The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-04-15
HOW ST0NEwALL JACKSON DIED.
Interesting letter ON that Event fro'l
his Late Chief Surgeon.
From the Old Dominion for March,
| RICHMOND, Va, March !, 1870.

From the Old Dominion for March.
RICHMOND, Va, March !, 1870.
Editors of Old Dominion:
have just received your letter ask
ing me to give you some Information
in regard to the last wound OF GeneIal
Jackson, that you may correct the
statements published in the Northern
magazines by General De Peyster and
Colonel Clifford Thomson. The for
tmer, you say, claims that General
Jackson was shot by the First Massa-
chusetts Infantry, and the latter that
he was killed by canister shot from
\ Pleasanton's Artillery.
You will find an accurate account OF
the Generals last wound and death in
Dabney's Life of Jackson" or III the
account | wrote and published several
years ago. <',s..f 1'f q ~
The facts are briefly these:
General Jackson made the attack
Nav I'd, with his army in three lines
of battle, Rhodes Division occupied
| the front line, Colston's Division the
second line, and Hill, with part OF
his Division i'm line and u part in col
umn, the third line. During the at.
| tack and rapid pursuit of the enemy,
Rhodes and COlston's Divisions be-
came commingled and moved in one
confused mass, Rhodes, finding how
disOrdered the troops were, asked Jack
son to send Hill forward to take the
advance, and permit, the first and Sc
cond lines to be reformed. While this
was being done, Jackson, accompanied
! by some officers and c0uriers, rode for
ward to reconnoiter. He advanced as
| far as the Federal pickets, and then
| turned tn come back to his own line,
when his party, mistaken for Federal
kcayalry, were fired into by the COnfed-
lerate line of battle The fire was pro-
bably from troops who had just been
placed in position, and who did not
know that Jackson and his party We're
in front of them. | think this was the
Generals impression in speaking of it
afterward. Several of his party were
killed aud wounded by this fire, but
tile General escaped, and turning to
tile left entered the forest and continu-
ed to approach his own line. When
within thirty or forty yards of it a Sc
! cond volley was fired, which wounded
him in three places. One of the wounds
was i'm the right hand, the other two
i'm his left arm. The ball causing the
| first two lodged Under the. skin upon
tl,. back of his hand 1t was q round
bali, such as was used for the smooth.
bore Springfield muskets. The wounds
in his left arm were believed to have
been made by the same kind of bullets.
The Confederate troops who fired the
yolleys at the General and his escort,
we're armed with smooth-bore muskets.
i II will add that General Jackson did
not die from these wounds. His death
was the result of pneumonia, and oc.
Cured eight days after the wounds
were received. ss
Yours, very respectfully,
HUNTER MCGUIRE,
Late Chief Surgeon Jackon's Com
Il lmand. I'D IS ~ 4 q
81 GIANTS. The Roman Emperol
Maxirnus was eight feet and u half Ii
, hight, and Of corresponding bulk. HI
, wore his wife's bracelet as q ring fol
his thumb; his shoe was a foot longel
than the foot of an ordinary man. Pii
Il nv saw u man who was nine feet nint
, inches high. John Middleton, of Ian
, cashire, England, born if5s, was ninf
feet three inches high. Patrick Cotter
4 the famous Irish giant, born in 1861
was eight feet seven inches in hight
The palm of his hand measured twelve
, inches, and his shoe seventeen inches
He died In 1905. Big Sam, the porter
! of the Prince of Wales, was near eighl
y feet high. One OF these, John Middle.
ton, was presented to James ]. dressed
in very fantastic style, and was after
ward employed in one Of the librarie:
Of the University of Oxford; he wa:
] only six inches shorter than cGoliah
r and could have whipped him, probably
I in q fair fight. Many Of our reader;
: !; will recollect the Kentucky giant; M
n Bihin, the giant, and the nnuierou,
D worthies Of the same kind who have
embellished the American Museum.