The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-08-02

( however, II IS true, 10 approximately marks
/ the spot. DR.. Smith says he found Gen Jack
I son at this spot in the woods, shortly after no
was wounded, lying on the ground, with his
head in Gen. A. P. Hills lap. at the time this
/ was q short distance beyond or outside Of the
( Confederate lines, and Mai. Lacey who was on
/ the ground with DR.. Smith and Mr Ve5s Chan
/ cellor, as one of the committee, surprised me
/ by expressing the opinion, decidedly: This
/ will do as well as any place near here for the
| monument; no one can give anything definite
about the exact spot he was wounded"
| My interest and curiosity being excited by
the observation l availed of the opportunity 70
/ interview Maj. Lacey on the general subject Of
/ Jackson's death.
/ Maj. Lacey is we'll known as companion and
/ friend of Gen. Z. +. Lee during the war Ia
earlier days he was the proprietor of Chatham,
/ or the Lacey House. which comprised an estate
of some 500 acres and 800 slaves.
/ The Major is still q vigorous man, erect In
carriage, and with the Old-time courteous bUt
+ digniiied bearing. In his positive manner he
/ continued
Why, Jackson was killed nearly half mile
+ from here, over in the woods IL was dark
night and he evidently made a miscalCulatiou
as to his own and the enemy's lines He did
not imagine they were so close"
/ In reply to the query that naturally comes to
/ an old soldier, Why should the General of all
+ that army 60 personally outside Of his own
/ lines to try to reCOuuOiter or locate an enc
my's pickets in the darkness Of a woods, as we
all know from blissful experience that its the
common soldier that is frequently sacrificed
! in order to feel an enemy2"
| Maj Lacey, looking at me curiously, said:
| "Of course it was mistake for Jackson to
/ put his own life in jeopardy, and thus imperil
/ his army"
| JACKSON WAS NOT KILLED By HIS OWN MEN.
| While DR.. Smith and Mr. Chancellor were
using the tape-lne to locate the stakes for the
| half acre of ground, Maj. Lacey was giving me
/ his version of the death of Jackson. He said
/ in substance:
81 never believed Jackson was killed by his
| own men,"
| This was something entirely new to me, as
/ had always believed, from the general accounts
of the affair, that this fact had never been dis
/ puted. Pressing the Major for his further
! opinions, he said:
| WELL in the first place, no one can know
/ anything about it, as those who were beside
/ him at the time were killed or died soon after.
| He was taken from his horse and carried over
| into that road there pointing down near the
! monument. They know where be passed out Of
his lines, and that he expected to return IN an
other direction is explained by the statement
that he gave orders to his troops to fire on any
! one approaching the point at which he went
out He had scarcely got behind these lines
/ when JIG uiluB began IL us front. II was
| probably replied to by some Of the Confederate
! pickets, but the fact is lost sight of entirely
| that every Confederate command on that front
| strenuously deny having fred to the front at
| that time. There has never been any proof
| whatever that this firing came from COnfeder-
ates. In fact, it has been officially denied
In mentioning this matter to DR.. Smith he
expressed some dissent and says he Is satisfied
Jackson was killed by his own men.
In looking upthis interesting question during
| my visit here, find that there is a very general
! belief among prominent ex-COnfedeTates that
the shots that wounded their General came from
the Union advance lying in the woods quar-
| ter of mile to the front Of the ChanceI-
Tor House. Now, if the readers Of The Ma
! TIOEAL TRIBUNE will locate the regiment OF
| brigade who occupied this position on that
! night and fred to the front, it is my opinion
that we have the correct account of the wound
ing of the great General. Remember, it was
the troops furthest in the advance in the
woods on the same side of the road on which
stands the Chancellor House. Jackson was
wounded about a gun-shot from the road, in
the woods.
I regret that am prohibited from giving
some names Of Coufederates as my authority
for these statements. l am not restrained
however. from saying that Mr.. w. F. KuTtley
of Col. Munford's 9th Va. Cav, who was on duty
on the advance of the Confederate lines, anC
saw Jackson go out voluntarily gives this state
ment: jackson was killed by fire from thu
woods in our front, and not from our own line
We were on picket between the North Carolina
troops and Jackson, who passed out of oul
line, and if the fire had come from the COnfed
crates we would have received it." Mr.. Kurt
ley is a well-tOdO farmer and a responsible
man, living in the adjoining (StaffOTd) County