The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-04-30
THE sH1RT.TA1L IN WAR.
How Stonewan jackson Proposed to Mark
His Men In Night Attack.


On the night of the battle of Freder'
icksburg, when Burnside was trying tc
get his army back to the Stafford side ol
the river over the one pontoon bridge
that was left, Lee called a council, ot
war. Jackson had been holding posi-.
ton some three miles down the river
from Marye's heights, where the fercest
fighting had taken place, but had moved
his command up closer late in the after.
noon. The night was fearfully dark, and
drilling rain had set in. Jackson
came into the council, saluted the officers
present and took seat off in q corner.
General Lee stated the purpose for which
the council had been called, and asked
one of the senior officers for his opinion
and then another, and another, until all
had spoken save stonewall. Lee then
turned and asked his opinion, but receiv.
ed 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 awaken
ed him. General Jackson, will you
give us your opinion as to what should
be donef" .
"Gentlemen," he said, II amsorry that
have not heard all that has been said ;
but my plan is, if the council will agree
to it, to go back to my corps and march
it into fredericksburg at once. The enc.
my has met with severe reverse, and is
in all probability demoralized: They
have only one bridge over which to
escape. One corps is sufficient to do
this work, to destroy what remains of
thst army on this side of the river, and
that being done the campaign will be
over"
"But, General" said Lee, consider
the fact that those men have only the one
bridge over which to escape; they will
fight desperately"
"What if they do? My corps is accus-
toned to desperate fighting. But the very
fact that they have only one avenue of
escape, in their demoralized condition,
will cause them to make every effort to
use the bridge. They will not fight so
desperately as you think"
aBut consider the darkness of the
night. Your men will not be able to
distinguish their own comrades"
"I have thought of all that. I will
make my men pull their shirt-tails out
and march in; they will know one an.
other then"
General Lee walked back and forth for
some time, deeply engaged 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 it thor.
oughly," 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 trap, and weshould take advantage
of it. If the tables were turned they
would march in on us"
"And at this very time," said Union
officer to me last April, ne 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 had done
SO we would have been utterly ruined.
Pope's army, when Jackson got behind
him, was at picnic compared to our
situation that night" And when l told
him Of Jackson's plan for enabling his
troops to know their comrades, he said !:
"Fabius Maximus is the only other man
who ever lived who would have thought
of such a thing, aud his soldiers didn't
have the materials '"-&. Louis Gto6e
De,n0crnt