The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-08
sTONEwALL JACKSON NO POET.
Another Confederate General of
Same Name Confused with Him.

Another Confederate General OF
Same Name Confused with Him.
From the Nov Orleans Picsyune.
Stonewall Jackson as a poet Is the sub
ject Of an editorial article in the Rich
mond (Va.) Times-Dispatch. This singu-
lar supposition or proposition was sug-
gested TO the learned and distinguished
Richmond editor by a poem entitled ITO
Ny Departed Father" which had been
brought to his notice with the statement
that It's author was that wonderful i'm
PRESERVATION of Mars. Stonewall Jackson.
The editor. after quoting several stanzas
from the poem in question with approval,
reasons that although Jackson Is known
TO have written at least one poem," he
could scarcely have composed the one
quoted, because having been left an
orphan ct an early age. he could have
retained no such sentimental and pathetic
recollections Of hts parent
It IS much to be doubted IL the great
Southern soldier was capable of giving
expression to any tender and pathetic
thought. He was an iron man, with lit
tie gentIeness In his nature, but capable
Of being wrought up to a most intense
pitch of feeling, but holding himself
under such self-restraint that the raging
volcano within gave forth very little EVIL
dence of its activity. Poet he was in the
sense that in battle he was the person.-
fication Of ali that was fierce, dramatic,
and terrible in action. but he gave ex-
preston only in deeds and never in
studied and artistic phrases.
But however that may be, there Is no
mystery about the authorship Of the
poem mentioned. 1t is by Gen. Henry
Rootes Jackson. OF Georgia. born in that
State I'm 1890 educated at the university
OF Georgia. at Princeton. n. J., and at
Yale. He engaged in the practice of the
law, but on the breaking out of the war
with Mexico raised a company for that
service and became It's captain and sub
sequently colonel of the regiment to
which Is was attached. He held several
important public posts, among which was
that of United States minister to Austria
az Vienna On the breaking out of the
war Of secession he served with Georgia
troops and finally under Hood In his ad-
vance upon Nashville. when ne command
ed a brigade. In the battle OF Nashville
he was taken prisoner and held TO the
close OF the war. The general was
quite poet, and IN le9U ne DQDEiSne0
q volume entitled "Tallulah and Other
Poems" In that collection are the lines
to his father. mentioned above. But the
poem by him best known and oftenest
quoted is MY Wife and Child II has
also been !gnorantly attributed to Stone
wall Jackson. Here are two stanzas from
it:
TIE tatto BEATS; the lights are gone;
The camp around in slumber lies;
The night with solemn pace moves on;
The shadows thicseu Ger the skies;
But sleep H. weary eyes hath hown,
And sad. uneasy thoughts arse
think Of thee Oh. dearest onel
Whose loFe ny early life hath hlest;
OF thee and hin-our baby son
Who slumbers on thy gentle breast:
G5d Of the tender, fFai and lone
Oh guard that little sleepeF's ressi
Jurist. statesman. soldier. and diplo-
matist, Gen. Henry r. Jackson died al
Savannah in 1888. In his later life he
thought but little If his lines, but some
Of them are not without merit, and they
are quoted in newspapers after their
author is dead and forgotten. As for
Stonewall Jackson, who appears 70 have
been capable OF expressing tender senti-
ments in musical numbers, he needs moth
ing OF that sort TO make him remembered
His deeds in war speak for him and
testify that he was one of the greatest
soldiers who ever lived.