Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-09-01
slonewall Jackson's Horse.

The following account Of the Stone
wall Jackson horse is taken from re-
Gently published life of Gen. Jackson
written by Mrs. jackson:
among the stores captured at Har-
per's Ferry, not the least valuable was
train OF cars on the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, bound for Washington,
loaded with horses for the government
This was lawful prize, and was al
once turned over to the Confederate
army. except two which Jackson pur-
chased and, hoping that hostilities
would soon blow over, he selected the
smaller one, which he called Fancy.
as present for his wife, thinking his
size and gait were admirably suited
for the use of lady. His name Of
Fancy" seemed rather missioner, for
he was anything but fancy-looking
animal but he was we'll formed, COM
pactly built, round and fat, and bis
powers of endurance perfectly wonder
full. Indeed, he seemed absolutely in
defatigable. His eyes were his CHIEF
beauty, being most intelligent and ex-
pressive and as soft as a gazelle's. He
had peculiar habit Of lying down like
dog when the command halted fol-
rest. His master made a pet of him,
and often fed him apples from his own
hand. General Jackson had several
other horses, but he preferred the little
sorrel to them all, finding his gait, as
he expressed it, as easy as the rocking
of cradle He rode him in nearly
every battle in which he was engaged.
After being lost for time upon the
fall Of his master at Charlottesville, he
was found by Confederate soldier and
kindly sent by Gov. Letcher to the fam
ily of Gen. Jackson in North Carolina,
and lived for many years in Lincoln
county on the farm of Rev. DIR. Morri-
son. father-in-law of the General, and
with whom his family made their home.
Here he was treated to the greenest OF
pastures and the best of care, and did
excellent service as family horse both
in harness and under the saddle, and
for long time was the riding horse of
the venerable minister to his country
churches. One of the young Morrisons
used to say that Old Fancy Gas he was
called on the FARM chad more sense
than any horse he ever saw" He
could make as good use of his mouth in
lifting latches and letting down bars as
a man could of his hands, and it was a
frequent habit of his to let himself out
of his stable and then go deliberately to
the doors of all the other horses and
mules. liberate each one and then
march off with them all behind him,
like soldier leading his command, to
the green fields of grain around the
farm-a fence proving no obstacle to
him, for he could, with his mouth, lift
off the rails one by one until the fence
was low enough to jump over, so that
he was continually getting into mis-
chief. Bnt he was such pet that he
was allowed to do anything, and was
taken to county fairs, where he was an
object of as much interest as one of the
old heroes of the war.
His hardness was shown by his great
Longevity, for he was over 80 years of
age when he died, in 1856, at the Sol
diers' Home in Richmond, Va; and such
was still the enthusiasm for the old war
horse that his body was sent to tax
idernlist to be mounted. 1t now stands
in glass case in the library, where the
veterans, as they look upon it, can i'm
agine that they again see their beloved
commander as they had seen him so
often on the field of battle.-Hagersto,cn
Mail.