The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-12-12

REV. Hssry ~ v1eld Hspadinses DeSs4ee-
" = stsrtliag Aiies stass. f.
One chapter. however. furnished BY
another pen. Il new and startling
that which ascribcs TO jackson It one
moment . prpposal 70 raise the black
flag! This 10 the last extremity Of
war. and it, most horrible barbarity.
The very word suggosts slaughter
without mercy. Tho black nag floats
only at the mast head OF pirate ships.
telling by sign shat can not be mis-
understood that quarter will neither
be rsked nor given. In warfare on
land Il would mean massacre of prs
ouera . thing unknown among the ma
tions Of the present day. and that
would bring upon any man or any gov
ernmeut that. should attempt it the
execration OF the whole civilized world.
The very idea Of such q thing is so
alien to the character Of Stonewall
jackson that d statement of this kind
must be received with great reserve.
It would not be deemed worthy OF q
moments attention were 1t not that it
Is given on the authority of his own
brother in law. General Rufus Bar
ringer, OF the confederate army, who
details at considerable length re-
markable interview that took place
after the Seven Days battle.
while the army WAS still encamped
near Richmond. But the statement
is explicit, and leaves no doubt thai
jackson believed Ia the Cromwellian
way OF carrying on war; that II war
must be, the more tremendous the
blows, the sooner will it come to an
end; and he would push the war into
the North, and make 1t felt in all its
severity. But he would never have
dealt with prisoners as Cromwell did
with the Irish garrison Of Drogheda.
or Napoleon with the Turks at Jatfa-
The best proofs OF what he would do
is in what he did do when the fortunes
OF war threw a whole garrison into his
hands. At Harper's Ferry he cap
tured eleven thousand men, and in
stead OF treating them with great So
verify, he parolled them all; by which,
instead OF being sent to Southern pris-
ons, they were transported TO a camp
near Chicago whore they were kept
In comparative comfort till they were
exchanged. OF course II they violated
their parole they would be exposed to
the utmost penalty OF the war. But
the policy, instead Of being cruel was
the mildest that could have been adopt
ed. 1t was not however, on the ground
OF humanity. but TO disencumber his
army. that he might move it rapidly.
which he could not do with thousands
OF prisoners dragging on its heels.
II at Harper's Ferry he had stopped
to look after them, 1t would have
delayed his march to join Leo
for the approaching battle. When he
declared therefore, that he would
keep no prisoners it was for mil
itary reason. He had laid out plan
OF campaign, which he believed, IL
vigorously pursued. would end the
war. 1t was to form three or four
great movable columns" of forty
thousand men each. which should be
literally stripped for battle. leaving
behind not only prisoners but even
fortified posts that the whole fighting
force might be concentrated into a
few compact bodies. which could be
moved with great rapidity into the
Northern states and against Northern
cities. That this grand strategy would
have succeeded we do not believe, for
the best of all reasons. that 1t was
twice attempted and iailed--at Ante
tam and Gettysburg the first OF
which jackson himself took part But
at the time of the interview this had
not been attempted. and he was very
sanguine Of success. even picturing to
himself how he would plant his guns
within Smelling distance OF Philadel-
phia and New York!-Harper's Maya
zine, ~