity, (as it surely 
 will be a great inconvenience, to be deprived of my arm,) it 
 will result in a great blessing. I can wait, until God, in his own 
 time, shall make known to me the object he has in thus afflicting 
 me. But why should I nqt rather rejoice in it as a blessing, and 
 not look on it as a calamity at all ? If it were in my power to 
 replace my arm, I would not dare to do it, unless I could know 
 it was the will of my Heavenly Father." 
 
 He then spoke, in answer to inquiries, of all the incidents of 
 
708 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 his fall, with entire freedom and quiet. After a little he added> 
 that he thought when he fell from the litter, that he should die 
 upon the field, and gave himself up into the hands of his Heav 
 enly Father without a fear. He declared that he was in posses 
 sion of perfect peace, while thus expecting immediate death. " It 
 has been," he said, "a precious experience to me, that I was 
 brought face to face with death, and found all was well. I then 
 learned an important lesson, that one who has been the subject 
 of converting grace, and is the child of God, can, in the midst 
 of the severest sufferings, fix the thoughts upon God and heav 
 enly things, and derive great comfort and peace : but, that one 
 who had never made his peace with God would be unable to 
 control his mind, under such sufferings, so as to understand 
 properly the way of salvation, and repent and believe on Christ. 
 ^1 felt that if I had neglected the salvation of my soul before, 
 ^ would have been too late then." 
 
 These are nearly the exact words, in which this valuable wit 
 ness was borne by General Jackson ; for the minister, impressed 
 with their solemn weight, charged his memory with them, and 
 speedily committed them to writing. It is needless to moralize 
 upon them, in order that their lesson may be felt by every reader. 
 The General was disposed to speak yet more upon these themes ; 
 but acquiesced in the friendly caution of his nurse and physician, 
 and remained for a long time in perfect quiet. 
 
 About eleven o clock, A. M., Captain Douglass, his Assistant 
 Inspector, arrived from the field with definite news of the victory, 
 and taking his faithful nurse, Lieutenant Smith aside, detailed 
 such things as he thought would most interest the General. The 
 latter went into the tent, and recited them to him, relating, among 
 other things the magnificent onset of the Stonewall Brigade. 
 General Stuart had gone to them at the crisis of the battle, and 
 pointing out to them the work which he wished them to do, had 
 
HIS REMARKS OX THE VICTORY. 709 
 
 commanded them to "charge and remember Jackson ! " Where 
 upon they had sprung forward, and driving before them three 
 fold numbers with irresistible enthusiasm, had decided the great 
 day. The General listened with glistening eyes, and after a 
 strong effort to repress his tears said ; " It was just like them 
 to do so; just like them. They are a noble body of men." 
 Smith replied; "They have indeed behaved splendidly; but 
 you can easily suppose, General, that it was not without a loss 
 of many valuable men." His anxiety was immediately aroused ; 
 and he asked quickly : " Have you heard of any one that is 
 killed?" Said Smith, "Yes sir; I am sorry to say, they have 
 lost their commander." He exclaimed: " Paxton ? Paxton ? " 
 Smith. " Yes sir, he has fallen." Thereupon he turned his face 
 to the wall, closed his eyes, and remained a long time quiet, 
 laboring to suppress his emotion. He then, without any ather 
 expression of his own sense of bereavement, began to speak in a 
 serious and tender strain of the genius and virtues of that officer. 
 Smith said that Mr. Lacy had talked confidentially with Gen 
 eral Paxton about his spiritual interests, had found him by no 
 means the stranger, that some supposed him, to the religion of 
 the heart, and believed him a regenerate man. Jackson replied, 
 in a tone of high satisfaction : " That s good ; that s good ! " It 
 may be added in confirmation of this judgment, that the last oc 
 cupation of General Paxton on the battle-field, after he had 
 placed his regiments in position, was to employ the interval of 
 leisure in reading his New Testament ; and that as he received 
 the order to carry them into action, he replaced the book in 
 his pocket, and accompanied his command to move, with a brief 
 exhortation to those around him, to entrust their safety into the 
 hand of the Almighty, in the faithful performance of their duty. 
 It was by this Christian courage, that the victories of the Con 
 federacy were won. 
 
710 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 General Jackson now directed Lieutenant Smith to obtain 
 materials for writing, and dictated to him a note to General 
 Lee. In the most unpretending words, he stated that he had 
 been disabled by his wounds, and had accordingly demitted his 
 command to the General next him in rank, A. P. Hill. He 
 then congratulated the Commander-in-Chief upon the great vie 
 tory which God had that day vouchsafed to his arms. He 
 received soon after the note of General Lee, which was given 
 above. When this was read to him, he was evidently much 
 gratified ; and after a little pause, said : " General Lee is very 
 kind : but he should give the glory to God." At a later hour he 
 remarked : "Our movement yesterday was a great success : 
 I think, the most successful military movement of my life. But 
 I expect to receive far more credit for it than I deserve. Most 
 men will think that I had planned it all from the first ; but it 
 was not so I simply took advantage of circumstances as they 
 were presented to me in the providence of God. I feel that His 
 hand led me : Let us give Him all the glory." These words 
 undoubtedly give the most exact representation of the character 
 of his strategy. "While no commander was ever more pains 
 taking in his forecast, none was ever fuller of ready resource, or 
 more prompt to modify his plans according to the new circum 
 stances which emerged. And when he was once possessed of 
 the posture of affairs, his decision was as swift as it was correct. 
 The plan of attacking Hooker from the west was conceived and 
 matured on the evening of Friday, almost in a moment. At that 
 time he met General Stuart at the old furnace in front of Chan- 
 cellorsville j he gained a view thence of the comparative altitude 
 of that place; he saw the position of the Federal batteries 
 which Stuart was then engaging ; and, at a glance, divined thence 
 the disposition of Hooker s forces ; he learned the absence of 
 the hostile cavalry; and the friendly screen of forests which 
 
711 
 
 surrounded Chancellorsville was described to him. It was then 
 that his decision was made ; and after a few moments anxious 
 conference with General Stuart, he rode rapidly back to seek 
 General Lee, and to communicate his conclusion to him. 
 
 During the Sabbath, General Lee sent word to him that he 
 regarded the Wilderness as so exposed to the insults of the Fed 
 eral cavalry, that it would be prudent to remove to Guinea s 
 Station as soon as possible. Dr. M Guire therefore determined 
 to attempt the journey on the morrow. The General hoped, 
 after resting there for a day or two, to proceed to Ashland, a 
 rural village on the same railroad, twelve miles from Richmond, 
 and thence to his beloved Lexington. He dreaded the bustle of 
 the capital, and sighed for the quiet of his home ; where, he said, 
 the pure mountain air would soon heal his wounds, and invigor 
 ate his exhausted body. On Monday morning he appeared so 
 exceedingly well, that it was determined to attempt the journey. 
 A mattress was placed in an ambulance, and he was laid upon 
 it, with every appliance for his comfort which could be devised. 
 Dr. M Guire took his place within, by his side, while Lieutenant 
 Smith rode near, and Mr. Hotchkiss, with a party of pioneers, 
 preceded the vehicle, removing everything from the road, which 
 might cause a jostle to the sufferer. He seemed bright and 
 cheerful during the journey, and conversed with spirit concern 
 ing military affairs and religion* The route taken led southward, 
 by Spottsylvania Court House, and the distance to Guinea s was 
 thus made twenty-five miles. The road was encumbered by the 
 army teamsters, usually a rude and uncouth race, conveying sup 
 plies to the army at Chancellorsville. But when they were told 
 that the ambulance contained the wounded General, they made 
 way for it with tender respect ; and their frequent reply to the 
 escort was : "! wish it was I, who was wounded." At nightfall, 
 the party reached the house of Mr. Chandler, near the railroad 
 
712 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSOX. 
 
 station ; whose hospitality General Jackson had shared the pre 
 vious winter, when he first canie from the Valley. Here he was 
 gladly received, and everything possible.was done for his com 
 fort ; for it was a notable trait of his character, that he inspired 
 in all the people, and especially in the purest and most Christian, 
 that unbounded devotion, which counted every exertion made 
 for him a precious privilege. The house of Mr. Chandler was 
 already full of wounded officers, to whom he sent, by his atten 
 dants, most courteous and sympathizing messages. He arrived 
 at this resting place wearied and painful, complaining of some 
 nausea, and pain in his bruised side ; but still declared that he 
 had made the journey with unexpected comfort, for which he 
 should be very grateful to God. Keferring to his previous 
 advantage in the use of the remedies of Prcissnitz, he earnestly 
 entreated that wet towels should now be placed on his stomach 
 and side. Dr. M Guire consenting to this, the ambulance was 
 arrested, fresh water was obtained from a spring on the road 
 side, and the application was made, as he declared, to his great 
 relief. When he was removed to his bed at Mr. Chandler s, he 
 took some supper with relish, and then spent the night in quiet 
 sleep. 
 
