Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-06-19
SToNEWALLL JACKSON.
Personal Traits of the General Recalled
by Congressman Oates.


Congressman Oates, of Alabama,
writes to General Alpheus Baker, oil
Louisville, KY, a letter containing some
interesting personal "reminiscences OF
Stonewau jackson. lie says: l first
saw him the fall of 1861, in front oi
Manassas, soon after he was sent with
his division to the valley of Virginia.
next saw him early in the spring of 80,
when Ewell's division left the Kappa
hammock and Joined jackson in the upper
valley OF the Shenandoah. His achieve
ments l need not relate. He looked
awkward on horseback, because he rode
with short stirrups; but on foot he was
full six feet high, square shouldered,
slightly round, would have weighed
about 10 pounds; had a full, brown
beard, straight nose, high forehead,
black hair, thin, nearly to badness on
the top, with dark grey eyes, full of
strength and depth of expression. They
seemed to look through a man and dis
Germ his thoughts at glance. On foot
he was really handsome man; thought
him remarkably so. His voice was effem-
mate and cracked like an old womans.
For instance, he would say; 81 can't ex.
cuse you, sir, can't excuse you" He all
ways spoke politely, but firmly and to
the point At the close Of the valley
campaign, in June, 90, he assembled a
general court martial and appointed
me Judge Advocate of it. This brought
me in personal contact with him, and I
bad the advantage of personal inter
views with him on two occasions. He
decided very quickly on every question,
and the reasons for It, and did not seem
Impatient but good listener and as
soon as the point was fully presented he
would decide the matter calmly, but
with such determination and repetition
as at once struck the petitioner with the
idea OF its tinality; and from it there
was no appeal lie refused request, if
at all, politely, but very quickly and
with such impressiveness that no man
ever had the temerity to ask him to
overrUle his decision; a look came from
MS penetrating eyes which showed you
Enthusiastically that the answer came
from his very soul and was irreversible. |
During the sitting of this court martial |
for two or three days, which was all the :
time it ever had, l walked out in the |
woods one day, and not dreaming that |
he was near, / heard a man and turned |
to look, and about forty steps distant
was General Jackson on his knees, alone
and praying aloud.
When he marched his corps around
Pope's left wing in August '62, at Bris-
low station l had my third conversation
with him which was about removing the
yVraf-x nf H.
planning to him the impossibility of
doing it, he replied, Have you tried
Sir" / responded, Il have and it is i'm
possible to remove the wreck unless l
had the proper tools to work with" He
said, Then set it on fire and march in
the direction of Manassas Junction
along the railroad, where you will join
your brigade" 1t was then after o.
clock at night and we had marched sixty
miles In the two preceding days upon
half rations, green corn and half ripe
apples. 1t was four miles further to
Manassas; but we reached the brigade
In the line of battle and participated in
the capture of the place that night.
Two days after this he had his corps
In line on the old battlefield, in the
shape Of half moon, with the concave
side parallel with the pike, along which
the enemy came. When they were
squarely in his front, 10000 strong,
while he had but 20, 600 and Longstreet
twenty miles away, he pointed his finger !
at them and quick as thought, said to his !,
Lieutenant who was near him: "Ewell, /
advanced" and dashed off on his horse in
the direction of A. p. Hills division. s,
During the battle of the next day, when :
Company A. Fifteenth Alabama, had :
killed Federal Major, who, leading his :
regiment tried to charge his horse into :
their ranks, General jackson came up to =.
that spot, and when he heard the Captain :
rebuke his men, saying: "You should .
have captured him, he was too brave a
man to have been killed" the great
jackson reversed what sold Hickory
said In rebuke of his men for proposing
to kill Bill Weatherford, by saying:
mo, Captain, your men are right; kill p
the brave ones, they lead on the others"
One day when we were on the march .
going to Maryland he was riding from
the rear forward and passed regiment p
from which the men were struggling
500 w LuC OECudTuSe ne
alongside the Major in command and ad-
dressing him very politely inquired: h
Major, are you in command of this a.
regiments" The response came with a
low bow, Yes, General" We'll. Ma "
lor, do you know the position of an officer te
IN arrest?" Il think l do, General"
We'll, just take that position, Major" al
He stuck spurs to his horse and went r
through the woods in a swift gallon, the T
nen along the line whooping and veil SO
ng, which they invariably did whenever
lie appeared, in memory of the glory of CO
lis achievements. h;
No one could estimate his depths; and be
lie always appeared to his own men and ty
he enemy at times and places when g.
hey least expected him. He was a
of Cromwell and Napoleon.
nd had he ever been an army or de- p
'artment commander there is no telling ne
Vhat he would have accomplished. The ~
boys" called him 'Old Stonewau," but ia
n fact he was only thirty-nine years old &c
{ his death. IN
CoMRADE r. A. ALGER, COMMANDMENT "a
hief of the Grand Army, has, during the Ne
asst four months, visited nearly all the an
apartments OF the order, at . cost to ne
i'm Of about $40, loco. ea