Stonewall Jackson--a Strange Story

Arrivmg at .ew ürleans in 1HÖÜ, I was soon uu ïuy way up tho Mississippi anti Ohio. Aniong my fellow passengen on the steamer was Licut. Thouuis J. Jackson, of tho United Stutes army, who secmcd, at first, a. r.emarkably quiet, reserved, althougk vory intelligent officer, and with whom I soon becauio aequaintud ; foi thero is everywhero a sort ot' cameraderio tuumg oiücers of tho two services whieh uttracts tliem toeachother in a crowd of sirttagers. For sevoral days the iulaud voyage continuod ; and our nights wero partly spont uptn the hutricano deck of ijui steumer, engagcd in convorsation. Une of these couversations was so peculiar thut it iixed itself in my moiuory, and subsequentvoats pí-oved it worthy of record ; although, I couiess, I hesitate to p(Ut in writing anything which 'borders sp nearly ou the uiarvelous. One clear starlight nigtt, as we glided along fhe calm river, our conversution turned upon the iiruiamcnt and itscountJess orbs that looked down upon us. - Jackson asked me f I had over been induccd to tako a fliglit frum tho study of. nautical astronouiy, practiced by all naval otlicers, into tliu realms of astrology. I replied that I had always buen intorestod, ciore or less, in those niathelnatical studies roquirud in nautical calculatipns ; and that, froiu the exact rulos emandod for working tho various problenis of the epheweris, I had soinetinies, to anuaso the idlo hours of a sea lito, worked out the nativities oí íhy shipmates. I had eveu taken Zadiriel's almanac, and usod his rules, but without bolieving iii tho scieuce of judicial asírology. Jackson, however, was not so inoredulous, although it was evident that he had not thcn decidod fully witJiin himsolf as to the f ruth or falsehood of this oxplodcd scionce. Before wo parted at lJi.ttsb,urL, a day or two aftcr this eonvorsation., I hud given ..Tackson tho necessary data for calculatiug a horóscopo : and in the course of a few mouths 1 reoeirad íroin hiin a letter, which I gagpa:s&, mclosing a scheme of my na'tivity. As auy one who tnay have; calculatcd a schomo by the rules must know, a horóscopo may be interpreted in t various, even contrudiotory turáis, by different persons, and this was no oxception to the rulo. The only reasou I had i'or remeiu boring it-at uli -was that our desunios geemed to run in parallel lines ; and so far it was remarkable. It was this pouliarjfty that caused Jackson to cominunicate with me, and the reason vhy I laid t.eiUefully aside for re esctuuiuatiou. 'fho several planots wero placed in their respective houses above and below the horizon ; and Saturn being near the ineridiun, and approaching a square with the iiioon, great dauger was to Qfe apprehuudod by the uative at the poriod when the aspect became complete. Mars also bore a threateuing aspect, while Júpiter was bolow tho horizon, aiid serin sextile, wlach-wus not altogother unfavorable. - Thei o was no trine, itnd the sextile ;was wcak. Altogether, iroiu eVil aspect of the square of Saturn, which threatuned au ojjosiUcm - that most dreaded of all ' '1 aspccts of tho heavens - the scheme was quito dimgerpus and iualign. The precise time and nature of the threateued dauger, roquiriiig a second calculation, accompanied the scheuio, ■ catihg tile culmination of the maligü aspect within soino ten yeais, or during tho tirst days of May, lHd'ó, at which thuo tho native run great risk of lifé and fortunes; but, in base ho survived the peiil, tho oniinous period woüld never again rccur. In this letter Jackson says, " I have gone over these calculations seveial times as their reeult is ahnost an xact reproduction of ruy own. ♦ It is cluar tj nic' that we sbaü both ba ex,pospd to a' cominon daiifj;r m the time ó.lidicutpd." IJaving but httie fuith in the ahnost forgotteu ::?id altogether rcpudiated science ot' astrology, 1 took little hoed of either his Roheme of xuvtivity or his letter, rogaiding the forooer as ingenious, but as merely a p;:óof of an ardent and somewhat en tutisiastic temperament ; while I little iuuigined, at tbat time, that .t-ho rathcr unj)olished and rugged exterior of ' Lieut. Jackson coucealed a charaoter destined to bucome famoue auiong his countrymon. I sorved i$ frfi'e arii'y iii 1RG1-2-3 until after the battle of Chancelloi'sville, partioipating in all its important engagemunts, and, tho grentur part of tho tlMle, oommandihg a brigade. At th,e battlo abovo named, I was an in.voluniarv wittfesa -f au' evont which, had an ituportaèt beanng on the issue of thé war, and whieh has beeft ■the subject of prolongod contioversy. 1 refer to tho death of Stonowall Jackson. The circuinstancesuuder wliic-h I acquired the right, to givo testiiuony in the matter wero soiuówhat remarkablo ; and I here give a fuH .statei.