The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-11-01
HAD HE A CHARMED LIFEl
A Strange Incident In the Career 0TstOue-
wall JaeEKsOR-The vain Efforts of n
Northern Riheman 10 sIay the ST
lent Hero Of Manassas
Strange ReminIscence Of

Strange ReminIscence Of
the Wilderness.
That was an awful day when the con-
federate lion, StOneWali Jackson, crept
upon poor Hooker hidden in the Wilder
ness. Lee on one side, Jackson on the
other, and the woods around ChanceIlOTs-
vile shook and trembled, and were al
most swept from the face Of the earth by
the whirring round shot, the kissing shell
and the screaming graPe-shot. Men were
struck stone dead as the battle line ad-
vanced or retreated. White faced recruits
and brODzedfaced veterans were torn to
fragments and hurled against the living.
Wounded men fell in their tracks to be
crushed in the earth by the great limbs
cut from the trees by shot and shell. The
roar of guns, the crackle of musketry the
fierce shouts and awful grOans made such
a hell upon earth of that battlefield as
was never seen before or after.
Fighting Joe Hooker was in a box, but
not a man in his great army dreamed
that it was so until the long gray line of
Stonewall Jackson came creeping through
the quiet forest at three o'clock on that
ever to be remembered ID of May, 1868.
The light earthworks had been thrown VI
to face another way, toward Lee. All
llBC5 ldCCu lJCCg iii AlCll NGAS 1OOh1LlE IOA
Lee, when the three divisions of cOnfed-
crates, moving with soft step, took
Hooker's army in the rear, and drove one
brigade peIl nell into and over another
until veteran soldiers were without
strength or presence of mind. That awful
night, when
THE WOUNDED WERE BURIED ALIVE
In the woods, and the dead were thicker
than the leaves just broadening into full
life, report ran through the reOTganis2d
ranks that the great StOnewau Jackson
had been killed. Thousands believed it,
but three of us, lying side by side in
the new battle-line horn alter night came
down, put no faith in the rumOr. Why
we did not Is what / started to write
about.
Stuart's cavalry had been following up
Hooker's army, but it was like a rat fol-
lowing in the footsteps OF a horse. Lee
was so far away and coming up so slowly
that Hooker had time to throw up light
earthwOrEs, seize the best ground, tell
trees to protect his hanks, and make
ready to shatter and hurl back the ex-
pecUed attack On that ID day of May
his soldiers, hidden in the woods or lying
in the fields, washed their clothing, wrote
letters home, made comfortable beds for
themselves, and were not in the least
troubled about what another week would
bring forth. As a deep river suddenly
bends to avoid q bluff, so did that great
army of Lees bend to avoid the Wilder
ness. It split in two, to attack at a given
hour on both sides, and Jee Hooker sat
in his tent and congratulated himself on
his impregnable pOsitiOn--cOnsidered i'm
pregnable by him, when two great high
ways ran along the re6r of half of his
army. SO universal was the feeling OF
security that soon after noon three in
fantry men started out to
REG, BUY. OR FORAGE FOOD.
SigePs corps was on Hooker's west
| flank, and commanded that day by
! Howard. Part of this corps faced the
old turnpike and plank road; part faced
| the other way. Most of the men were
/ hidden In the woods and behind ridges,
and up the broad highway which should
I have been first looked to, Stuart was
pushing his cavalrymen as skirmisheTs.
| We three men we're beyond SigeIs corps,
/ and on the point of entering q farm
/ house from which every body had fed,
when, less than a Tihe-shot away, we
! caught sight of the confederate advance.
/ The cavalrymen were advancing slowly,
evidently expecting to h-d a heavy
| guard at some point, but at the time we
/ imagined that less than a regiment ol
| Stuart's men were feeling along up to
! pick up stagglers. We at least did not
| fear them, and the proposition to enter
/ the house and secure q better view of the
roads speedily conveyed us to a chamber
window. We could see but little more
! from that post, but we Gid see, soon after
/ reaching it. that same SuOnewa1 Jackson
/ ride from shelter out upon the turnpike
/ in full view, attended by only three OF
\ four officers. He had come out there To
7 make observations. Like a cat, before
/ she destroys the mouse, be was wonder.
{ ing at what point he should strike tc
disable his victim soonest.
| Grim minded and sOur-tempered wa.
] the third man of us, and wars horror.
delighted him. When be had taken the
/ second look at the little party sitting
their horses Ia the open road, wicked
/ smile crossed his face and he whispered
By the hundred gods of the heaven
/ ,1ut that chap on the left there IS Stone
wall Jackson, aud I'm going to droT
f him
! Old Pete, our soUr.lsmpered compan
ion, had a fiFst-cIass Minnie rife with
him. He had carried t for several
months, in some way escapingIthe atten
tion of the inspector, and IN some wa,
always secured ammunition for it.
saw him, in at least n half dozen in
stances, shoot down yid-Jtes and skirm
ishers who seemed TO be half mile ava y
and he was known throughout the regi
ment a a dead shot.
I There was considerable firing arounC
US from feragers, straggiers, and mel
cleaning their guns, and A shot from th'
window might not attract particuls
attention Resting the heavy gun acros
the window-sill, and having as stead,
rest as hunter ever asked for, " on
Pete" was ready to keep his word.