 During this journey, it has been remarked, General Jackson 
 appeared full of vivacity and hope, conversing with his physi 
 cian, his chaplain, and Mr. Smith, on every topic of common 
 interest. He referred again to the Stonewall Brigade, and to 
 the proposal which was mooted among them, to ask formal 
 authority from the Government to assume that name as their 
 own, on their rolls and colors. He said with enthusiasm: 
 " They are a noble body of patriots ; when this war is ended, 
 the survivors will be proud to say : I was a member of the old 
 Stonewall Brigade. The Government ought certainly to accede 
 to their request, and authorize them to assume this title j for it 
 
HIS RELIGIOUS CONVERSATION. 713 
 
 was fairly earned." He then, with characteristic modesty, 
 added, that " the name, Stonewall, ought to be attached wholly 
 to the men of the Brigade, and not to him ; for it was their 
 steadfast heroism which had earned it at First Manassa s." 
 Some one asked him of the plan of campaign which Hooker 
 had just attempted to execute. He said : " It was, in the main, 
 a good conception, sir; an excellent plan. But he should not 
 have sent away his cavalry ; that was his great blunder. It was 
 that which enabled me to turn him, without his being aware of 
 it, and to take him by his rear. Had he kept his cavalry with 
 him, his plan would have been a very good one." It may be 
 added, in accordance with this verdict of the highest authority, 
 that the strategy of the Federal Generals, from that of M Dowell 
 on the first field of Manassa s, onward, was usually good enough, 
 had it been seconded by the courage of their troops. The 
 Federal is rarely found deficient in anything which cunning or 
 diligence can supply ; his defect is in the manhood of the sol 
 diery. 
 
 On Monday morning, General Jackson awoke refreshed, and 
 his wounds were pronounced to be in an admirable condition. 
 He now began to look forward to his restoration to his com 
 mand, and inquired of Dr. M Guire, how many weeks would 
 probably elapse before he would be fit for the field. He also" 
 requested his chaplain to visit him at ten o clock each morning, 
 for reading the Scriptures and prayer. These seasons were the 
 occasions of much religious conversation, in which he unbosomed 
 himself with unusual freedom and candor.^ He declared that his 
 faith and hope in his Redeemer were clear. He said he was 
 perfectly willing to die at that time ; but believed that his time 
 was not yet come, that his Heavenly Father still had a work for 
 him to do in defence of his beloved country, and that until that 
 was completed, he should be spared. During these morning 
 
 90 
 
714 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 hours, he delighted to enlarge on his favorite topics of practical 
 religion ; which were such as these : The Christian should carry 
 his religion into everything. Christianity makes man better in 
 any lawful calling; it equally makes the general a better com 
 mander, and the shoemaker a better mechanic. In the case of 
 the cobbler, or the tailor, for instance, religion will produce 
 more care in promising work, more punctuality, and more fidelity 
 in executing it, from conscientious motives ; and these homely 
 examples were fair illustrations of its value in more exalted 
 functions. So, prayer aids any man, in any lawful business, not 
 only by bringing down the divine blessing, which is its direct 
 and prime object, but by harmonizing his own mind and heart. 
 In the commander of an army at the critical hour, it calmed his 
 perplexities, moderated his anxieties, steadied the scales of judg 
 ment, and thus preserved him from exaggerated and rash con 
 clusions. Again he urged, that every act of man s life should 
 be a religious act. He recited with much pleasure, the ideas of 
 Doddridge. where he pictured himself as spiritualizing every 
 act of his daily life ; as thinking when he washed himself, of the 
 cleansing blood of Calvary; as praying while he put on his 
 garments, that he might be clothed with the righteousness of 
 the saints ; as endeavoring, while he was eating, to feed upon 
 the Bread of Heaven. General Jackson now also enforced his 
 favorite dogma, that the Bible furnished men with rules for every 
 thing. If they would search, he said, they would find a precept, 
 an example, or a general principle, applicable to every possible 
 emergency of duty, no matter what was a man s calling. There 
 the military man might find guidance for every exigency. 
 Then, turning to Lieutenant Smith, he asked him, smiling: 
 " Can you tell me where the Bible gives generals a model for 
 their official reports of battles ? " He answered, laughing, that 
 it never entered his mind to think of looking for such a thing in 
 
HIS SYMPTOMS THREATENING. 715 
 
 the Scriptures. "Nevertheless," said the General; "there are 
 such: and excellent models, too. Look, for instance, at the 
 narrative of Joshua s battle with the Amalekites ; there you have 
 one. It has clearness, brevity, fairness, modesty ; and it traces 
 the victory to its right source, the blessing of God." 
 
 After Monday, the bright promise of his recovery began to be 
 overcast ; pain and restlessness gradually increased, and he was 
 necessarily limited in conversation. It became necessary again 
 to resort to his favorite remedy, the wet napkins, and to employ 
 anodynes to soothe his nerves. Under the influence of the opiates, 
 his sleep now became disturbed and full of dreams. He several 
 times inquired anxiously about the issue of the battles. On 
 Tuesday he was told that Hooker was entrenched north of Chan- 
 cellorsville ; when he said : " That is bad ; very bad." Falling 
 asleep afterwards, he aroused himself exclaiming: "Major Pen- 
 dleton ; send in and see if there is higher ground back of Chan- 
 cellorsville." His soul was again struggling, in his dreams, for 
 his invaded country ; and he thought of his artillery crowning 
 some eminence, and thence pelting the intruder from his strong 
 hold. It was also on this day that the whole line of the railroad 
 was agitated with rumors of the approach of Stoneman s vagrant 
 cavalry ; which had attacked Ashland, and was expected to ad 
 vance thence toward Fredericksburo", rava^inp* all the stations. 
 
 O/ O O 
 
 General Jackson expressed the most perfect calmness, in view 
 of this danger, and said, that he doubted not if they captured 
 him, God would cause them to treat him with kindness. The 
 confusion prevalent along the railroad had retarded Mr. Morri 
 son in his journey to Richmond ; and now made it dangerous for 
 Mrs. Jackson to travel by that route. On Thursday, however, 
 she determined to delay no longer, and setting out by railroad, 
 reached Mr. Chandler s in the forenoon. 
 
