The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-29
'STONEWALL" JACKSON.
SOME FORGOTTEN INCIDENTS IN HIS
EARLY CAREER.
His Life ut West P0int-servIce During
the Mexican War-s0me Of His Traits.

q EARLH CAAEEms
i His Life ut West Point-servIce During
the Mexican War-seme of His Traits.
Washington Capital
e Many OF the incidents which connect them
d selves with the life and character Of great
n and good man may become of such importance
h a. to make 1t necessary for the truth OF his
tory that they be given to posterity.
There Is a lost leaf or unwritten page OF the
life Of Stonewall Jackson, which it Is the pur-
pose Of this paper to supply.
The "Old Jackson house and mills, situated
on the west bank Of the Monongahela river,
four miles north OF Weston, where Stonewall
jackson lived and worked, and then SO little
knows to the outside world, have, by associa-
! ton with his name. become historic.
Cummins e. jackson, the uncle OF Stone
wall, and owner OF the house, mills and adj
! Joining farm, took him, after the death OF
Il his father, Jonathan jackson, when about
twelve years Of age, to live with him, and
4 taught him to work in the mills and on the
farm.
Thomas Jonathan Jackson, titled in the
conflict OF arms "StOnewaIl Jackson" was
youth Of exemplary habits, OF melancholy
Il temperament, OF indomitabe will and I'M
u doubted courage. He possessed in an emil
4 nent degree talent for mathematics, and
& was unwilling whilst at school to acknOwl-
edge his incapacity, 'give him time" to solve
any proposition.
| He was by no means what is nowadays
! termed brilliant, but was one OF those untir-
ing, plain, matter-of-fact persons, who would
/, never give up until he accomplished his OBJ
i ject. He learned slowly, but when he got
] learning In his head he never forgot it. He
I was not quick to decide, except when excited,
i and then when he made up his mind to do
thing, he did it on short notice and in quick
4 time.
When the vacancy occurred In the cadet
ship to West Point from this congressional
district, by the failure Of the appontee to re-
port himself at the academy, he decided to
4 try for the place, and left here near shutdown
on horseback, three hundred miles from
Washington, poorly clad and lily qualified to
see Judge Spencer, the Secretary OF War, and
ask him for the position. Arrived in Wash
ington, he went straightway to the War De-
pertinent and the parley which took place
I between the Secretary and him, said an eye
Witness, was gruf and heroic" Young
jackson had sand In the craw-some OF the
grit OF s'Old Hickory" and would neither be
blufed nor driven from his purpose. The
Secretary was much aggrieved about that
time on account Of the execution OF mis- son
''on the high seas" by order OF Commodore
/ Mckenzie, and consequently was not much Ia
4 3 giving humor He claimed that the ap-
! pointment should be given to the son OF some
soldier or seaman who had lost his life in the
service OF his country, and that there were
then many applicants. Young Jackson was
m orphan and descendant OF the early set
tiers and Indian fighters OF Northwest Viz
ginia, and consequently had but little diff
Guilty In overcoming his objections to his ap
The Secretary Of War, in giving him the
place, said: "Sir you have a good name. Go
70 West Point, and the first one who insults
you knock him down and have it charged to
my account He obeyed orders, and although
green. raw and seedy, and good subject
Tor the cadets ito put through" he decided
to go through himself, or die In the effort
Az Is usual, the boys soon began to lay
their plans to introduce him into what was
known as the mysteries OF West Pointer,
and 30 unbearable did their conduct become
that he was forced, out OF self-respect, to
give the officer charged with the perform
Ance Of that duty q fearful bruising. The
result was he was brought to trial, and only
saved himself from expulsion by pleading the
order OF the Secretary of War.
He was one Of the hardest students ever at
West Point, and for the first two years
studied as much as sixteen hours out OF the
his back to the door, with his book before
him, and to speak to no one who entered
his room during study. At the end of the
first two years 1t was thought he would not be
able to go through, and some OF the profess
sors advised him to resign. His pride was
touched, and he Indignantly replied he would
not do 50, but would go through or die"
About the middle OF the third year, to use his
OWL WCEuS, Lft ScHltS 1911 lIOUl Ills eyes, duU
he saw through things at glance which re-
Quired him weeks to see through year be-
fore. After that time he seemed to have had
no trouble in any Of his classes, and to have
of no consequence He graduated at the end
of the fourth year with distinguished honors.
After leaving West Point he entered the
United States army and fought through the
Mexican war. How he bore himself In that
war the dispatches of Gen. Scott to Mr.. Marcy
best tell. At its close he was placed in COM
mand Of body OF United States soldiers at
Fort Hamilton, and subsequently at Tampa
some two years, his health giving way, be
resigned his place in the army and returned
to his old home at Jackson's Mills. His
uncle, a bachelor, had a number Of negro
slaves, who kept house for him and attended
to his domestic affairs. Some Of them had
nursed young Stonewall when a child, and his
meeting with them after an absence was not
unlike an old-time love feast. Such shak-
ing OF hands and laughing-loud enough to
shake the house tops-was sight worth
seeing.
After remaining at his old home some
length OF time, he became tired OF inaction
& He wanted something to do. In the mean
time new professorship had been created in
the Virginia Military Institute. He was an
applicant, and through the exertions OF the
late John 8. Carlisle he was appointed to the
place. He discharged its duties to the salts
faction of all concerned; but the field was too
small for the display OF his great talents.
When the vacancy occurred in the chair OF
mathematics Of the University Of Virginia.
by the death Of the accomplished Courtney
his friends presented him as a suitable sue
cessor, and he only lost the place by DIR.
Bledsoe being an alumnus; for when Judge
George FL. Lee, a representative of his old
home, laid before the board his credentials of
fitness, the venerable Thomas Jefferson Ran
dolph declared that no such high character Of
recommendation had ever before accom-
panied the applicant for professorship in
the University.
Lieutenant Thomas j. Jackson connected
himself with the Virginia Military Institute
In ls5l, as professor Of natural and expert,
remained In that position until the breaking
out Of our civil war. He took sides with the
South, and the role he acted in that bloody
drama has become part OF our country s
history.