Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-12-24
sTONEWALL JACKSON.
Who Killed the Great Confederate
Leader l-Letter from Gen. Revere.
From tho Navv Work. Herald

From the New York Herald.
MoRRIsTowN, N j., Dec. 16, 1863
Having observed your remarks on the
subject of the death of the Rebel Gen
eral, Thomas Jonathan Jackson, | take
the liberty of asking you to add my testi-
mOny to that of others so that there can
remain no reasonable doubt but that he
was killed by his own troops, and viii
make my narrative as short as possible for
your columns
At the battle of Charlottesville l com
manded the Second brigade of the Second
division of the Third Army Corps, and our
division was held in reserve near Chan
cellorsville House until about O'Clock on
Saturday afternoon, the I'd of May, 1868,
which was the time of the furious
attack made on the right of our
line by Jackson, which broke the
Eleventh corps, hurting it back in disord-
er. We were almost Immediately ordered
to the front to check the attack of the
enemy, and deployed in line of battle to
the right of the Orange Court House
plank road, not far from our first posi-
ton, the enemy stopping any further adj
vance at that time. As soon as my line
was formed and pickets thrown out in
front of it. | rode to the front to inspect
the picket line, as it was my inva-
riable habit to do, to rectify its positions
if necessary. 1t was now twilight, and a
little later the moons light aided the vision
to pierce the darkness of the dense forest
in which was our position. While en-
gagged in charging the posts of some of
the sentinels covering the left front of my
line, in a comparatively clear place near
the plank road, heard the sound of anap-
preaching cavalcade from the side of the en-
envy, which soon appeared, and the foremost
horseman detaching himself from it came
on alone, so near that the soldier nearest
me levelled his rifle for a shot at him; but
| stopped him from firing, not wishing to
reveal our position, and judging him an
officer making a reconnaissance, in which
case it would have been a useless thing to
kill him-even if he could have hit him
in the uncertain light. After a few
moments, spent apparently in trying
to pierce the gloom, this person slow
" turned his horse, and the whole
party returned towards the Confederates
AT u gallup. llC ClcllCl VI tlC AlOOLo W
came fainter in the distance, when sud
denly the darkness in that direction was
lighted up by flash, succeeded by the
well known rattle of a vOlley of mus
kerry from at least a battalion, on the
right of the road, and after the interval
of about twenty seconds, came another
volley from its left. Being apprehensivc
that some of our troops might possibly
bein that direction, determined tOride for
ward alone and satisfy myself, as if called
into action, there might be danger of
firing upon our own troops. l did so,
leaving my orderly within my picket line.
Emerging from the thick underground
upon the road a riderless horse dashed past
me towards our lines, and refined up near
a group of three persons, two of whom
were supporting the third, who was
stretched on the ground, apparently
| grievOusly hurt. AhOrse, Orperhaps more
| than one, were near by, as ! saw indis-
| tinctlv, but whether they were
tied to trees or held by other per
| sons | could not make out. saw
| at once that these were COnfederates,
probably officers, and visions of the Libby
began 20 fit through my mind at finding
! myself so near them, but rejecting that
| | was well armed and mounted, moreover
that | wore a priyate's gray overcOat and
| slouChed hat, which were common to
both parties, | sat still, regarding the
group in silence, but prepared to fly If
necessary, at the first warning. The ST.
lence was broken by one of the persons,
who seemed to regard me with surprise,
and, speaking as one having authority, he
directed me ''to ride up there and see what
troops those were, indicating the direc-
ton of his army, to which | gave a sign u
assent, and, too happy to escape, l rode in
that direction until out of sight of the group,
when, making a circuit, returned within
nv own lines. Just as reached our picket
line the federal section Of artillery posted
on the plank road commenced firing, and
could plainly hear the grape ,crushine
through the limbs of the trees near the
point had left. found my brigade engageC
in Strengthening their position by rud,
line of abattis in preparation for the battle
That night two intrepid officers of my
brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Holt anc
Captain Hugo, of the Seventeen New
York, Crawled on all fOurs within tn
cnemy's lines and captured several prison
crs. from whom | extracted the infOrma
ton that Rhodes division of Jackson
corps lay in our front; and one OF them
an officer, gave me, upon a sort of cross
examination, some interesting details
At early daylight the next morning (Sun
day, May 81 the enemy commenced a wig
orous attack upon our line, which beln3
unsupported, although thousands of fres
troops lay within half musket shot, wa
e ! forced, after g gallant defense and heav
losses, to retire and yield the ground T.
! them.
About a fortnight afterwards, at th
p camp of Falmouth, | saw the Richmon
ENQUIRER, giving a detailed account G
the death of Stonewall Jackson, and tn
l circumstances of his receiving his wound
| which made it clear, to me at least, tha
= the man | saw lying OIL the ground wa
himself, and that be was killed by hi
: own men. Other Confederate account
E mention "some one was sitting en- hi
2 horse by the side of the wood COOL
} looking on mOtionless and silent.
r 'sThe unknown individual was ella
2 in dark dress strongly resembling tn
Federal uniform, but it seemed impossible
2 that he could have penetrated to that sp'
. without being discovered, and what TO
, lowed seemed to prove that he belonge
T to the Confederates. Capt. WilbOurn
directed him "to ride up there and sc
what troops those were upon which u
, stranger slowly rode in the directio
; pointed out, but never returned with an
, answer. "Who this silent parsonage ws
t is left to posterity," etc. As | well kne
+ StOnewall Jackson from the time OF th
= Mexican war, l could not have failed
recognize him had l interviewed" hiI
= on this occasion, which would, however
. resulted most disagreeably TO at least on
of the parties-a finale for which
e avail myself of the present occasion
c thank ''Capt. Wilbourn" for having aver
l. ed by his OppOrtune command, hopln
he will excuse me for having "nevt
J. returned.n As to jackson having MI
C his death at the hands of the first Mass
, chusetts, that is impossible, as that reg
i, ment occupied position on the left
e our division, near the plank road, ar
!, completely out of sight and range OF Il
d spot advanced to while accommodating.
Z JOSEPH w. REVERE, eA-bIlg Ueh'
The same bale of upland cotton hi
/ been weighed three times day for thr
Z months by John Holmes, of CharlestO
II S. c., to ascertain the variation in weig
q produced by changes in the weathe
During November the greatest variatit
was three and three-fourth poUnds-t
/ lowest weight being four hundred al
Is seventeen and one-fOuTth pounds on Il
: 8th, and the highest on he17th, four hu
u dred and twenty-One and One-fOur
. pounds. 1t is somewhat singular it shou
i have been four hundred and twenty-o
u and one-fourth in the morning
j and rainy'-and -four hundred aud TWEEN
> in the afternoen-''m Oist and clear
Enough has been sho=7n that variations
: weight, depending upon the state of t