The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-08-09
The Silent Captain.
HOW sToNEwALL JAoKsoN SLEEPY Hfs
SINGULAR RETIoENoE. '''' '''.''

"Reminiscences OI 'Sener6i SConeWall
Jackson, furnished the PhiIadelphia
Times by Major FL. Kyd Douglas, of
Hagerstown, Md: "
Gen. Jackson's troops and his ene~
'my's believed he never slept; the
fact is, he slept great deal. When
ever he had nothing else to do, he
went TO sleep, especially in church.
l remember, during the, invasion OF
Maryland, on Sunday night he rode
three miles in an ambulance to at,
tend 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 un-
til aroused by the organ and choir.
Ho 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 rid
ing along with his drowsy staff, nod
ding aud 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 ceval.
rymen with an inebriated captain,
and one of the party, delighted at
the sight of a man who had found
whiskey 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 Gen.
erals horse, cried out, Il say, old
fellow, where the devil did you get
your liquor9' In an instant, IA the
General awoke, the fellow saw bis
mistake, and then bounding from
,he road he took the fence at a sin.
gle leap, exclaiming, Good God! its
old JackF and disappeared in the
darkness.
Yes, Gen. Jackson slept q great
deal, but he was never caught nap
ping. lie gave TO sleep many mo-
monts which other men would have
given to conversation. He was es-
sentially silent man; not morose,
but quiet. He smiled often, rarely
langhod. He never told joke, but
did not discourage thom in others,
and if one struck his peculiar fancy
he would smile in mild approval. He
did not live apart from hi~ staff, but
liked to have them abont him, and
they were nearly all very young
men. Universally polite in manners,
he encouraged the loveliest conversa-
ton among them, although he took
little part in it. He was not o man
of words; they seemed to embarrass
him. When he had acas he put
them in action, not into language
His military dispatches wereas brief
as if studded, like the one he sent
after the defeat of Millroy: God
blessed our arms with victory at McA
Dowell yesterday He never dis
cussed his plans; indeed, he never
told them. The next officer under
him Lever knew his intentions nor
objects. He never volunteered his
opinion to his superior, nor asked
advice Of bis subordinates. He was
as self-reliablo as he was silent, and
believed Che walks with speed who
walks alone lie was reticent to a
fault. If my coat knew what | in
tended to do I'd take it off and throw
it away. was one of Lis sayings. This
reticence often led to embarrassment
and complaint from the officer next
in command, and might have lod to
disaster in case of bis death; but he
evidently thought it better to run
that risk than Of having his plans
discovered.
The Radical organs think troops