Every evening when the work of the day was over, she would run across to see the General, who would always have some little present for her. One evening, having no other gift for her, he ripped off the one band of gold braid from around his new cap, and placed it upon her sunny brow.
This lovely child lived only a few months thereafter. The very day on which General Jackson left Moss Neck in the spring, little Jane was seized with scarlet-fever and died after being ill only one day. General Jackson mourned greatly for his little friend. About the same time he heard of the illness of his own baby daughter, whom he had never seen.
He had never had a furlough since leaving Lexington, and in April, since he could not visit his dear ones, they came to him. He found a quiet home for his wife near by, and great was his pleasure in nursing and caressing his little daughter. He gave her his mother’s name—Julia.
General Jackson crowning Jane Corbin.
During the winter, at Moss Neck, the piety of General Jackson seemed ever to increase. His chief thought was to live for the glory of God. He often worshiped with his men in the log church which they had built in the forest, and toiled early and late for their welfare.
Cooke, the historian, tells us that one day, while talking with a member of his staff about the great battle which he knew would soon take place, he said: “My trust is in God.” A brief silence followed these words, and then, rising to his feet, he exclaimed, with flashing eyes, “I wish they would come.”
The spirit of battle was upon him, and he longed to go forward to the fray, which proved to be the last, but not least, of his wonderful exploits.
General Burnside had been removed from command of the Federal army after the battle of Fredericksburg, and General Hooker, “Fighting Joe,” as he was called, was put in his place. His army now numbered about one hundred and fifty thousand men.
General Lee’s army, to the number of forty-five thousand men, lay entrenched upon the southern banks of the Rappahannock river. General Longstreet’s corps was now absent in Suffolk county, so Lee had not one-third as many men as Hooker.
Hooker’s plan was to divide his army into two parts. The smaller part was to cross the river near Fredericksburg and engage the Confederates in battle, while the larger part would march up the northern bank of the Rappahannock river, and, crossing over, reach the flank of Lee’s army, which would thus have the foe in front and also in the rear. At the same time Hooker planned to send a large troop of cavalry to reach and destroy the railroads leading to Richmond, thus cutting General Lee off from the capital.
This was a bold plan, but one that was easily guessed by such soldiers as Lee, Jackson, and Stuart. The last named kept watch, and as soon as a movement was made, reported it to Lee. Lee at once fell back to Chancellorsville, but not until the main army under General Hooker himself had reached “The Wilderness” beyond Chancellorsville, and thrown up strong earthworks. The left wing of Hooker’s army, under General Sedgwick, crossed the river below Fredericksburg on the 29th of April, and was at once met by Jackson, who was ever watchful. Sedgwick, however, did not intend to fight, but merely to keep General Lee at Fredericksburg while Hooker was gaining the point on Lee’s flank. General Lee promptly guessed the plan, and ordered General Jackson to leave only one division in front of Sedgwick, to proceed at once in search of Hooker, and to attack and repulse him. This order reached Jackson about eight P. M., and by midnight his troops were on the march. Early the next day they reached the battle-field, where the troops of General Anderson were already engaged with the enemy.
Lee, Jackson, and Stuart at the battle of Fredericksburg.
Jackson halted his column, and sending four brigades to the support of Anderson, drew up the remainder of the corps in line of battle upon a ridge near by. The battle raged fiercely all day, and when night came, the Confederates had reached Hooker’s first line of entrenchments, in the midst of the dense forest.
Meanwhile General Lee had come up with the remainder of the army, and a sharp fight had taken place in front of Hooker’s right wing. Night put an end to the contest, when, weary and worn, both armies lay down to rest upon the battle-field.
When Lee and Jackson met that night they were joined by General Stuart, who told them that, though General Hooker had strongly fortified his position upon the east, south, and southwest, upon the north and west he had left it open. Jackson’s quick mind at once planned to attack Hooker in the rear, just as Hooker had planned to attack Lee.
To the northwest, there were no earthworks, and if Jackson could surprise the Federals he would be almost sure of victory. Stuart was there with his gallant horsemen to cover this movement, and the forests were so dense that Jackson was sure of leading his men silently to the rear of Hooker.
General Lee listened to his arguments, and finally gave consent for his great lieutenant to make the trial. He (General Lee) would remain with two divisions in front to engage Hooker, while Jackson would march around and strike him in the rear.
