Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1889-07-18
virginia fire. gress.
W. ". b. GALLAHER, Editor.
Ohartesto,cn, Jefferson County, Vest Y
July rs, 1889.

In the Memoirs forthcoming next
january of Stonewall Jackson on which
his widow has been for year, and is now,
engaged there will be corrections of some
alleged inaccuracies in Dabney's Life of
Jackson relative to the great Cavalry
mans war plans-which plans were en-
dorsed by Lee but opposed by President
Davis. Gen. Rufus Barringer-who
married Mrs. Jackson's sister-is furnish
ing the corrective data, comprised in a
talk had withJackson in the latter's camp
on July II, '62. Jackson told Barrin-
ger that the South couldn't stand her
enemies armies invading her territory
and sapping the root of Confederate sup
plies-a cOuntenance of the defensive pol
icy, he said, meant ultimate ruin. His
plan, Jackson explained, was to organize
several interior camps at important key
points of the South and thence hurl light
movable columns of $4,000 (?) picked
troops against the enemy or with them
fall upon the best and least protected
northern cities, levy on them for S150,0O0
or 100000 and destroy those refusing. If
the enemy pressed him he would retreat
while another column was entering an
exposed city perhaps 800 miles away
Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kansas were
mentioned as exposed points. He would
jackson continued-take no prisoners,
except prominent officers to hold for ran
som, but would parole the rank and file
"at the point of the bayonet." He would
abandon the less important Southern
points-warning the citizens to care for
themselves.
Replying to the charge of biOgraph-
ic inaccuracy, Prof. r. L. Dabney of the
University of Texas, who was Jackson's
chief of staff in the Valley campaign and
that of Richmond in '62 says that the state
ment given in his Life of Jackson anent the
Generals plan of campaisl Chapter 15)
was on the authority and nearly in the
words of Col. Boteler the honorary aide
and civic representative Of the cavalry
leader.
Prof. Dabney further asserts that he
was chosen by Jackson's family to write
his biography and used such documents
as they let him have. The eight nova
BILE columns" of $4,000 picked troops"
that Gen Barringer speaks of Dabney
regards as a topographic error-since
Lees entire armies barely reached that
strength each.
OfJacksons views regarding prisoners
Dabney says he probably spoke to him
as fully as to anyone else. These views
were given confdentially and therefore
not mentioned in the biography. 1t was
while riding along Messy CreeK Vailey
in Augusta county on May Is, '62 that,
in quiet conversation, Jackson intimated
that President Davis talk of bloody re-
taliation would not have been heard had
the war been begun on his jackson s.
plan. The South should moi have begun
taking prisoners IN the war-not doing
so would have been distinctly in the in
terest of humanity-the war would have
ended with far less effusion of blood.
For our people it was struggle for life
or death and it had been better for them
to learn its true character at first. He
Jackson would have advised taking no
prisoners and teaching our volunteers at
the outset that when they went into ac-
ton it must be for life or death literally
for them as it was for our country.
Ansirer This Question;