The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1913-03-01
CHAPTER v.
Grand Old Jack,

T~HE stunning successes Of Jack.
sou ut Front Royal and subse
d q,ently at Cross Keys and
Port Republic. ON the Shenan
doah. We're achieved by startling
series of maneuvprs. little understood
by the world ut the time save that in,
general way they meant that he
held one commander at arms length
while he hammered the other
Il have seen grand Old Jack rat
tied. for once" Captain Ellingham
wrote his sister from Front Royal.
I'VE We're opposite Port Republic and
the general. with Il part of his staff.
had crossed over the bridge into the
town when the enemy appeared in
force. with the evident design of ut
lacking the town, destroying the bridge
over the Shenandoah and thus cutting
off our army and getting in our rear
jackson sent Sun,e hurried orders to
Taliaferro and Winder for the de-
Tense of the bridge, but before these
could he executed the advance Federal
batteries had opened fire and their
cavalry. crossing the South riyer had
swept into the town and taken posi-
ton at the southern entrance to the
bridge r&
"Iou see, the general bad not re
crossed the river and so he was com.
pleieiy en- off. and we didn't know ii.
Thry-do shy he met the emergency
with 1tt,r- ..sost E. aii daciauSs display, l0t
nerve ami presence of mind that you
ever heard 1T actually rode toward the
bridge and. rising in his stirrnps. called
out 10 The Federal officer conmnndin.
that gun there. sir: Bring it over here.
1t footed them long enough to enable
Jackson to put spurs to his horse and
dash on to HE bridge AT full gnlop
'"rhree h;iSty shots followed him. but
they flew harmlessiy over his head. and
he reached our quarters on the north
ern bank in safety. And was he rat
tied? Well ut the moment Of the scare
saw young Bob Lee youngest son of
General Lee. you know. who is only tit
teen and left the university To join the
''StonpwalI'' brigade us a private going
down to the bank of the stream to
fetch M some water. He had the big
camp trtlle slung over his shoulder
and / suppose the general in his eX
element thought II was u drum. for
rs he flew past he shouted out to Bob:
Hi there. drummer. beat the long
rolf
''rhat WIS a close shave. dear Sis
But | lrt.r,r and so do we all that
our 'Stonewal!' Jackson lives a charm
ed life while he has this job Of clearing
the valley TO perform. and nothing can
stop him DO you know what the Yanks
call him: The ubiquitous Presbyter.
IAN II seems like a wild dream. as ]
look back upon what has happened
since you and parted ut Richmond.
Our great commander whom we We're
rather inclined to poke fun mt in the be,
ginnin: and whose recklessness many
disir,lsted II long while after that, has
bOwlcti over the Federal commanders
as rnst as they could be hurled against
him Ranks. Fremont. Shields, Milroy
with snlMrdinates like Blenker. Sigel
Eteinwphr and other able soldiers de-
feated and the whole upper valley re-
gained
why, think of it-in three months
hc-may | say we?-have marched.
suppose. GOO miles. fought four pitched
battles and seven minor engagements
70 say nothing Of the regular daily
skirmishes. And we have defeated
four armies captured seven pieces Of
artillery. 10000 stand OF arms, 400
prisoners and any amount Of stores
besides fabulous sums Gas hear, o
cash money.
what our adversaries' losses i
killed and wounded foot up don
know, but they could not have bee
small. Ours we're less comparatively
but. oh. Gertrude, we have lost on
Ashby. He fell in moment of TT
umph. and his last words were. vi
ginians. charger am sure his nan
will always be remembered and hol
ored by the people Of Virginia.
HE was not Presbyterian. like U
Jack, but he was devout and childlii
in his religious faith and regular
tendant ut the services of the Episcop
church, which was the church of b
ancestors. He may have kept himse
bit aloof from the vulgar camp ~
or moments Of Abandonment, thoui
no man was more frank and gay on Il
march or In blvonac.
Ills It worth these sacrifices? &c
trude. in spite Of all our successes