By the aid of his chaplain, Rev. Mr. Lacy, who knew that country well, General Jackson found a road which would lead him to the rear of Hooker’s army. By sunrise he was in the saddle at the head of his column. General Stuart was there to cover his line of march, and his troops, knowing at once that their General was making one of his famous flank movements, went forward at a rapid pace. We are told by Dr. McGuire, who was with Jackson, that on the march they were met by General Fitz. Lee, who told Jackson that he would show him the whole of Hooker’s army if he would go to the top of a hill near by. They went together, and Jackson carefully viewed through his glasses the Federal command. He was so wrapped up in his plans that on his return he forgot to salute or thank Fitz. Lee, but hurried on to the column, where he ordered one of his aides to go forward and tell General Rodes to cross the plank road and go straight on to the turnpike, and another aide to go to the rear of the column and see that it was kept closed up, and all along the line he kept saying, “Press on, press right on.” The fiercest energy seemed to possess him. When he arrived at the plank road he sent this, his last, message to Lee: “The enemy has made a stand at Chancellorsville. I hope as soon as practicable to attack. I trust that an ever kind Providence will bless us with success.” At three P. M., having marched fifteen miles, he had reached the old turnpike, and was exactly on the opposite side of the enemy to that held by General Lee.
He had left the Stonewall Brigade, under General Paxton, on the plank road, with orders to block the way to Germanna ford. He found the outposts held by Stuart’s vigilant troopers, who had guarded well his advance. As soon as possible he formed his army in three lines—the division of Rodes in front, that of Colston next, and A. P. Hill’s in the rear. Between five and six P. M. the word was given, and the lines marched forward into the forest.
The thickets were so dense that many of the soldiers had the clothes torn from their backs, but on they went, sometimes creeping to get through the thick undergrowth. After a march of two miles they came suddenly upon the right wing of Hooker’s army. The men were scattered about, cooking and eating their suppers, wholly unconscious of the approach of the dreaded Jackson. With a wild yell, the Confederates dashed forward and drove the enemy pell-mell through the forests for three miles. Jackson’s only order was “Press forward,” and onward rushed his devoted men after the terrified fugitives.
At eight o’clock the line of Rodes was within a mile of Chancellorsville, still in the forest, when General Jackson ordered the fresh troops of A. P. Hill to advance to the front to relieve those of Rodes, who were worn out with marching and fighting.
He knew that Hooker would send forward other troops, so he went to the front himself to get his men in order. As he rode along the line he would say, “Men, get into line! Get into line!” Turning to Colonel Cobb, he sent him to tell General Rodes to take possession of a barricade in front, and then rode away towards the turnpike.
But before the broken ranks of Rodes could gain the barricade Hooker sent forward a large body of fresh troops, and the battle was renewed all along the line.
It was now ten o’clock, and the pale moon sent her silvery rays down into the heart of the dismal Wilderness, whose echoes awoke to the sound of tramping feet, the rattle of musketry, and the groans of the dying. Through moonlight and shadow, with these sounds ringing in his ears, Jackson rode forward to his death.
After riding up the turnpike a short distance, he found the enemy advancing. Turning, he rode back rapidly towards his own line. The Southern men lying hid in the thickets, thinking that Jackson and his staff were a squad of Northern cavalry, opened a rapid fire upon them. So deadly was their aim that nearly every horse in the party was killed. Two officers were killed, others hurt, and General Jackson himself was wounded three times. His left arm was broken just below the shoulder joint, and was also wounded lower down. A third ball had entered the palm of his right hand and broken two bones.
His left hand, so cruelly hurt, dropped by his side, and his horse, no longer controlled by the reins, ran back towards the enemy.
As the horse galloped between two trees, he passed beneath a low bough, which struck his rider in the face, tore off his cap, and threw him violently back in the saddle. He did not fall, however, but grasped the reins with his bleeding right hand, and turned him back into the road. There, the General found the greatest confusion. Horses, mad with pain and fright, were running in every direction, and in the road lay the wounded and dying.
Where General Jackson fell.
Captain Wilbourne, one of Jackson’s aides, now seized the reins and stopped his horse. Seeing that the General was badly hurt, he lifted him from the saddle, almost fainting from the loss of blood. He was then laid down by the side of the road, his head resting upon Captain Wilbourne’s breast, while a messenger went to summon Dr. McGuire, his chief surgeon. Soon General Hill came up, and, pulling off the General’s gauntlets, found that his left arm was broken.
