National Republican., 1885-04-25
OHICKS AND COONEYITES.
ne RECRUITS OF LIEUT.. JACKSON, VINO
KILLED ELLSWORTH.

KILLED ELLSWORTH.
he Diflcultles OF Raising Company in
Northern virginia--IIow They Painted
"A Alexandria Red and Then DIsbsnded-
Something About jackson.
Last week wrote of how / got away
rom Washington before martial law had
een proclaimed in 1861, Of my arrival in
lexsndria, and acceptance Of lieuton-
1noy in Capt. James W. Jackson's battery.
few days afterward was sent to Fair
Ax Court House (my home), where the
ompany had been raised, with instruc-
Ions, in company with First Lieut..
ohm H. Thomas. to get the mon of the
ompany together and bring them to
lexandria. At that time this company
nd not been mustered into service, the
nustering officer of the state, Maj. George
William Brent, being busily engaged in
mother section; consequently the men
Eere at their respective homes. Al
though tho company was organized as
rtillery, Ii had no cannon or any kind
Va
|lready been mustered in as artillery had
10 cannon, for 1 recollect that Capt.
Delaware Kemper's battery. which after
yard became so famous, had been able to
PROCURE from the state authorities but
wo old six-pounder cannon, and they
yere lying ignominiously in a black
mitb's shop because there were no gun
carriages to mount thom on. Much fun
yas created when some stalwart c0un-
ryman came in from market to view the
terrible and unaccustomod weapons. and
was bantered9to bet that he could lift
The smallest end Of tho littlo piocos.
They looked mighty small, but they
we're very heavy, and when che
brestfallen eountryman after tugging and
training was unable to stir them hairs
breadth there was always an adjonrn-
nent for mint juleps. The state authori'
= ies were put to their trumps TO provide
srms Of any kind.
Thomas and l, after some few days rid
ing around tho country, corraled about
kixty good men in Jackson's Hotel in the
village Tho run this hotel as we'll as the
Marshall House In Alexandria). We
hen procured transportation on the rail
road, and carried the men to Alexandria
n order to hold them until the muster.
ing officer could come on, for as 1t was
we had no legal authority over them
whatever, or to prevent them from goinf
ko their homes whenever they might
choose to do so. Thomas and had re-
ceived some military training, he ut the
Culpeper and at the Upperville Mill
tary Academy, and We suggested thiI
course to Jackson. because the men would
be out Of easy reach of their homes
when We got to Alexandria and marched
through the streets, the people choored
lus, for tho company was stalwart body
of men, and in their red shirts, gray
pants, and felt hats presented no near
hppearance.
XrHE FIRST SIGHT OF THE REBEL FLAG
n When we arrived in front of the Mar
shall House, Jackson, who even then had
the confederate flag flying which Col
Ellsworth afterward pulled down and wal
killed by him. appeared on the front por
tico, and made little speech of welcome
and told the men that as he expected K
fight with them no wished them to make
themselves at homo in his house. II,
then led the way to a large dining
room, whore spread on tho floor on cithei
side were mattresses with coverlets wv,
hadn't learned to consider single blanke
aud the soft side of plank luxury IL
those days. an beds.
So far, so good. But then Capt Jack
son tondered the privilege Of his bar t,
the men, only stipulating that the.
should behave themselves as gentlemen
took Jackson aside and remonstrateI
with him, for l had seon too much o
these Pohick and Cooncy fellows on cir
cult court days to believe that II they 90
drunk they would not indulge In thei
belligerent propen stiles. But jackson re
piled, "Yes, know all that, but they nj
have money and they will get DRUM
somewhere and 1 prefer to have then
here under my own eye, where | cal
thresh them into the traces" l still ha,
my misgivings, but knew tina
jackson not only had great influence owe
them personally, but that physically h
could whip any two of them in standby
fight. Youth as l was, ], too, had som
influence, and before tho ranks wer
broken begged the men not to disgrac
Old Fairfax by any drunken brawls. Th
men struck out at once for the bar-roon
of the hotel, and Jackson, and Thomas
and myself Joined in toast all round 70
the death to tyrants, success to tn
cause, and speedy passage by old Viz
ginia of the ordinance of secession" All
WELL it is no use crying over spilled milk
bnt / can't help thinking now, "Wha
N fools these mortalB be-"
SCENE OF DISORDER.
In tho earlier part of the afternoo
there was good deal of jabber an
plaudlin patriotism among the men, bu
Thomas and circulated among then
and prevented any fsticuffs when quar-
rels arose as to who was the best man. Blu
tho men had taken entire possession G
a. the bar, to the exclusion of all other Gus
toners, and this "riled" Jackson, VIII
had like all of us taken perhaps "we
drappie" too much. He sent down oil
'ders for all Of us to 40 to our q uarteI
(the large room mentioped), and afte
some difficulty the majority of the me
were corraled. The citizens had CON
plimented Jackson highly on the appear
ance of his command and he was not q
yet In o bad humor, SO he came in an
said pleasantly that he would send up
big bowl Of punch after awhile. but tina
he wanted all to keep sober to be ready t
appear before the mastering officer in tn
morning. No sooner had he left the roor
than the men began to slip out by tn
doors and windows. and as neither Jack
son nor Thomas nor had any authorit
to detAin them, and they knew il
they were all soon upo
the streets. They swore one an
oil, however, that they woul
come back as soon as they had gone tn
a rounds. When we went down to tn
hotel office and told Jackson what ha
happened thought he would have 4
he was SO mad. When he had coole
down little suggested that We shoul
call in the aid Of the police to arrest a
who became disorderly and look them u
for safekeeping in the calaboose-th
others would come back of their own &C
= cord in the morning Well, tho Pohick
ers and Cooneyiters painted the tow
red that night, and the police had thei
hands full. Jackson and Thomas and
went about, and wherever we saw ro