Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 19.djvu/161

 Stonewall Jackson. 155

A brigadier once galloped up to Jackson in the midst of battle and said: " General Jackson, did you order me to charge that battery ? " pointing to it. "Yes, sir; I did. Have you obeyed the order?" 41 Why, no, General. I thought there must be some mistake. My brigade would be annihilated literally annihilated, sir if we should

move across that field." "General ," said Jackson, his eye

flashing fire and his voice and manner betraying intense excitement, and even rage, " I always try to bury my dead, and take care of my wounded. Obey that order, sir, and do it at once."

I heard one day, on the Valley campaign, a colloquy between Jack- son and a colonel commanding one of his brigades. Jackson said

quietly: " I thought, Colonel, that the orders were for you to

move in the rear instead of in the front of General Elzey's brigade this morning." "Yes, I know that, General, but my fellows were ready before Elzey's, and I thought it would be bad to keep them waiting, and that it really made no difference any way." " I want you to understand, Colonel," was the almost fierce reply, "that you must obey my orders first, and reason about them afterwards. Con- sider yourself under arrest, sir, and march at the rear of your brigade." Jackson put General A. P. Hill under arrest (for a cause that was manifestly unjust) on the Second Manassas campaign, and he proba- bly put more officers under arrest than all others of our generals combined.

PERSONAL ATTENTION TO DETAILS.

He was unceasingly active in giving his personal attention to the minutest details. He had an interview with his quartermaster, his commissary, his ordnance, and his medical officer every day, and he was at all times thoroughly familiar with the condition of these departments. It is a remarkable fact that, despite his rapid marches, he rarely ever destroyed any public property, or left so much as a wagon wheel to the enemy.

Not content with simply learning what his maps could teach him of the country and its topography, he was accustomed to have fre- quent interviews with citizens, and reconnoitre personally the country through which he expected to move, as well as the ground on which he expected to fight. Being called to his quarters one day to give him information concerning a region with which I had been familiar from my boyhood, I soon found that he knew more about the topo- graphy of the section than I did, and I was constrained to say : " Excuse me, General, I have known this region all my life and