The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-06-28
GENERAL JACKSON.
A SKETCH OF OLD HICKORY.
BY PRESTON HAY.

l. BY PRESTON NAY
, CHAPTER ~.
= When first saw Gen. jackson, he wante
but month or two of being sixty year
r old. He was tall, spare, straight, easy an,
t flexible in his movements, and firm ant
I elastic in his tread. His hair was iron-gray
, coarse, stiff, and each fibre asserted its in
dependence by standing alone. His fore
, head was narrow, high, angular, ant
the hair grew lower in front than at th,
f sides. His eye was gray, rather deep set
under heavy brow, and when in repose
seemed dark and pensive, but when in con
versation, it changed hue and expression
with every turn of thought, and at the end
left the observer in doubt as to its normal
color. His mouth was large, but his lips
were so closely compressed about it, that il
did not appear so. His nose was large,
long and pointed, but corresponded we'll
| "iUh LILO otACL lohtuE0S--ulb CuGCh DOuGS,
which were high and prominent, and his
chin--which, like the nose, was long and
sharp. His features throughout harmoized
well with each other, but they could not be
set up as models of manly grace and beau
ty. They bespoke strength and frmness
of purpose more than the amenities and
courtesies of life. And yet by the common
consent of those who knew him, his man
ners were not excelled by those of any gen.
tleman of his times. His complexion was
embrowned by exposure, and had crusty
appearance, similar to that of sole leather.
Such was his appearance at the time of his
election, and it underwent little change un-
til the autumn of 1881, when he had q se-
we're attack of illness, in which he expecto-
rated blood freely, and barely escaped with
his life.
When 1 saw him in 1882 his whole aspect
was changed; his face was pale, almost to
whiteness, his jaws sunken, his shoulders
dropped, his limbs, always spare, shrunk to
little else than skin and bone, and his gait
feeble and shuffiing. The physical man
had received a shock from which it was des-
tined never to recover; and though he
fingered through more than thirteen years
of life afterwards, it was as suffering in
valid. But in him there seemed TO be no
dependence of the moral or intellectual
upon the physical man, for the great quali>
ties of correctly estimating public opinion,
and of tirmness in the discharge of what
he conceived to be his duty, were never
more conspicuous than when his bodily
frame was a wreck. The engraving in the
first volume of the American Portrait Gal
lery was executed shortly after this attack in
1881, and is a remarkably correct represen-
tation of the General, as he then appeared.
When not engaged in conversation, the
General had grave and thoughtful coun>
tenance, and seemed distracted in the con-
temptation of some deep and absorbing
subject. He was inclined to taciturnity, |
and seldom led the way to any subject of
But when it was once broach-
ed, he talked with great animation, ease
and fuency, and every feature and gesture
instinct with the subject In
speech, as everything else, he was immi-
nently utilitarian, and he utterly disre~
garded, as Fictitious and worthless, those
lleicacies and refnements of expression,
which sacrifice the force to the beauty
of the language. His vocabulary was small,
and he talked all the more readily for not
being encumbered by that embarrassment
Of wealth which is tho bane of some pre-
,entious speakers. He had not so much as
| smattering of any language except his
mother tongue; Of the poets and writer's
If fiction he was profoundly ignorant, and
t is doubtful whether he ever read a volume
# history, ancient or modern. Such being
he case, he never sought to fortify his po~
itions by arguments drawn from authors
ty, but relied solely upon that intuitive ,
ense of right and justice which was his in ,
o remarkable degree. When great ques- ,
ions came before him and his cabinet, he 9
lid with the aid of his Secretaries, discuss ,
hem, but such discussions amounted to 6
othing more than a Justification to the !
Torld of the course of action upon which {;
10 had already determined In private n
onversation he discussed nothing, but an
ounced his decisions in oracular form, =,
ubject neither to question nor appeal.
nd so great was the veneration in which
@ was held, and such the fear of mourning
is displeasure, that few men had the Z
emerity to question any saying of his.
owever unadvised or unreasonable. And q
0 it was, that whether in matters of con-
law, of national expediency, of a
be preference to be given 10 one over an
lher breed of horses, or even rs to the best '
lethod of planting and cultvating corn,
is authority was paramount. When we n
Ike into consideration the uniform cour
ssy and kindness of his manners, especially "
lward his friends, we are at a loss to ac~ p
cunt for the abject fear with which he in n
pired all classes of men, many OF them
realty his superiors in acquired knowledge. "
once heard Gen. Sam Houston, favorite h
nd pr0tege of the General, and himself al
ian of no ordinary mould, say, that of all Il
le men he had ever known, he had feared
ackson alone; feared him, not for any 81
no coul1 or vrould IN hict but m