The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-01-31

SON and His Characserfsslcs-Trbuse
20 Lee-lncidenss and Personal Expe.

DE-. Great Lecture on lack.
SON and HIs Characaerfstlcs-Trbuse
60 Lee-lncidenss and Personal Expe.
riences
Charlotte Observer. lsth.)
The hall of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association was well filed last
night to hear DR.. Hunter McGuire's
lecture IN Stonewail Jackson. The old
soldiers and their families occupied the
middle tier Of seats. On the stage ware
Captain Jno. r. Erwin, Major J. CT.
Harris, commander of the Mecklenbure
Veterans camp: DR.. Cobb, Of Colds
boro. and Messrs. L. Leon and A. N.
Turnbull. Many visitors and veterans
from a distance were In the audience.
DR.. Mcclure was introduced by Cap
tain John r. Erwin. who congratulated
the audience and especially the veter-
ans, on the fact that 1t was their pleas
petent to speak Of the immortal Jack
on.
Dr.. Mcclure said:
1T is an inspiration to me to stand
before an audience in that state whose
Cape Fear sons offered the first armed
resistance to the stamp act; TO speak
10 an audience in a state which offer
ed the first armed resistance to Brit
ish oppression in the shape of unjust
taxation, to speak in a state where
the first battle of the Revolution was
fought, and particularly to speak to
an audience in the town where the
first declaration of independence was
declared.
Il am a VNginian and an American.
but for a short time tonight I desire
70 be only an old confederate" Con-
tinuing, the speaker referred in words
of praise to the part North Carolina
bore in the civil war and said that the
record of this state was unsurpassed
by and other nation in any other war
in all history. He said that the conduct
Of North Carolina was an inspiration
10 patriots everywhere.
Il love to speak to those who are in
terestted in preserving the memories of
the past, the brave men who took part
in the cause now lost. These men
fought not in vain, they died not in
vain. Their record is u dearest hertz
age l shall V cherish the fact that
Stonewall Jackson treated me as his
friend; that I knew him-that silent
man who was known to most men only
on the field of battle.
Jackson was a king who was as
worthy of having royal honors paid
him as any who W sat on a throne.
ne was ST6dI, the unbiased ITIUundI OIL
the world has rendered the verdict.
Some time ago 1 had the pleasure of
hearing a distinguished English mill
tary authority say that the world a
produced only five military geniuses of
the first order: Marlborough, Washing
ton, wellington, Lee, and Jackson.
Some time G / heard another distin-
guished Englishman say that Jackson's
valley campaign was superior to those
made by Napoleon in Italy. Another
distinguished British soldier thought
Jackson was inspired. Such opinions
of Jackson / have heard with elation,
and 1 tell you of them hat you may
know them and that your children may
fearn them.
Lord Wolsey says that a great COM
mander must lave the power to divine
the purposes of the enemy, the acumen
to devise strategy to defeat those pur-
poses, the force to carry out his plans,
the cool judgment that is mistaken by
and the personal magnet
ism and courage that inspires men on
the battlefield. Jackson had all these
qualities. and it will be my purpose to
show you he displayed them.
''It was at the first battle of Manas-
sas while 1 was dressing his wounded
hand that Mr.. Davis rode on the field
and called to the men, sitting in his
stirrups and telling them who he was,
to follow him and charge the enemy.
Jackson did not hear the command and
when I told him what Mr.. Davis had
said, he turned to the president and
said: We have whipped them; they
are running away! Give me $1,000 men
and I'll take Washington tomorrow
And who is it that now doubts that he
would have lone it?
by the aid of Ashley, and Stuart,
Jackson was always able to know
y-hnro tho npo uvoc hic onn6ifinp
and his numbers. I asked him on the
day of the battle of Cedar Run whether
he thought there would be a battle
hat day. Jackson replied: Banks is
in front of us and he is generally WILL
ling to fight and then turning about
he said as if to himself: And usually
gets whipped
THAT Jackson had the genius to de-
wise means to discomfort his foe, is
proved by the act that in his valley
campaign he had only 1900 men with
which to keep at bay an army of more
than 100, 900, and that he often with so
small a force soundly thrashed his op-
ponent.
jackson took counsel with himself
and with his God. He never held but
one council of war; that was at Win
chester, and resulted in h evacuation
of the place. He said of it, his face
lighting up and in tones almost saw
age: That is the last council Of war 1
will I'VE hold
Jackson never lost his presence Of
mind; he was always cool and seIf-pos-
sessed. 1t was at Chantilly, in the
midst of a terrific thunder storm that
he received word from A. P. Hill that
his ammunition was wet and therefore
asked to retire. To the courier jack
son said: Give A: P. Hill my compli-
ments and tell him that the Yankees
powder is just as wet as his
1T was Jackson's policy never to be
content with whipping the enemy; not
to be content with defending his own
position, but to take the offensive. He
made up by consummate daring and
skill what ne lacked in numbers. But
he was always careful of the lives of
his soldiers. and in the care which he
took of his men far the superior of
Napoleon in his celebrated Italian cam
paigns.
And did he have the personal cour-.
age and the magnetism to arouse and
inspire his soIdiers? What great gen.
eraI eyer had the confidence of his men