New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-07

ton, and though his department was mild and
gentlemanly, he still impressed every one with the
idea that he had in his nature good deal of the
old Adam, and would fight. There was no doubt
that his mind was slow in its operations, and he eX-
pressed himself with difficulty though, with the
course he had to teach he was completely familiar,
yet never could manage to acquire any readiness
in the manipulation of the philosophical apparatus,
being very awkward with his hands, as his hand-
writing proved.
JACKSON AS A SPEAKER AND HUMoRIsT.
He made great efforts to improve himself in
general information, especially In history, IN winch
he felt himself deficient and in pursuance OF TINS
object used frequently to attend the Franklin
Society at Lexington, a sort Of debating society,
composed almost entirely OF professional men OF
high culture and requirements, ana 1t was among
these that Jackson undertook to learn to speak,
At first it was painful task for him but by degrees
he improved, and his style and manners became
more pleasing and his gestures less awkward
His gestures in speaking were almost confined to
this, viz he bent up his right arm and bent down
his right hand with the first three fingers extended
He never was declamatory, or aimed at anything
like eloquence, but became very f0rcible
speaker. Once however, Jackson uttered some
few words, winch as a specimen of military elo-
quence, can hardly be surpassed. This was on the
day he took leave of his own brigade to 20 to
Manassas to the Valley, when, after few words
OF merely formal character, he suddenly fired
up, ana dropping the relns on the neck of his
horse raised both his hands and exclaimed
'.Soldiers in the army of the Shenandoah you were
the first brigade, and | hope that you will ever
retain that place in the affections of your general
and that in the history of this war you will ever
pc handed down to posterity as the first brigade"
tGreat applause.
Jackson was a modest simple man. in
whom it could truly be said there was no guile.
whilst at Lexington, his health was not good, and
ne suffered from dyspepsia and resorted to all sorts
Of contrivances to gain health some of which I'M
doubtedly did much to gain him his reputation for
eccentricity ltwas generally said that Jackson
could never see joke, but there was one he used
to relate with much pleasure, which I will here
repeat. Captain Wedges, afterwards General
Wedges, had been for long time assistant profes
sor OF mathematics at West Point, and being after
wards ordered to Florida, where, when his com
pany was engaged 10 digging, a brother officer
came across him and said
Well yodges, what are you doing there?" in
rather a serious tone.
Yodges said, " am at my old trade, extracting
r0ots.n
That having an evident professional relish,
was the only joke Jackson ever seemed to appre-
ciate.
On another occasion, on hearing that the enemy
were advancing in large force, jackson quietly
asked if they had any cattle with Them remarking
that " his men were hungry enough to whip any
army that had drove of cattle with them y The
lecturer, in his conversation with Gen. Jackson,
had often adrerted TO Jacks0ns conduct in Mex
leo, but all the account that he could ever get out
of him was an account of an action at Chapulte
pee, in which he was engaged. When being or
dered to advance along causeway with his bat
terry, il was opened on by a Mexican battery at
short range, the very first round killing horse at
every gun notwithstanding, they numbered and
opened fire, when the Mexicans fed. He ordered
the men to level the Mexican works. and by the
time the guns were in this new position the MeXi-
cans were providing the causeway in retreat, and
opening fire upon them he cut lanes through them
of about two miles :" and - added he with sud
den animation and glow of his features, =" it was
splendid"
On another occasion the lecturer stated that he
was at his headquarters, near Hamitons crossing,
on the RappahannOCk and as they sat together,
Gen. Colstou turned the conversation on the cam
pagn of the preceding year, and on Gen. jackson $
glorious triumph at the capture of Harpers Ferry,
and upon the splendid picture he had presented
receiving the surrender of seventy pieces of can
non and twelve thousand Federal soldiers drawn
up in line to surrender to the ragged Confederates.
and said to him, General you must have felt in
tense exultatiOn when you beheld the results of
that great sucCess?h and he never should forget
his manner and reply az Jackson uttered the sim
pie words, 90 1t was great mercy that God grant
ed US that day." In another man this might have
been cant, but in Jackson it was but the natural
expression of deeply religious nature.
THE ENTHUSIASM HIS APPEARANCE CREATED
AMONGST THE SOLDIERS.
Jaekson's appearance amongst his men always
elected their shouts, and also, whenever anything
like rabbit was seen, it was sure to be pursued
by some of the half-starVed men with loud yells
and shouts so that whenever shouting was heard
amongst the soldiers, it was customary to say
that it was either Jackson or a rabbit" Yet,
whenever the men uttered these loud hurrahs,
Jackson always blushed, and, capping spurs to
his horse, would get away from the ovation.
HIS soUBRIoUET AT THE INsTIrUTE-HIs POPULAR
ITY WITH THE CADETS.
At the institute where it was the custom for the
cadets to apply the term :" old F" Unfortunately
to all the professors, Jackson was known as % old
Jack, though this name was applied from no dis
respect entertained for him. but some of the
young gentlemen would often divert themselves
by drawing upon the blackboard in the classroom
representations of his large feet and his plain fea-
lures, and the words % the which !" phrase he
constantly used in his recitation classes for
" what" coming out of his mouth. At the COM
mencement of his college career, Jackson was not
popular, owing to his sharp tones and abrupt man
ners but the lecturer had never heard any one
cast the slightest imputation upon his perfect up
rightness and integrity; and soon afterwards as
he became better acquainted with the character of
the material he had to deal with, a good deal of
his unpopular rigor with the cadets abated. The
institute possessed a beautiful battery of brass
held pieces but the State appropriation was too
small to provide also the necessary horses, and
therefore the consequence was, that when the
senior classes were going through their drill, the
junior classes had to be harnessed to the gun car
rlages to pull them along This was an employment
by no means to the taste of the young gentlemen,
but it had one compensation for whereas, they
were compelled, when in class, to go through the
nGanLfy urll, win perfect silence and due formal
ity. When they became horses they assumed the
privilege of talking, laughing and cutting all sorts
| of capers, in which they INDUCED all the more
freely because they saw it displeased Major Jack
son, whose drawing they also numerically min
licked Yet no one ever saw Major Jackson lose
his equanmity His irmness and perseverance
were exhibited in small as well as great things
and he at last awed his unruly team into silence
during artillery drill. AT one time his eyes were
affected, and he was unable to read anything and
| it being just after the death of his first wife he
was asked how he spent his evenings, and he re
piled that he found occupation for himself in his
enforced deprivation from books by going over in
his mind his course of natural philosophy
HIS POWER or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES RELIGIOUS AMI
| MILITARY DUTIES.
| Jackson had a wonderful power of concentra
| ting his thoughts on the subject he might have in
! hand, and the lecturer expressed his belief thai
| after the commencement of the war Jackson's
whole mind was occupied with only two subjects
viz. his military and religious duties. Ithad beer
| remarked before that his mind, though powerful
was slow, and did not readily admit new impress
| sions, nor even comprehend easily an unusual
statement of the most familiar facts in illustration
of which the lecturer stated that once asking pu
pill what were the three principal mechanical pow
ers and the pupil answering the pulley inclined
plane and lever Jackson gravey said, " no, you
are wrong they are the lever inclined plane anC
pulley He seemed utterly wanting in original
ity, and therefore his great abilities were never
properly recognized before the war, though il
must be admitted that they had not yet beer
exhibited; in addition to which the GOODNESS