As the enemy were not far off, his arm was quickly bandaged with a handkerchief, and he attempted to walk. But after they had gone a few steps a litter was brought, and the General was placed upon it.
The litter was hardly in motion when the fire from the guns of the enemy became terrible. Many men were struck down by it, among whom were General Hill and one of the bearers of the litter.
The litter was placed upon the ground, and the officers lay down by it to escape death.
After awhile the fire changed, and Jackson rose to his feet and walked slowly on, leaning upon two members of his staff. General Pender, coming up, saw by the moonlight that General Jackson was badly hurt. “Ah! General,” said he, “I am sorry to see that you have been wounded. The lines here are so much broken that I fear we will have to fall back.”
General Pender.
Though almost fainting, Jackson raised his head, and said: “You must hold your ground, General Pender! You must hold your ground!” This was the last order of Jackson on the field.
The General, being very faint, was again placed on the litter, and the whole party moved through the forest towards the hospital at Wilderness Run.
As they were going slowly through the undergrowth, one of the men caught his foot in a grapevine and fell, letting the litter fall to the ground.
General Jackson’s last order on the field: “You must hold your ground, General Pender! You must hold your ground!”
Jackson fell upon his wounded shoulder, and for the first time groaned most piteously. With great difficulty they made their way until they came to a place in the road where an ambulance was waiting. The General was placed in it, and was soon met by his surgeon, Dr. McGuire, who, having sprung into the ambulance, found the General almost pulseless.
Some spirits was given him, which revived him, and ere long he was laid tenderly in a camp bed at the hospital. Here he fell into a deep sleep. About midnight he was awakened, and told by Dr. McGuire that it was thought best to amputate his arm.
“Do what you think best, Doctor,” was the calm reply.
The arm was amputated, and the ball taken out of his right hand by the skillful surgeon, and he again fell into a quiet sleep, which lasted until nine o’clock on Sunday morning.
General Hill being wounded, General Stuart was placed in command of Jackson’s corps. He now determined to wait until morning to attack the strong works of Hooker, which were again in front of the Confederates.
Gen. J. E. B. Stuart.
The next morning Stuart thundered on the west, and Lee on the east and south. When the Stonewall Brigade went forward, they shouted, “Charge, and remember Jackson!” “But even as they moved from their position,” says Dr. Dabney, “their General, Paxton, the friend and former adjutant of Jackson, was killed where he stood. But his men rushed forward, and, without other leader than the name which formed their battle-cry, swept everything before them.” At ten A. M., May 3d, Chancellorsville was taken by Lee, and the Federals took refuge behind new barricades nearer to the river.
In the meantime, General Sedgwick, who had been left at Fredericksburg by General Hooker, attacked General Early, and captured a part of his command. General Lee, having Hooker in check, sent help to Early, and on Wednesday, came up himself and drove General Sedgwick back across the river, where Hooker had already retreated on Tuesday night, May 5th.
General Jubal A. Early.
When General Jackson awoke on Sunday morning, May 3d, he asked one of his aids to go to Richmond for his wife. He had sent her to that city when the Federals had begun to move across the river. His mind was clear and he stated that if he had had one more hour of daylight, he would have cut off the enemy from the United States ford, and they would have been obliged either to fight their way out or to surrender.
It was now thought best to take him to a more quiet place; so on Monday he was moved to Mr. Chandler’s near Guinea’s Depot, where every care was taken to make him comfortable. He seemed to take much interest in hearing of the battle on Sunday, and said of the Stonewall Brigade, “They are a noble body of men. The men who live through this war will be proud to say, ‘I was one of the Stonewall Brigade.’”
He then went on to say that the name of Stonewall belonged to the men of the Brigade alone, as they had earned it by their steadfast conduct at First Manassas. He spoke also of General Rodes, and said that on account of gallant conduct, he deserved to be advanced to the rank of major-general.
The death of General Paxton gave him great distress, but he grew calmer when told of the glorious exploits of his old brigade.
General R. E. Rodes.
He was much pleased at this noble letter from General Lee:
“General:
I have just received your note, informing me that you were wounded. I cannot express my regret at the occurrence. Could I have directed events, I should have chosen, for the good of the country, to have been disabled in your stead.
I congratulate you upon the victory which is due to your skill and energy.
Most truly yours, (Signed) R. E. LEE, General.”
