The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1865-10-18


wherever he cncoutereed them There seems
to be good ground for the belief that. he re-
garded himself as passive instrument in the
hands Of Providence, to accomplish great
events, and had satisfied himself that the
Lord of Hosts would uphold him. This con-
viction, supported by abilities of the first Or
der, made him almost Irresistible.
His intellect, in all military matters, was
remarkably clear, vigorous and practical. 1t
has been said that there are some ninble and
apprehcRsiyc spirits, whose natures appear
too sharp and delicate for everyday work.
To cut down tree men do not use razor,
but an axe. 1t has roughcr edge than the
razor, but is more effective. ,Jackson'S militia
~ judgement was ponderous weapon, and
struck straight at the obstacle. He was op-
posed TO half way measures, and in favor of
dccessive blows. Subtlety and dialectical hair:
splitting found little favor with him. He
knew what he wanted, and had q perfectly
clear idea of the means by which he could Sc
cure HIS object. Refinements of strategy oc-
cupied little of bis attention. Uewas for re
suits and saw how to attain them. Alone Of
al the southern generals he was in favor OF
attacking the federal army, on the evening OF
the battle of Fredericksburg and at tR
council Of war, held on that occasion, Is said
to have startcdsftom doze, when called upon
for his opinion, exclaiming, only half awake
"Drive eln into the river" All hisviews were
aggressive, and looked to attack, not defense.
After Port Republic he said, "Iftl7e President
will give me 10000 men, will be in Harris
burg, Pennsylvania, in two weeks. Twill un-
,dsrlake it with 10000" After Cold IIarbor,
as we have seen, he again wished to advance,
exclaiming, The Scipio Africanus policy is
best" On the evening Of the first battle Of
Manassas, isgclear intellect, unclouded by
subtleties, hccitations, or those pros and cons
which paralyze action, saw the whole field
before him and he said, in his brief, curt
voice: "Give me 10000 men, and will be
in Washington tonight"
A few words more will terminate this has
ty sketch Of Jacksons military character. He
was an intense aid Commemorative thinker, his
piercing eyes saw far and Deep Without
power So VIC have seen, to utter, write or
perform any notable thing in the ordinary
com,n-:ce Of hnman affairs, he brought to the
great game of war immense powers Of analy-
sis and combination. Success was an equa-
ton which he worked out with mathematical
precision. When an event tooEplace like the
gap left in his line at the second battle Of Ma
nassas, and Fredericksburg, or the falling
back Of the St3ncwall Brigade at Eainstown,
his whole plans lniscarried 1t was the error
in the calculation which vitiatcd the result.
Such were the faculties which seem, to the
present writer, to have characterized Jackson,
and produced his extraordinary successes.
But it is difficult to discard the idea, after a
fta consideration of his career, that he was
guided in LIS arduous campaigns BY. some
thing resembling species ofintuition Many
Of his followers openly stated their belief that
he was "'inspircd," and the military critic will
find, after all, in his career certain intuition
of genius which cannot be classified or des:
cribcd. He seemed to possess. the faculty Of
seeing what was the right thing to do at the
right time not to come to his conclusion by
any train Of logic, but at a bound. Others
! exhibited supreme talent, trained to the high
est perfection butJackson's military move
ments everywhere betrayed that subtle thing
called genius. His glance was like the light
ming which reveals the es9re landscape be-
Fore he bepighted traveller, and shows, him
Lis road.
Passing from the characteristics of Jack
son the soldier We may find some points Of
interest in the personal traits, Of Jackson the
man. 1T is interesting to know how such
men look and speak how they carry them
selves under good or. bad fortune; In what
manner they "Iiveand move and have their
being. Jackson's demeanor upon the field
was quite absorbed, and at times absent-min,
G2d, as though he were engaged in somek pro-
found calculation, or following some subtle
train of thought When spoken to at sach mo-
mtnts, his head turned quickly, his eye gilt
! tered, and he listened with attention, replying
in the fcwcst words possible. His tone was
curt but not discourteous. His Bearing, his
smile, ana the ready hand to his cap, on the
contrary, were markedly courteous, nor has
the present writer ever known him, under the
most exciting circumstances, to loose this
simple and modest air of kindly gacd breed
ing. He was the most opproachable of corps
commanders, and any private soldier might
be sure Of friendly reply to any question
7hich he asked. There was no air of author
.i:y, official stiffness, hautcur, assumption or
GOODNESS in his derneanor. He 'looked like
work." wss unmoYed by valfty, regarded his
troops as his children, and when he fell, it
was not the heart Of wife and friend alone
that felt the bow, but thousands who no ION
ger felt the old enthusiasm, preluding yicto-