Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1877-01-09


ubusco, and Chapultepec, eliminated il
of his dear and native Virginia. --tf
The war from which the name o
Thomas J. Jackson emerged covered
with military lustre and consecrated il
the love and affection of his compatriot.
was not war of ambition or of con
quest nor was 1t war to seek immedi
ate relief from oppression OF tyranny
but it was war to preserve the vita
principles of our Constitution and tt
uphold the reserved rights of the States
then threatened with destruction. NJ
Isublimer spectacle can well be imagined
than to see whole people rushing tt
arms and sacrificing their lives and
property to maintain theory of consti
tutional construction that they deemed
essential to the safe working of theil
system of government. And should the
progress Of Capitalization continue t.
advance for the next fifty years as it has
done in the last fifteen, and should it be
followed, as it must be unless arrested
By Its inexj res11 widsspreac
corruption and loss OF public morals
the men who shed their blood to pre-
serve the integrity of our State and do
mestic governments will be cherished
as among our most blessed martyrs thai
ever fell in the cause of civil or political
liberty. Then, and not till then, bul
alasi too late, will the full height ol
their gigantic stature be recognized by
the wise and virtuous few, and then, anC
not till then, will the grandeur and
greatness of their sacrifices be fully ap-
preciated by an admiring posterityal 2
1 The military genius of General Jack
son seemed to grow and expand with
the magnitude of every movement
which the necessities of war cast upon
him.. He was always equal to the posi-
tion in which he was placed, whether il
was in command of u regiment, bri.
gade, a division, or an army; and he
could with as much ease have handled
a hundred thousand men upon the bat
tle-feid as he did ten thousand. This
may say, derived from his own lips
for have heard him say that he never
was sensible of any increased difficulty
from the number-of troops forming his
command. The character of his genius
fitted him particularly for offensive op.
erations aud in this connection may be
justified in stating a fact which is some.
what within my personal knowledge
nrevionS notice r ar, we'll s.tisfi. 80
th.t r. was distinctIv arr.nypd hptwear
General 90 and General Taek son in the
mnnths of J,n,,arv and Fehrnarv 1854
rnsr General Jackson should h;.ve an
in,nort,nt commend in the t,onf-dersta
army destined for the Invasion of penn.
svjvania never heard General lie.
sav anvthino unon the s,,hiact hnt in
the winter nf 1853 If was uiyht after
niybt the s,,hiect ~ con sferencs between
G.snaraI Jackson and mvseIf In those
;ntary;aws tho nunher and character nj
tIoons necessary for the successfi,I ar
conpI;s hnant ri tho inv,sion the ro,,tes
hv Which the army was to move and
eyan the nroclamaiion that w.s tn nra'
code the march into Pennsvlvania were
in a great measure Undermined mon
Nh. ,,..tb Of General Iackson in tbo
month of Nav following mt an end IN
his connection with that important
campaign. Ihaye no comment to make
upon the conduct and management OF
that disastrous march, nor will under
take even to express the opinion that il
general Jaekson had been-lps sconlinanj
ofethat expedition that any different re-
suit would have taken place. God forbid
that l should utter one word of dispar-
agement OF those gallant officers who
led the flower of our army In that worse
than Flodden field of blood and disaster.
But this l think l may undertake to say
that Jackson's Incompatible genius had
always been found equal TO any emer
gency in which be was placed; and we
may fondly imagine that it required
just such an expedition as that-pene-
traiing into the heart OF one of the most
powerful States of the North, supported
by such an army as the South then sent
forth, facing such forces and such ac-
complished generals as were there resist
ing the invasion, with the fate of the
COnfederacy suspended upon the issue
to have developed to their highest and
fullest extent those extraordinary quail
ties FOR offensive warfare which so emf
nently distinguished that remarkable
man.
General Jackson,s military nercen.
tions seemed to me more the result Of
Intuition than of any process of analv.
sis or ratiocination. However stnnnino
the blow or crushing the effect of anv
movement against his adversary
doubt if. at the moment. he was con.
scious Of the course of reasoning which
led him to his rapid conclusion When
T prepared the earlier reports Of his hat
ties. and surveying. as / was able to do.
the whole field of onerations bv the lioht
of subsequent results. 7 would under.
take to incorporate into the renorts the
reasons for the strategic movements
there described. but when these wore
read to the General he would ask me to
strike them out. with the remark "these
are very admirable reasons for the move
ments you describe, but would rather
have those reasons omitted" OF course
l conformed to his wishes and meeting
Colonel Preston, of the Virginia Milf
tary Institute, one day-a gentleman
wAo had been for many years on the
most intimate terms with General Jack
son-I asked him if he would explain
why 1t was that General Jackson never
would permit the reasons of his military
movements to be stated in the report OF
his battles. Sir" said he, "it springs
from the love of truth. General Jack
son reaches instantaneous conclusions
in his military operations, and he is hinl-
self unconscious of the process by which
he attains the result; and if he were af-
terwards, when success had crowned his
orders, to permit reasons to be ascpibed
to him which were not present to his
mind when the order was given, how
ever satisfactory thew miUht hp fO hi.