Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-01-24
DR.. MCGUIRE AND STONEWALL
JACKSON

Corps, delivered an interesting ac-
dress Saturday night at the Confederate
Camp dinner, in New York.
DR.. Mcclure told many incidents of
General Jackson on the battlefield, the
most interesting and dramatic of which
Here the following:
CAT Malvern Hill, when portion Of
our army was beaten and to some eX-
tent demoraIized, Hill and Ewell an6
Early came to tell him that they could
make no resistanceiif Mcclellan attack
ed them in the morning. 1t was diff
:ult TO wake General Jackson, as he
wss exhausted and very sound asleep
tried it myself, and after many eff,rts
,artly succeeded When he was made
o understand what was wanted. he
.ajc: Mcclellan and his army will be
,.ooe by daylight and went to sleep
,gsin. The generals thought him mad
yut the prediction was true.
"At Fredericksburg, after Burnside's
'epulse, he asked ma how many ban.
lages l had. I told him, and asked
shy he wanted to know. He said that
no wanted to bave piece of white
10th TO tie on each mans arm, so that
MS soldiers might It cognize each other
u u night attack; and ne asked to be
lowed to make such an attack
nd drive his foes into the
gollen river or capture him. Subse-
auent events demonstrated that be
inew the state of things within the
,ostile lines. and would have accom-.
Ilished his purpose. General Lee with
lid his consent, for the reason that so
.iten restrained him in like cases-he
.ould not put at so great risk an army
mich the South could not replace.
Il cannot give you ary instances or
Illustrations OF the mental action by
shich he reached bis conclusions or
.:svised the combinations which defeat,
III his enemy; for Jackson took no
counsel save with his familiar the
Genius of War, aud bis God. He did
lold one, and only one, council of war.
In March, 1862, at Winchester, Jackson
asd in his small army less than 5000
men. General Banks, who was ad
yancing upon Winchester from Harper's
Ferry and Churlestown, had 10000
soldiers. General Jackson repeatedly
offered General Banks battle, but the
after declined, and on the right of the
LIB of March went into camp four
niles from Winchester. General Jack
son sent for his officers and proposed to
nake night attack, but the plan wss
aot approved by the council, He sent
for the officers d second time some
hours later, and again urged them to
agree to make the night assault, but
they again disapptoved of the attempt.
So, late in the afternoon, we Withdrew
from Winchester and marched to New.
ton. rode with the General as we
left the place, and ss We reached high
point overlooking the town we both
turned to look at Winchester, just
evacuated and now left to the mercy
cf the Federal soldiers. think
that man may sometimes yield to
overwhelming emotion, and that | was
utterly overcome by the fact that | was
leaving all that l had dear on earth.
But my emotion was arrested by one
look at Jackson. His face was fairly
I'll ,ziug with the fire that was burning
in him, and l felt awed before him.
Presently be cried out with a manner
that was almost savage, That is the
lsst council of war l will ever hold
And it was-his first and last. There
after he held council in the secret
chamber of his own heart, and acted.
Instantaneous decision, absolute SELF
reliance, every action, every word dis
played. His voice displayed it in bat
tie. 1t was not the peal of the trumpet,
but the sharp crack of the rlhe-sud-
den, imperative, resolute.
jackson always expected to hold his
lines, but was always most dangerously
arg essive. | heard him once say We
sometiu es fail to drive the enemy from
his position. He always fails to drive
Il - But he was never content with
Inc defensive, however successful or
however exhausting. In the terribly
destructive battle of Sharpsburg ne was
looking all of that day for the chance
to make the counter stroke.
"He was always calm and selt-con-
trolled, He never lost his balance for
one moment. At the first Manassas,
when he reached the field and found
our men under Bee and Barlow falling
back-when the confusion was greatest
and Bee, in despair, cried out They
are driving US back ? there was not the
slightest emotion apparent about a hlni. n.
His thin lips were compressed and ms !
ewes were ablsze when be curtly saio :;
"Tben, sir, we will give them the pay
onet" ..
Chantilly, fought during heavy thun-
der storm, when the voice OF the arsi.-
ler, of heaven could scarcely be as
tinguished from that of the enemy, an
aide came up with message from a.
P Hill that his ammunition was wet,
and that be asked leave to retire: Give
nv compliments to General Hill. ana
tell him that the Yankee ammunition
is as wet as his; to stay where ne Is.
There was always danger and olooa
when he began his terse sentences WITH
Give my compliments .,a
.sJackson knew the value OF the