Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-09-22
ON THE KNOXVILLE ROAD.
The Celebrated Personal Explanation Be-
tween Gen. Jackson and Col Sewer.

&hc tVaCutut'W ttinuuui fAliuIutiUn De-
tween Gen. jackson and Col. SEWER.
No two historians D gree on the locality
where the personal explanations be-
tween Gen. Jackson and Col. Sewer
occurred, but as my grandfather was
with Gen. jackson, and he has often
shown me one OF the flint locked pistols
used on that occasion, am in posi-
tion to assert that Il was just five miles
out on the Knoxville road.
To have ridden along the Knoxville
road between Sand 8 O'Clock In the
morning in the middle of May, when
the Cherokee roses and sweetbriars
blend their scent in the air with that
from the blossoms Of the wild grape,
Is to have fragrant memory that will
last forever. Perhaps there are bluer
skies than those hich overlook the
Knoxville road in May; perhaps there
are times in the Val d'Ar.o or In
Tempe when the sunlight sitting
through the foliage falls on greener
grass and turns 1t more nearly to the
primrose gold which Ruskin loved to
see on grass at morning. Perhaps
these things may be. but I do not
know, and neither did my grandfather
and Gen. Jackson as they rode to
gether with loosened rein. 1t was the
General who was talking.
II am not religious man, as you
know, Col Upton, he was saying,
but you, sir, are n gentleman, man
of refinement and may speak on
such subjects without the danger of
being misunderstood. 1t is my mis-.
fortune to be rough soldier. and to
have lived all my life among scenes of
violence, but I assure you that on
such morning as this, in the presence
OF so much beauty, it is impossible for
me not to feel the deepest revere ence
for its creator. am filled-ah!'
My grandfather lnew that under the
Generals impetuous and fiery temper
there was deep vein of religious feel.
ing, peculiar in its manifestations, no
doubt, when manifested at all, and
generally carefully concealed; for,
like most sensitive men, Gen. Jackson
took pains to conceal what was finest
and highest in him from those he
thought likely to misunderstood him.
He was as genuine in his emotion
under the effects of the Tennessee
May morning, however, as he was
when on his deathbed he asked God to
forgive all his enemies-except those
who had slandered Mrs. Jackson. Un-
doubtedly he was deeply religious
man In his way, though he allowed it
to be known only by the few who
knew him intimately. Being one of
these, my grandfather was not so
much surprised at the unusual nature
OF the GRAFTON he had begun as at the
sudden interruption. Looking to see
what had caused it, he saw that Gen.
jackson had pulled up his horse sud.
denly, half wheeling to the right and
turning in the saddle to face horse.
man who had come into view around
the bend in the road not more than fifty
yards away. No one who knew Jack.
son had to look second time to under.
stand that something was about to
happen. He sat absolutely rigid in the
saddle, holding the reins with grip
which long custom in feeling. the bit
under his hand had taught his horse
to understand. 1t had spread out its
forefeet and backed its ears in the DO.
sition of strained nervous concentra.
ton a we'll bred horse learns to assume
when 1t knows the least movement
may disturb Its owners aim and cause
him to waste his fire when every thing
depends on the result of the shot. The
completeness of the sympathy between
we'll bred horse and Its rider is as.
tonishing. Every motion of the wrist
travels down the reins and is inter.
preted through the bit to brain 30
highly organized that the more study
it's operations the more fully am con.
vinced that Swift made no mistake In
his estimate of the relative moral and
intellectual standing OF the horse and
the yahoo.
II the Generals roam understood the
situation at once my grandfather had
no difficulty in guessing it, for Jack
sons lips we're pulled down at the
corners and his forehead showed the
furrow beta cen the eyes which never
appeared there except In crisis, when
he was suddenly called on TO concen.
trate his facilities on the all Important
point of not wasting shot.
The rider who had caused this sud
den break in what promised to be
most edifying conversation came on at
good round gait, not hesitsting in the
least when he saw that both General
jackson and my grandfather had
stopped with the evident intention OF
passing the compliments of the season
with him. He was a tall man, smooth
shaven, as all who pretended to gen.
tility were in those days. He wore a
blue uniform coat faced with white in
the French style, but without the
heavy epulettes which belonged to It.
The cooked hat, which dated back to
the revolutionary period, and was then
going out Of fashion even among sol.
diers OF the border, showed that he was
one of the elder generation, and the
light French walking rapier which
swung at bis side was in further evi.
dence OF the fact. His hostlers had