Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1906-05-24
STONEwALL JACKSON
THE SOUTHERN HERO
The War Genious OF American Hts.
tory.
col EDcAR's LECTURE TONIGHT

Before representative, deeply in
terested audience. which he held In
the closest attention, Col. Edgar NJ.
Edgar delivered his superb lecture
on Stonewall Jackson in the Town
Hall here last Friday evening. BY
unanimous verdict Il was pronoun-
ced excellent from every viewpoint.
The lecture was no, simply a panegy-
ric on a great soldier but discrimi-
mating. military criticism OF Jack
sons wonderful campaigns, showing
his incompatible genius for war and
his skill as strategist.
The Colonel first spoke of Jack,
/ son as teacher or Natural Science
ut the V. NJ. /. in the fifties, where
ne, as u cadet at that school, was
brought into personal contact with
him. lie could not rank Jack son
very high as a teacher; thought that
/ he lacked skill in illustration and
the clear elucidation OF subject,
tho no teacher was ever more faith
ful or conscientious in the discharge
OF his duty to his classes.
Sketching briefly Jackson's service
at the beginning OF the war ia or.
ganizing the army at Harper's Ferry,
the Colonel came TO the 6rst battie
OF Manassas, of which he gave
thrilling and intensely intevestius de-
scription, with the part played BY
Jackson as the main object "a view.
Here was his opportunity and thr
quiet professor and Sunday school
teacher was revealed To- the w Id IN
new light. His courage aaI aAi,I
in handling his brigade at Manassas
saved the day TO the Confsdsra tes
and made Jackson a Major General.
But though Jackson had won iame
at Manassas, the Colonel took the
celebrated Valley campaign OF 1A62,
la which the General acted indepcn-
IDENTITY and upon his own judgment,
as the basis of his estimate OF jack
sons genius for war and his lbllity
as strategist. or this campaign,
now studied as a model In the ml!ta-
ry schools OF Germany and France,
Col. Edgar gave full and thrilling
analysis Showing the position of
two federal armies up the Valley
with another west OF Strasbnrg.
Jackson's perilous position at Wiz.
chester, how he extricated himself
with 5000 prisoners and an immense
wagon train captured from General
Banks marched up the Valley and.
confusing the enemy by the skill and
rapidity OF his movements, kept two
armies separated while he defeated
each in detail and slipped on to Rich
mond and fell like a thunderbolt on
McClellan's right. This campaign
the Colonel declared, showed Jack
son as military star OF the first
magnitude, and gives him high rank
among the great soldiers of ancient
and modern times
The Colonel concluded with an ac-
count OF Jackson's bold movement
under Lees OroeTs % Hooker :
rear at Chancellorsvill =. and OK
pressed the opinion tha, but for his
untimely death Hooker's army would
have been annihilated instead of bad
ly defeated. lie considered Jackson
the most consummate genius the war
produced
From literary and rhetorical
standpoint the lecture was OF high
order and. as a discriminating esu-
mate of Jackson as a strategist, Is
a valuable contribution to the crit.
cal Views emInating from officers
who themselves won great distinc-
tion in the war between the States
Creenbrier Independent. Uewlsburg,
w. Va.) May 10. 1906.
Col Edgar will lecture IN the Ban.
list Church tonight at O'Clock
Tickets are on sale At Whites Phar-
macy and Wilson's Drug Store. Ad.
mission only so cents Come out
and hear this distinguished lecturer