Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 34.djvu/25

 General Lee's Strategy at Chancellor smile. 17

was speaking*. Then rising and touching his cap, he said, 'My troops will move at four o'clock/

"Having, in the manner here described, settled upon the plan of operations for the ensuing day, the two generals, accom- panied by their staff officers, repaired to a neighboring pine thicket, where an open space, well sheltered by overhanging boughs, afforded the party a good bivouac. The day having been a fatiguing one, they lost little time in preparing for the night's repose. Each selected his ground for a bed, spread his saddle blanket, substituted his saddle for a pillow and his overcoat for covering, and was soon in a happy state of obliv- ion."

Colonel Marshall is not entirely accurate in the account he furnished General Fitzhugh Lee in 1879, of the conference between Lee and Jackson, for he leaves no room for what passed between them in my presence. It is evident that what occurred in the presence of each of us was at different times during a conference which lasted several hours. To my certain knowledge Lee and Jackson met on the Plank Road, at or near the road to the Catherine Furnace, while it was yet daylight, for they had to move aside out of range of the enemy's sharp- shooters, one of whom had climbed a big pine tree, and could be seen to fire occasional shots at some Confederate artillery which had just come up and halted on the Plank Road.

Generals Lee and Jackson were together in conference when Captain J. K. Boswell, Chief Engineer of the Second corps, and myself started on our reconnoisance, which must have re- quired one, and perhaps, two hours, and also when we reported to them the result of it. At what hour we started I do not re- collect, but it was more than an hour after sunset, for I w r ell re- member that as we pursued our way through the woods to- wards the Federal lines, we passed the body of a young Con- federate, lying with upturned face in the cold moonlight. Twen- ty-four hours later my companion of that night was lying dead in the Wilderness, where Jackson fell wounded, and whenever the gallant Boswell has since been mentioned, I recall the ap- pearance of the dead boy on the picket line in front of Chancel- lorsville, on whom we looked together. So vivid is my recol- lection of this, my only close association with Captain Boswell,