The Abingdon Virginian. [volume], January 30, 1863, Image 1

About The Abingdon Virginian. [volume] (Abingdon [Va.]) 1849-1883

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VOLUME 23.
tfctmfc
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biography of Stonewall Jackson.
The New York Sunday Mercury publishes
•a humorous biography of Stonewall Jackson.
We make the following extracts:
Your correspondent has seen ma*? hio
irraphical sketches of the renowned "Stone
wall," but they ail aboundened in ineonsis-.
tencies, untruth and inaccuracies. In the
hands of some historians bis life is like the
short India nil ber blanket of a long soldier.
is stretched to suit the subject. To others
this eventful history has been a lump of clay
iv the hands of a child—capable of any de
cree of plastic distortion or beauty from a
Hindoo idol to a winged statuette of Appol
lvon the LoVelv. Some there be who declare
him a myth, aVill-o-the-wisp, a dan<mg;ack
of the wilderness, the creation of a mind
er any amount of minds—disordered ; but
they err, Mr. Editor. Stonewall Jackson is a
fix*i fact, a melancholy fact, a stubborn fact;
and that bis life may hot «« down into dark
ness, that his deeds of daring may not be
wiped out forever like a sum in simple divi
sion on * schoolboy's slate, a historian is
needed— one that is faithful, capable arid un
biased: Irke thoso, foi' instance, who do the
biographical sketches for the New York morn
ing dailies—one that is wh- lv .inupetent and
ihkt enreth not a pin for Northern praise or
Scruthern commendation; in brief, one like
those who write the biographical histories for
th 6 papers aforesaid. Such an one is Anno
Domini, and be herewith presents a history
wlvteh be is willing to take his affidavit is as
reliable and worthy »>< though it was wnreri
for one of thosfe ioiluacub.te sheets-ttic New
York dailies.
Stonewall Jackson was born very early m
life —in fact, so young was be at-that interest
ing period of his history, that the date there
of lurket'h not in his own momory ; nor yet in
' that of his present bi igraphcr. Sufficient be
it to sftv, he was boas. The.ancestry of S. J.
hus hitherto been shrouded-in doubt. Some
have asserted that he is descended from Jack
aurnamed the Giant Killer, and that the
"seven-league boots" of the aforesaid J. the
G. X., are yet in bis possesion, which ac
counts' for the celerity of his movements.—
Others declare him to be an off-shoot of the
Jacobin family, the founder of which was
Jae.kuloe the Chinese Pirate. They are all
wrong. Mr. IJditon Stonewall Jackson is
descended in a curved line from the Wander
ing Jew. In early time the Jew family was
rich, biit one evil"day the head of it went
down into Egypt, "bucked" against Pharonh.
and came hack with nary shekel, having lost
all in that interesting game. From that tune
tiil,ihe discovery of the Mississippi river, the
family was too poor to have a name. Sb-newall'f
grandfather ran a flatbmK on the aforesaid
river, and was extravagantly fond of the clas
sic game of "ohl sledge." He married, am.
in the course of time had four -miis whom he
named—to commemorate his favorite game—
Hh'h, Low, Jack, and the Game. Jack fol
lowed the example of his father, married, anc
had one son, the subject of this sketch, wh«
was naturally called Jack's son, and ih coursi
of time, Jackson. A family trait lurks lr
Stonewall, for at any critical stage of th<
game he is sure to "turn" up and become th<
trump.
