The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-12-29
STONEWALL JACKSON.
Letter from Mr. Faulkner in Reply 10 n
Gentleman i'm EondOun County, Va
MART1SsRURG, WEST Va
November %. 1916.

Gentleman III EONuOHH county, va
MARTISsBURG, WEST VA.,l
November "a, 1876. :
a I received on yesterday your favor OF the
Goth instant informing me that you are pre-
pairing for future publication your remlnis-
cences OF General Thomas j. Jackson, OF
the late Confederate army. am pleased to
hear that fact, as you had excellent oppor-
tunities Of studying the character and quail
tiles OF that remarkable man; and / have
no doubt yeur sketches OF his life and the
personal anecdotes that you propose to in
troduce will present an interesting volume
to the public. ~ ..... ..T"i5-
YouaS me to furnish you with my impress
sions of the character OF General Jackson.
I have every disposition to comply with
your wishes, and only regret that the pres
sure OF my engagements at this time must
necessarily limit my views OF his character
to few brief and imperfect sketches.
You wish me to give you any facts that
may be within my knowledge touching his
boyhood and early history. 1t is, true, as
YOU state, that he was West Virginian by
birth; but reside some distance from, and
have been very little in the two counties
Lewis and Harrison-in which he spent his
early life. -,. ../
i was III LEWIS County Ill ouuc, 1oiO, upoh
visit to our State institution; the lunatlc
asylum-the only occasion in which Twas
ever in that county-When heard an anec-
dote of his early life which, in my iudg-
ment, does him as much honor as any one Of
his most brilliant victories. He was an
orphan without father or mother, and very
poor. It occurred to some OF his friends
that they would give him employment by
comforting upon him the office Of constable.
The County Court chimed in with the
friendly proposal, and at the age OF sixteen
Thomas J. Jackson was q constable OF the
county of Lewis, with his Uncle Cummings
Jackson rs his security. The first execution
that came into his hands was against q
widow woman living some twelve miles
from the courthouse, and who Was sup
posed to be possessed Of some cattle. Sack
SON summoned Charlie Post, from whom l
derived this part Of the anecdote, to accom-
pany him and TO assist him in driving away
| the cattle which he proposed to levy upon.
| When he arrived there he found that, the
old woman had but one cow, the principal
means Of her support So soon as he ascer-
tainei this fact he turned TO his companion
and said, "Charlie, will not levy this exc
cution upon that poor Woman's COW; as
| poor as am l would rather work nigbt, and
he left there, and stated the facts to his--un-
Gle, his security in his official 'bond.y He
| listened to his narrative, and ten said !:
"Tom I see you We're never Born to be a
constable, my boy; resign your Office at
once, and ! will pay the execution /
don't know how this simple anecdote which
derived from the man who was present,
and acting with him in the transaction, may
affect others, but in my opinion it was suf-
fcient to show that Jackson, even at that
early period Of his unedueated life, pos.
sessed all the elements of noble nature,
such as gave promises that il favored by
future circumstances was destined to make
| q man OF him in this world, -.,
| And such circumstances did very soon
favor him; for in few weeks thereafter
Gideon j. Butcher, now respectable cltl-
zen OF that county, received the appoint
ment OF cadet at the military academy OF
West Point. He declined the appointment.
| Young Jackson learning that fact, started
off for Washington in the rough country
attire Of that day, and made such an impress
sion on the Secretary of War by his manly
bearing, intelligence, and force of character,
that he bestowed the appointment upon
him; and thus under these strange and for
| tuitors circumstances commenced that mill
tary career which, first attracting notice in
| the battles of Contreras, Cherubusco, and
| Chapultepec, eliminated In all its glory
upon the blood-stained fields OF his dear and
native Virginia. = (-.,..,
The war from which the name OF Thomas
j. jackson emerged covered with military
lustre and consecrated in the love and a1ec-
| ton Of his compatriots was not war OF
ambition or Of conquest; nor was 1t war
| to seek immediate relief from oppression
| or tyranny; bnt it WaS a war to preserve
the vital principles OF our Constitution and
| to uphold the reserved rights OF the States,
lthcn threatened with destruction. No SUI
| blimer spectacle can wei be imagined than
| to see whole people rushing to arms and
sacrificing their lives and property to main
tain theory OF constitutional construction
that they, deemed essential to the safe work
iug Of their system of government. And
should the progress Of centralizatlon con-
tinue to advance for the next fifty years as it
has done ii, the last fifteen, and should 1t be
| followed, as it must be unless arrested by its
inevitable ,results-wide-spread corruption
and loss Of public morals-the men who shed
their blood to preserve the integrity of our
State and, domestic governments will be
cherished as among our most blessed mar
ftyrs that ever fell in the cause OF civil or po-
! Iitical liberty. Then, and not till then, but
alas too late, will the full height Of their
gigantic stature be recognized by the wise
and yirtuous few, and then, and not till
then, viii tiie grandeur and greatness OF
their sacrifices be fully appreciated by an
The military genius Of General jackson
seemed to grow and expand with the mag
nitude of every movement which the neces-
stiles Of war cast upon him. He,was always
equal to the position in which he was placed
whether it was in command OF regiment,
a brigade, q division, or an army; and he
could with as much ease have handled a
hundred thousand men upon the battlefield tie
as he did ten thousand This, ] may say, ,SSl
derived from his own lips; for I have heard
him say that he never was sensible tof any
increased difficulty from the number OF
troops forming bis command. The char
aeter OF his genius fitted him particularly FOE
offensive operations: !, and in this connection
/ may be justified In stating o fact which is
1somewh hat within my personal knoW Wedge
and Of which haYe nowhere seen any pre-
.yior1s ,notios.frI am well satisfied thatiit
was distinctly arranged between General