Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-04-18
STONEWALL JACKSON.

DR.. Hunter Mcclure. of Richmond,
last night, under the auspices of Lee
Camp, delivered lecture at the Opera
House on Stonewall Jackson. the hall
was crowded and the doctor held his
audience in rapt attention from the be-
ginning TO the end of his very interest
ing lecture. DR.. Mcclure was medical
director OF Jackson's corps during the
war and consequently held close and
confidential relations with the great
chieftain-"Lee's right ARM" The
doctor told in simple language, but in o
most interesting and impressive man.
ner, of the valiant, daring and heroic
deeds of Jackson, of his stern, but quiet
| demeanor us a professor and in camp,
and of his indomitable will, courage
and daring on the field OF battle, and
closed with beautiful tribute to the
memcry of Jackson and Lee whose re-
mains lie side by side at Lexington.
| During his remarks the doctor told of
the estimate put upon Jackson by
the military men of Europe and
said he was classed as one
of the five great generals that the En-
| glish speaking nations have produced
in the last two hundred years, Mari
borough, Wellington, Washington and
| Lee being named as the other four
In speaking of the men produced by
! the two sections of this country, the
! North and South, DIR. Mcclure said
/ The two sections of this country are
not altogether dissimilar in blood and
autecedents; it is therefore strange that
I the northern section has so far pro.
produced no great soldier. 1t has
( given birth to many gallant and meri-
| torious men, but not one who by the
/ worlds estimate today is accounted a
great commander; not one whom the
iual verdict OF mankind will allow to
rank with Washington, Lee or Jackson,
Not one was forthcoming in the revO-
| luton of '76, or the war of 1872, or in
| 1913, or in the sectional war OF '6l-'65.
| need not speak of the war with Spain,
! fresh in our memories. | do not think
! that even northern history will claim
| that one great soldier from that section
| was then in evidence.
Press and pulpit and people have
a combined in the effort to make Grant q
{ great soldier. In truth, ne was brave,
! honest and maguanimous; but general
who in short campaign-from the
| Wilderness to Cold Harbor-lost more
men than his antagonist had, and who,
with anything like equal resources,
| would have been annihlated by Lee,
! will never be accepted By history as
great Sherman and Sheridan have
been regarded by some OF their adher-
ents as great soldiers. The former gave
up his claim to this title-if indeed he
ever possessed it-when he said that on
mis- march through Georgia he had so
devastated the country with fire and
sword that no army could follow him
and live; and the latter signed his own
nrotest against his right to the title
| when he left the Valley OF Virginia and
its helpless people so poor that crow
would have to carry lis rations II 1t
flew across tho land" Both OF these
men were incendiaries, and Iuch char.
acters never have been and never will
be accepted as great in the estlma-
tion of the world.
Present company excepted, as al
ways, and aG the same time admitting
and claiming the greater fighting eff
| ciencv of the individuals OF the Con-
federate army, l do not know that any
more gallant private soldiers ever lived
than the men furnished by the States OF
the North III tins first years Of the war.
ReDeatedly defeated and driven from
| the field by the Confederates; losing in
their flight flags and guns and nearly
| all they possessed, they never entirely
lost their courage. In q few weeks,
when the next battle was joined, they
would come forward with renewed
courage, with as mnch assurance of vic
| tory rs If thev had never been beaten
Directed by incompetent generals saw
them at Fredericksburg lose hundreds
and thousands of their men in as brave
and gallant and hopeless an assault
against our works as was ever witness
ed: vet these same men IN q few months
met us at charlottesville with cour-
age unsubdued, with an assurance OF
success that seemed almost imprudent.
They knew, too, that their leaders
we're incompetent men. Riding one
dav with Jackson TO visit the pickets
on the Rappahannock at time Wnen
there was an agreement between them
and the federals not to fire upon one
. another Gndeed they were friendly
! enough for daily exchanges of newspa'
pers. coffee, tobacco etc., the Confede-
rate p;ckets cheered Jackson when he
left them. and after we had ridden a
short distance one of the Yankees came
10 the bank Of the river and said:
"What are you all yelling about, john
MES ?n and when told they were hur-
raining for Stonewall Jackson, the Yam
kee cried out to his fellow soldiers,
"Threc cheers for Stonewall Jackson, "
and thew gave them with a will.
| After the Federals surrendered at
| Harper's Ferry [ went with General
Jackson from Bolivar Heights down
| through the main street OF the town
very near!v to the river. We had no
escort, but when the Yankee privates
found out in some way that Jackson
! was passing by they evinced the most
intense curiosity to see him and thickly
crowded along the roadside. Some OF
thor: touched their hats as he passed,
| and one of fler: cried out IF we had
on our side one man Ike yCu we would
soon clean out the rebellion
They knew they had no generals
comparable to ours. But why is it that
| the north mas failed to produce great
soldier? / think that blood and occu'
| environment had something