The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-05-15
STONEWALL. JACKSON.
Rfaw He Thrashed a West Point BoSog'--
a MsraIist Who Attended Races.
William 3. Arnold.

A19bE N -. Sest kOlnt hebSOyf--
A MsraIist Who Attended Races.
William 3. Arnold.
There is lost leaf or unwrittea page
of the life of Stonewan Jackson which
it is tie purpose Of this paper to supply.
The "Old Jackson houre and mills"
situated on the west fork of the MonoH-
gala, four miles north of Weston, where
StCnewall Jackson lived ard worked,
hsve, by association with his name, be-
come historic.
Cummins g. Jackson, she uncle of
Stonewsll, and owner of the houses,
mills, and adjoining farm, took him after
the death Of his father, Jonathan jack
son, when about twelve years of age, to
live with him, who taught him to work
in the mills and on the farm.
Thomas Jonathan Jackson, titled in
the conflict of arms "Stonewall Jack
son, who wss well known to the writer,
was a youth of exemplary habits, of q
melancholy temperament, of indomitable
will and undOubted courage. He pos
sessed an eminent degree of talents for
mathematics, and was unwilling while
at school to acknowledge his inc2pacity,
"give him time" to solve any PROPOSE.
ton.
Hewas by no means what is nowadays
termed brilliant, but was one of those
untiring, plain, matter-offact persons
who would never give up when he was
engaged in an undertaking until he ac>
complished his object. He learned
slowly, 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
his way to the school an overgrown
rustic behaved rudely toward two of
the schoolgirls. He was fired at his
cowardly 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; whereuuon he pitched into
him and gave him severe pounding.
When the vacancy occurred in the
cadetship to West Point from this con
gressionsl district, by the failure of the
appointee to report himself at the acad-
envy, he decided to try for the place, and
left here nearly 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
Washington he went straigbtway to the
war department, and the parley which
took place between the secretary and
him, said an eyewitness, "was gruff and
heroic" Young Jackson had sand in
the craw-some of the grit of "Old
Hickory land would neither be blufed
nor driven from his purpose. The secre-
tary was much sggrieved about that
time on account of the execution of his
son "on the high seas" by order of !
Commodore Mckenzie, and consequently [,
was not much in giving humor. He ,,
claimed that the appointment should be
given to the son of some soldier or sea-
nan who had lost his life in the service
Of his country. Young Jackson was an
orphan and descendant of the early
settlers and Indian fighters of northwest
and consequently had but little
lificulty in overcoming his objections to
lis appointment.
The secretary of war, in giving him
he place, said: "Slr, you have good
lame. Go to West Point, and the first
ne who insults you knock him down
nd have it charged to my account"
lie obeyed orders, snd although green,
aw and seedy, and good subject for
he cadets to put through" he decided
o go through himself, or die in the
fort.
As is usual, the boys soon began to
~ their plans to introduce him into
that was then known as the mysteries
1 West Pointer, and SO unbearable
i'd their conduct become that he mos