Page:Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade (1906).djvu/74

58 who has heretofore favored our cause, you will gain more victories, and add additional luster to the reputation you now enjoy.

"You have already gained a proud position in the future history of this, our second war of independence. I shall look with great anxiety to your future movements, and I trust that whenever I shall hear of the 1st Brigade on the field of battle it will be of still nobler deeds achieved and a higher reputation won." Here he paused and glanced proudly around him. Then, raising himself in his stirrups and throwing the reins on his horse's neck, he exclaimed in a voice of such deep feeling that it thrilled through every heart in the brigade: "In the Army of the Shenandoah you were the First Brigade, in the Army of the Potomac you were the First Brigade, in the 2d Corps of this army you are the First Brigade; you are First Brigade in the affections of your general, and I hope by your future deeds and bearing you will be handed down to posterity as the First Brigade in this, our second war of independence. Farewell!"

For a moment there was a pause, and then arose cheer after cheer, so wild and thrilling that the very heavens rang with them. General Jackson waved farewell to his men, and, gathering his reins, rode rapidly away.

This was the only time I ever heard him open his mouth to speak, except once afterwards he spoke a few words in my presence. He was a man who had very little to say.

Now, I don't consider that the "Stonewall Brigade" was better than other brigades, for there were plenty of other brigades that did just as good service as we did, and if any other brigade had been similarly situated at the first battle of Manassas I have no doubt they would have done as well as we did, and gained the same reputation.

We had to pay dearly for our reputation afterwards, for whenever there was an extra hard duty to be performed General Jackson always sent his old brigade to that post of duty for fear the other brigades under his command would think and say that he favored his old command. Consequently we often had harder duty to perform than the others.