Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1866-05-30
The Unoonquerable jackson

extraordinary manner In which the
military achievements and private
character of StOncwall Jackson are
eulogized in many quarters, now that
the war is closed, and when there is
no good reason for such unwarranta-
bic putfery. The Richmond Whig, for
instance, revived and edited by men
who say they took no part in the re
/ beIlIon, on the strength Of which one
OF them claims a seat in Congress, has
an article III which it says that " one
after another the northern generals
fled defeated before the uncomfortable
/ Jackson A more preposteroas as
scrtlOn could not be made in reference
. to the events of the late war. and as
we often meet such exaggerated praise
of this rebel leader, it may be as well
to examine into the matter for mo-
ment
There is no event in Jackson's ca
reer more memorable than the first
! battle of Winchester, in which the
/ Union forces, commanded by General
/ Shields, held possession Cf the town,
and were attacked furiousIy by Jack
! :0n, who was on one of his 'rampag-
! ing" expeditions. Shields was too sick
/ to appear in the field, but his army
was managed with 50 much skill that
jackson was utterly routed, and fed
in confusion southwark through the
valley pursued by our troops Gen
cral Banks, who was the commander
Of that department, happened at the
time to be on his way back to Win
chester on his return from visit to
Washington, but hearing of the battle
and the illness of Shields, he hastened
forward, just rs Sheridan subsequently,
did against Early, and reached the
front in time to assume command of
the pursuing column. That retreat was
a fearful one for Jackson. His corps
was dcmoralized his wounded were
left by the roadside, his trains aban
doncd, and the whole valley was filled
with his struggling soldiers. Banks
made large number Of prisoners.
1t is one OF the chief delights Of cop
pcrhcad and rebel writer's to dwell on
the subsequent retreat of Banks before
jackson az excessively amusing, any
/ defeat Of the Union forces being such
! a sweet morsol for such palates But
this tremendous rout Of jackson by
Shields and Banks is always ingenious
, ly left out of SIGHT. Lee, whose great
military genius was really at the bot
/ tom OF all Of Jackson's successes, saw
that this disaster in the valley must be
repaired, and when his spies informed
/ him that Banks had been weakened by
| the sending away Of large part Of his
/ forces to other service, he reconstruct
/ ed Jacks0n's corps and reinforced it
heavily, sending him back upon Banks
with men enough to Outnumber him
| three or four to one He expected
/ Jackson to osurroundand capture Banks
small command, and this calculation,
/ shire wdly planned ought, in any ordi-
nary cvcntualities, to have succeeded.
But Jackson had all the rashness as
we'll as all the bravery Of Prince Ru-
| pert. He was in such haste to retrieve
his fame that he made the arrange
mcnts in a heels over. head sort Of Il
/ way, and Banks managed to escape
the trap. The glory Of that campaign,
such as it was, belongs to Lee, not to
/ jackson. He gave the latter men
/ enough to do all and more than all he
asked Of him, and he gave full and
/ elaborate instructions. which, if prop
erlv carried out, would have enabled
jackson to capture Banks and all his
forces.
The failure was complete, and Gen
cral Banks, instead Of deserving ridi-
cule for that retreat, certainly merits
praise for the ability he displayed in
saving his small command from sc
great a danger Under such circum
stances we have always regarded this
as one of the most creditahle occurren
ces of the war General Lee surely
could have felt nothing but Chagrin
over the disastrous failure of q plan
which he had so we'll arranged. Sc
far, therefore, as the campaign in the
valley against Banks was concerned
Jackson achieved none Of the great
things which his copperhead and rebe
eulogists are so fond of talking about
If Banks retreated before Jackson il
the second advance Of the latter, it wa
no more than jackson himself haC
done just previously; and On his re
turn from this very expedition hi
corps was compelled to make haste
away from every one of our detach
ments it met. Neither Shields nol
Fremont fled before him on that occa
sion, but the case was just the othel
way. Jackson fought only when he
could not avoid it, be gained no lau
rels when he did fight, and he made
the best of his way back to Richmont
as fast as his men could travel.
The truth of history requires tina
; we should say this much, to preven
: the exaltation Of this rebel chiettail
| into model of military grandeur, t.