University of Virginia Library

1. I.

There is an event of the late war, the details of which are
known only to a few persons; and yet it is no exaggeration to
say that many thousands would feel an interest in the particulars.
I mean the death of Jackson. The minute circumstances
attending it have never been published, and they are here
recorded as matter of historical as well as personal interest.

A few words will describe the situation of affairs when this
tragic scene took place. The spring of 1862 saw a large Federal
army assembled on the north bank of the Rappahannock, and on
the first of May, General Hooker, its commander, had crossed,
and firmly established himself at Chancellorsville. General
Lee's forces were opposite Fredericksburg chiefly, a small body
of infantry only watching the upper fords. This latter was
compelled to fall back before General Hooker's army of about
one hundred and fifty thousand men, and Lee bastened by forced
marches from Fredericksburg toward Chancellorsville, with a
force of about thirty thousand men—Longstreet being absent at
Suffolk—to check the further advance of the enemy. This was
on May 1st, and the Confederate advance force under Jackson,
on the same evening, attacked General Hooker's intrenchments
facing toward Fredericksburg. They were found impregnable,
the dense thickets having been converted into abattis, and every
avenue of approach defended with artillery. General Lee therefore
directed the assault to cease, and consulted with his corps

commanders as to further operations. Jackson suggested a rapid
movement around the Federal front, and a determined attack
upon the right flank of General Hooker, west of Chancellorsville.
The ground on his left and in his front gave such enormous
advantages to the Federal troops that an assault there was
impossible, and the result of the consultation was the adoption
of Jackson's suggestion to attack the enemy's right. Every
preparation was made that night, and on the morning of May
second, Jackson set out with Hill's, Rodes's, and Colston's divisions,
in all about twenty-two thousand men, to accomplish his
undertaking.

Chancellorsville was a single brick house of large dimensions,
situated on the plank-road from Fredericksburg to Orange, and
all around it were the thickets of the country known as the
Wilderness. In this tangled undergrowth the Federal works
had been thrown up, and such was the denseness of the woods
that a column moving a mile or two to the south was not apt to
be seen. Jackson calculated upon this, but fortune seemed
against him. At the Catherine Furnace, a mile or two from the
Federal line, his march was discovered, and a hot attack was
made on his rear-guard as he moved past. All seemed now discovered,
but, strange to say, such was not the fact. The Federal
officers saw him plainly, but the winding road which he pursued
chanced here to bend toward the south, and it was afterward
discovered that General Hooker supposed him to be in full
retreat upon Richmond. Such at least was the statement of Federal
officers. Jackson repulsed the attack upon his rear, continued
his march, and striking into what is called the Brock
Road, turned the head of his column northward, and rapidly
advanced around General Hooker's right flank. A cavalry force
under General Stuart had moved in front and on the flanks of
the column, driving off scouting parties and other too inquisitive
wayfarers; and on reaching the junction of the Orange and
Germanna roads a heavy Federal picket was forced to retire.
General Fitz Lee then informed Jackson that from a hill near at
hand he could obtain a view of the Federal works, and proceeding
thither, Jackson reconnoitred. This reconnoissance showed

him that he was not far enough to the left, and he said briefly to
an aide, “Tell my column to cross that road,” pointing to the
plank-road. His object was to reach the “old turnpike,” which
ran straight down into the Federal right flank. It was reached
at about five in the evening, and without a moment's delay
Jackson formed his line of battle for an attack. Rodes's division
moved in front, supported at an interval of two hundred yards
by Colston's, and behind these A. P. Hill's division marched in
column like the artillery, on account of the almost impenetrable
character of the thickets on each side of the road.

Jackson's assault was sudden and terrible. It struck the
Eleventh corps, commanded on this occasion by General Howard,
and, completely surprised, they retreated in confusion upon
the heavy works around Chancellorsville. Rodes and Colston
followed them, took possession of the breastworks across the
road, and a little after eight o'clock the Confederate troops were
within less than a mile of Chancellorsville, preparing for a new
and more determined attack. Jackson's plan was worthy of being
the last military project conceived by that resolute and enterprising
intellect. He designed putting his entire force into action,
extending his left, and placing that wing between General
Hooker and the Rappahannock. Then, unless the Federal commander
could cut his way through, his army would be captured
or destroyed. Jackson commenced the execution of this plan
with vigour, and an obvious determination to strain every nerve,
and incur every hazard to accomplish so decisive a success.
Rodes and Colston were directed to retire a short distance, and
re-form their lines, now greatly mingled, and Hill was ordered
to move to the front and take their places. On fire with his
great design, Jackson then rode forward in front of the troops
toward Chancellorsville, and here and then the bullet struck him
which was to terminate his career.

The details which follow are given on the authority of Jackson's
staff officers, and one or two others who witnessed all that
occurred. In relation to the most tragic portion of the scene,
there remained, as will be seen, but a single witness.

