The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-08-02
THE SILENT CAPTAIY.
How StonewaH Jackson SIept-His Sin
gular Reticence.

-
ICoI Douglass in the Philadelphia Times.l
Gen. Jackson's troops and his enc
mics believed he never slept: the fact
Is, he slept great deal.
When he had nothing else to do he
went to sleep, especially in church. |
remember during the invasion Of Mary
land, on Sunday night he rode three
miles in an ambulance to attend church
in Frederick, and then fell asleep rs
soon as the minister began to preach;
his head f4l upon his breast, and he
never awo6c until aroused by the or
gan and choir. He could sleep any
where and IN any position, sitting in
his chair, under fire or on horseback.
On a night march toward Richmond.
after the battles with Mcclellan, he
was riding along with his drowsy staff,
nodding and sleeping as he went. We
passed by groups Of men sitting along
the roadside, and roasting corn by fires
made Of tence-raiis. One group took
Us for cavalrvmen, with an inebriatcd
Captain, and enc Of the party, delight
ed at the sight Of man who had
found whiSkey enough to be drunk,
sprang up from the fire, and brandish-
ing q roasting ear over his head, leap.
ed down into the road Selling the Gen
erals horse, cried out: Il say, old fel-
low, where'd YOU get your whiskey"
In an instant, as the General awoile,
the fellow saw his mistake; and then
bounding from the road, he took the
fence ut q single leap, cxclaiming,
Great God its Old Jack, and dis
appeared in the darkness. Yes, Gen
jackson slept Il great deal, but he was
never caught mapping.
He gave to sleep many moments
which other men would have giyen to
conversation. He was essentially
silent man not morose, but quiet.
He smiled often, rarely laughed. He
never told joke, but did not discour-
age them in others, and if one struck
his peculiar fancy he only smiled in
mild approval He did not live apart
from his staff, but liked to have them
about him, and they were nearly all
very young men. Universally polite
in manner, he encouraged the Iveliest
conversation among them, although he
took little part in it. He was not a
man Of words; they seemed to cmbar-
rass him. When he had his ideas he
put them into execution, not into Ian
guage. His military dispatches were
as brief as if studied, like one he sent
after the defeat Of Milroy: Good
blessed our arms with victory at Nc
DOWcIl Yesterday" He never dis
cussed his plans; in fact, he never told
them. The next officer under him
never knew his intention nor object
He never volunteered his opinion to
his superior, nor asked advice Of his
subordinatcs. He was as self-reEant
as he was silent, and believed she
walked with speed who walks alone"
He was rcticcnt to a f;IUlt. of my
coat knew what | intended to do, I'd
take it off and throw it away" was
one Of his sayings This reticcnce often
led to embarrassment and complaint
from the officer next in command, and
might have led to disaster in case of
his death; but he evidently thought it
better to run that risk than the risk Of
having his plans discovered.
The Last Hours Of Commodore Naury.
A correspondent Of the Albany
Ere1iag ,Jou1,aj furnishes to that jour
nal letters from one who WAS with
Commodore lIaury in his last hours,
and who testifies in a tender and in
tcrcsting manner to the death Of that
great man. We quote:
The last two days Of Matthew H.
Mawy's life was grand-a complete
triumph. In perfect possession Of his
faculties to the last, | wish all the
world could have seen that death, it
was such triumphant one. We sang
hymns around his dying bed, and after
the last one, Friday eyening-it was
"ChriSt Is riscn'-he put out both
hands and said, slowly and distinctly:
''Thc peace Of God which passcth all
understanding he with You all He
blessed every one separately, and pray
ed ever as fcrvently, and in the most
beautiful language. He said he would
be in 4 moribund condition for several
days. Twice Friday we were all sum
mOncd; he would look around, and if
all were not in the range Of his sight
he would call out the names of those
he missed. Gazing earnestly into the
face OF each, he said something appro-
pirate and atFcctionatc, always winding
up with, "Iou see how God has an
severed my prayer, I know you every
one He said, 4 shall retain my
senses to the end. God has granted
me that as n token Of my acceptance.
| have set my house in order. My
PRAYERS have all been answered. My
children are gathered around me and
now, Lord, what wait / tDr?" He then
repeated a PRAYER Of eleven petitions,
which he wanted each Of his children
and grandchildren to use every day.
He had composed ii for himself almost
forty years ago, the night after his lee
was broken, and he had repeated it
every night since, not missing one; and
and then he prayed:
ooh Lord, touch my lips with hal
lowed fire, like Isaiah'S OF old, that |
NAV testify 10 Thy love and mercy to
me, who am but little child in all
save wickcduc>s" He requested that
when the physicians pronounced him
diving he should he intormcd Of it. A.
the supreme hour drown he turned
to his son and asked him in the lam
guagc Of the ruling passion, do Iscenl
to drag my anchorsz' The answer, .
"thav are sure and ste8IIast,' gave
him great comfort. just before nc eN-
pred. he said, distinctly, 'Lord, re-
reiyn my SOUL and lifting uD both
hands toward heaven, Ike a little child
that wants to- be taken up, calling on
IL .,rr,n ~ hi. E.-lrnr- - be nod !