Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-07-05
STONEWALL JACKsON.-.THE pECULIARI-
TIES OF HIS GENIUS.

a latc correspondent Of the ~. Y.
World has furnished tho reader of
that journal with somo graphic re-
marks upon the genius, in strategy
and military resources, of Stonewall
jackson. We mako few intcres-
ting extracts:
Jackson's military movements were
always based upon close calculation,
and ho was certainly not wanting in
foresight and caution. lie seems to
have known perfectly we'll what it
was in his power to achieve, and rs
thoroughly what was beyond his
strength. Ho rlshod much, upon ma
ny occasions, but appears to have
been justified in his calculations Of
the ultimate result
1t will be objected to him by mill
tary men, that he hazarded too much,
at times, and was only extricated by
good fortune. There appears to bo
somo justice ia this; but tho resour.
ces Of his gonius wero enormous, and
doubled his numbers. Somo Of his
ideasscem absurd whom coolly looked at
When asked what he would have done
if, after tho battle of Winchester, The
convcrging columns Of the enomy had
cut him off at SLrasburg, he replied,
al would havo fallen back upon Ma.
rylanG Tor reinforcoments." Such q
movement must, it would appear,
havc terminated in his obstruction
but il would be difficult to find q man
in his old command who would have
doubted his ultimate triumph oven
then.
His gonius was for grcrt movcm-
mcnts and decisive blows; and, thus
his services bccamo moro and moro
valuable rs his rank increased. Hc
was better AS Brigadicr than as Col
oncl; better still as Major General
and as Lieuteuant General was best
OF all. 1t il, useless TO ask what he
would have boon as Commander ir.
Chief, with q superior ut Richmond.
But tho brain which conceived aud
executed tho campaign of tho valley
must havo been equal to any position.
lie kept open, generally, his line Of
retreat, and provided for disaster
though it was hard to realize that
failure ever entered into his calcula-
lions. lie had the soldiers oyo for
position, and chose his ground both for
infantry and artillery with tho ex.
actness Of genius; but if all his ar.
rangemonts wcro made, aud his plans
required battle, would give it on any
ground. lie depended most upon his
infantry, but loved artillery from his
early association with that branch of
tho service, never appearing SO we'll
pleased as when directing in person
the fro of his cannon, amid shower
of shot and shell. When oncc enga-
ged, he seemed to discard all idea of
defeat, and to regard the issue rs as
sured. And, what was moro impor-
tant, his men seemed to share his
conviction. A man less open to the
conviction that. he was whipped, could
not be imagined. His indomitable
combativeness, it might have becn
said, made HIM Set his teeth against
Fate, and endeavor to place his heel
upon Destiny itself:
It may be said of him with truth,
that he deserved victory. No man
was more careful in the use of every
precaution to insure sncccss. The
idea that he blundered on with
out prudence or system, and achieved
his success only by some mysterious
good fortune, is q nero fancy. No
soldier was ever less indebted to
"luck;" 10 ono over proceeded in mil
itary matters upon profounder logic.
He know his strength and his weak
ness, but the difference betwoc+l him
and others was this, that he made his
estimates more correctly. Ho did not
look to numbers only, but to morale
the, sitpation, the spirit Of his troops
With the three hundred of Leonidas
he would have attempted great things
with the fifty thousand survivors o.
Napoleon's Grand Armie, crushed il
moral by Waterloo. he would have
attempted nothing.
In every point of view, as we; have