The Portland daily press., 1897-02-26
TOLD OF JACKSON AND LEE,
The Flapjacks of Lees Darky Cook
Saved the Union.

Thin as Wafer and Big as a Cartwheel
They Were Fit for Gods-Lee Made
Himself Sick on Them and Gettysburg
Was Lost-A National Flapjack
Wanted.
From the New Orleans Times-Demo-
crat.)
Strange, is 1t not, that jackson, like
Sherman should have been considered
''crazy" the first year of the WARP In
deed before the war so eccentric was he
that be was called Cray Jack" at the
Virginia Military Institute. Nobody
seemed to understand him. But so it
has ever been and ever will be. When we
ordinary mortals can't comprehend a
genius we get even with him by calling
him crazy.
Ilemember we'll how uneasy some of
the Confederate Generals were when
placed under Jackson's command in
early 1862. Elwell didn't like it, and
Dick Taylor didn't like it. They were
afraid jackson would lead them into
some awful scrape or other. And when
LWclls WleA AIS dltlolOuy w db lyluH iOhA
Gordonsville in late April, 1862 but sub.
Ject to Jacksons orders. Ewell and
Taylor were very 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
stance, he was sent to Richmond by
Ewell to see Mr.. 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 "oome a-running' out of 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
he was making his strategic detour back
southwest over the Blue Ridge toward
Charlottesville; thence west by rail past
Staunton to Buffalo Gap, and thence
| northwest by long marches to Mcdowell.
| where he struck Milroy. But there we
were for a few days at Swift Run Gap,
| without hearing thing OF jackson
Gen. Ewell may have known where he
| was, but doubt 1t.
| Meanwhile, Taylor returned from Rich
mond to the old camp, near Gordonsville,
| to find that Ewell had gone to jackson
| in the valley. Taylor.was thuuderstruck.
| One of his commands happened to be q
| little way out from camp on the road
toward Gordonsyille. when Taylor came
rafting down the mountain side in his
ambulance. He asked me what it mea mt
1 ~ D. I~o;,r tr thnM Law
| told him5I 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 division southwest, no one seemed
| tosknow where, and that Gen. Ewell
occupied 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. Gen. Long
street is coming up here to- take com-
| mand."
| 1t was too late, however, to change
commanders. jackson was then lighting
Milroy far to the west. of us. He probably
never knew how near be came to missing
his great. fame ;nsthe valley, and that in
that campaign he not only defeated four
Federal commanders, but "outhanked"
two of his Gown best generals and the
"folks'' back at Richmond.
jackson disturbed his immediate cub
ordinates by never telling them his plans
nor consulting them. They had simply
to follow him blindly. He never ex-
planned any proposed campaign to sub
ordinate nor called council of war nor
asked advice. Soon after EweN joined
him in the valley, l remember riding
with ten Taylor and coming upon Gen.
Ewell. Taylor asked him what the
abstracted way EweIl replied: 81 don't
know. If Gen. Jackson were shot down
L wouldn't know a thing of his plans I"
ssWhat r' said Taylor, 4you second In
command .ahd don't, knowl If III were
second in command I would know !"
"You would, would your smiled Ewell
in his odd way, holding his head to one
side like sapsucker peeping around
tree. "No, you wouldn't know any
moro than 1 do now. You DON'T yet
know the man." But Ewell and Taylor
found til cir "orazy," retioent comman.
der to have more war sense than all OF
them put together. So they ever pinned
their faith to him, admired him, and
loved him.
l have said that Taylor was often sick
and suffering intense bodily pain; yet,
Uudu VI s~- ~ ~ AoD rAO-
sponsibility and danger, would soothe
his paine, make his head clearer, and his
disposition more amiable. Not SO with
some of our generals. as it was not with
Bonaparte. Our great Gen. L 90 was the
victim of an Indigestion, and 1t cost the
Suntb dear. 1t lost us the Ebattle of Get
tysburgi The battle of Gettysburg ia a
singular exception to Gen. Lees battles
1t wasn't "Gen. Lee" who fought it; it
shouldn't co unit against him. His usual
skill is wanting at Gettysburg. There
must be cause for 1t. He was siok,
and not in possession Of his usual
eouanimiry and fine mental powers
Those near him at the time tell us this;
and from some of them the story of how
it came about has leaked out.
Gen. Lee was very fond of old Virginia
MISREPRESENTATION cakes Of African in
vention. Thin as a wafer and big nearly
as a cart wheel; and when made Of new
fioursand served hot with fresh butter
and maple molassea and folded and folded
layers thick, they are a feast for the gods.
But Gen. Lee, the Ebest and tenderest of
men, as we'll as the greatest hadn't it
in hienheart to fare well-much as his
ample means would have allowed-when
his men were suffering for food; and if
one wanted poor dinner he had only to
aE hat