Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-07-01
THE BOOMING CANNON
REclTALS OF CAMP AND BAT
TIE INCIDENTS
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Canap Life, Forag-
ing Experiences and Battle scenes.
Called "Crazy Jack"


Strange. is it not, that Jackson, like
Sherman, should have been considered
"crazy' the first year Of the war! IN
deed. before the war so eccentric was
he that he was called ''Crazy jack at
the Virginia Military Institute NO
body seemed to understand him. But
SO it has ever been and ever will be,
when we ordinary mortals can't com
prehend a genius, we get even WIN
him by calling him crazy, says the New
York Evening Telegram.
I remember well how uneasy some OF
the Confederate generals were When
placed under Jackson's command early
in 1862. Ewell didn't like it, and
.sDick" Taylor didn't like it. They
were afraid Jackson would lead them
into some dreadful scrape or other.
And when Ewell, with his division, was
lying near Gordonsville in late April,
1862, but subject to Jackson's orders,
Ewell and Taylor were anxious to get
from under him-either to go down to
"Joe" Johnston at Yorktown, or to
have some general sent to the valley
who would rank with Jackson. 80,
at Taylor's instance, he was sent TO
Richmond by Ewell to see MI. DAVIS,
his brother-in-law, and Mr.. Benjamin,
then Secretary Of State, but recently
Secretary of War, about getting away
from Jackson. But while Taylor was
gone jackson ordered Ewell to come
a-running'' to the valley. The camp
he had left in the morning at Swift
River gap, on the northwest side OF the
Blue Ridge, Ewell occupied that night.
Jackson was gone, he knew not where.
The valley campaign had opened, ne
was making his strategic detour back
southwest over to Blue Ridge toward
Charlottesville; thence west by rail
past Staunton to Buffalo gap; thence
northwest by long marcnes to Mellow
ell where he struck Milroy. But there
we were for few days at Swift Run
Gap without hearing thing of Jack
son. General Ewell may have known
where he was, but I doubt it.
Meanwhile Taylor returned from
Richmond to the old camp near Cor
louisville, to find that Ewell had gone
to Jackson in the valley. Taylor was
thunderstrlck. One Of his commands
happened to be little way out from
camp on the road toward Gordonsville,
when Taylor came rafting down the
mountain side in his ambulance. He
asked me what meant Gen. Ewelps
being ordered to the valley. I told him
I did not know. He then asked me
where Gen. Jackson was. [ again had
to confess my ignorance, and could
only say that he had broken camp on
certain morning, going with his own d.
vision southwest, no one seemed to
know where, and that Gen. Ewell occu-
pied his camp that night, and had been
there ever since.
well" said Taylor, "this is strange.
Nobody at Richmond knows anything
about it, But" he added, 'there is
one consolation. We won't be under
this id old crazy fool long. General
Longstreet is coming to take COM.
mand.'
It was too late, however, to change
commanders. Jackson was then fight
ing Milroy far to the west of us. He
probably never knew how near he
came to missing his great fame in the
valley, and that in that campaign he
not only defeated four Federal COM
manders, but "outfanked two Of his
own best generals and the s'folks"
back at Richmond.
Jackson disturbed his immediate sub
ordinates by never telling them his
plans nor consulting them. He never
explained any proposed campaign to a
subordinate, nor called 8 council Of
war, nor asked advice. Soon after
Ewell joined him in the valley, re-
member riding with Gen. Taylor and
coming upon Gen. Ewell. Taylor asked
him what the movement meant. In
his curt, half-abstracted way Ewen re-
piled: 81 don't know. If Gen. Jackson
were shot down I wouldn't know a
thing of his plans" ''Whatr' said Tay-
lor. ''You second in command and
don't know? If I were second in COM
mand 1 would known "You would,
would you?" smiled Ewell, in his odd
way, holding his head to one side like q
sap-sucker peeping around tree. ''No,
you wouldn't know any more than I
do now. You don't know the man." But
Ewell and Taylor found their crazy"
reticent commander to have more war
sense than all Of them put together.
So they ever pinned their faith to him,
admired him, and loved him.
No Mans Land.
Jones County, Mississippi, a COM
munity that is now being terrorized by
a lawless band, has history. Until
within the past ten years it was re-
mote from railroads and sparsely set
tied. The natives We're of an ignorant
character. They were likewise very