 But meantime, the symptoms of General Jackson s case had 
 
716 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 become still more ominous. Wednesday brought a cold, drench 
 ing rain, with a chilling atmosphere, unhealthy for his enfeebled 
 system. Wednesday evening, Dr. M Guire, who had scarcely 
 permitted himself to sleep for three or four nights, overpowered 
 by fatigue, retired to rest. But during the night, the General 
 began to complain of an intense pain in his side, and urged his 
 servant Jim, who was watching with him, to apply wet towels. 
 He complied ; but the remedy failed to bring relief; and as morn 
 ing approached, he summoned the Doctor again. The General 
 was found with a quickened pulse, laboring respiration, and severe 
 pain. Pneumonia was clearly developed, but not with alarming 
 intensity ; the pain and difficult breathing being more accounted 
 for by a neuralgic Pleurodinia, constricting the muscles of the 
 chest, than by actual inflammation of the lungs. The physician 
 therefore resorted to the more vigorous remedies of sinapisms 
 and cupping; but with only partial effect. The chaplain was 
 now despatched to the army, which had returned to its old 
 quarters near Fredericksburg, to bring the General s family 
 physician, Dr. Morrison, now chief surgeon of Early s Division. 
 Mr. Lacy, while seeking him, called on General Lec ; and told him 
 that the General s condition was more threatening. He replied 
 that he was confident God would not take Jackson away from 
 him at such a time, when his country needed him so much. 
 " Give him," he added, " my affectionate regards, and tell him to 
 make haste and get well, and come back to me as soon as he 
 can. He has lost his left arm ; but I have lost my right arm." 
 Meantime, Mrs. Jackson had arrived with her infant. The 
 duties of the sick room delayed her introduction for an hour, and 
 they sought to prepare her feelings for the change which she 
 must see in her husband. He had asked for a glass of lemon 
 ade, and some one proposed, as a kindly relief to her anxiety, 
 that she should busy herself in preparing it. When Mr. Smith 
 
MEDICAL AID OBTAINED. 717 
 
 took it to him, he tasted, and looking up, said quickly; "You 
 did not mix this, it is too sweet ; take it back." Disease had 
 produced a surprising change in his temper in one respect, that 
 he who, in health, was almost indifferent to the quality of his 
 food and drink, and satisfied with the simplest, had become crit 
 ical and exacting in those particulars. He was now informed 
 that Mrs. Jackson had arrived, and expressed great delight. 
 When she entered his room, she saw him sadly changed ; his 
 features were sunken by the prostration of his energies; and 
 were marked by two or three angry scars, where they had been 
 torn by his horse, as he rushed through the brushwood. His 
 cheeks burned with a swarthy, and almost livid flush. Yet his 
 face beamed with joy, when, awaking from his disturbed slum 
 ber, he saw her near him. When he noted the shade of woful 
 apprehension which passed over her face, he said tenderly, " Now 
 Anna, cheer up, and don t wear a long face ; you know I love a 
 bright face in a sick room." And nobly did she obey. "With a 
 spirit as truly courageous as that of her warrior husband, she 
 commanded her grief, and addressed herself cheerfully to the 
 ministry of love. Many a tear was poured out over her uncon 
 scious suckling, yet she returned to his sick room always with a 
 serene countenance ; and continued to be, until the clouds of 
 death descended upon his vision, what he had delighted to call 
 her in the hours of prosperity, his " Sunshine." He now added, 
 with reference to his impaired hearing, that he wished her to 
 speak distinctly while in his room, because he wanted to hear 
 every word she said. 
 
 At two o clock, p. M., Dr. Morrison arrived. When he spoke 
 to him, the General looked up, and said affectionately : " That s 
 an old, familiar face." His condition was now examined thor 
 oughly, and was found so critical that it was determined to send 
 Mr. Smith to Richmond, to bring some female friend to Mrs. 
 
VI 8 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Jackson s assistance, and to call in the aid of Dr. Tucker, of 
 that city, whose skill in pulmonary diseases was greatly valued. 
 But the best treatment which medical science could suggest was 
 immediately commenced ; and the symptoms of Pneumonia wero 
 partially subdued. Nature, however, did not rally as this enemy 
 receded ; the vital forces were too much exhausted to be effect 
 ually revived. There remained no organic disease of sufficient 
 force to destroy the lungs of an infant; but still his "constitu 
 tional symptoms " grew steadily more discouraging. The causes 
 of this decline were several ; the cold which he had contracted 
 Friday night ; the fatigue and exhaustion of his long continued 
 abstinence, labor and intense excitement during the march and 
 battle ; the cruel fall from the litter ; and above all, the fatal 
 hemorrhage. It was during the horrid confusion of that night 
 combat in the thicket, that his strength was drained away ; the 
 deceitful appearance of the succeeding days was but a partial 
 flowing again of the tides of life, which were proved too weak 
 to fill their accustomed channel, and so ebbed forever. Dur 
 ing his remaining hours, he was at times oppressed by something, 
 which was not delirium, but the burthen of a profound prostra 
 tion, combined with the slumberous drugs which were given to 
 command his pain. Whenever he was addressed by any one 
 whom he knew, he roused himself; and memory, reason and con 
 sciousness were found in full exercise ; but at other times he lay 
 with closed eyes, seemingly engaged in silent prayer, or over 
 come by sleep which was visited with disturbed visions ; and at 
 others again, he entered into the conversation around his bed, 
 with so much intelligence and animation, that his physicians 
 checked his exertions of his failing strength. During Thursday 
 night, Dr. Morrison had occasion to arouse him from sleep, to 
 take some draught, saying: "Will you take this, General?" 
 He looked steadily into his face and said : "Do your duty." 
 
HIS THOUGHTS IN SICKNESS. 719 
 
 Then, as though to signify that he intended what he said, and 
 wished the physician to do for him precisely what his judgment 
 dictated, he repeated, "Do your duty." His vagrant thoughts 
 in sleep were obviously wandering back to the field of strife ; at 
 one time he was heard to say quickly : " A. P. Hill, prepare for 
 action ; " and several times : " Tell Major Hawks to send for 
 ward provisions for the troops." 
 
 On Friday morning Dr. Morrison suggested his fear of a fatal 
 termination of his disease. He dissented from this expectation 
 positively, and said, precisely in these words, " I am not afraid 
 to die ; I am willing to abide by the will of my Heavenly Father. 
 But I do not believe that I shall die at this time ; I am per 
 suaded the Almighty has yet a work for me to perform." It 
 was not at random that he then employed two different term 
 to denote God j but their use was intentional, and was a remark 
 able manifestation of his religion. The favorite term by which 
 he was accustomed to speak of God in the relations of redemp 
 tion to his own soul, as the attentive reader will have noticed 
 already, was, " My Heavenly Father." It was this dear name 
 which he now used, when he would express his acquiescence in 
 the Divine will concerning himself. But when, in the next 
 breath, he spoke of the work which he expected God, as the 
 Ruler of nations, to assign to htm, he called Him " The Al 
 mighty." He also insisted that Dr. M Guire should be called 
 in, and the appeal be made to him. When he entered, he can 
 didly admitted that he shared his fears ; but General Jackson, 
 while perfectly will-ing to die, was still as sturdy as ever in 
 declaring his expectation of life. It may be added, that even so 
 late as Saturday night, when Dr. Morrison renewed the expres 
 sion of his fears, he still dissented, saying : " I don t think so : 1 
 think I shall be better by morning." * 
 
 On Friday morning Mr. Smith returned from Richmond with 
 
720 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACKSON. 
 
 the additional assistance which he had gone to seek. But medi 
 cal skill could suggest no means to replace the vital forces 
 which were surely failing, at the fountain of life. It was on the 
 afternoon of this day that he asked Dr. M Guirc whether he 
 supposed the diseased persons healed by the miraculous touch 
 of the Saviour ever suffered again from the same malady. He 
 continued to say, that he did not believe they did; that the heal 
 ing virtue of the Redeemer was too potent, and that the poor 
 paralytic to whom He had once said, " I will : be thou healed," 
 never shook again with palsy. He then, as though invoking the 
 same aid, exclaimed : " Oh for infinite power ! " After a season 
 of quiet reflection, he said to Mr. Smith, (who, being designed 
 for the pulpit, had received a thorough theological training,) 
 " what were the Head-quarters of Christianity after the cruci 
 fixion ? " He replied that Jerusalem was at first the chief seat; 
 but after the dispersion of the disciples thence by persecution, 
 there was none for a time, until Antioch, Iconium, Rome, and 
 Alexandria, were finally established as centres of influence. The 
 General interrupted him: "Why do you say centres of influ 
 ence ! is not Head-quarters a better term ? " He then requested 
 him to go on, and Smith, encouraged by Dr. M Guire, proceeded 
 to explain how the Apostles were directed by Divine Provi 
 dence, seemingly, to plant theif * most flourishing churches, at an 
 early period, in these great cities, which were rendered by their 
 political, commercial, and ethnical relations, "head-quarters" of 
 influence for the whole civilized world. Jackson was much 
 interested in the explanation, and at its end, said : " Mr. Smith, 
 I wish you would get the map, and show me precisely where 
 Iconium was." He replied that he thought there was no map at 
 hand, where that ancient city would be found. Said the Gen 
 eral, " Yes, Sir : you will fftid it in the Atlas which is in my old 
 trunk." This trunk was searched, but the Atlas was not found 
 
SEEKS SOLACE IN BIBLE AND SINGING. 721 
 
 there ; and Mr. Smith suggested that it was probably left in his 
 portable desk. He said : " Yes, you are right, I left it in my 
 desk," (mentioning the shelf.) Then, after musing for a moment, 
 he added, " Mr. Smith, I wish you would examine into that mat 
 ter, and report to me." His meaning was, that he should refresh 
 his knowledge of this interesting feature of the history of the 
 infant Church, by reference to "books, and thus prepare himself 
 to unfold it more fully to him. 
 
