Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-05-15
The Last Battle, Wounding and Death Of
StOnewall Jackson.

The following authentic and deeply interest
ing account of the wounding and death Of the
great Confederate cheftain, StonewaIl j Jackson,
is taken from the May number Of the Richmond
/. Aedtoal Journal. No one viii regret the space
it occupies in our columns The battle Of
| ChancelIorsyille was fought on the End and Sd
T of May 1868. 1t was on the night Of the ID
that the dreadful accident (Gen. j, having re-
oeiyed his wounds at the hands of his own Inen)
occurred, which was the turning point in the
fortunes Of the Ccnfederacy. We append the
account:
LAST WOUND OF THE LATE GENERAL JACK
son. (ST0NEWALL )-IHE 1AAipUTATIoN OF
THE ARM-H1s LAST MOMENTS AND DEATH.
. BY HUNTER MCGUIRE M d., Professor of
Surgery in the Medical College of Virginia
and late Medical Director OF General Jack
son's Command.
Supported upon either side by lis aids, Can
tain James Smith and Joseph Morrison, the
/, General moved slowly and painfully towards the
rear. Occasionally resting for moment, to
shake eff the exhaustion which pain and the
loss Of blood produced, he at last reached the
line OF battle, where most Of the men were lying
down, to escape the shell and canister with
Fender rode up here to the little party and
asked who was wounded, and Captain Smith
who had been Instructed by General jackson to
tell no one Of bis injury simply answered "a
Confederate officer; but Pender recognized the
General, and, springing from his horse, hllr-
/ reay expressed his regret, and added that his
/ lines were so much broken he feared it would
be necessary to fan back. At this moment the
scene was a fearful ones The air seemed to be
I'll, +l,o Il
bullets horses riderless and mad with fright,
dashed in every direction, hundreds left the
ranks and fed to the rear, and the groans Of the
wounded and dying, mingled with the wild
/: shouts Of others to be led again to the assault
4 Almost falntlng as he was, from the loss of
blood, fearfully wounded, and as he thought
j dying, Jackson was undismayed by this terrible
scene. The words OF Pender seemed to rouse
him to life. Pushing aside the men who sup
ported him, he stretched himself to his full
/ height, and answered feebly, but distinctly
enough to be heard above the din of the battle,
I t"General Pender, you must hold on to the field,
you must hold out to the last. 1t was Jack
sons last order upon the field of battle Still
more exhausted by this effort, he asked to be
permitted to lie down for a few moments, but
the danger from the fire, and capture by the
Federal advance, was too imminent, and his
aids hurried him on A litter having been OBJ
/ tanned, he was placed upon it, and the bearers
passed on as rapidly as the thick woods and
rough ground permitted. Unfortunately, an
I other one of the bearers was struck down, and
the litter having been supported at each of the
four corners by d man, fell and threw the Gen
eral to the ground. The fall was a serious one,
and as he touched the earth, he gave, for the
first time, expression to his suffering and
groaned piteously.
Captain Smith sprang to his side, and as he
raised his head, a bright beam OF moonlight
made It's way through the thick foliage, and
rested upon the face Of the poor sufferer The
captain was startled By its great palor and still
ness, and cried out, oh. General, are you Sc
/ riousfy hurt ~ No" he answered, don t
trouble yourself, my friend, about me- and
presently added something about winning the
battle first, and attending to the wounded after
wards. lie was placed upon the litter again,
and carried a few hundred yards, when | met
him with an ambulance. / knelt down by him,
and said, i hope you are not badly hurt, Gen
eral. = lie replied, very calmly, but teebly, Il
am badly injured, Doctor; | fear | am dying. ,"
} After a pause he continued, ] am glad you
/ have come. | think the wound in my shoulder
is still bleeding" His clothes were saturated
with blood, and hemolThage was still going on
from the wound, Compression Of the artery
! with the finger arrested it, until lights being
procured from the ambulance, the handkerchief
which had slipped Il little, was readjusted His
cllinness amid the dangers which surrounded
him and at the supposed presence OF death, and
his uniform pollteness, which did not forsake
him, even under these the most trying circum-
Stances, were remarkable. His complete con
troll too, oyer his mind, enfccbled as it was, by
the loss Of blood, pain, &c, was wonderful
His suffering at this time was intense; his
hands We're cold, his skin clamluy, bis face pale,
and hls lips compressed and bloodless, not
groan escaped him-not a sign Of suffering, ex-
cept the slight colrugation OF his brow, the fixed
rigid face, and the thin lips, SO tightly COM
pressed, that the impression of the teeth could
be seen through them. Except these he con
trolled, by hls iron will, all evidence ofemotion,
that disposition to restlessness, which many OF
Us have observed upon the field Of battIe. AZ