Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-02-22
GoG. Jackson's last Dispatch.

"'9 A'" 'Ste "toh euc NlcICuHlllC
Trust Company of Baltimore, for
safe.koeping, tho last dispatch writ
ten by Stonewall Jackson. The dis
patch was directed to Gen. Lee and
was written at 3 o'clock on the after
noon Of May 2, 1868. Gen. Jackson
was killed about o'clock tho same
day. The dispatch was intrusted to
Mr.. Morrison for delivery, but never
reached its destination, as tho bearer
was wounded in his efforts to get
through the lines and was unable to
proceed or to turn the dispath over
to another courier. Mr.. Morrison
has since kept the paper, which he
prizes highly as being, perhaps, the
last action of the famous Confederate
general. The dispatch reads as fol-
lows
Near Six Miles West,
Charlottesville, 3 p. M, May 2, '63.
General 4:
The enemy has made stand at
Chancellors, which is about 2 miles
from Charlottesville. 1 hope,
so soon as practicable, to attack. |
trust that an ever kind Providence
will bless us with success.
Respectfully,
II. J. JACKSON,
Lieut.. General.
10 Gen. Robert E. lee:
=. S.--Thc leading division is up,
and the next two appear to be well
closed. T.JJ.
Capt. Charles Petty, of the Caro-
lima Spartan, adds to the foregoing
an interesting "reminiscences of the
last verbal order given by Gen. Jack
son, and which was given to Nc
Gowan's brigade of South Carolin-
ians:
The last verbal order Gen. Jack
son gave to any command was about
four hours after the above was writ
ten. When the extreme right of the
Federal line had been surprised and
doubled up and routed in the great
est confusion, they hurried back TO
Charlottesville, where he main
body of troops were massl.. About
7 O'Clock, or just short time before
dark, IIilPs Light Division, Nc
Gowan's Brigade in front, reached
the woods near the Chancellor house.
1t was then getting so dark that the
bursting shells, which were coming
rapidly, Illuminated the field and
woods. The 18th Regiment was
marching in front, led by Col. Ed
wards. The regiment was marching
left in front, which brought Company
&C." ID. r. Duncan, captain, in front,
with Col. Edwards riding close to
the company. Suddenly the colonel
was called to halt by some one In
q ihohiChV ~ WdS SCcll InaC ven.
Jackson had called the halt. Some
of his staff were with him. lie said,
"Whose command is this ?" When
informed that it was McGowan's
Brigade, he asked where the general
was. lie was informed that he was
behind with the brigade. Gen.
Jackson then asked Col. Edwards to
give an order to Gen. McGowan to
file to the right and form lin, in the
woods. Then he ordered Col. Ed
wards to begin the movement at
once and not wait for Gen. Nc
Gowan. The regiment filed into the
pine woods on the right. About
the time they did this Gen. Jackson
with his staff rode to the front,
either going down the road or into
the woods on the right. I'm a few
minutes after he left there was
brisk picket firing in front, and not
far from the line that McGowan's
Brigade was forming. A night at
tack was contemplated and they
were ready and anxious for it. For
several hours orders were expected
to move forward, but they never
came. Our great leader was stricken
down few minutes after he gave
his last order on the field. Early
next day Col. Edwards, to whom the
last order was given, received his
death wound. The four surviving
officers OF Company &C" were pres
ent and saw Gen. Jackson and heard
his order. Several Of the surviving
privates of the company remember
the incident. The officers of the
company are ID. II. Duncan, captain
j. w. Carlisle, y. S. Douglas and
Chas. tty, leutcnants.
ScYNfa11 u tn