Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1917-04-26

His narrative is largely record of
personal experiences. He was in
the engineer corps, where his unusual
abilities won for him the praise of
Gen. Robert E. Lee and of other Off
GERS high in command in the Confed-
crate armies. He dug the pit and
arranged the chambers and bomb
proofs of the largest gun ever
mounted on the Confederate lines. Mr..
Wise is also the author of The His
tory of the Seventeenth Virginia In
fantry."
During fifty years the printed mat
ter on the Civil War has reached a
formidable total.
Most students of our Civil War, at
least here in the North, have derived
their conceptions of the great con-
fIict from too partial sources. The
schoolboois of the generation whose
fathers fought in the war did but
scant justice to the soldiers of the
South. We can recall the general
conception conceived from the dog
cared. veracious chronicles of the
classroom. 1t was that Of an almost
unbroken series of triumphs for the
cause of the Union. 1t was history
of that brand which is now released
bv a war-censor in Berlin or London.
1t placdly ignored the epic OF a
people. Nearly half century had
to pass before history was to DO JUS
lice to the armies of the Confcderacy.
And perhaps it was necessary to wait
that long before the rancors engen-
dernd by the fratricidal contest had
subsidized At all events, IS Mr.. Wise's
book seems to remind us, history has
at last done full need of justice to
the valor of the soldiers of "The Lost
Cause"
AS might hn expected the figure Of
Lee looms large in the picture of the
soldier-historian The portrait here
drawn of the Confederate leader is
most impressive. He was known in
timately to the author, who served
Immediately under him. "Stonewal"
Jackson is also an outstanding figure
in the narrative. The actual incident
that gave rise to his picturesque title
is told in the following extract from
the books description Of the Battle
Of Bull Run:
"Iillsides, valleys, roads, all held
piles of dead and wounded, yet still
the contest ragged At length came
the brigades of Cooke and Jackson,
and renewal of strength they proved
to our brave fellows still bearing the
heat of the day. General Lees troops
were being forced back as Jackson's
men advanced to their support, Lee,
moving toward Jackson, pointed to
his shattered column, budding to-
gether in the woods and exclaimed:
General, they arc beating us
back
:" Sir responded Jackson, we will
give them the bayonct.'
General Lee, quickly rejoining his
troops, rallied them with these words:
There is Jackson standing like a
stone wall. Let us determine to die
here and we will conqu2ror.
"Thus originated the famous APP
pc!lation Ct 'Stcncwall' Jackson, a
name that will live througn all ages
as the synonym of dauntiCs3 courage
and Christian manhood.
"Thc tide of defeat had now been
stayed, but at scrroWful expenditure
Of precious blood and valuable lives.
Later in the afternoon, Kirby Smiths
brigade arrived. and, making a vi@or~
Gus attack on the Federal flank, doub-
led it up, producing dismay end con.
fusion among thc cT@mE's platoons
This undrcar1cd-of reverse, when VIC
tory was =acminGly almost within
their grasp. caused the men all along
the Federal line to give way, and
then there arose such stentorian
vel of triumph from Confederate
throats that thc retreat became
panic. ard ;hc Grand Army, which
had for tnc greater part of day
fought so .skillfully, became disor-
gained raEb!c. Officers, p1lvates,
animals, camp-followers, among
whom were United States Senators,
with civilian friends of note, We'd
with one another in the race to be
the first to reach Washington"
SEE PEACE SIGN.