Middletown transcript., 1877-08-11
The silent Captain.
HOW sToNEwALL JACKSON SLEPT
HIS SINGULAR RETIcENcE.


HIS SINGULAR RETICENCE.
The following is an extract from re
miniscences of Gen. stonewan jackson
furnished the Philadelphia Reekls
Times by Major H. Kyd Douglas, O
Hagerstown, Md:
General Jackson's troops and hi:
enemy's believed he never slept; the
fact is, he slept a great deal. When
ever he had nothing else to do he went
to sleep, especially in church. | re-
member 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 as
soon as the minister began to preach
his head fell upon his breast, and he
never awoke until aroused by the
organ and choir. He could sleep any
where and in any position, sitting in
his chair, under fire, or on horseback.
On 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 engaged in roasting
new corn by fires made of fence-rails.
One group took US for cavalrymen
with an inebriated captain, and one of
the party, delighted at the sight of a
man who had found whisky enough to
be drunk, sprang up from the fire and
brandishing a roasting-ear in his hand,
leaped down into the road, and seizing
the generals horse, cried out, "I say,
old fellow, where the devil did you get
your liquor ?" In an instant, as the
general awoke, the fellow saw his mis-
take, and then bounding from the road
he took the fence at single leap, ex-
claiming "Good Godl its old Jack I"
and disappeared in the darkness.
Yes, General jackson slept a great
deal, but he was never caught mapping.
He gave to sleep many moments which
other men would have given to CONVEX
sation. He was essentially silent
man not morose, but quiet. He smiled
often, rarely laughed. He never told
a joke, but did not discourage them in
and if one struck his peculiar
fancy he would smile 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 en-
couraged the iveliest conversation
among them; although he took little
part in it. He was not q man of
words; they seemed to embarrass him.
When he had ideas he put them in ae-
ton, not into language. His military
we're as brief as if studied,
like the one he sent after the defeat Of
Milroy @God blessed our arms with
victory at Mcdowell yesterday" He
never discussed his plans indeed, he
never told them. The next officer un-
der him never knew his intention nor
object. He never volunteered his opin-
ion to his superior nor asked advice Of
his subordinates. He was as self-re-
liant as he was silent, and believed che
walks with speed who walks alone"
He was reticent to a fault. 'If my
coat knew what / intended to do I'd
take it off and throw it away was one
of his sayings. This reticence 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 bet
ter to run that risk than the risk Of
having his plans discovered.