Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 38.djvu/293

Rh 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.

"Although I was there and heard General Jackson speak the above words, I have copied them from 'Pollard's Life of Jackson.' This was the only time I ever heard him open his mouth to speak, except once afterward 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 any 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.

"We all returned to camp after his farewell address, considerably out of humor, for we wanted to go with him wherever he went and be immediately under his eye, and especially to the valley, as our homes were there."

Reading this short and inspiring address, our views of the fitness of General Jackson to judge of declamation are somewhat modified. On one occasion while at the V. M. J. the writer recalls the fact that in the absence of the professor of declamation, Major Jackson was called upon to take his place. It must be pardoned if we remember with pleasure that out of the fifteen or twenty cadets who went through the exercises of the evening four or five, of which the writer was one, received from Major Jackson commendatory remarks.

When General Jackson in the autumn of 1861 reached the field of his new assignment, the Valley of Virginia, the opportunity of his life first presented itself. Comparatively