 On, Saturday morning, while he was suffering cruelly from 
 fever and restlessness, and tossing about upon his bed, Mrs. 
 Jackson proposed to read him some Psalms from the Old Testa 
 ment, hoping their sublime consolations would soothe his pains. 
 He at first replied that he was suffering too much to attend, but 
 soon after added, "Yes, we must never refuse that; get the 
 Bible, and read them." In the afternoon he requested that he 
 might see his chaplain. He was then so ill, and his respiration 
 so difficult, that it was thought all conversation would be inju 
 rious, and they attempted to dissuade him. But he continued to 
 ask so repeatedly and eagerly, that it was judged better to yield. 
 "When Mr. Lacy entered, he inquired whether he was endeavor 
 ing to further those views of Sabbath observance of which he 
 had spoken to him. On his assuring him that he was, he entered 
 at some length into conversation with him upon that subject. 
 Thus, his last care and labor for the Church of God was an 
 effort to secure the sanctification of His holy day. As the even 
 ing wore away, his sufferings increased, and he requested Mrs. 
 Jackson to sing some psalms, with the assistance of all his 
 friends around his bed, selecting the most spiritual pieces they 
 could. She, with her brother, then sung several of his favorite 
 pieces, concluding, at his request, with the 51st Psalm, 
 
 " Show pity, Lord, O Lord forgive." 
 91 
 
722 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 sung to the " Old Hundredth." The night was spent by him in 
 feverish tossings, and without quiet sleep. During all its 
 weary hours, the attendants sat by his side, sponging his brow 
 with cool water, the only palliative of his pain which seemed to 
 avail. Whenever they paused, he looked . up, and by some ges 
 ture or sign, begged them to continue. 
 
 Thus the morning of Sabbath,, the 10th of May, was ushered 
 in, a holy day which he was destined to begin on earth, and to 
 end in heaven. He had often said that he desired to die upon 
 the Sabbath ; and this wish was now about to be fulfilled. His 
 end was evidently so near that Dr. Morrison felt it was due to 
 Mrs. Jackson to inform her plainly of his, condition. She remem 
 bered that he had often said, when speaking of death, that 
 although he was willing to die at any time, if it was the will of 
 God, he should greatly desire to have a few hours notice of the 
 approach of his last struggle. She therefore declared that he 
 must be distinctly informed of his nearness to death ; and ago 
 nizing as was the task, she would herself assume the duty of 
 breaking the solemn news to him. He was now lying quiet, and 
 apparently oppressed by the incubus of his deep prostration. 
 She went to his bedside and aroused him, when he immediately 
 recognized her, although he did not appear at first to apprehend 
 distinctly the tenor of her announcement. The progress of 
 the disease had now nearly robbed him of the power of speech. 
 She repeated several times : " Do yoiiJaiQgUlLQjj^ctors say, you 
 must very soon be in heaven? DQ_jQU_not feej_ willing to 
 acquiesce in God s allotment^ifJEIe wills you to go to-day ? " 
 He looked her MThTthe face, and said, with difficulty : "jjprc- 
 ferjt." Then, as though fearing that the intelligence of his 
 "answer might not be fully appreciated, he said again : " I prefer 
 it" She said : " Well, before this day closes, you will be with 
 the blessed Saviour in His glory." He replied with great distinct- 
 
DYING SCENES. 723 
 
 ness and deliberation : " I will be an infinite gainer to be trans 
 lated." 
 
 He had before requested that the chaplain should preach, as 
 usual, at his head-quarters, but he now seemed to be oblivious 
 of the fact. When Colonel Pendleton, his Adjutant, entered the 
 room, he greeted him with his unfailing courtesy; and then 
 asked, who was preaching at head-quarters. When he was 
 told that the chaplain was gone to do it, he expressed much sat 
 isfaction. Mrs. Jackson now determined to employ the fleeting 
 moments, to learn his last wishes; first asking for one final 
 assurance more, that his Saviour was present with him in his 
 extremity. To this he only answered with a distinct " Yes." 
 His wife asked him whether it was his will that she and Ins 
 daughter should reside with her father, Dr. Morrison. He 
 answered : " Yes, you have a kind and good father ; but no one 
 is so kind and good as your Heavenly Father." She then 
 inquired where he preferred that his body should be buried. To 
 this he made no reply. When she suggested Lexington, he 
 assented, saying : " Yes, in Lexington ; " but his tone expressed 
 rather acquiescence than lively interest. His infant was now 
 brought to receive his last embrace ; and as soon as she appeared 
 in the doorway, which he was watching with his eyes, his face 
 was lit up with a beaming smile, and he motioned her toward 
 him, saying fondly : " Little darling ! " She was seated on the 
 bed by his side, and he embraced her, and endeavored to caress 
 her with his poor, lacerated hand: while she smiled upon him 
 with infantile delight. Thus he continued to toy with her, until 
 the near approach of death unnerved his arm, and unconscious 
 ness settled down upon him. 
 
 In his restless sleep, he seemed attempting to speak ; and at 
 length said audibly: "Let us pass over the river, and rest 
 under the shade of the trees." These were the last words he 
 
724 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 uttered. Was Ms soul wandering back in dreams to the river 
 of his beloved valley, the Shenandoah, (the "river of sparkling 
 waters/ ) whose verdant meads and groves he had redeemed 
 from the invader, and across whose floods he had so often won 
 his passage through the toils of battle ? Or was he reaching for 
 ward across the River of Death, to the golden streets of the 
 Celestial City, and the trees whose leaves are for the healing of 
 the nations ? It was to these that God was bringing him, through 
 his last battle and victory j and under their shade he walks, with 
 the blessed company of the redeemed. 
 
 His attendants, now believing that consciousness had finally 
 departed, ceased to restrain his wife ; and she was permitted to 
 abandon herself to all the desolation of her grief. But they 
 were mistaken. Bowing down over him, her eyes raining tears 
 upon his dying face, and covering it with kisses, she cried: 
 " Oh, doctor ; cannot you do something more ? " That voice had 
 power to recall him once more, for a moment, from the very 
 threshold of heaven s gate ; he opened his eyes fully, and gazing 
 upward at her face, with a long look of full intelligence and love, 
 closed them again forever. His breath then, after a few more 
 inspirations, ceased ; and his laboring breast was stilled. And 
 thus died the hero of so many battles, who had so often con 
 fronted death when clothed with his gloomiest terrors ; with his 
 last earthly look fixed upon the face which was dearer to him 
 than all else, except that Saviour, whom he was next to behold in 
 glory. 
 