Young Jackson in his youth gave greai
promise of his future usefulness, so much so
that when he-was sent to school he invariable
ran away to play "tag" and "leap frog." ti
the constant a tidy, of which he' owes hi:
agility. One day Jackson's peVe, learning o
his son's truancy, determined'to chastise 1
out of him, and so collared tho incipient hen
and bent him over his knee, thus throwing :
prominent part of the youth into bold relief
Mrs- Jackson (the mother) then seized a shir
board with both bands, and proceeded to hrwij
the yoiingsterto a sense of bis duty by direr
ponderous blows. Young Jackson squirmec
like a fishworm ; but with that Spartan firm
ness that has ever distinguished him, shed no
a t*>ar. At about the fortieth . blow the oh
lady paused while the old gent eased on hi
hold, and inquired, 'My son, wilst thon goit
school in future V The young hero raised hi
head, wiped his sleeve across his nose, am
looking up into his father's face, said:
say, old gentleman, why am I like a cabu
passenger on a canal boat?" "My son,
knows not," sagely observed Jackson, senior
"Why," said the young incorrigible, with i
knowing yrink, "its because I am boards
astern."- The poor outraged father coyld onl;
ejaculate, "board him again, old lady, boar.
ABINGDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1868*
ping the shirt bard. "You might as well
larrup a Bi»;ici?ut!."
Fr<>m that day to this the hero has gone by
the •name of Stonewall Jackson. "But, mo
♦ her* said the father as the released youth
ske [addled from tho room to finish his game
of tag, "What shall we do with the boy ? '
"Do! why send him to West Pint, ho ain't
good For notimi else." Stonewall went to
Wvati P.iint. Many interesting events occur
red during Bfe pwptlege there, but following
the example of the New York papers—l con
dense. ,
Stonewall Jackson passed a creuitabla ex
amination, and graduated number two (from
the foot) of iiis class, and the rebellion having
just commenced, was immediately appointed
a Brigadier General by the Southern Confede
racy—the United States Government paying
bis* livery stable at W«t Point and his pas
sage to the rebel lines. While pissing through
our arinv be stopped to make a sketch of our
fortifications, when an inconsiderate sentinel
demanded his pass. The sentinel was «n
--modiately sentenced to be hung, but was af
terwards allowed to resign,
The New York papers have given such an
! accurate account of Stonewall* military ex-
I ph.its. that I need nil than give a brief
{ epitome, taken from the same reliable source.
I His first battle was at Boil Hun, in 1861,
' where he slew a whole division of the Federal
i army with his own hand, and then got slewed
i himself. In this battle both armies were de
j feated; but. unfortunately, neither of tbeja
1 fauna it out in time to take advantage of it.—
! The Union army war gieatly outnumbered,
! but "gained a material advantage" (see McDs
I disnatches.)
i In June, 1862, he took command of oOQ,
, 000 men,.{see Northern papers of that date,)
' and turned his attention to the political econ
omy of the Shenandoah Valley. Net liking
the state of the currency there, ho determined
to "abolish Banks; in doing which several des
perate battles were fought, in all of which,
though outnumbered, our troops "gained ma
terial advantages," (see B—kV dispatches)
but our cavalry horses bee ming thirsty, the
annv fell back to the Potomac to wafer them.
j Jackson's horse, also being dry, he pushed
on for the samo watering place, but learning
. that Fremont had cut loose, fell back. Fre
moot following, a desperate engagement took \
place at Front Royal, in which Stonewall I
•would .havebeen annihilated had not the 0. j
S. Government stopped the battle, (N. Y. Tri- j
bene) to bold a court, of inquiry, to see if Fre-1
moot had not paid three postage Btamps too
much for a "bushej of oats furnished through
a California friend, to a horse of his body ;
guard. While the court was in session Stone
wall skedaddled. Fremont followed, how
ever, and would have bugged ham, if he had
not taken the wrong road, (N Y. Herald,) and j
traveled North while Jackson was going
South. Getting safe back to Richmond. Stone
wall bore a leading part in the battles iv front
of that "doomed" (see all the papers) city.
According to tho Northern prints. Jackson
suffered terribly in person in these battles.—
He lost his right leg at Hanover Court House,
and bis left at Gainesville. The next day,
while leading his corps into battle at Savage's
' his horse balked in front of a barrel of beans.
: which had been abandoned by our army, arid
1 was compelled to dismount and go into it on
foot, in doing which he lost his right arm.—
The succeeding day he lost his left arm at
! Peach Orchard.
