Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1881-02-08
Mis EIIAA US.
STONEWALL JACKON.
tFrom the PhiladeIphi. Times,
BY WILLIAM N. NELSON,
Late Captain in the .StemecoH Briqade

tFrom the PhiladelPhia Times)
While enj"ying the hGydsy of our almost
amateur soldering the singular. ruerece
dented and outrageous announcement spread
through the Ferry that our MAIN. general
and his br'gadiers had all been superseded
by one Major Jackson. a man who. until
that time, had never been heard of by one
out Of every hundred of tho garrison. Among
the ytroops at the Ferry were n number Of
the students Of the Virginia Military Ius.i-
tnte, at Lexington. who soou gave the in.
form ft'on thst he was professor at that in
stItrtion. The account they gave of him
was anything but Rs,terinx There il no
doubt that st the Virginia Military Ins,i.
tute he had been dubbed by tho cadets
"Fael Tom Jackson" though most Virgin
ians, and possibly NOS. people Of the United
States, dislike to h.nr taoh term sopp!ed
with his n.ms He was said to be . mere
nartInet better SundsJ-sohool snperip.
tenHent than solder. biyotrd teetutaier
which was in harsh contrast with many of
our superseded cnmHa nders and indeed
few had good word TO throw at the new
man. The men took it upsn themselves to
say that Gen. Joseph E. johnson should
have been sent by tho authorities to take
command at so important a post II was not
supposed that our generals submitted TO de-
capItatiun in favor of a now colonel witbopt
a word AS we'll as recoIIect. Jock.on had
baen com missioDed colonel to take command
at the Ferry | think they all, or nearly
all. went TO Richmond, where they received
from the Governor Of Virginia commissions
as colonies. Lieutenant coleneIs and m aiors
we're. men who had done oil the work in
revising the army. The numerous ttaff
we're not all provided for, for hnmsn ippe
ar1l h.,
. oa short notice.
| have never known to whose .apscitv
the C"nfederacy was indebted for the seIec
ton iron his uapr"misirg surroundings Of
bin who afterwards became famou, n,
Stonewall Jackson. Whoever il was. he
mast have been man Of rare insight into
character. In default Of any other claimant.
| presume Governor LPtaher (haDest John
ss he was cRlled) deserves the credit Things
at the Ferry were changed. Instead of tho
men sqnst'ing and spripging about like set
of COmesches in a war dance. in what wa.
called 'the zosve. elsewhere a zove drill"
compact sqnad- were drilled during the day
in HsrdIe's infantry tse,ics hy csdets brought
from the Virginia Military Is.titnte for that
purpose. and Others familiar with tho manuel
OF arms Without mueh reference 70 the
wishes of the companies we were regularly
organized into regiments. Little heed was
paid to the rem"n-trsnces Of company meet
iuCs. THE 1uvincibles" was ruthles,Iy
changed into Company Q The company
flag. with ITS heroic motto was ouietly furIed
and sent bonn. for better times. For while
1.-The tnvincible. die bat never surrender"
might sound very we'll. "Compsny o dies
hnt never rurrendsrs." was little absurd -
80 far. however. We kept osr mattresse.
csoking stoves, eto. But that, as it will bo
seen. was not for long.
had an early opportunity Of seeing Col.
onel jackson. who was elaborstely discussed.
and who, as l said, kept bimself very close.
reported to headquarters As officer Of the
DAY l think that in all descriptions which
| have seen of Jackson injustice bss been
done to his personal appearapce 1 have
before me a nete of the impression he made
on me the first time ever saw him without
the elimmer Of his after fame before nv eve.
made while the impression was still fresh in
my mind When entered his door he wa,
at his desk OF course. I had no busine,,
going to him at all, but this was in the earIv
innocent days saluted and said thst 7 had
come for orders. He rnse and approached
me without anything Of that stride in hi.
gait which has been so eftsn referred 20 in
descriptions Of him. think he had soma
thing OF it when. in high cavalry boots. he
dlsn"unted from his horse. but not ordinarily.
There was nothing ungainiy OF uarrsceful in
his movements. though there might have
been some military stiffness. he hsd
rsther slender figure and the m,nnars ,,5
bearing ct gentleman. His feature, ~.
regular and. as IL struok me .t the finn.
some"hat delicate. There was eeneth;nr
peculiar about the expression of hi, eve
rathor an abstraoted air, I think. tkon,h
that scarcely expresses it. The imore..;on
made on me may be gathered from INV inn.
pr"mptu answer made TO the qao.tiea ef an
ctheer when returned to ny Quarters a.
to what l thought of Jackson I r.nlied
that be was either n eenins or s.... ~, !,