 While he was thus passing down beneath the shadow of the 
 portals of death, two different scenes were enacting, connected 
 with his fate, contrasted in their actors and accessories as widely 
 as the extremes of earth well admit. But it is not easy to 
 decide which paid the most touching tribute to the dying warrior. 
 Mrs. Chandler, the hostess to whose affectionate hospitality the 
 
MESSAGE OP LEE. 725 
 
 General was now indebted for a shelter, had a daughter of five 
 years old, whose heart he had won, as he stole the hearts of all 
 the ingenuous, during his short visit of the previous winter. This 
 winning child had noticed the tears which moistened her mother s 
 cheeks, as she was engaged about her household duties^ and for 
 a long time, had followed her about the house with a restless 
 and wistful countenance. At length she ventured to ask : "Mamma, 
 will General Jackson die ? " She was told that the Doctors said 
 they could not save him, and he was going to die. Fixing her 
 large, solemn eyes upon her mother s face with a look of intense 
 earnestness, she replied : " Oh, I wish God would let me die for 
 him, for if I did, you would cry for me ; but if he dies, all the 
 people in the country will cry." 
 
 The cotemporaneous scene was at the quarters of the Staff of 
 General Jackson s corps, where a vast congregation of nearly 
 two thousand men, with the Commander-in- Chief, and a brilliant 
 assemblage of Generals, was collected for public worship. 
 When General Lee saw the chaplain approaching, he met him, 
 and anxiously inquired after the sufferer s condition. He was 
 told that it was nearly, or quite hopeless ; when with great feel 
 ing he said : " Surely General Jackson must recover. God will 
 not take him from us, now that we need him so much. Surely 
 he will be spared to us, in answer to the many prayers which 
 are offered for him." He afterwards added : " When you return, 
 I trust you will find him better. When a suitable occasion offers, 
 give him my love, and tell him that I wrestled in prayer for him 
 last night, as I never prayed, I believe, for myself. " With these 
 words, he hastily turned away, to hide his uncontrollable emotion. 
 This message has not yet been delivered. After public worship, 
 in which the whole multitude was melted into grief while joining 
 in the prayers for his recovery, Mr. Lacy returned, only to find 
 him gone. He had expired about three o clock in the afternoon. 
 
726 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEBAL JACKSON. 
 
 The dying scene lias now been exactly related, without attempt 
 at any dramatic embellishment j for it is believed that this faith 
 ful and homely narrative will be more impressive to every rightly 
 constituted mind, than any effort of literary art. Nor will any 
 reflections be added, upon the lessons of such a death to the 
 hearts of the readers ; but each one will be left, in the silence of 
 his own soul, to draw them for himself. They are too plain and 
 solemn to need repetition. 
 
 Colonel Pendleton immediately informed General Lee, and 
 the Governor of the Commonwealth, of the departure of Jackson s 
 soul ; and by the latter, it was communicated to the Confederate 
 Government. In a few hours the electric telegraph had con 
 veyed the news to all the Confederate States; and to every 
 heart it came as a chilling shock. All over the land, hundreds 
 of miles away from the regions which he had illustrated by his 
 prowess, the people who had never seen his face, grieved for him 
 as men grieve for their nearest kindred. Other countries and 
 ages may have witnessed such a national sorrow ; but the men 
 of this generation never saw so profound and universal grief, as 
 that which throbbed in the heart of the Confederate people at the 
 death of Jackson. "Women, who had never known him save by 
 the fame of his virtues and exploits, wept for him as passionately 
 as for a brother. The faces of the men were black with dismay, 
 as they heard that the tower of their strength was fallen. All 
 felt what many mouths expressed, that no language could declare 
 their sense of bereavement so well as the requiem of David for 
 his princely friend, Jonathan. " How are the mighty fallen in 
 the midst of the battle ! Jonathan, thou wast slain in thy high 
 places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan ; very 
 pleasant hast thou been unto me ; thy love was wonderful, pass 
 ing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the 
 weapons of war perished!" Men said that they had never 
 
NATIONAL ESTIMATE. < 2 7 
 
 admitted among their fears of possible calamity, the apprehen 
 sion that Jackson could fall in battle; for he had passed 
 unscathed through so many perils, that he seemed to them to 
 wear a charmed life. He was to his fellow-citizens the man of 
 destiny, the anointed of God to bring in deliverance for his 
 oppressed Church and Country. They had seen his form lead 
 ing the van of victory, with such trust as the ancient Hebrews 
 reposed in their king? and judges, when they went forth to turn 
 to flight the armies of the aliens, anointed with holy oil, and 
 guided to sure triumph by the oracles of Urim and Thummim 
 and inspired seers. Even those who did not pray themselves, 
 believed with a perfect assurance, that his prayers found certain 
 access to the heavens, and that the cause for which he interceded 
 was secure under the shield of omnipotence. The people of God, 
 with a more intelligent and scriptural trust, gloried in his sanc 
 tity and Christian zeal, as a signal proof .that the cause of their 
 country was the cause of righteousness, in his pious example as a 
 precious influence for good upon their sons who followed his ban 
 ners, and in the homage done to Christ and His Gospel by his 
 devotion. His soldiers trusted in his prestige with a perfect 
 faith ; for they had seen Fortune perch so regularly upon his 
 flag, that the fickleness of her nature seemed to be changed, for 
 him, into constancy/ Jackson s corps, -when fighting under his 
 eye, always assailed the enemy with the certain expectation that 
 victory, and nothing but victory, was to be the issue. His Com- 
 mander-in- Chief, who best knew the value of his sleepless vigi 
 lance, his industry, his wisdom in council, and his vigor in action, 
 appreciated his loss most fully of all. Men were everywhere 
 speculating with solemn anxiety upon the meaning of his death. 
 They asked themselves : Has God " taken the good man away 
 from the evil to come 1 " Has he adjudged us as unworthy, 
 because of our ingratitude and disobedience, of such a deliverer ; 
 
728 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENEEAL JACESON. 
 
 and after proving us for a time by lending a Jackson to our 
 cause, has He now withdrawn the gift, in judicial displeasure ? 
 Or does lie only mean to render the example of his military and 
 Christian virtues more shining and instructive by his translation, 
 and thus, while He teaches us to trust more exclusively in Him 
 self, raise up, after this model, a company of Jacksons, to defend 
 their country ? While some answered these questions in both 
 ways, according to their temperaments, the greater number wisely 
 left them to be solved by God Himself, in the evolution of His 
 providence. In one conclusion all agreed, that the imitation of 
 Jackson s example by his countrymen would make his people 
 invincible, and their final triumph absolutely certain, and that 
 this was the practical lesson set forth by God in his life and 
 death. 
 
 Gen. Jackson s remains were shrouded by his Staff, Sunday 
 evening, in his military garments, and deposited in an open 
 coffin of wood, which was procured near by. His coat had 
 been almost torn to pieces by his friends, in their eagerness to 
 reach and bind up his wounds, the night he fell ; and it was now 
 replaced by the civilian s coat which he sometimes wore in his 
 hours of relaxation. But his military overcoat covered and 
 concealed this exception. The Congress of the Confederate 
 States had a short time before adopted a design for their flag, 
 and a large and elegant model had just been completed, the first 
 ever made, which was intended to be unfurled from the roof of 
 the Capitol. This flag the President now sent, as the gift of the 
 country, to be the winding sheet of the corpse. The Governor 
 of Virginia, assuming the care of the funeral, sent up a metallic 
 coffin, with a company of embalmers, on Sunday night, together 
 with a deputation of eminent civilians and military men, to es 
 cort the remains to Richmond. .During that night they were 
 finally prepared for the tomb, and on Monday morning, May 
 
COEPSE CARRIED 1G RICHMOND. 729 
 
 11 tli, were conveyed to the Capital by a special train, attended 
 by the General s Staff, his widow and her female friends, and the 
 Governor s Committee. When they approached the suburb 
 through which the Fredericksburg Railroad enters the city, the 
 gathering throng warned them to pause and seek a more quiet 
 approach for the afflicted ladies. The train was therefore 
 arrested, and the wife of the Governor, receiving Mrs. Jackson 
 and her attendants into her carriages, drove rapidly and by cir 
 cuitous and less frequented streets, to his Mansion on the Capi 
 tol Square. The cars then slowly advanced into the city, through 
 an avenue which, for two miles, was thronged with myriads of 
 men and women. Business had been suspended, and the whole 
 city, as one man, was come forth to meet the mighty dead. 
 Amidst a solemn silence, only broken by the boom of the minute 
 guns and the wails of a military dirge, the coffin was borne into 
 the Governor s gates, and hidden for the time, from the eyes of 
 the multitude, of which the major part were wet with tears. 
 