1 j Two*days after, at the battle of Malvern
ilill.'he stooped down to fasten hw shoe, and
' j while in that p tairidh his bead was blown off
'Iby a 103.000 pound shell. This was the nn
| kindest cut (fall; but the old veteran merely
' ! raised his material form er>ct. and said : "My
i bleeding country, I cheerfully make the sa
; crifice. Old head, farewell ':" These are but
! | a few of the wounds the old man has received
f I —according to the papers. Even as I write,
! j the report comes that the modern Briareu»
| lost another arm at Aniietam.
i Stonewall Jackson, in personal appearance,
, i is most unlovely—and it is said that he—like
i | the Ashantees—files his teeth to a sharp point
j eveiy other morning. He stands eleven feet
I I five inches, lor live feet eleven inches, 1 am
: j not certain which,) in his boots—when he has
j got any to stand to.
i His hair is black, and was furnished to or
i der by Bachelor, of New York. In religion
s he is at times a devout Catholic—at least he
followed closely in the fciotsteps of the Pope
t during one of his campaigns; and at others he
is a colporteur for the American Tract Society
; _at any rate he lias probably left more tracks
> in Virginia than any other white man; and
s according an tho papers always goes into bat
f tie with a family Bible under one arm and a
t Greek Testameut in his coat-tail pocket, which
j he reads during the intervals QjF the fighting,
i lie is abstemious, in bis habits, having been
'. known to live nine days off of one sardine and
t a barrel of whiskey. Ingress be is extreme
t ly neat, never wearing a shirt more than three
s months without changing it.
1 To sum up, Stonewall, in private life is —
- as Shakspeare says—"a man as is a man,
t that we may never look upon hi 6 like again."
1 In bis military capacity he is. to quote Sheri
-8 dan Knowles, "In poace a lamb; in war— a
o lamer."
A Rebel Son.
A Nashvlle correspondent of a Northern
paper, says:
Gen. Rosencrans sent a flag of truce yes
terday with a verification of prisoners' rolls.
Major Clarence Prentice was tho rebel flag
officer. He desired us to notify his father, the
editor of the Louisville Journal, that he wa3
well, fa*, ragged, saucy nnd rebellious.
Condition of Burnside's Army.
Jan. 12, says:
The condition of the army which is under
the command - of General Bnrnside is said not
to be all that one could wish. Reports have'
come up continually from this army, since
the birttle id'Fredericksburg, that it was in a
state ot discontent, if not of insubordination.
The men are to an alarming extent discourag
ed, and anxiou* to go home. They are stnpi
lied with continual reverses. I,know that it
is the habit of Generals and Senators to say
that our army is in good condition—that the
troops are panting for a battle, and so forth;
but such statements are entirely false. The
arniv of the Potomac is capable of great deeds,
and I believe wili soon win important Victo
ries over the enemy, but it. is nevertheless
in a dangerous state of discontent this very
dar. There are reasons for it, too, which are
plain to the least observant of men.
In the first place, the men are not paid.—
Small as is the Sum due the men who risk
their lives in battle, it is not paid to them as
it is due, so that at this moment the majority
of our troops have not boon paid their wages*
for six months. The other day a sick or
wounded soldier in one of our hospitals, sent
a letter he had just received from his wife
to a member of Congress. The letter stated
•that the woman who wrote it and her children
were suffering for want of food and fuel, and
she asked a pittance from her husband—a
portion of his wages. At that time the Go
vernment was in debt to the soldier to the
amount of over sixty dollars, and not one cent
of which could he obtain ! This lack -of mo
ney of itself will destroy an army in time, not
so "much from the want of the money as from
the overwhelming sense of injustice which de
moralizes the soldier.
