that he was greatly moved. When the officer had ceased speaking, he said, earnestly:

"Tell General Gregg I will be with him directly."

Then calling to his body-servant, he directed him to saddle his "old sorrel."

To this, however, the considerate Jim objected, and commenced an elaborate account of what the old sorrel had passed through on that day. Jackson checked him impatiently, and directed him to obey without further words.

66 Say to the General," he added, turning to the officer, "that I will be with him immediately."

And he was soon in the saddle, riding through the chill December night, upon his mission.

We know not what passed that night between the brother soldiers what words were exchanged, what pardon granted ere it was asked--or what solemn farewell's took place between the man about to die and him who watched beside him. There are many dramas in war-the curtain never rises upon some of the most affecting.

CHAPTER XXXI.

WINTER QUARTERS AT MOSS NECK.

AFTER the battle of Fredericksburg, Jackson established his headquarters at "Moss Neck," the estate of the Corbins, about ten miles below the town, and here he remained during the winter.

Upon the crest of the long range of hills which here runs along the right bank of the Rappahannock, dominating the wide low grounds, and affording admirable positions for artillery, if the enemy advanced, he remained for months, watching the uplands on the opposite side of the river, and ready at any moment to oppose, with his veterans of the old corps, the advancing Fed

erals. From an eminence near headquarters the view was very attractive. To the right and left the wooded range extended toward Fredericksburg on the one hand, and Port Royal on the other; in front, the far-stretching low grounds gave full sweep to the eye; and at the foot of its forest-clad bluffs, or by the margin of undulating fields, the Rappahannock calmly flowed toward the sea. Old mansions dotted this beautiful land-for beautiful it was in spite of the chill influences of winter, with its fertile meadows, its picturesque woodlands, and its old roads skirted by long rows of shadowy cedars, planted with the regularity of ornamental shrubbery in a gentleman's garden.

Headquarters were near the "Corbin House;" in front was “Hayfield,” the residence of that Taylor family illustrated in old days by "Colonel John Taylor, of Caroline;" near at hand were the hospitable residences of the Baylors, Bernards, and others; and in the distance, toward Fredericksburg, was "St. Julian," the ancient homestead of the Brooke family, which Washington, Randolph, and the great statesmen of the past always paused at on their journeys, to give the news and discuss the men and things of the past century.

Another age had come now, and the smiling fields were disfigured by the footprints of war. The meadows were crossed and recrossed by roads which had cut up the soil into ruts and miry holes. The steep banks-as the enemy have had an opportunity of seeing-were fashioned into earthworks for sharpshooters; the beautiful cedars were felled to supply firewood for the troops; and every thing betrayed the presence of the huge, dark, bloody, dirty, brutal genius of battle.

Jackson employed himself during the winter months in preparing the official reports of his battles. The embodiment of the facts, as given in the reports of officers engaged, was entrusted to Lieutenant-Colonel Faulkner, A. A. G., but Jackson carefully revised and corrected the statements before his official signature was appended. He was exceedingly careful not to have any thing placed thus upon formal record which was not established by irrefutable proof. Truth was, with him, the jewel beyond all

price; and nothing discomposed him more than the bare suspicion that accuracy was sacrificed to effect. Another marked trait in him was his rooted objection to present in his reports the motives of his action, and explain the objects of his various movements. It is said that Colonel Faulkner remonstrated with him upon this point, and declared that the men who came after him would be greatly embarrassed by the absence of these explanations; above all, that his fame would suffer on the pages of the historian. To this Jackson replied in nearly the following words:

"The men who come after me must act for themselves; and as to the historians who speak of the movements of my command, I do not concern myself greatly as to what they may say."

