Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 23.djvu/339

 Stonewall Jackson's "Most Dr< </,,/ Foe." 833

[From the Christian Observer Louisville, Ky., November 20, 1895.]

STONEWALL JACKSON'S "MOST DREADED FOE."

WORSE THAN POPE'S ARMY.

A Story Never Before Published, AS Related by an Ex-Confederate Officer, Who is Now a Resident of Norfolk, Va.

About daylight of the day before the second battle of Manassas, I was ordered to report to General T. J. Jackson, with a detail of one hundred men for special duty. Upon arrival at the headquarters and making myself known by presenting the order of General J. E. B. Stuart, General Jackson told me to come with him, and rode some fifty or one hundred yards from his staff, turned towards me and halted. Then he said, "Captain, do you ever use liquors?" I replied, "No, sir." He then said: "I sent to General Stuart to send me a special detail of one hundred men under command of an officer who never used spirituous liquors. Are you that man?" I said, " Yes, sir; I was detailed on that account."

"Well, sir, I have an order to give, upon the full and exact exe- cution of which depends the success of the present movement, and the result of the battle soon to be fought. Can I trust you to exe- cute that order?"

I replied that if to keep sober was all that was needful he could rely upon my obedience.

He said, " No that is not all, but unless you can resist temptation to drink you cannot carry out my orders; but I will explain." He then pointed to a large frame depot or warehouse and said: " Take your command up to that warehouse, have a large number of bar- rels of bread rolled out and sent down the railroad to a point about five hundred yards from the warehouse, so that my men can get all the bread they want as they pass, and then take some picked men into the building and spill all the liquors there; don't spare a drop, nor let any man taste it under any circumstances. I expect you to execute this order at any cost."