The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-06-25

was accompanied Wynn, instead Of Capt, llotehklss.
tboueh cant n. aid reach Gen, Leo auout an houl
ar t,yr aftSr I h,d made my report, When he az
rived and began 10 tn Gen Lee OF the wounulng ~
con. jackson. Gen. Leo checked him, saying, .
knsv nj, out 'tand 10 NOT wlsn y" ,c my 10 that
nre mto' Ki G Gso ~. a,. " Nv "'' NV, or
at by HIM oil bl, bcd, Wild ild taleW ~ t1sc.gTs
his elbow and ho vas very itidch ahetiDd ny we
news. whc tod I'm lst We wo ,il, , WIS ny
and gave moan. A'tct short silence he said,
"Ah captain, don't let ds sat anything moro about
H., n " too painful 10 talk about and seemed 10
give way to grief. II was tic sNddcst night ever
passed In my life; aud when saw this great man SO
much moved pnd look rs II he could weep my cur OF
sadness was n sd to ovoInowng. got up and walked
out Of his tent rather from under HIS bakne', OF
something ot the soft stretched over hin Tor shel-
teri think II was an ollcoth blanket COZ, Tay lor
then called mo TO him, aud the rest OF tho stan
gathered around to hear the sad tidngs ana dnn
think tloro dry cyo IN the whole party MS re.
finished relating It Gen. Leo came out booted aud
spurred, aud ordered his horse and his stan TO bo
ready to rido rs quickly as possible, Gazing inc To
him, he took me IN and spread out bof0to me, WIN
his own hands, nice breakfast taking " from .
basket which had boon sent him NY some ady III me
ncighborhood, and made me sit down and eat. lie
ordered mo to lilo down right there and sleep and rest
rs as | had eaten. AS l nnshcd oAung ne
mounted his horse, aud Just then CAPT. ilotChMs'
came up--this was Just boforod LAY. started on with
Gen. Lee, but he made me 20 back, and told me t.
lie down anil rest, saying, ~ know YOU rode al
night and tho greater portion OF the night previous
tie began, and then Joined my conipand again.
havo written you huttledly, but hafo given Tho
facts, which you can put into shape III there Us any
part not sufficiently clear, please call my attention
II, and win explain. IT Wynn should rcmombcl
anything not given In connection with tho solitary
rider, or anything different from what have writ
ton, viii write TO you as soon rs sec him, whict
viii he very soon.
have given you worry rough sketch, as had I,
write In great haste FOL want of time but hopo II
|, will answer yOur IiltrUUSb.
think this sketch with the article Endorsed and
marked to slow tho portion FURNISHED by me and III,
part referred to In Dainoy's ,tIifo Of Jackson -
will he suniCcnt to give CORRECT aud connected ac
count Of the whole transaction
I am nttrn uncstuncd about tho an1lr, an1 nearly
every says that It strange that Gen. jackson
should give an order to troops To te nt everything
aud especially cavalry, approaching from the dlrcc
tuu Of tho enemy, aud then 10 anu place hlins@ "
situation TO 10 fired On himself heard ot no sucl
order. aud feel sure order of tho KIND was given.
II there had becn such an ORDER II would have beer
given to the skirmishers and there would have beer
necessity for such an order to them, ma they wout
certainly fire any way. Even W the General hat
given such ordct, hD was not going contrary TO IT,
as he thought there was sltnslt linc In front Il
which he was going. Tlieto proved to I've no s,cl
linc-not even picket or yiuette-nnd hence tn,
wounding OF Gen. jackson. THE failure to have on
skirmish limo really the Caiise VI his being ilret
on, aud whoever was at fault In that matter u th'
partv to blame, and Is responsible for the accident,
don know whose was the fault, but have an dpin-
| lon which don't care to express THE troops whc
wounded the Gcncral were not obnme and Ms 1t wou'
only make them feel badly to know,tat thcy hal bcci
tho innocent cause Of his wounds and DEATH 1t Is hes
not to give publicity to the fact who they were. Very
truly yours, IL. IL. WlLbouRN'
Gen. J. 4. Edriy
1t is very manifest from the authorities now tur
niscd that the whole story of GEN. Revere Is fiction
or that the Lcut. jackson ~ with whom he travele'
IN the steamer M the Mississippi AMI ohio In 1855
was not the same person with tho world-rennwnc'
commander of the Second Corps Of the Army OF North
cru virginia, well as that the cnvacadc which rod,
so near 10 gen. Revere his picket lluc the nigh
Of the I'd Of May 1868, was not composed nt GenJaok
son and his party, and that tho "group Of severa
persons gathered around man lying upon tho ground
apparently badly wounded " alleged to have beer
seen by Gen. Revere when he rode nut alone on th
Flank Road did not consist of Capt Wilbourn and III
companion Wynn of the Signal Corps, who were TN
only persons with Gen. jackson when their attention
was attracted TO man on horseback near them, JUS
they were bearing the General from the road Int
| the woods.