-oiit ef tl:eta. The left of my brigado-line lay noar the plank rond at Chaiicellorsville ; and aftel night hud tallen I ï'ode forward, accordin; to my invariable habit, to inspoot the I)icket-lino. The mooïi had rúen, and partiiilLyiliuminated the woods. I began my iuspection on the right of .the piqket line, progressing gradually to tho left, where I stopped to roctify tho post of a sentinel not far frorn tho plank road. - While; thus eugaged, I heard the sound of hoofs from tho direction oi' the euemy's line, and paused to listen. Soon a cavalcade appeared approaching us. The foromost horseman detaobed himsclf iiom the niaiu body, which halted not furtVom us, avid riding xautiously aearer, socmed to try to pierca the glooin. Ho was so close to us thut th i soldier nearest to me luveled bis rifle for a shot at him, but I forbado him, as I did not wish to have our position revealed, and it would havo boon usoless to kill tho inaii, whom I judged to be a stuif oüicer making a recoimoisauce. Having completed his observations, this porson rejoined tho trroup in his roar, and all roturned at agaííop. Tho clattor of hoofs soou ceased to bo audible, and tho silenco of tho night was unbroken, s .ivo by tho melancholy cries of the whippowill, which wi'ic heard in one continuod wail, liko spirit-voices ; when the horizon was lighted up by a sudden flash in the direction of tho onemy, suceooded by tho well-knowo rattleof a volley of muskotry from at least a battalion. A second volley quickly followod the first. and I heard cries in the same direction. Fearing that somo of .our troops might be in that locality, and tliat thero was dangec of our iiiing upo.nl' rionds, I leftmyorderly, and rodo toward tho confedérate lines. A riderlesB horee daohed past me toward our liui's, and I reinod up in presenco of a grouj) of several persons gathered around a man lying on tho ground, apparently badly woundod I saw at once that these were oonfederate offioers, and visions of tho Libby began to flit through my ii i i m i ; but refleoting that I was woll armed and moanted, and that ï had on the great coat ot' a private soldier suoh as was worn by both parties, I sat Btill, regardhig tho group in siluiice, but prepared to use eithor my spurs or uiy sabre, as ocoiision niight domand. The silonce waa brolcen by one ot' the consudcrutes, who appoared to regard ruo with astonislunent; then, speaking in a tono of authurity, he ordered rao to " rido up thcro and seo what troops tlioso were," indicating the rebel position. I instantly made a gesturo of assont, and rodo slowly in tho direction indicated until out of sight of tho group ; then mado a circuit round it, and returned within iuy owu lincs. - Just as I had answered tho challongo of our pioket, tlio seotiou óf our artillery postad on tho plank road began íirin, and I could plainly hcar the grape crashing thiough the troes near tho spot oecupied by the group of confedérate oflicers. About i tbrtnight afterward, I saw a iicumonu nowspaper at tlie Cfimp at X almouth, in which wero iletailed the oircumstances of the death of Stonewall Jaekson. These left 110 doubt in iny own inind that thu person I liad soen lying on the ground was that oflicer, and his singular pfodietion - inentionod previously - had beun vcrifiod. The following is an extract frora tho newspaper account : - " Gen Jackson having goce somo distanco il?, front of his line on Saturday evening, was rsturning about 8 o'olook, attended by his staff. Tho cavalcade was, in tho daikiM'ss, mistaken Cor a body of the eneiny's .cavalry, aad fired on by a regiment of his own corps." Then, at'ter dutuilitir what took placo after the General feil f rom his horso, the account proceeds . "The turupiko was utterly deserted, with . the exception of Capts Wilbourn and Wynn, but, in tho skirting tiickots on the loft, Bouie persea was observed by the side of tho wood, sittiug iiis horse motionless and silent. The uukuown individual was ciad in a dark dress, which stronssly reseoibled the federal uniform ; but it kl-ouied impossiblo that he could have peaetiated to tha-t spot without being discovered and what followed sewned to jj.rovo that he belougcd to the Confederates. Cajt. Wilbourai directod hiin to riue up thora and soe what troops thoso were - tho men who fired on Jackson - and the strangor rodo slowly in tho diroction pointed out, but uevur retornad vnth any answer. - Who tliis silont peraonagc was is left to posterity," etc. Jaokson's deaiU ha,ppenod in strano coincidenco with his horosoopio prediotiou made years beforo ; but the coiiicidence was, I believo, merely fortuitous j and I mention it hore only to show what ! mysterious " givings-out " we sometimes