San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1879-01-25
STONEWALL JACKSON.
His School Boy Days, Career at West Point
and Subsequent Service.

JWm. E. Arnold in the Washington Capital.]
Many of the incidents which connect
themselves with the life and character
of o great and good man may become
Of such importance as to make it nee
essary for the truth of history that they
be given to posterity.
There is lost leaf or unwritten page
OF the life of Stonewall Jackson which
it is the purpose OF this paper to supply.
The "Old Jackson house and Mills"
situated on the west fork Of the Monon-
gala river, four miles north of Weston,
where Stonewal Jackson lived and
worked, and then so little known to the
outside world, have, by association with
his name, become historic. al
Cummins E. Jackson, the uncle of
Stonewall, and owner of the house, mills
and adjoining farm, took him, after the
death of his father, Jonathan Jackson,
when about twelve years of age, to live
with him, and taught him to work in
the mills and on the farm.
Thomas Jonathan Jackson, titled in
the conflict of arms, "Stonewall jack
son." who was we'll known to the writer,
was youth of exemplary habits, of a
melancholy temperament, of indomita-
BILE will and undaunted courage. He
possessed in an eminent degree talent
for mathematics, and was unwilling
whilst at school to acknowledge his in
capacity-"give him time" to solve any
proposition.
He was by no means what is now-a-
days termed brilliant, but was one OF
those untiring, plain, matter-o Of fact per-
sons who would never give up when he.
engaged in an undertaking until he ac-
complshed his object. He learned slow
ly, but when he got learning in his head
he never forgot it. He was not quick
to decide, except when excited, and
then when he made up his mind to do
thing he did it on short notice and in
quick time. As an evidence OF his most
extraordinary decision of purpose: A
Mr.. Mills taught school in the neigh
borhood. He was pupil, and while on
the way to the school an overgrown rus
tic behaved rudely towards two OF the
school girls. He was fired at his cow
ardly conduct, and told him he must
apologize to them at once or he would
thrash him., The big rustic, supposing
he was an over-match for him, declined
to do so; whereupon he pitched into
him and gave him severe pounding.
When the vacancy occurred in the
cadetship to West Point from this con-
gressional district, by. the failure OF the
appointee to report himself at the acad-
envy, he decided to try for the place,
and left here near shutdown on horse
back, 300 miles from Washington, poor
ly clad and lily qualified, to see Judge
Spencer, the secretary Of war, and asked
him for the position. Arrived in Wash
ington, he went straightway to the war
department, and the parley which took
place between the secretary and him,
said an eye witness, @was gruff and he
roic.' Young Jackson had sand in the
cnv-some of the grit of @Old Hick-
Dry, and would neither be blufed nor
driven from his purpose. The secreta-
TWAS much aggrieved about that tins
On account of the execution Of his son
on the high seas" by order OF Commo-
dcre Mckenzie, and consequently was
not much in a giving humor. He claim