The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-05-04

son. ' "a
I learned that Mrs. jackson was living at
the Presbyteriap Institute, where she was
experimenting tho education of her daugh.
ter, Miss julia q ennny haired little girl of
fourteen ycais. Presenting my card at the
door was carried to a cosy reception room
chat has been set apart fof Mrs. Jackson,s
use. found there .fir,s pleasant faced
lady, running agreeably to &embompoint,
awaiting my arrival. The widowss weeds,
no more than the touching oirsof saduess,
through'which her smiles struggled to light,
told me that the wife of the Soutt,s match.
less hero stood before me-, With charming
s;sss sss saas Hs p ssste3 and xs were :
mutual friend having endorsed me to Mrs.
jackson.
II Declare" said she, "1 am engaged on
q work that completely unneryss me. You
know l have always RETAINED from writing
one word concerning my husbands home
life. Although importuned again and again
to do so, have felt that could not. His
public record belongs to the world. His
home history is mine. I have felt that the
possession was sacred. A few days since l
received very kind letter from Colonel
Mcclure, of the Philadelphia Times, asking
me to contribute an article to his paper con.
corning my husbands life His letter was
followed by lettors from General Imboden
and others, endorsing his request. He of.
fered to pay me one hundred dollars col
umn for whatever might write. This, I
am sure, must be an exceedingly liberal Of
fer, and, I must confess, had much to do
n,u Df thn
am very anxious to build home for myself
and my daughter in this city, and feel that
if can earn what money need with my
pen, l will be doing work that my husband
would advise me to were he living.
Besides this, have felt that it was my
duty to write something that would give the
world true idea of my husbands charac-
ter. No man has been more misunderstood
than he. He is represented as having been
stern, inexsIable and hard natured. He
vas just tho opposite. He was as demon--
strative, as affectiOnatc and yielding as a
woman. At home he was tender, playful
blowing. The dignity, sternness aud re-
serve that he wore in public, was thrown off
the moment he was out of sight of the'pub-
lie, and ho became natural, spontaneous and
happy. You can never know how irksomc
at was to. Keep his real nature: bound down
ShaQpRth b this bahit of fosssye- { Il was q.
mask, and he wore it as martyrdom.
"His whole life hung around his home
He had no, ambition-no love of power.
no thought of place or pomp. His horror
of bloodshed was instructive and powerful
He served his country from sense of duty
AS l said to some one the other day, the
happiest moment Of his life during the war
was, in my opinion, when he had sent in his
resignation to- the Confederate Government
and contemplated returning to our little
home in Lexington. The differences be-,
tween him and the government were such
that he did not believe he could be of further
service. Hence, his sense of duty was re-
conciled to his laying down his sword
ellis love for his daughter gave an instance
of the misapprehension that prevailed con-
cerning him. He was passionately devoted
to children. Our first child died, and my
daughter was born only few weeks before
his death. He never took days farlough
during the war; not even to come to see ~
childte Just before the - ~ nc Qhapcel-
lorsyille ] took the little baby and went to
see Him. You should have seen what rap
lures he went into over that little girls era
die. have seen him kneel by her cradle
for hours at time,' just gazing into her
sleeping face. Those who had known him
only in public were astonished at the appa-
rent transformation of his character.
"It is partly that I may put his true char.
acter before the world that have deter.
mined to write sketch OF him for the
Times. am now at work on it, and it viii
bc ready in very short time. l can give
certain facts that can be obtained from nc
other source; shall give them in plain
and simple manner"
suggested that the letters to her, during
the war, would give her many interesting
points. "Oh, no." she said, charming
blush stealing over her face, while soft re
membranes put new light in her expires
.sive eyes, "they were all real love letters
Ho had little room for anything else in hi
letters home. And then he was yer,
prudent man and never talked of his plan
to any one. l only gathered from then
some general facts, as follows: He was alb
solutely confident of the final triumph of tn
Southern arms, and Of the permanent estab
lishment 6f the Southern Confederacy. III
felt ali the time that the war was bein
waged on wrong plan. He felt that tn
South would be worn out If the struggl
was protracted. He even complained tina
General Lee was too slow, although he ha
great admiration and love for him.
''It has been said that he was sort
laughing stock at Lexington. This wa
surely mistake. From the very begir
ming Of the troubles he was turned to as th
head of affairs in Lexington. He was p,
in immediate command Of the cadets, thoug
not by rank entitled to that place. IL