Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1881-08-11
A NIGHT WITH JACKSON.

"reminiscences OF INC SOueuerttt0 4csucE
AFter the Bloody Battle of Fredericksburg
Anecdotes of Stonewall-Fast Asleep
Dnring the Artillcry's Thunder.-Body
Servant and War-Horse.
From the Philadelphia Times.
While serving on Stonewall Jackson's
staff sometimes shared with him the
shelter of his tent, and it was my good
fortune to do so the night of the battle of
Fredericksburg. when sore little incidents
occurred which, though trlfiing in them
selves, were so characteristic of the gen.
erals considerate kindness that perhaps on
that account they deserve to be recorded.
After the fight was over, when
The night clouds had lowered
And the sentinel stars set their watch in the sky,
we were riding together near Hamilton's
Crossing, on the right of our line, when
he turned to me and said: Colonel,
as this has been fatiguinag day and you
must be tired, think you had better re-
turn to camp, get your supper and 60 to
bed, for we are likely to have q very busy
day tomorrow, The advice was timely
and too good to be neglected; so with CRATE
full appreciation of its fitness 1 thanked
him for tie suggestion and promptly turn
ed my horses head toward the camp,
which was about mile from the Crossing,
whereupon he added, as parting injunc-
ton: BE sure and tell Jim to make you
comfortable in my tent tonight and not
wait for me. If wanted, shall probably
be at army headquarters.
Jim was the generals body servant and
faithful factotum, as much identified with
him in his campaigns, as was the old
Sorrel" which his master always rode in
battle, and which, by the way, was as little
like the Scriptural war horse described in
Job as the general himself resembled the
classical representations of Mars in He
brew mythology.
The servant and ''Old Sorref' being
about the same color-each having the hue
of gingerbread without any of its spiciness
their respective characters were in con-
catenation accordingly" For they were
equally obedient, patient, easy going and
reliable; not given to devious courses nor
designing tricks; more serviceable than
SNOWY and, altogether, as sober-sided a
pair of subordinates as any Presbyterian
elder, with plain tastes and practical turn,
need desire to have about him. Both man
horse seemed to understand their master
thoroughly and rarely failed to come up
fully to all his requirements. So that
when 1 told Jim that his master said he
must make me comfortable for the night, 1
knew very well that nothing further need
be urged to impress him with the compre
hensiveness of the order, which he'd be
sure to look upon as limited only by the re-
sources of the camp and his own capacity
as a caterer. Consequently, in due time,
q substantial supper was served to which
full justice was done, as had eaten moth
ing since daylight, and soon thereafter /
was found asleep on the generals pallet,
which appeared to have a caoutchouc capa-
bility of accommodation where Jim. ION
hospitable thoughts in tent" proceeded, as
he said, to widen of it cut for to make If
more titten for two.
IN TENT WITH JACKSON.
About midnight was awakened BY the
entrance of the general, who had been, as ]
learned afterwards, at General Lees head
quarters, but did not let him know he
had disturbed me, as that wo aid have wor-
ried him. Lighting candle and laying
aside his great coat, sword, etc., he opened
the draught of the little sheet-iron stove
that warmed the Sibley tent, and seating
himself at the table read for while in his
well-worn Testament; then, kneeling rev.
erently down, he "bowed himself in prayer. y
When through with his devotions he drew
off his boots, put on pair of slippers and
quietly lying down by my side fell fas,
asleep almost Immediately. By this time ]
was too wide awake to follow his example.
My thoughts reverting to the terrible scenes
of the preceding day would not be contrell-
ed and could not recall them from the
bloody battlefield close by, where the
dreadful drama had been enacted and
where there were then lying SO many thou.
sands o brave men, who
s1haj sunk on the ground empowered
The weary to sleep and the wounded to die.
I thought of the magnificent spectacle Of
the morning before, when "the rolling
mists" began to rise from the river and re.
vealed "the grand Army of the Potomac,
with its hundred and twenty-five thousand
men, superbly armed and equipped, as il
deployed, column after column, on the
open plain before us, lin all the pomp an6
pride and circumstances of war"-one OF
the grandest, sights ever beheld on the con.
tinent I thought of the splendid advance
of its triple times of battle, marching with
the precision Of regulars on dress parade
and preserving their alignment perfectly
along our front as far as the eye could
reach, until coming within point blank
range of our position, when-with three
hundred cannon roaring around them and
the air filed with the merciless missiles OF
death-they SO calamity rushed to the
charge on the right hand and on the left
and were SO remorselessly repulsed by the
concentrated fire of the confederates, which
sent them reeling back beyond the river
road to reform their shattered ranks for q
fresh assault, while the intervening ground,
covered with their killed and wounded, was
SO torn up by shot and shell that it looked
in places as if it had been ploul:hed. ]
thought of young Pelham's daring feat
how, dashing forward far into the open field
upon the federal flank, he SO raked the ad-
vancing lines with an enflading fire from
two pieces of his horse artillery as to COM
pei them to pause and not only to confront
him with a whole division of infantry,
thrown into crochet at Iigkt angles with
their main lines of battle, but, likewise, to
Concentrate upon him The fire of four bat
teries, beside the heay guns on Stafford
HEIGHTS; and how, Notwithstanding these
mbined attacks, the boy artillerist main
tain I'd the unequal duel for more than an
hour, and until he was recalled by positive
orders from his perilous position. Well
might General Lee exclaim as he did to
jackson in regard to Pelham's prowess:
1T is inspiriting to see such glorious cour-
age in one SO young" ana well might Jack
son say of him, as he did to me that day:
Hes the best artillerist for his age. /
ever saw" / thought of the furious as
saults made early in the afternoon upon
our right, when, again under cover Of q
terrible cannonade, three lines of battle
advanced to the charge, preceded by clouds
ofskirmishers' and strengthened by ten
batteries of field guns upon their TANKS: of
how they broke through portion of the
confedera tie line, forcing two of A. p.
Hills brgades to fall back ON their sup
ports and of the temporary confusion which
was caused thereby, for fear our flank
should be turned and our position taken in
reverse; Of how grandly the lion-hearted
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