Jackson had ridden forward on the turnpike to reconnoitre,

and ascertain, if possible, in spite of the darkness of the night,
the position of the Federal lines. The moon shone, but it was
struggling with a bank of clouds, and afforded but a dim light.
From the gloomy thickets on each side of the turnpike, looking
more weird and sombre in the half light, came the melancholy
notes of the whippoorwill. “I think there must have been ten
thousand,” said General Stuart afterwards. Such was the scene
amid which the events now about to be narrated took place.

Jackson had advanced with some members of his staff, considerably
beyond the building known as “Melzi Chancellor's,”
about a mile from Chancellorsville, and had reached a point
nearly opposite an old dismantled house in the woods near the
road, whose shell-torn roof may still be seen, when he reined in
his horse, and remaining perfectly quiet and motionless, listened
intently for any indications of a movement in the Federal lines.
They were scarcely two hundred yards in front of him, and seeing
the danger to which he exposed himself one of his staff officers
said, “General, don't you think this is the wrong place for
you?” He replied quickly, almost impatiently, “The danger is
all over! the enemy is routed—go back and tell A. P. Hill to
press right on!” The officer obeyed, but had scarcely disappeared
when a sudden volley was fired from the Confederate
infantry in Jackson's rear, and on the right of the road—evidently
directed upon him and his escort. The origin of this fire
has never been discovered, and after Jackson's death there was
little disposition to investigate an occurrence which occasioned
bitter distress to all who by any possibility could have taken
part in it. It is probable, however, that some movement of the
Federal skirmishers had provoked the fire; if this is an error,
the troops fired deliberately upon Jackson and his party, under
the impression that they were a body of Federal cavalry reconnoitring.
It is said that the men had orders to open upon any
object in front, “especially upon cavalry;” and the absence of
pickets or advance force of any kind on the Confederate side
explains the rest. The enemy were almost in contact with them;
the Federal artillery, fully commanding the position of the troops,
was expected to open every moment; and the men were just in

[ILLUSTRATION]

DEATH WOUND OF STONEWALL JACKSON.—Page 301.
“He was then carried to the side of the road, and laid under a tree.” His last words were, “Let us cross over
the river and rest under the shade.”

[Description: 521EAF. Illustration page, which depicts the death of Stonewall Jackson. He is shown lying under a large tree, dying, as groups of Confederate soldiers gather around. The background image is filled with Confederate soldiers running towards Jackson, some with swords aloft and one with flag raised and waving.]

that excited condition which induces troops to fire at any and
every object they see.

Whatever may have been the origin of this volley, it came,
and many of the staff and escort were shot, and fell from their
horses. Jackson wheeled to the left and galloped into the woods
to get out of range of the bullets; but he had not gone twenty
steps beyond the edge of the turnpike, in the thicket, when one
of his brigades drawn up within thirty yards of him fired a volley
in their turn, kneeling on the right knee, as the flash of the
guns showed, as though prepared to “guard against cavalry.”
By this fire Jackson was wounded in three places. He received
one ball in his left arm, two inches below the shoulder-joint, shattering
the bone and severing the chief artery; a second passed
through the same arm between the elbow and the wrist, making
its exit through the palm of the hand; and a third ball entered
the palm of his right hand, about the middle, and passing through
broke two of the bones. At the moment when he was struck,
he was holding his rein in his left hand, and his right was raised
either in the singular gesture habitual to him, at times of excitement,
or to protect his face from the boughs of the trees. His
left hand immediately dropped at his side, and his horse, no
longer controlled by the rein, and frightened at the firing,
wheeled suddenly and ran from the fire in the direction of the
Federal lines. Jackson's helpless condition now exposed him
to a distressing accident. His horse darted violently between
two trees, from one of which a horizontal bough extended,
at about the height of his head, to the other; and as he passed
between the trees, this bough struck him in the face, tore off his
cap, and threw him violently back on his horse. The blow was
so violent as nearly to unseat him, but it did not do so, and
rising erect again, he caught the bridle with the broken and
bleeding fingers of his right hand, and succeeded in turning his
horse back into the turnpike. Here Captain Wilbourn, of his
staff, succeeded in catching the reins and checking the animal,
who was almost frantic from terror, at the moment when, from
loss of blood and exhaustion, Jackson was about to fall from the
saddle.

The scene at this time was gloomy and depressing. Horses
mad with fright at the close firing were seen running in every
direction, some of them riderless, others defying control; and
in the wood lay many wounded and dying men. Jackson's
whole party, except Captain Wilbourn and a member of the
signal corps, had been killed, wounded, or dispersed. The man
riding just behind Jackson had had his horse killed; a courier
near was wounded and his horse ran into the Federal lines;
Lieutenant Morrison, aide-de-camp, threw himself from the saddle,
and his horse fell dead a moment afterwards; Captain Howard
was wounded and carried by his horse into the Federal camps;
Captain Leigh had his horse shot under him; Captain Forbes
was killed; and Captain Boswell, Jackson's chief engineer, was
shot through the heart, and his dead body carried by his frightened
horse into the lines of the enemy near at hand.