 For the next day, a great civic and military pomp was de 
 vised, which was thus described in a coternporary publication. 
 " At the hour appointed, the coffin was borne to the hearse, a 
 signal gun was fired from near the "Washington monument, and 
 the procession began to move to the solemn strains of the Dead 
 March in Saul. The hearse was preceded by two regiments of 
 Gen. Pickett s division, with arms reversed, that General and his 
 Staff, the Fayette artillery, and Wren s company of cavalry. 
 Behind came the horse of the dead soldier, caparisoned for bat 
 tle, and led by a groom ; his Staff officers, members of the Stone 
 wall Brigade, invalids and wounded ; and then a vast array of 
 officials, headed by the President of the Confederate States, and 
 members of his Cabinet, followed by all the general officers in 
 Richmond ; after whom came a mighty throng of civic dignita 
 ries, and citizens. The procession moved through the main 
 
 92 
 
730 LIFE OF LIEUT. -GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 streets of the city, and then returned to the Capitol. Every 
 place of business was closed, and every avenue thronged with 
 solemn and tearful spectators, while a silence more impressive 
 than that of the Sabbath, brooded over the whole town. When 
 the hearse reached the steps of the Capitol, the pall bearers, 
 headed by Gen. Longstreet, the great comrade of the departed, 
 bore the corpse into the hall of the lower house of the Congress, 
 where it was placed upon a species of altar, draped with snowy 
 white, before the Speaker s chair. The coffin was still enfolded 
 with the white, blue, and red, of the Confederate flag." 
 
 There the head was uncovered, and the people were permitted, 
 during the remainder of the day, to enter and view the features 
 of the dead for the last time. The face was found to be in per 
 fect repose; the livid flush of fever had passed away; the broad 
 and lofty forehead was now smooth and snow white, the cheeks 
 thin, and bronzed by sun and breeze, the expressive mouth firmly 
 closed j while an expression of shining calm shed a species of 
 ghostly radiance over the countenance. During the whole after 
 noon the people streamed through the room, ladies, legislators, 
 old men, children, rugged soldiers, in a mingled, silent throng, 
 looked a moment on the dead face, and passed out another way ; 
 until twenty thousand persons had paid this last tribute of affec 
 tion. The women brought some exotic or sweet flower to lay 
 upon the coffin ; and these offerings became so numerous, that 
 they loaded the whole bier, and the table on which it rested, and 
 rose to a great heap. Before the pious interest of the people 
 could be satisfied, the hour had arrived for closing the doors, and 
 the officials warned the throng of people to retire. Just then, a 
 mutilated veteran from Jackson s old division, was seen anxiously 
 pressing through the crowd, to take his last look at the face of 
 his beloved leader. They told him that he was too late, that 
 they were already closing up the coffin for the last time, and that 
 
IIIS CORPSE CARRIED TO LEXINGTON". 731 
 
 the order had been given to clear the hall. He still struggled 
 forward, refusing to take a denial, until one of the Marshals of 
 the day was about to exercise his authority to force him back. 
 Upon this, the old soldier lifted the stump of his right arm 
 toward the heavens, and with tears running down his bearded 
 face, exclaimed : " By this arm, which I lost for my country, I 
 demand the privilege of seeing my General once more." Such 
 an appeal as this was irresistible ; and at the instance of the 
 Governor of the Commonwealth, the pomp was arrested until 
 this humble comrade had also dropped his tear upon the face of 
 his dead leader. And this was the last, and surely, not the least 
 glorious tribute which was oifered to him, before his remains 
 were finally sealed up for the tomb. The Government shrouded 
 Jackson in their battle-flag; but the people shrouded him in 
 Mayflowers. The former contributed to the funereal pomp the 
 outward circumstances of grandeur, the procession, the drooping 
 banners, the dirge, and the gloomy thunders of the burial-salute ; 
 but the true tribute paid to the memory of Jackson was that 
 given by the unprompted homage of the people. No ceremonial 
 could be so honorable to him as the tears which were dropped 
 around his corpse by almost every eye, and the order, and solemn 
 quiet, in which the vast crowds assembled and dispersed. No 
 such homage was ever paid to an American. 
 
 On Wednesday, the coffin, followed now by the widow and the 
 General s Staff, was carried by way of Gordonsville to Lynch- 
 burg. At every station the people with a similar spirit, were 
 assembled in crowds, with offerings of flowers. At Lynchburg 
 the scenes of Richmond were repeated; and the remains were 
 placed upon a barge in the Canal, to be conveyed in that way to 
 Lexington. They reached the village Thursday evening, and 
 were borne by the Cadets to the Military Institute, where they 
 were laid in the Lecture Room, which Jackson had occupied as 
 
732 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 professor ; and guarded during the night by his former pupils. 
 Friday, the 15th of May, they were finally brought forth to the 
 church where he had so much delighted to worship, and commit 
 ted to his venerable and weeping pastor, Dr. White. This good 
 man then celebrated the last rites before a great multitude of 
 weeping worshipers, with an unpretending simplicity and ten 
 derness, far more appropriate to the memory of Jackson than 
 the pomp of rhetoric. Thence they bore the coffin, followed by 
 .the whole population of the vicinage, to the village burying- 
 ground, and committed it to the earth. His grave was marked 
 by nothing but a green mound, and the fresh garlands which the 
 love of the people, unbidden, had never forgotten to renew. The 
 cemetery covers the smooth crest of a hill, which swells up at 
 the western entrance of the village, and commands a full view 
 of all the smiling landscape, and of the grand ramparts, of moun 
 tains in which it is encircled. It is a fit resting place for the 
 body of the modest hero ; amidst the village fathers, whose vir 
 tues had blessed their happy, Christian homes, with the peaceful 
 sounds of domestic life and of the Sabbath worship near by, 
 whose sanctities Jackson died to protect from the polluting inva 
 der. At the distance of a few steps rest the remains of his 
 lamented comrade, General Paxton, and of his cousin, Alfred 
 Jackson, who gave his life for the liberties of his native soil, 
 which had exiled him for his patriotism. There is no mark to 
 distinguish the grave of Jackson, the humblest in all that simple 
 resting place ; but the stranger needs none to guide him to it. 
 Multitudes of feet, in their pilgrimage to it, have worn a path 
 which cannot be mistaken ; and no Confederate ever passes the 
 spot withont turning aside, to seek a new lesson of patriotism 
 and fortitude from the suggestions of the scene. 
 
 The Stonewall Brigade, while expressing their sense of their 
 bereavement, asked permission to assume the task of building 
 
MILITARY CHARACTER. 733 
 
 his tomb. An association of gentlemen also began to raise 
 funds to erect, at the Capitol, a grand monument to his memory. 
 The continuance of the war has prevented the completion of 
 both these designs, for the present. It would be tedious to re 
 cite all the formal expressions of sorrow made by the military, 
 legislative, and judicial bodies of the country. Only the Gen 
 eral Order of Lee, announcing his death to the army, will be 
 appended, as giving utterance in the most happ y and dignified 
 terms, to the universal grief. 
 
 HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, ") 
 May llth, 1863. 5 
 
 General Orders No. 61. 
 
 "With deep grief, the commanding General announces to the army, the death 
 of Lieutenant-General T. J. Jackson, who expired on the 10th inst., at quarter 
 past three, p. M. The daring, skill, and energy of this great and good soldier, 
 by the decree of an All- Wise Providence, are now lost to us. But while we 
 mourn his death, we feel that his spirit still lives, and will inspire the whole 
 army with his indomitable courage, and unshaken confidence in God, as our 
 hope and strength. Let his name be a watchword to his corps, who have fol 
 lowed him to victory on so many fields. Let his officers and soldiers emulate 
 his invincible determination to do everything in the defence of our beloved 
 country. 
 