I have been led to write upon this subject
from the numerous reports that have been
made to me by trastworthy persons who have
made personal observations in our army. It
seems sometimes as if the President and the
Administration Were slumbering upon the
brink of a fearful precipice, and that nothing
«ili arouse them Jo a comprehension of their
situation. Our second great army is melting
away lik<» snow in April. We shall wake up
Soon to find that *t is gone. I ask my Repub
lican friends in the West, "Can you ra*se
moro troops by volunteering?" and they re
ply, "Not a man.'* As for the draft they say,
"the West will-tint endure it." The Admin
istration should fully comprehend the dangers
ahead, and then do the best it can to over
come them.
The Expiring Enlistment in the
Army of t!se Potomac.
A correspondent of the New York World
thus writs from Burnside's army about the
troops there whose ternis of enlistment aro soon
to expire:
Officers and soldiers who couht the days
and weeks and im-nths of their term of service
are coneiout* of what, the people are not, viz:
that the whole brilliant army of six hundred
thousand -men which marched into the field
nt the outbreak of the rebellion is on the aver
age, now on the last half of its term of service,
and that at least fifty of the regiments (two
years' men) will march homeward before the
first of next June
We figore eight hundred thodsand men •
—on paper; but the morning reports of the
armies belie the statesment. We speak of our
brigades, and divisions* and corps, and number
theirthousands by the nunther of regiments,
but the men to make them are not there. The
only place where eight hundred thousand men
can" be found is on "the pay rolls, and the go
venucnt is to-day .pnyhig t:i° re men out °*
the army, in hospitals, on authorized or un
authorized ieave'of absence, and on special or
mianthor:*°d detached service, than it is men
in tho ranks, doing regular duty. Half of
every regiment is paid on discript'vo lists,
procured by men in hospital and c «< where
fscm their company officers, and forwarded
to their paymasters.
The few Exemption Ilill*
In the Confederate Congress, Wednesday,
Mr. Porcher Miles, of South Carolina, called
for- the special order of the day, namely, the
bill reported from the Military Committee en
titled an act to declare what persons shall
be exempt from military service. The bill
was read as follows :
"The Congress of the Confederate States of
America do enact, That from and after the
passage of this- act. ail white male residents j
of the' Confederate States, bet seen; the ages !
of eighteen and forty-five years, except those.;
constituting the Executive, Legislature and
Judicial authorities of the Confederate States,
and the several States composing the Cenfede
racy, are, and shall be, liable to military duty
in the service of the Confederate States, and
shall he duly enrolled in the same, in accor
dance with existing laws, and all laws and
parts of laws, exempting any persons between
the said ages, of eighteen and forty-five years,
are hereby repealed : Provided, That the
Secretary of War shall, upon such terms and
conditions as may be prescribed by hun, and
with the approval of the President, exempt
from all military service, or detail for special
purposes, such person or persons as, wTth the
approval of the Evident, he may deem es
sential for the good of the -service, or the
general interests of the country: Provided
I further, That the enrollment of persons be
i tween forty and forty-eve years of age shall
Ibe suspended until the President shall call
i *anh person* int.:' the military service"
No. 43.
The Senatorial Contest in Illinois*
Mr. Richarason, who has received the nomi
nation for the vacant > senAtorahip in Illinois,
the Washington "Chronicle" suys is to be
judged by the resolutions of the caucus which
nominated him, the policy he will
pursue is foreshadowed in the following ab
stract of some of the resolutions !
the achnini>tratron, ill sus
pending the wi-jtif habeas corpus, in arresting
private citizens and Incarcerating them in
bastiles, issuing the proclamation of emanci
pation, and in other instances usurping pow
er, has violated tho Consttiution, infringed
upon State sovereignty, and disregarded the
popular wish. Its perversion of the war into
a war of abolition, deserves our unqualified
reprobation, and justly entitles it to the con
damnation of all true lovers of constitutional
liberty and States' rights.
Fifth—That peace, fraternal relatione, and
political fellowship should be restored among
} the' people of the States, that the best inter
i ests of all, and welfare of mankind, demand
this should be done in the speediest and moat
'effective manner.