His mind seemed ever dwelling on religious subjects, and he was entirely submissive to the will of God.
On Wednesday, his wounds were doing so well that it was thought possible to take him by railroad to Richmond. On that night, however, while Dr. McGuire was absent from him for awhile, he was taken with a severe pain in his side, which was in fact due to pneumonia, which had now set in.
From that time he grew weaker, and at last it was seen that he could live only a few hours.
Mrs. Jackson arrived on Thursday, and to her he said, “I know you would gladly give your life for me, but I am perfectly resigned.” When his weeping wife at last told him that death was near, he whispered, “Very good, very good, it is all right.” He then sent messages to many friends, and desired to be buried in Lexington, in the Valley of Virginia.
Julia Jackson at the age of four years.
His little girl was now brought in to receive his last farewell.
Upon seeing her, his face lit up with a bright smile, and he murmured, “Little darling!” He tried to caress her with his poor maimed hand—she smiling in her delight at seeing him again. Thus, she remained by his side upon the bed until it was seen that he was growing very weak.
Then his mind began to wander, and as if again upon the battle-field, he cried out: “Order A. P. Hill to prepare for action!” “Pass the infantry to the front!” “Tell Major Hawks to send forward provisions for the men!” Then his vision changed, and he murmured, “Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.”
“The moment had indeed come,” says Cooke, “when the great leader was to pass over the dark river which separates two worlds, and rest under the shade of the Tree of Life. From this time, he continued to sink, and at fifteen minutes past three in the afternoon, on Sunday, the 10th of May, he peacefully expired.”
Upon hearing the news of Jackson’s death, the grief of the South was equalled only by the wish to do him honor.
President Davis sent a special train to bear his remains to Richmond. He also sent, as the gift of the country, the beautiful new flag of the Confederate Congress to be his winding sheet.
Jefferson Davis
When the train reached Richmond, it was met by a vast concourse of weeping people. On Wednesday, the coffin, preceded by military, was borne from the Governor’s Mansion to the Capitol through the main streets of the city. The hearse was drawn by four white horses and followed by eight generals as pallbearers. Then came his horse, caparisoned for battle, and led by his body-servant; then followed his staff, the President, the Governor of Virginia, the city authorities, and a vast number of sorrowing people.
“Fancy,” or “Little Sorrel.” General T. J. Jackson’s War-Horse, 30 Years Old.
As the procession moved along, cannon were fired and bells tolled. At last the Capitol was reached and the body was borne, amid the tears of the multitude, into the building where it lay in state all day. Twenty thousand persons are said to have passed in front of the body to gaze for the last time upon their mighty chief.
It is said that President Davis stood long, gazing at the quiet face, and then in silence left the house.
Old soldiers pressed around the bier with tears streaming down their bronzed faces, while one stooped and kissed the cold lips of his beloved commander.
The next day the remains were borne, attended by a guard of honor, to Lexington, where they were received by General Smith, the corps of cadets, the professors, and many sorrowing citizens. They were borne to the barracks of the Military Institute and placed in the old class-room of the dead general. Every half hour, the cadet battery pealed forth a fitting requiem to the great teacher of artillery tactics. Then “escorted by infantry, cavalry, and artillery, under command of Col. Shipp, and borne to the grave upon a caisson of the cadet battery,” he was laid to rest beside the graves of his first wife and child in the beautiful cemetery of Lexington.
The “right hand” of Lee was thus taken away just as the heaviest stroke had fallen upon the enemy. General Lee, the army, the whole South mourned for their fallen hero. There were other generals as brave and true as Jackson, but none who possessed his keen insight into the movements of the enemy, his celerity of action, and the wonderful certainty of victory which made him the idol of his own soldiers and the dread of the foe.
But the renown of Jackson is not confined to the limits of his own land. It has crossed the ocean, and now the plans of his battles in the Valley of the Shenandoah and of Second Manassas and of Chancellorsville are studied by military men, and used by them as models of strategy and tactics. All English-speaking people are justly proud that the greatest military genius of the age belongs to them.
Jackson’s Statue in Capitol Square, Richmond, Va.
Not long after the end of the war, his admirers and friends in England presented to the State of Virginia a statue of Jackson in bronze. It was placed in the Capitol Square in Richmond not far from the statue of Washington and the great Virginians of his time.
In the spring of 1891, a beautiful and imposing statue of our hero was erected in Lexington, Virginia, by his old soldiers and friends throughout the South. On July 21st of that year, it was unveiled in the presence of a vast multitude of people.
