Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 35.djvu/101

Rh soldier straggling from his command, and the following conversation ensued:

"What command do you belong to, sir?"

"I do not know."

"What State are you from?"

"I do not know, sir."

"What do you know, then, sir?"

"Nothing at all, sir, at this time. Old Stonewall says that we must be know-nothing until the next battle, and I am not going to violate orders."

On the campaign against Pope, General Ewell rode up one day to the house of a friend of mine and asked: "Doctor, can you tell me where we are going?"

"I should like to ask you that question, general, if it were a proper one," was the reply.

"Oh! it is perfectly proper to ask the question, but I would like to see you get the answer. General Jackson ordered me to be ready to move at 'early dawn,' and my people, as you see, have been lying there in the road ever since, but I pledge you my word I do not know whether we are to march north, south, east or west, or whether we are going to march at all. And that is as much as I generally know about General Jackson's movements."

In the second Manassas campaign, Jackson conducted his movements to Pope's flank and rear so secretly that just before he captured Manassas Junction, with its immense stores, Pope reported to Washington that Jackson was in "full retreat to the mountains."

So at Chancellorsville he moved to Hooker's flank and rear so secretly that he struck Howard's corps entirely unprepared for his attack.

My accomplished friend. Rev. James Power Smith, D. D., the only surviving member of Jackson's staff, gave me an incident the other day, illustrating how he concealed his plans from even his staff.

After the return of Lee from the first Maryland campaign, Jackson and his corps were left for a time in the Valley, while the rest of the army crossed the mountains to Eastern Virginia.

After lingering around Winchester for a time. Jackson's whole