 B. E. LEE, General. 
 
 The narrative of Gen. Jackson s career is now closed. The 
 full description given of his person, character and capacity at a 
 former part of this work, makes it unnecessary to enter at length 
 into a discussion of his merits as a commander here. Every 
 reader will draw his own conclusions for himself, from the facts 
 which have been faithfully related above. But, a few observa 
 tions remain to be made, without which the historical portraiture 
 of Jackson would be incorrect. It is to be remarked that, while 
 he rose very rapidly, in the first two years of this war, to the 
 foremost place as a great soldier, none of his comrades have yet 
 
734 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 displaced him from his eminence. His reputation is manifestly 
 no "nine days wonder," but one which is destined to endure, 
 and to leave his name among the great of all ages. Few or none 
 of those who inhabit with him the temple of Fame, won their way 
 to it by a career so short. All of the events by which his glory 
 was earned, are comprised within two years time. As a strate 
 gist, the first Napoleon was undoubtedly his model. He had 
 studied his campaigns diligently, and he was accustomed to re 
 mark with enthusiasm upon the evidences of his genius. He 
 said that he was the first to show what an army could be made 
 to accomplish, and to replace the old technical art of war with 
 the conceptions of true science. Napoleon had shown what was 
 the value of time as an element of strategic combinations, and 
 had evinced that good troops could be made, if well cared for, 
 to march twenty-five miles daily, and win battles besides. And 
 this war should show that Confederate soldiers could do as 
 much. 
 
 Few generals have waged war with such unvarying success as 
 Gen. Jackson. It has been truly remarked of him, that he was 
 never routed in battle ; that he was never successfully surprised 
 by his enemies ; that he never had a train, or any organized por 
 tion of his army, captured by them ; and that he never made en 
 trenchments. His success did not come by chance. While no 
 commander recognized so devoutly and habitually the direction 
 of Divine Providence, none was ever more unwearied in provid 
 ing the conditions of success. It was his rule that his chief 
 Quartermaster and chief Commissary should see him every day 
 at 10 o clock, A.M., unless sent for at other hours, and report 
 fully the condition of their departments. Twenty-four hours 
 never passed without interviews with both of them ; and he knew 
 the exact state of all his supplies and trains, at all times. He 
 was exceedingly jealous for the comfort of his men, so far as this 
 
COURTESY. 735 
 
 was compatible with celerity of movement. Many instances 
 might be cited of his care about their rations. When preparing 
 for his march to Ronmey in the winter of IS 62, he directed the 
 chief Commissary to carry along rations of rice for the army, in 
 addition to the other supplies. That officer remarked that rice 
 was not much favored by the men as an article of food, and that 
 they seldom drew it when in quarters. The General replied 
 that nevertheless, they might desire it when on the march, and he 
 did not wish them to be deprived of any part of their appointed 
 supplies. Several hogsheads of rice were accordingly carried 
 along, and brought back untouched. So, his care of his wounded 
 was great, and no commander kept his medical department more 
 efficiently organized than he. 
 
 Gen. Jackson s personal demeanor toward his soldiers was 
 reserved, but courteous. It was impossible for any to assume an 
 improper familiarity towards him ; and no one could be farther 
 than he from all the arts of the demagogue. He never did any 
 thing for dramatic effect or for popularity, and never practised 
 any of those means for inspiring enthusiasm, in which Napoleon 
 was such an adept. The only manifestation which he ever made 
 of himself to his command was in the simple, single-minded per 
 formance of his duty. He never was known to show himself, of 
 set purpose, to his troops, never made them speeches, and when 
 ever they cheered him, escaped as quickly as possible. But his 
 politeness to the men was unfailing, and carried its own evidence 
 of sincerity. For instance, he was one day riding where scores 
 of soldiers off duty were passing, and whenever one of these 
 touched his hat to him he did not fail to return the same saluta 
 tion. After thus noticing perhaps a hundred of them, one more 
 deferential than the rest, lifted his hat from his head, when the 
 General also, instead of touching his hat again, removed his 
 wholly, and returned the soldier s bow. 
 
736 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GEXERAL JACKSON. 
 
 His ideas of discipline and subordination were strict, and he 
 was exacting of his subordinates, in proportion as their rank 
 approximated his own. It was his maxim that he who would 
 govern others, must himself set the example of punctilious obe 
 dience. Hence, to his Colonels he was a stricter master than to 
 his private soldiers ; and to his Generals, more exacting than to 
 his Colonels. If he found in an officer a hearty and zealous 
 purpose to do all his duty, with a willing and self-sacrificing 
 courage and devotion, he was, to him, the most tolerant and gra 
 cious of superiors, overlooking blunders and mistakes with un 
 bounded patience, and repairing them by his own exertions, 
 without even a sign of vexation. But, if he believed that his 
 subordinates were self-indulgent or contumacious, he became a 
 stern and exacting master, seeming even to watch for an oppor 
 tunity to visit their shortcomings upon them. It must, in candor, 
 be added, that by this temper he was sometimes misled into pre 
 judice j and during his career, a causeless friction was produced 
 in the working of his government over several gallant and mer 
 itorious officers who served under him. This was almost the 
 sole fault of his military character; that by this jealousy of 
 intentional inefficiency, he diminished the sympathy between him 
 self and the general officers next his person, by whom his 
 orders were to be executed. Had he been able to exercise the 
 same energetic authority, through the medium of a zealous per 
 sonal affection, he would have been a more perfect leader of 
 armies. But where he had committed unconscious injustice,, he 
 was ever ready to amend it, and to correct his estimate of his 
 officers merits : and nothing was so sure to melt away the last 
 particle of his prejudice, as an act of courage and vigor upon 
 the field of battle. The utter absence of the Puritanical turn 
 of mind in him, was strongly displayed in the liberal spirit with 
 which he disregarded his own personal tastes, and even his own 
 
DEVOTION TO DUTY. COURAGE. 737 
 
 moral and religious appetencies, in promoting every man who 
 displayed the elements of efficiency, notwithstanding his private 
 repugnance to Iiis personal character. The man s manners, 
 tastes, religious condition, might all be utterly repulsive to General 
 Jackson s private preferences, but if he saw in him ability to 
 serve the cause, he employed him. Yet all appearance of indif 
 ference to error or vice, or of a Sadducean temper, was removed 
 effectually by the care with which he rebuked and suppressed 
 every impropriety in his own presence. 
 
 That devotion to duty which he exacted of others, he practised 
 with most exemplary fidelity himself. Never was there a man 
 who lived more " as ever in his great Taskmaster s eye," con 
 secrating every hour and every energy to his country, with an 
 utter disdain of ease and self. From the day he left his home, in 
 April, 1861, to that when he was brought back to it amidst the 
 tears and benedictions of his people, he never had a furlough ; 
 was never off duty for a day, whether sick or well ; never visited 
 his family ; and never even slept one night outside the lines of 
 his own command. 
 
 His personal courage was of the truest temper. When the 
 history of his early infirmities is recalled, it will appear very 
 unlikely that he was by nature endowed with that hardihood of 
 animal nerve, which makes the courage of the pugilist and gladi 
 ator. This surmise will appear more probable, when the strange 
 confession is related, which he made to his medical director, Dr. 
 M Guire. His care for his wounded and sick has been stated ; 
 yet he rarely visited the hospital in person. He excused him 
 self by saying that he would often do so, but that when he was 
 in cold blood, the sight of wounds and all their disgusting acces 
 saries was insupportable to his nerves ! It was not unusual to 
 see him pale and tremulous with excitement at the firing of the 
 first gun of an opening battle. But the only true courage is 
 
 93 
 
738 LIFE OP LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON, 
 
 moral courage ; and this was so perfect in him, that it had abso 
 lutely changed his corporeal nature. No man could exhibit a 
 more calm indifference to personal danger, and more perfect self- 
 possession and equanimity in the greatest perils. The determi 
 nation of his spirit so controlled his body, that his very flesh 
 became impassive; the nearest hissing of bullets seemed to 
 produce no quiver of the nerves ; and when cannon balls hurtled 
 across his path, there was no involuntary shrinking of the bridle 
 hand. The power of concentration was of unrivalled force in 
 his mind, and when occupied in profound thought, or inspired with 
 some great purpose, he seemed to become almost unconscious of 
 external things. This was the true explanation of that seeming 
 recklessness, with which he sometimes exposed himself on the 
 field of battle. The populace, who love exaggerations, called 
 him fatalist, and imagined that, like a Mohammedan, he thought 
 natural precautions inconsistent with his firm belief in an over 
 ruling Providence. But nothing could be more untrue. He 
 always recognized the obligations of prudence, and declared that 
 it was not his purpose to expose himself without necessity. 
 