The anniversary of the First Manassas, when Jackson, in a “baptism of fire,” received the new name of “Stonewall,” and flashed like a meteor upon the wondering world, was thought a fitting day on which to display to his countrymen his figure in enduring bronze.
For days and nights, the trains bore into the historic town crowds of soldiers and visitors from all parts of the country. Beautiful arches and mottoes graced the buildings and highways, and the whole was crowned by perfect weather.
At 12 o’clock, the great parade moved from the Virginia Military Institute. General James A. Walker, the only commander of the Stonewall Brigade then living, was chief marshal of the day.
As the procession moved on, band after band of Confederates were seen—battle-scarred veterans in the old Confederate grey, military companies in bright uniforms, famous generals with bronzed faces and grizzled hair, the chaplains of the Confederacy, and visiting camps of veterans from other States.
Following these came the officers of the Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University. Finally came a large concourse of citizens and carriages. Among those in the carriages were General Jubal A. Early, the orator of the day, and his host, General Custis Lee; the sculptor of the statue, Edward V. Valentine; Mrs. General T. J. Jackson and her son-in-law, Mr. Christian, and his children, Julia and Thomas Jackson Christian.
At last, the grand-stand in the University grounds was reached. After prayer and the reading of three Confederate war poems, “Stonewall Jackson’s Way,” “Slain in Battle,” and “Over the River,” General Early, clad in Confederate grey, made the address, which gave a simple account of the great battles fought by Jackson. He was greeted with hearty cheers, and tears rolled down the checks of many veterans as they again in memory fought and marched with the immortal Jackson.
At the end of the speech the procession again formed and marched to the cemetery where stood the monument.
At the given signal, Mrs. Jackson and her two grandchildren, Julia Jackson Christian, aged five years, and Thomas Jackson Christian, aged three years, mounted the steps of the platform. A single gun sounded, and the two children with united hands pulled the cord and let the veil fall, revealing to admiring thousands the face and form of Jackson.
Cheers and shouts rent the air, while the Rockbridge Artillery fired a salute of fifteen guns from the cannon which they had used at Manassas.
The statue, clad in the uniform of a major-general, stands with the left hand grasping a sheathed sword, upon which the weight of the body seems to rest. The right hand rests upon the thigh and holds a pair of field glasses, which it would seem that the General has just been using.
The figure is eight feet high and stands upon a granite pedestal ten feet tall. Upon the stone are carved only the words, “Jackson, 1824-1863,” and “Stonewall.”
Under the monument, in a vault, rest the remains of the dead soldier and his daughters, Mrs. Christian, and Mary Graham who died in infancy.
Jackson Statue at Lexington.
The veterans lingered long about their beloved hero. Many times had they followed him on the weary march and through the smoke of battle, and now it seemed as if he were with them again to lead them on to victory.
At last, saluting, they marched in silence away, carrying his image in their memories and the love of him in their hearts.
Perhaps it will interest my readers to have a pen and ink portrait of Mrs. Jackson at that time, as given by a leading journalist of the day. “Mrs. Jackson sat just behind the famous generals. She wore a handsome costume of black silk trimmed with crepe, black gloves, and a crepe bonnet. Her face is a most attractive one. Her black hair, still unmixed with grey, was brushed in graceful waves across her forehead. Her eyes, large and dark, sparkled and filled with tears, as veteran after veteran pressed forward to grasp her hand.”
Not long before, her daughter, Mrs. Christian, the baby Julia whom Jackson had loved so well, had died, leaving two children, Julia and Thomas. These children are the only descendants of our beloved General. At this writing, in the year of our Lord 1898, Mrs. Jackson is still living, and to her the hearts of Southern people turn in fond affection, because she was the best beloved of their mighty chief.
But not enough had been done to honor our hero. In 1896, a noble building called the “Jackson Memorial Hall” was completed at the Virginia Military Institute, and dedicated with fitting ceremony to the memory of Jackson. In these halls and beneath the shadow of this building, the cadets of the South for many long years will be trained for war. How fit the place! Near by rest Lee and Stonewall Jackson—mighty soldiers, and Christian warriors!
Jackson Memorial Hall, Virginia Military Institute.
There the sweeping winds proclaim our heroes’ fame, and nightly the glittering stars chant in heavenly chorus: “They shine, they shine with our brightness.”