The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-05-18
MRS. STONEwALL JACKSON.
where She Lives and " lint She IL Doing
DOmesIic Life of the Great Conn
mnnder-lIIaa nIin LncksOn.

where she was uperintendlng the educa-
tion of her daughter, Miss Julia, sun
ny-haird little girl of fourteen years.
Presenting my card at the door, ! was car
ried to cosy reception room that has been
set apart for Mrs Jackson's use. | found
there fair, pleasant-faced lady, running
agreeably to embOnpOiHt awaiting my ar
rival. The widows weeds, no more than
the touching air of sadness, through
which her smiles struggled to light, told
me that the wife of the south's match
less hero stood before me. With charm
ing grace she babe me be seated, and we
were soon engaged in conversation,
note from mutual friend having in
dorsed me to Mrs. Jackson.
81 declare" said she, g | am engaged
on a work chat completely unnerves me.
You know | have always RETAINED
from writing one word concerning my
husbands home life Although I'M
portuned again and again TO do so, !
have felt that l could not. His public
record belongs to the world his home
history is mine. | have felt that the
possession was sacred. A few dayssince, /
received very kind letter from Col. Nc
Clure, of he Philadelphia Times, asking
me TO contribute an article to his paper
concerning my husbands life. His let
ter was followed by letters from Gen.
Imboden and Others, indorsing his re
quest. He offered to pay me one hun
dred dollars a column for whatever |
might write. This, | am sure must be
an exceedingly liberal offer, and | must
confess had much to do with my
acceptance of the proposition. / am
very anxious to build a house for myself
and daughter in this city, and feel that
if | can earn what money / need with
my pen, / will be doing a work that
my husband would advise me to, were lac
living.
Besides this, have felt that it was
my duty to write something that would
give the world a true idea Of my hus
bands character. No man has been
more misunderstood than be. He is
represented as having been stern, mex
orable and hard-natured. He was just
/ the opposite He was as demonstrative,
"a affectionate and yielding as a woman.
/ At home he was tender, playful and
/ loving. The dignity, sternncss and re-
/ serve that he wore in public was thrown
off the moment he was out of sight OF
/ the public, and he became natural, spon-
| taneous and happy. You can never
/ know how irksome it was to keep his
real nature bound down beneath this
/ habit of reserve. 1t was a mask, and he
/ wore it as a martyrdOm.
d" His whole life hung around his home
! He had no ambition no love of power
no thought of place or pomp. His nor
ror of bloodshed was instructive and
{ powerful He served his country from
| a sense of duty. As / said to some one
/ the other day, the happicst moment OF
/ his life during the war was, in my opin-
/ ion, when he had sent in his resignation
| to the confederate government, and cen
| templated returning to our little home
| in Lexington. The differences between
| him and the government were such that
| he did not believe he could be of further
| service. Hence his sense of duty was
reed ciled to his laying down his sword.
His love for his daughter gave an in
stance of the misapprehension that per
vailed concerning him. lie was passion
ately devoted to children. Our first child
died, and my daughter was born a few
weeks before his death. lie never took
days furlough during the war; not
even to come to see his child. Just be-
fore the battle of Charlottesville / took
the little baby and went to see him. You
should have seen what raptures he went
into over that little girls cradle. | have
seen him kneel by her cradle for hours at
time, Just gazing into her sleeping face
Those who had known him only in pub
lie were astonished at the apparent trans
formation in his character. "
q" 1t is partly that | may put his true
character before the world that / have
determined to write a sketch of him for
the Times. | am now at work on it, and
il will be ready in n short time. / can
give certain facts that can be obtained
from no other source / shall give them
in plain and simple manner.
l suggested that the letters to her,
during the war, would give her many
interesting points. " Oh, 40" she said
a charming blush stealing over her face,
while seft membranes put a new light
in Ger expressive eyes, " they were all
rea love letters. He had little room for
anything else in his letters home. And
then he was a very prudent man, and
never talked of his plans to any one. ]
only gathered from them some general
facts, "a follows He was absolutely con
fdent OF the final triumph Of the south
ern arms and of the permanent establish
ment of the southern cOnfedeTacy. He
felt all the time that the war was being
waged on a wrong plan. He felt that the
south would be worn out if the struggle
was prOtracted. He even complained
that General Lee was too slow, although
he had great admiration and love ioi
him.
at has been said that he was a sort o
| laughing stock at Lexington. This was
surely a mistake. From the very be
ginning of the troubles he was turneC
to as the head of affairs in Lexington
He was put in immediate command o
the cadets, though not by rank entitled
| to that place. The whole city loved anC
respected him. He was the politest maI
| in the world. He never passed a LADY
on the street. whether stranger or not
without raising his hat. One thing / re
member of him-he never looked INTO
DOM that he happened to pass when tn
| door was open. not even my own.
Mrs. Jackson is very pleasantly situa
ted in Charlotte. Her father, Presby
terrain minister, lives near the city. Sh
has brother and two married sister
| (Mrs J. +. Brown and Mrs. ID. II. Hill
living in the city. She spends her day
quietly at the institute, surrounded b,
| Il DtNT Ol lDIOCtIb GlIlSs anu III liiO Ailho
of loving and devoted friends.
Her means are limited but sufficient
She has few desires. and lives cheapl
and comfortably. As signified above
she is DESTROYS just now of building
home in Charlotte for her daughter an
herself, as she has determined to max
this city her permanent residence. L
accomplish her purpose she has closed
contract to write a sketch of her huS
bands life for the Philadelphia Times
and they have allowed her for this wor
the extraordinary price of one hundre
dollars per column. A movement was in
augurated some twelve months ago b.
Mrs. Morehead, of Charlotte, to have tn
various memorial societies of the sout
raise special fund on memorial day 70
the purpose of building Mrs. Jackson
home. For some cause or other tn
movement failed, only two or three huI
bred dollars being raised.
A dread of the notoriety that it wi
bring has almost dissuaded Mrs. Jack
son from fulfilling her contract. Sh
shrinks from anything like a conspicu
Gus place. An amusing instance G
the annoyance that publicity brings
furnished in the following: Some month
ago a paragraph slipped into tn
papers, saying that Miss Julia jackson
was pretty girl of sixteen or there
abouts. BY the time this paragraph ha'
1 IL e Nj