Seventh—Favors a national convention of
all the States at Louisville, Ky., nt the earli
est practicable period, to adjust Oiir national •
j difficulties
j Eighth—Recommends that the Legislature
J now in session appoint Commissioners to said
j national convention, and invite other States
j to do so.
j Ninth—That we earnestly recottimend a ces
sation of hostilities for such period as may be
necessary to allow the people of the North
and South to express, through a national con
vention, their wish for peace and a mainte
nance of tho tJnion as it was, uiider the Con
stitution as it is.
The Camj) Itch—A Heineds- flhefefbtr.
A gentleman who has had niuch experience
lin the treatment of that loathsome disease,
: the itch, sends us the following recipe for its
i
: cure:
Dear Express :—For the benefit bt otir sot
! diers suffering with camp itch,, if you think
> proper, V"« nia y publi-h the following: Take
lodide of Potassium GO grains, lard 2 ounces,
mix welk and after washing the body well
with warm soap suds, rub the ointment over
the person three times a week. In seVen of
eight days the Acarus, or hch insect, wUI be
destroyed. In this recipe the horrible effects
!of the old sulphur ointment are obviated. I
1 speak knowingly in this treatment.
I . MEhtCtJS.
We publish this recipe with pleasure, as
wo understand there is great stifferihg in the
army from the effects of this disease. The
remedy is a very simple one, and within the
reach of iill who are hear an Apothecary
store. — Petersburg Express. «
*'<**
Our Friends In Canada.
The following toast was given in Canada
(C. W.) on the 24th of. November, 1862, ill .
honor of many Southern refugees, by the
Hoti. P. J..Hamilton :
JeffersAn Davis, President of the Confede
rate States. The immaculate hero and chrii
tian statesman: May the &od of Battles de
fend him and his cause.
This was responded to by M. Winans of
Baltimore. Md.
Hon. W. McDonald, M. P., jtyjd a glowing
tribute to Stonewall Jackson. He compared
him to Gen. liaveluck, one of England's great
est Generals. .:
Gen. Wilson said: With leaders like Davis,
Lee, Beauregard, Johnston and JackSon, the
South must and will succeed, and it is the
duty of our Government to recogriise the
South. They fire bone of our bone, and flesh
of our flesh. We insist on their recognition.
. This was fhe largest and most brilliant
gathering which has taken place in Canada
siuce the"Prince of Wales' visit.
A Female Soldier*
Among the strange, heroic and self-sacrific
ing acts of woman in this struggle for our in
dependence, we have heard of none which ex
ceeds the bravery displayed and the hardships
endured by the subject of this notice, Mrs,
Amy Clark. Mrs. Clark volunteered with
her husband as a private, fought through tho
battles of Shiloh, where Mr. Clark was killed
—she performing the rites of burial with her
own hands. She then continued with Bragg's
army in Kentucky, fighting in the ranks as a
common soldier, until she was twice wounded
—once in the ankle and then in the breast,
when she fell a prisoner into the hartds of the
Yankees. Her sex was discovered by the
Federals, and she was'regularly paroled as a
prisoner of war, but they did not permit her
!to return until she had donned female appa
i rel. Mrs. C. was in odr city On Sunday last,
en route for Bragg's command.— Jackson Mis-
Ala American Inn-ReepeTrw
Old Rowe kept a hotel where he used to'say
one could get anything that was overbade to
eat. One day in came a Yankee, who asked
j W Rowe what he could give him for a din
j "Anything, sir," said OldJßowe, "anything,
' from a pickled elephant to a canary bird $
tongue." , _
-Well," said the Yankee, eyeing Rowe, L
guess I'll take a piece of pickled elephant.
"Well, we've got 'em already right" bare in
the hotrse, btrt yon'll have to lake a whole
; 'un, cause We never cut 'em."
j The Yankee thought be wcold talte some
' aodfijsh, and octatne*. .