1t must he remembered that Gen. jackson had bee
brevettcd major In the United States Army In 1874
for his gallant conduct In Mexico, and " lie had bee
In that Army In 1852 he would have borne the title
major and would have worn tue insignia OF his rcye
rank, according to tho custom then prevailing thong
his actual rank In the limo may have been only that
| y lieutenant The statement of Gcn. Smith, Surc,
intcndent Of the Virginia Military Institute however
puts the question At rest. and shows that II was im
possible for tho Lieut.. jackson Of whom Gen. Reyer
speaks To hYO been Stonewall jackson, ~ the latte
had located at the Institute In the summer OF 1851 an
did not make trip South In 1852. In 1882 Gen. Jack
son had severed his connection with the United state
| Army, though II appears from Cnlum' biographies
register of officers AMI graduates Of West Point tia
his resignation lid not take until the 18th OF Fc
rnary 1852; hut 1t very frequent occurrence fc
the time for ocer's resignation to take effect to
postponed for some months after he relieved ffoi
| duty. The register shows that Gen. Jackso
was professor at tho Institute In 1851, and Dabney'
life Of him shows that ho was admitted member
| the Presbyterian Church ut Lexington, Va, on III
| I'D of November, 1851, he having been baptiscd rs
protesting Christian two or three years before at Fol
Hamilton New York.
| There was a Lieut. Thomas X. jackson who gradu
| ated two years after Gen. Jackson, and who was
| the United States Army In 1852, where lie remane
La
| Confederate army. 1t is possible that Gen. Revel
| may have met that officer under the clrcumstanc
stated by him. and may have fallen into the error
suposing that 1t was he who become known rs hop'
mo story of Capt. Wilbonrn is given as he has 7,
lated 1t, though he authorized tho writer of this TO p,
II into shape, but II is In much better shape tina
one who was not an eye witness could give to the nal
r;tive that IL has been thought best TO leave 1t
came from the pen of the author, and his statement
minor circumstances, which by some may be though
unnecessary has been allowed to stand, because tho
circumstances to give In the eyes of the gener
public that air Of entire truiunesS to the whole ma
rative, for which II viii readily lie given credit by
who had an opportunity OF Knowing tue most estlni
nshcd. In previous letter le says that he sent v
gentlemen, whom he names, AT their request, an n
count of the wonndng OF Gen. jackson at the tim
as did other members Of the staff and Maj Leigh, wi
that night acted as aide -de-camp TO Con. Ilil b
both of them got the different accounts so mixed TN
they gave n somewhat confused idea of IT, and til
| furnishes conclusive reason for not tamperlng wi
the very distinct and intellgible narrative OF Il
| Captain.
10 make that complete some extracts from an a
count published in q Richmond paper In 1865 are On
bodied in tho letter of Capt. Wilbourn, so distinguish
from what hc writes as not 10 he mistaken for Al
| part OF that These extracts are Endorsed by him
| substantially correct, though couched In aDgual
somewhat changed from his own. The paragraph
regard 10 the solitary hOrsemnn isaso given, nOtwit
standing lie says that this, though taken from his ow
account Is so much changed las TO make IL appe
more like u romance than reality II Is, hOweye
now fully explained, that the true CUlorlng IL given
1t by his very clear statement. with CAPT. Wlibourn
explanation of tho real circumstances of this incdcn
| the whole narrative may be accepted rs entirely au
thculic subject 10 the following explanations:
As. in the various accounts OF the battle, the Plan
Road OF the old stone Turnpike are frequently mel
| toned without the distinction between them ben
always observed II Is thought proper To state that u
| two roads are nearly parallel TO each other for Il
The old Stone rurnplko north Of tho Plank Road, IN
at tho Wilderness Church, about two miles we
Of Chancellorsyille, the two roads unite and n
together from that point To the latter plac
West of the wilderness Church Con. jackson HI
crossed tho Plank Road 10 the old Stone Turnpike ~
moved along the latter, with his lines across ut rig
angles, until he struck tho enemy, and until the ~
roads uuied; so that In the description Of the NOV
mcnts made after the enclny's right had been routes
including the circumstances attending his wOundlnI
| the two terms Indicate the same road. This road
briefly designated by Capt Wilbonrn Ms the "plkc.
His account Of tho whole affair shows how We
erroneous are the generally received accounts; and
now appears that instead Of riding to the front Ia T.
connotrc thn enemy aud then lmprudontly gallopll
back toward his own line, Gen. Jackson was slow
hurry forward the troops, when hc was fired upon
portion OF his own men on the right (S0uth) of Il
road and obllqucy from the rear and that then I
horses Of his party that not shot down wheel
to the left aud he gallUped into the woods the !,
to escape The fire. when he fired upon Icy anOtli
| body Of troops on the north Side Of tho road ri
firing, lamentablc rs were Its consequences, WAS
both Instances the result Of accident, rather Of III
confusion Inevitable In all attempts cooperate vi
troops In the dark while they arc under cXCtemcl
Tho writer OF this has perhaps been under nro
often as any Of his day and the result OF his
pcrIcuCo and observation has been 10 convince Ia
| that the dangers attending offensive movements
troops In the night, especially In the fOreplrt of
night, when tho opposite side Is on the alert, n,
mistakes collision on the part Of those taking I
offensive, not eOunterbalanced by any adyantl
| likely 10 result and 10 sustain him In this uplnion
can confidently appeal To the Judgment Of those "
have had any experience. In operating In thlch
, wooded country tho dangers arc Increased Va
greatly. While, therefore, Capt. WlhOuTn'g stat
nent OF tho facts Is TO bo accepted without hest
tiOn, II Is not 10y any means certain that he ~ right
. his opinion that tho wOnndlng OF Gen. jackson "
due 10 tho failure Ia leave limo OF administers
front, as tho troops who commenced tho firing vt
! probably not aware Of tho fact. Capt. II. II.
Adams, the officer mentioned as having caused two
4 the advancing Federal skrmiseTs 10 surrender II
D opinion that tho firing from the right (the first
! point OF time) was nc n small detached party