He disliked adjectives in the narratives of his battles; and this severe simplicity renders his reports occasionally cold and dry to the reader-that of the battle of Kernstown, for example. But it is impossible to withhold our respect from the motives which prompted this brevity of statement. Jackson had indeed an unconquerable aversion for "making the most" of any event in which he was concerned. His native modesty revolted from every species of ostentation; and boasting or self-laudation were with him simply impossible. His modesty was displayed in many ways. He always shrunk from those favorable comparisons of himself with his brother soldiers which indiscreet newspaper writers indulged in, and regarded them with obvious pain and repugnance. It is not so certain that he did not enjoy "skilled commendation" of his actions, and even the praises of the journals. He loved human sympathy and the admiration of his fellowmen; and the expression of these feelings greatly pleased him, for he was conscious of having labored hard to deserve them. To the form, however, which this public sentiment occasionally assumed, he was not a little opposed. He would never have his likeness taken. That which was fortunately secured in the spring of 1863, and appears in front of this volume, was the result of an urgent request from one to whom he could refuse nothing. When the publishers of an illustrated

periodical wrote to him, asking for his daguerreotype and some notes of his battles as the basis of a sketch, he wrote in reply, that he had no likeness of himself, and had done nothing worthy of mention.

In the preparation of his official reports, and the routine of labor incident to his command, passed the winter days of 1862-'63. Those who visited Moss Neck during these days, give a humorous description of the surroundings of the famous General Stonewall. Before his tent was pitched, he established his headquarters in a small out-building of the Corbin House; and all who came to transact business with Lieutenant-General Jackson, were struck by a series of headquarter ornaments of the most unique and surprising description. On the walls of the apartment were pictures of race horses, well known and dear in former days to the planters of the neighboring region. Then there was a portrait of some celebrated game cock, ready trimmed and gaffed for conflict to the death. A companion piece to these was the picture of a terrier engaged in furious onslaught upon an army of rats, which he was seizing, tearing, and shaking to death as fast they came. These decorations of headquarters excited the merriment of the General's associates; and General Stuart suggested to him that a drawing of the apartment should be made, with the race horses, game cocks, and terrier in bold relief, the picture to be labelled: "View of the winter-quarters of General Stonewall Jackson, affording an insight into the tastes and character of the individual." The impression which he produced upon his visitors, at the time in question, is exhibited by the following passage from a letter of the Rev. Dr. Hoge, who went to call upon him. Dr. Hoge writes:

"I have just returned from a visit to General Jackson's headquarters, at Moss Neck, the grand mansion of Mr. — some ten miles from Fredericksburg. The General modestly occupies the lower room of one of the offices in the yard. As soon as I arrived General Jackson claimed me as his guest, and I gladly spent what time I could with him. I found Mr.

regularly ensconced in his office, as a sort of chaplain general, not officially, of course, but virtually. His work is partly to increase the number of chaplains, placing them where most needed, and partly to preach himself wherever there is need of it in the corps. His position is very important, and his residence with General Jackson not only furthers his influence, but is personally profitable to him. Indeed, it seems hardly possible to be long in the society of that noble and honored General, that simplehearted, straightforward, laborious, devoted man of God, without catching something of his spirit-the spirit of toil, of patience, of modesty, of careful conscientiousness, of child-like dependence on God, of fervent believing prayer. While I was in camp I preached five times in the Stonewall Brigade. How the men crowded into their log church, how they listened, how they seemed to hang upon the word, you, of all men, need least to be told, for you have seen so much of them from the beginning of the war. On Sunday night, after preaching, the General, Mr.

and myself, had a long talk, as we sat drying our boots in front of the open fire. When it was nearly eleven o'clock the General asked me to conduct worship; and afterwards, before retiring, he set us the example of kneeling again for secret prayer. He then shared his bed upon the floor with me, and we talked till long after midnight. Though usually taciturn, he led the conversation. How anxious he was for his army! how anxious for himself! How manifest it was that he is a man whose great desire is to be right in all things, and especially to be right before God! In our whole intercourse I could not detect the slightest trace of self-importance, ostentation, or seeking after vainglory. To glorify God possessed all his thoughts. 'I have been thinking a great deal about our chief end lately,' said he, and I think the first answer in our catechism tells it all; man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever; and I think,' he added, we need not trouble ourselves much about the second part, if we only attend well to the first. I find my life in camp a very happy one when I am enabled to keep this aim steadily before me— -to live for the glory of God.""