The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-01-19

w Hal d hoGOllC0 oll A'SSAi-~fT
for this uhcomely gentleman seated on
his sorrel horse, shutting along beside
his troops on the march-quiet, abstract
ed, with no outward marks of the heroic
soul within. But when withthe insplr-
alton of battle on him, with his thin lips
compressed, or moving in prayer, as was
often his wont in the midst of fight, he
sat immoyable amid the shifting scenes
of the action, no more appropriate or
characteristic name could have been
given him. If we wish to get a correct
idea of his military skill and genius and
give him his appropriate place among
the great military leaders of modern
times, we must study what is termed
1.-THE Valley Campaign" for here he
was in independent command, and while
his operations were conducted with az
mics small in number, they covered
large extent of country, and country,
toe with conditions favorable to the dis
play of military genius. We cannot here
go into the details of this brilliant cam
paign of a little more than a month, dur
ing which his army had marched more
than two hundred and fifty miles, fought
four pitched battles, captured more than
four thousand prisoners guns, wagons
and immense military stores.
The features of this campaign which
mark .Jackson's military genius are IA
pidity and secresy of movement; his
complete knowledge of the movements
and plans of the enemy; the impetuous
and aggressive character of his fighting,
ahd the moral impression which he made
upon his soldiers, not so much by his
success as by his lofty character, strong
in it's simplicity and truthfulness-self-
denying and self-sacrifcing, His APP
pearance among his troops on the march
OF upon the battlefield was always greet
ed with an enthusiasm born of love and
reverence. He made no use of artificial
means or gaIish display to attract the add
miration and applause OF his soldiers
His steps were not attended by numer-
Gus and brilliant staff; he did not at
tempt to cover defeat or announce vic
tory, in lying phrase OF bombastic speech
OF egotistical reference. This is his
style: "God blessed our arms with VIC
tory at Mcdowell yesterdays" Hoping
through the blessing of Providence to
defeat Banks;'' ION Thursday the
army. after divine service for the pur-
pose of rendering thanks to God for the
victory with which he blessed us and to
implore his continued favor, began to re-
trace its steps," 1.-THE troops were halted
for short rest to divine service and OBJ
serve the fast recommended by the Presi
26th-During the last three days God
has blessed our arms with brilliant sue
cess" 'sOn this day divine service was
held for the purpose of rendering thanks
to God for the success with which he
has blessed our arms, and to implore his
continued favor early Monday morn
ing, the 9th of June, | attacked the Fed
erals on the east side of the river, and
after about four and a half hours of hard
fighting the same kind Providence which
had SO blessed us on Sunday completely
routed the enemy" There is something
Cromwellian in all this without Crom-
wells brutality.
If it were to follow him in his subse-
quent career we should find the same re-
sistless energy and indomitable courage
shown in his attack on the right wing of
McClellan's army before Richmond; in
his partial victory over Pope at Cedar
Mt. in his movement to the rear of
Pope's army On the plain of Manassas
and in two days fight at the second Bull
Run, in the tenacity with which he held
the Confederate left against the repeated
attacks of Mcclellan at Antietam, and in
his last and greatest movement against
Hooker's right at Charlottesville where
he received mortal wounds from the
ranks of his own soldiers. Here culmi-
mated the power of the Southern con-
federacy. Victory again never perched
upon her banners; the genius that in
spired her army and led it on to victory
had taken it's flight from earth. Let
us cross over the river and rest under
those trees were the peaceful words
that closed the life of this great hero.
Motley in one of his letters written in
1862, speaking of the incapacity shown
by our generals says: "The coming man
must have military genius united with
intense faith in something jackson
was such man. He had strong faith
in the justice of his cause which intensi-
fed and energized all his actions; his re-
ligious fervor springing from deep con-
victions, gave an elevation to his charac-
ter which eXerted an immense power
over his soldiers-a power that no other
soldier of modern times had possessed
We cannot make a just comparison of his
military genius with that of the famous
generals of other times for the conditions
of modern warfare have SO greatly
changed that such a comparison would