The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-10-30
IDOLS OF THE SOUTH.
An Interesting Sketch of two Great Gen
erals.

The difference in the manner in which
Generals r. l.. Lee and T. J. Jackson
were regarded in the Confederate army
of Northern Virginia, says tho National
| Rtpu6hcdn, is one of the curious features
! OF the war. Both Generals were rccog.
nized as men of genius, of piety, and OF
kindliness of heart both were courteous
and digniiied in their Intercourse with
others, although Jackson was very
abrupt and curt i'll speech and action and
yet they were looked upon and treated by
the troops in a dircc, contrary manner
For General Lee the men had an implicit
! trust and rcvercnt affection that never
ialtered from the time he took command
| OF the army until they crowded around
him III fearful silence to bid him a last
farewell on the hill near Appnmatox
! Court House, where the battle flags were
unturlcd for the last time before being
| piled upon the surrendered stacks of arms.
10 tell The truth, he WAS dciied in the
thoughts Of Tic troops, and they never
doubted the issue Of y campaign under
his leadership, not even in the beginning
OF the campaign of 1865, when defeat w,u4
| pressing on all other sections of the Con.
iederGcy, and had not "the bottom of the
bucket 80 suddenly fallen cut" i, is more
than likely that IL dictatorship would
have been thrust upon him as last resort
| TO beat back the overwhelming numbers
of the Federals.
| General Lee was q fine figure when
mounted on his iron gray horse, Traveller,
and even when on a hot and dusty march
looked always neat. His dress then was
y simple gray sack coat, with the star of
a General on the turnduwn collar, dark
slouch hat loopcd up ON the left side,
gray pants and long riding boots. !:
never saw him with cithe sword or pistol
| buckled on him. AS he rode along beside
the marching ranks, at the head of his
staff, he always had his hat pulled down
over his brow, with his chin lifted as if
gazing intcntly into the distance. lie
was always consideratc for the health aud
| comfort of his men. One of the most
provoking things to a regiment ofinfantry
on hot, dusty, and wearisome march
was for some mounted officer or man to
come dashing along kicking up more
dust, or attempting to make way along
the road, which the infantry always
! claimed as their right of way Some
Generals and their staff INDUCED in this
| practice, but General Lee never. lie
always took to the fields. Again, it was
| currently reported and believed that when
the army was in straits for rations he
utterly refused to make use ofth delica.
| cies which the farmers were eager to
send to his headquarters, but ordered
them to be turned over to the field hos.
pital. When occasion offered he visited
the sick and wounded, and many poor
fellow was revived by his cheering words
and sympathy. All these things, aud
Others thatmght be enumerated, cndeared
him to his troops. On the march the
Generals p .sence among the columns
was scarcely noticed, except that the
| tired limbs were braced up aud the spirits
raised 70 further effort but when he
passed along the roads leading among the
bivuuacs and camps. the men Invariably
| crowded to the roadside and greeted him
with reverent silence that was more elo.
quent, perhaps, than the widest cheering.
He no doubt was pleased and encouraged
ut this silent homage, yet he Always re-.
sponded BY gravcly lifting his hat with
| out change of countenance. The writer
| never recoiiects to have seen Gen. Lee q
face otherwise than serious aud pre-occu.
pied.
Two examples may be given to show
| The estimation III which General Lee was
held and to illustrate the belief that the
success of the cause was absolutely
| dependent on him. At the battle of
Antieiain, late in tho afternoon, General
Burnside forced passage of the bridge
and assailed fiercely to the thin Confed.
crate line OH the ridge. This was before
A. L. Hills division had come up from
Ha,rper's Ferry. Finally, the lIolcombc
legion of South Caroinians, after fight
ing bravely, gave way in con niusion, lcar-
ing dangerous gap in the lines, and the
day seemed about lost on the right. At
this critical juncture General Lee rode
up to them, and, sczing the flag, shouted:
what! my men, are you going to desert
your country iii its hour of peril? Come
on your General will lead you'll" The
legion rallied Immediately aud reformed
the line, but refused to charge until Gen
eral Lee had retired. He CONSENTED, nilu
they gamely plunged into the fight and
held their own until a. L. Hill came up.
| Again, st Spottsylvania Court House,
when Hancock's men had swept over the
salient, capturing The entire division and
guns OF General Edward Johnson, aud
threatening to break the Confederate
army IN two, and when the battle seemed
lost to the Confederates, General Lee,
| 7" "o 'S'Si hSsitutCu ~ CAL pOSe UinSell III
the point of danger, dashed up to Gen
eral j.. B. Gordon's division and an
nounced his intention TO lead them per.
sonally to the rescue. When he placed
himself in front instantly cries arose from
the rapks; Lee TO the rear !" "Lee to
the rear" General Gordon seized the
bride rein Of General Lee, and assuring
him that the division would not bulge II
he did not retire, Lee reluctantly rode
back, whereupon the division swept for.
ward in gallant style and re established
the broken lines. ,-..
venture to assert that no such regard
would have been shown for the safety OF
| any other Confederate commander,
| whether johnson or Beauregard, or even
ackson himself; Ifthis deep yeneration
was not inspired by elevation Of charac
ter and by what is indefinitely styled
personal magnetism" then I am at a
loss 10 account forthe factin the case.
| And now as to General jackson. Be.
fore the war he had been q plodding pro-
fessor at the Virginia Military Institute,
and had been noted for nothing except
close attention to his professional duties,
a strict observance of his religious tenets,
and general diffidence and awkward
ness of manner that amounted to eccen.
t.icity, and which made him at times the
| butt of the lively cadets. The firm stand
of his brigade at Manassas brought hin,
respect in the army, and gave to him the
historic, soubriquet "Stonewall." The
campaign in the valley recalled the tao.
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