, 1884-10-29
SToNEWlLL JACKSON.
The Havelock of the Confederacy
Adored by His Soldiers.
The seven Days Fxht-Unprefsnd-
ing Appearances The
BrAnd-Ne~ Unirorm-"RIiher
Jackson or n Rabbit"

Washington National Republican,
Before the war Gen Jackson had been a
p~lodding professor at the Virginin Military
institute, and had lesn noted for nothing ex-
cept close attention 10 his professional duties,
a strict Observance Of his religious tenets,
and u general difidence and awkwardnes OF
manner that amounted 10 eccentricity, and
which made him at times the butt OF the
lively cadet The firm stand OF his brigade
at Msnazsss brought him respect in the army
md gave 10 him the historic sobriquet
~S%tonewail The campaign in the valley re-
called the tactics OF Bouaparie in the Italian
quAdrilateral, and jackson lost nothing by
tue comparison From that time onward he
~As the idol Of the army. For faculty Of
combination. for power Of concentration, for
rapidity of calculation, for flerceness OF exc
luton, Gen. Jackson in his valley campaign
had shown himself 70 be head and shoulders
Nbov- any subordinate commander OF
tho Confederate armies, east or west.
His name was In overy mouth. and nothing
but praises went with It. The masses OF his
countrymen engaged in battling for a cause
they deemed 10 be sacred found something in
the character of the man hat suited their
temperament in their time of labor, and this
was apart from the services he had recently
rendered. IL was his retiring modesty, his
utter carclessness Of pomp and show, and his
simple trust in God. and II ever a man be-
lieved in the Righteousness OF his cause. and
that the Giver Of Victories smiled upon It,
that man was Thomas Jonathan Jackson
Il may be said here that up to this period
Jackson was never understood. When he
made the celebrated forced march 70 Rom
ney, Va, in the winter Of 1862, there was q
howl all along the line for his removal as a
fanatical Incompetent, but Governor Letcher
knew his man and refused 10 revoke his
commission. Again, before the war, in 1860,
he had gathered together some five hundred
negro children and taught them in Sunday
school in Lexington, Va, and this raised a
terrible storm throughout the state. But he
kept the even tenor of his way undisturbed.
He was as firm as adamant where be thought
his duty was concerned
1t was only during the seven days fight
that the main body OF the army came TO rec
ognize jackson in person. His photographs
do not give an adequate idea Of the man.
They do not mark him apart as a leader Of
men, and show that inherent fitness for high
participation in the events Of that epoch
which the chances Of war had brought to
light. Says one OF his men: 1t would have
been easy 10 have mistaken him for the courier
Of one Of his brigadiers, for all external tokens
u the contrary; his single-broasted coat Of
rusty gray, sun-scorched about the shoulders,
until it was almost yellow, and his plain
cadet cap Of the same hue tilted forward un-
til the visor rested almost upon his nose,
were meaner in appearance than the make
up Of many u smart fellow whose musket
was the badge of his station, and not a quar-
termaster in the corps but would have con-
sidered Jackson's gaunt old sorrel II bad
swap for his own nag. But the bright and
piercing look Of his steel-blue eyes when one
could get a glimpse OF them under the cap
brim, the firm set Of his lips, and the i'm
patient jerking OF his arms from time to
time told Of the eager working OF the ener-
getic soul within And the description IS a
true one TO the letter.
After the seven days battle, whenever
there was great cheering on any part Of the
line, II used to be said by tie listeners; Its
either jackson or a rabbit" Now the mean
ing Of this was that whenever a rabbit was
started in the bivouAc Of a brigade. the Gu
tire complement OF officers and men would
turn out TO pursue bunny, and, by heading
him off here and turning him there, poor
bunny, who in the end would become he
wildered by the diabolical yells and cheers
which met him at every turn was generally
captured. Now Gen. jackson summed, il he
could, the demonstrations which greeted him
whenever he passed u camp Of his own corps
or of Longstreet's. TIT men would gather
on the roadside waving their hats and yelling
like demons, the yells being taken up from
camp to camp, as Old Jack" went skurrying
along on his old sorrel as fast as he could lay
feet to the ground. There was a spice
OF mischievousness in this, for soldiers are
like school-boys, and they know how badly
jackson hated notoriety, but their admira-
ton and enthusiasm for MIN were such that
they would have charged the very gates OF
hades at his bidding. Never were more gen.
timely sorrowful tears shed than those that
fell from the eyes Of his army ON Jacson's
bier.
1 recollect that just before the battle OF
fredericksburg Burnside'sl Gen. ]. E. b.
Stuart presented jackson with a brand-new
uniform, covered with gold lace and stars,
and as gaudy as a peacockis train. jackson
bad never worn it, but on the morning OF the
grand assault Stuart had persuaded him to
put it on. Accompanied by Stuart and some
Of his staff he rode slowly in front of the Con
tolerate lines from right 70 left, but he was
not recognized until he reached Pickett's di-
vision, then placed in the center of the line.
Stuart mischievously pointed out the gor-
geous looking individual to some officer of the
division, and it ran down the line like wild
fire. Old Jacks got a new Uniform In
stantly the men leaped upon the breastworks,
yelling wildly and swinging their hats, until
jackson could bear it no longer, but, turn
ing u ~reproachful look upon Stuart, he
clIppel spurs to his old sorrel and galloped
OIL to his own command. Suffice 1t to say,
he pulled his new buds of as soon as he had
an opportunity.
Now, who can explain the philosophy of
III Neither Johnston. nor Beauregard, nor
Longstreet, nor Hill, nor Early, nor even Jeh
Stuart were ever looked upon by the army
in the same light as Lee and Jackson And
yet all these officers we're worthy OF enthusi-
astic admiration and unfinchmg support.
1t is one OF the mysteries That make us be-
heve that actions and events are largely be-
yond the ken OF the pure reasoning facul-
ur~.