Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-06-08
EWELL AND JACKSON
Tho General Corrsets Errors Introdsceo
Into she soethsrn Historian rsPs
He BsIiessd Jackson Was Inspired

To the Editor ofshe Dispatch:
In the 10Th volume Of the Southern
Historical Society Papers, on pages1ii
and ll2, / find an article. copied from
tho Louisville Couricr-Jourmat OF the
18th of October, 1891. in which, on page
l12, is tho following statement;
"Geueral Ewell did not have hign
op;n;on OF General Jackson's natura!
ability. Indeed, as be often remarked
in hearing of his staff, he knew jackson
we'll. and know he did not have good
common-sense, and therefore the VIC
tory which jackson had won had peen
an accident. And so the staff used TO
ioip in with him in deriding the claim
Of Jackson's friends to his being great
general.
ming victories. 80 that the stall, one
after another, ceased talking IN the
strain they had been INDUCING I'D. ana
Ewell was left Alone in reaflrminS MS
oit-repeated convictions.
NOT RESPONSIBLE.
AsI am president Of the Southern
Historical Society, and many persons
NAV think that am responsible for the
articles published in its papers, deem
Il due TO myself to state that am not at
all RESPONSIBLE for them. l also deem IT
dine TO the memory OF General Ewejl to
state that it is within my knowledge
that he entertained no such opinion OF
General jackson as that attributed to
him in the article referred to as quotei
from tho Colrier-.journd! La his
work. entitled Destruction and Hecon-
STIR ction," General Richard TAYLOR,
who commanded brigade IN Ewell
Division, says on pages 81 and 3o:
"On two occasions in the Valley during
the absence of Jackson from the front
Ewell summoned me to his side, and lln-
mediately rushed forward among the
| skirmishers, where some sharp work was
| going on. Having refreshed himself,
he returned with the hope that old
jackson would not catch him az IT.. dc
always SPOKE of Jackson, several years
his Junior, as odd, and told me In
confid, &c that he admired bis genius,
but was certain of his lunacy. and that
he never saw one of Jacksons courlerS
approach without expecting an order 10
assault the North Pole.
HE WAS INSPIRED.
This was shortly after Ewell joined
General Jackson in the Valley in the
spring of 1862. l was subsequently,, On
the LIST Of July, 1862. the day Of the
battle of Malvern Hill. assigned to the
command Of brigade in kwells Divi-
sion, Jackson's command, and served
under him In that capacity until he was
wounded at the beginning Of the tight at
@ ond Manassas. | subsequently com
mapded his old division under him as
corps commander until he was retired
on account Of failure Of health. While
under his command l was on the most
/ intimate and confidential terms with
him, and he told me that when he first
/ Joined General Jackson in the Valley, on
I account of his bold manGuvres, he
( thought him deranged, but that he
soon changed his opinion and came to
| the conclusion that he was inspired.
MRS. JACKSON TESTIMONY.
This opinion he repeated to others
and in her Life of General Jackson
Mrs. Jackson, in speaking OF the Gene
rails Valley campaign, on page 2oi,
says:
1.-The gallant General Ewell proved a
faithful coadjutor to General jackson in
ali their aiduous operations together.
When asked once what he thought OF
the latter's generalship in this cam
paign he replied, in his brusque, i'm
petuous manner Well, sir, when he
commenced it 1 thought him crazy be-
fore he ended it i thought him in
spired.'"
Several members Of Ewell's staff
served with me when succeeded to the
command of his corps, and l never
heard one of them intimate that he had
ever expressed any such opinion OF
General Jackson as that stated In the
article taken from the Couricr-JournaL
OTHER ERRORS.
have deemed it proper to make the
foregoing statement in justice to the
memory of General Ewell, as well as to
exempt myself from ell responsibility
for the article published in the Southern
Historical Society Papers. regret to
say that the said article is not the only
one in the nineteenth volume Of the said
papers which contains historical errors,
but there are several liable to that OBJ
lection. and l trust that the persons who
have assumed control of the publication
will be more particular in future in copy
ing articles in regard to the war from
newspapers. j. A. EARLY.