The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1885-05-23
A SHIRT-TAIL ROMANCE.

was trying to get his army back to
the Stafford side OF the river
over the one poDtoon bridge that
was left, Lee called a council of
war. Jackson had been holding a
position some three miles down
the river from Marye's heights,
where the fereest fighting had
taken place, but had moved his
command up late in the afternoon.
The night was fearfully dark and
a drizzling rain had set in. Jack
son came into the council, saluted
the officers present and took a
seat on in a corner. Gen. Lee
stated the purpose for which the
council had been called, and asked
one of the senior officers his opin.
ion; and then another, and anoth-
er, until all had spoken save
Stonewall. Lee then turned and
asked his opinion, but received
no response. All turned to hear
what he would say, and there sat
Jackson, bolt upright in his chair
fast asleep. "Why, bless me-" said
Lee, "the old fellow is asleep" and
going to him he shook his arm and
called his name, which awakened
him. General Jackson will you
give us your opinion as to what
should be donef'
Gentlemen he said, 81 am
sorry that 1 have not heard all
that has been said; but my plan is,
If the council will agree to it, to 60
to my corps and march it into
Fredericksburg at once. The ene-
my has met with a severe reverse,
and is in all probability demoral-
lied. They have only one bridge
over which to escape. One corps
is sufficient to do this work,to de-
stroy what remains of that army
on this side of the river, and that
being done the campaign is over"
"But, General said Lee, icon.
slider the fact those men have only
the one bridge over which to es.
cape; they will fight desperately"
"What if they doi My corps is
used to desperate fighting. But
the very fact that they have only
one avenue Of escape, in their de.
mOralized condition, will cause
them to make every effort 10 use
the bridge. They will not fight 80
desperately as You think"
"But consider the darkness of
the night. Your men will not be
able to distinguish their own com.
raoes."
II have thought Of all that. l
will make my men pull their shirt
tails out and march in; they will
know one another then.o
General Lee walked back and
forth for some time, deeply en-
gagged in thought. Finally he said
"General Jackson, l cannot agree
to your proposition; the slaughter
would be horrible, and my con-
science cannot approve of it,"
my conscience approves of 1t
thoroughly" said Jackson. "War
is war; the slaughter to-day has
been horrible, and would have
been worse had the enemy gained
those heights. The enemy is in a
trap, and we shonld take the ad.
vantage Of it. II the tables were
turned they would march in on
u.s."
"And at this very time." said o
Union officer to me last April, 1--WE
were getting out Of that place as
fast as men could be got over one
bridge. We were looking every
minute for the Confederate troops
to rush in upon us, and if they'd
done SO we would have been ut.
terly ruined. Pope's army when
jackson got behind him, was at a
picnic compared to our situation
that night.n-Courier.J j ournal.
The foregoing bit of war history
is now going the rounds. In pub.
lisbing 1t we are impelled to say
that while much truth is hidden,
there is no trash SO trashy but
that it finds publication. For
some years after the war there
was an imaginary account of a
council of war held the night after
Burnside's assault at Fredericks.
burg, at which Gen. jackson urged
an attack. This disappeared un.
der plain and authoritative state.
ment of facts. Now this highly
embellished rot, purporting to en-
anate from Lee and Jackson, is
grated on that old stock lie and
sent on the rounds.
1t is not our habit to interfere
with the tails of the old campaign.
ers, but we feel impelled to ex.
tinguish this shirt.tail romance,
1t is pretty good, but for a yari.
ETY. of reasons it won't stand wash.
ing. 1t was a freezing cold night