 But this perfect courage does not wholly explain the position 
 which he held in the hearts of his people. In this land of heroic 
 memories and brave men, others besides Jackson have displayed 
 true courage. He was not endowed with several of those native 
 gifts which are supposed to allure the idolatry of mankind 
 towards their heroes. He affected no kingly mien, nor martial 
 pomp ; but always bore himself with the modest propriety of the 
 Christian. His port on the battle-field was usually rather sug 
 gestive of the zeal and industry of the faithful servant, than of 
 the contagious exaltation of the master-spirit. His was a master 
 spirit ; but it was too simply grand to study dramatic sensations. 
 It impressed its might upon the souls of his countrymen, not 
 through deportment, but through deeds. Its discourses were 
 
HIS REPUTATION EXPLAINED. 739 
 
 toilsome marches and stubborn battles ; its perorations were the 
 thunder-claps of defeat hurled upon the enemies of his country. 
 It revealed itself only through the purity and force of his action ; 
 and thence, in part, the intensity of the impression. 
 
 This aids to explain the enigma of his reputation. How is it 
 that this man, of all others least accustomed to exercise his own 
 fancy, or address that of others, has stimulated the imagination, 
 not only of his own countrymen, but of the civilized world, above 
 all the sons of genius among us ? How has he, the most unromantic 
 of great men, become the hero of a living romance, the ideal of 
 an inflamed fancy, even before his life has been invested with the 
 mystery of distance ? How did that calm eye kindle the fire 
 of so passionate a love and admiration in the heart of his 
 people ? He was brave ; but not the only brave. He revealed 
 transcendent military talent; but the diadem of his country 
 glowed with a galaxy of such talent. He was successful ; but it 
 had more than -one captain, whose banner never stooped before 
 an enemy. The solution is chiefly to be found in the singleness, 
 purity, and elevation of his aims. Every one who observed him 
 was as thoroughly convinced of his unselfish devotion to duty, 
 as of his courage, it was no more evident that his was a soul 
 of perfect courage, than that no thought of personal advance 
 ment, of ambition or applause, ever for one instant divided the 
 homage of his heart with his great cause, and that " all the ends 
 he aimed at were his country s, his God s and truth s." The 
 corrupt men, whose own patriotism was merely the mask of 
 ambition or greedy avarice, and who had been accustomed to 
 mock at disinterested virtue in their secret hearts, as an empty 
 dream, whon they saw the life of Jackson, had as heartfelt a 
 conviction of his ingenuous devotion, as the noblest spirits who 
 delighted to form their souls by the mirror of his example. In 
 the presence of his sincerity, the basest wero as thoroughly 
 
740 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 silenced and convinced as the good. The confidence of his coun 
 trymen was, therefore, the testimony of the common conscience 
 to the beauty of holiness. It recognized the truth, that the 
 strength of Jackson was in his exalted integrity of soul. It was 
 the confession of our natures, that the virtue of the Sacred 
 Scriptures, is true greatness; grander than knowledge, talent 
 courage, philosophy or success. 
 
 May it not be concluded then, that this was God s chief lesson 
 in this life and death ! He would teach the beauty and power 
 of true Christianity as an element of national life. Therefore He 
 took an exemplar of Christian sincerity, as near perfection as the 
 infirmities of nature would permit, and formed and trained it in 
 an honorable retirement. He set it in the furnace of trial at an 
 hour when great events and dangers had awakened the popular 
 heart to most intense action ; He illustrated it with that species of 
 distinction which, above all others, fires the popular enthusiasm, 
 military glory ; and held it up to the admiring inspection of a 
 country grateful for the deliverances it had wrought. Thus God 
 teaches how good, how strong a thing, His fear is. He makes all 
 men see and acknowledge, that in this man Christianity was the 
 source of those virtues which they so rapturously applauded ; that 
 it was the fear of God which made, him so fearless of all else ; 
 that it was the love of God which animated his energies ; that it 
 was the singleness of his aims which caused his whole body to be 
 full of light, so that the unerring decisions of his judgment sug 
 gested to the unthinking the belief of his actual inspiration ; that 
 the lofty chivalry of his nature was but the reflex of the spirit of 
 Christ. Even the profane admit, in their hearts, this explana 
 tion of his power, and are prompt to declare that it* was Jack 
 son s religion which made him what he was. His life is God s 
 lesson, teaching that "it is righteousness that exalteth a nation." 
 
 His fall in the midst of the Great struggle for the existence of 
 
HIS FALL TIMELY. HIS STAFF. 741 
 
 his country, and in the morning of his usefulness and fame, has 
 appeared to his people a fearful mystery. But if his own inter 
 ests be regarded, it will appear a time well chosen for God to 
 call him to his rest j when his powers were in their undimmed 
 prime, and his glory at its zenith ; when his greatest victory had 
 just been won ; and the last sounds which reached him from the 
 outer world were the thanksgivings and blessings of a nation in 
 raptures with his achievements, in tears for his fall. 
 
 This tribute to his memory will now be closed with a record 
 of the names of the zealous and faithful men, who at the time of 
 his death, composed his Staff. In their selection, he had dis 
 played a certain independence, or what many deemed a singular 
 ity of judgment. Not many of them were men of military educa 
 tion; for he was of all men least restricted by professional 
 trammels. But their efficiency was the best justification of his 
 judgment. His Adjutant and Chief of Staff, at the time of his 
 fall, was the Hon. Charles James Faulkner, lately minister of the 
 United States to France : who succeeded General Paxton in this 
 office, when the latter took command of the Stonewall Brigade. 
 At the battle of Chancellorsville Colonel Faulkner was absent 
 on sick leave. The Assistant Adjutant was Lieutenant Colonel 
 Alex. S. Pendleton, a zealous and spirited officer, who, after 
 rising to the highest distinction, gave his life to his country in 
 the disastrous campaign of September, 1864, in the Valley. 
 The Chief Quartermaster was Major John Harman, and the 
 Chief Commissary, Major Wm. Hawks. The Medical Director 
 was Dr. Hunter M Guirc. These four served under Jackson 
 during his whole career. The Chief of Artillery was Colonel S. 
 Crutchficld, who was wounded at Chancellorsville a few moments 
 after his General. The Chief of Engineers was Captain Bos- 
 well, who fell by the same fatal volley which cost Jackson his 
 life. He was assisted by Mr. J. Hotchkiss, as Topographical 
 
742 LIFE OF LIEUT.-GENERAL JACKSON. 
 
 Engineer; an accomplished draughtsman, whose useful labors 
 are still continued. Captain Wilbourne conducted the signal 
 service. Colonel Allen managed, with unrivalled efficiency, the 
 ordnance of the corps. Lieutenants Smith and Morrison were 
 Aidcs-de-Camp and personal attendants to the General. The 
 Inspectors of the corps were Colonel A. Smead, and Captain II. 
 Douglass. These gentlemen formed a military family of the hap 
 piest character, and all, excepting those of the supply depart 
 ments, messed together. While their mess table was simple as 
 that of the privates of the army ; and the General forbade that 
 any luxuries should be habitually introduced, which were excluded 
 from the soldiers rations ; refinement, courtesy, and purity pre 
 sided over all their intercourse. Nothing was ever heard in that 
 circle, which could raise a blush on the cheek of woman, or pro 
 voke a frown from the sacred ministers of religion. It is no 
 detraction from the merit of the gallant men who composed it, 
 to say that this propriety was, in part, the result of the elevated 
 example of the General. 
 
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