THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH OF STONEWALL JACKSON.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 32, 19 August 1863, Page 3

THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE DEATH OF STONEWALL JACKSON.

(From the Richmond Enquirer, May 13.) General Jackson, having gone some distance in front of the line of skirmishers on Saturday evening, was returning about eight o'clock, attended by his staff and part of his couriers. The cavalcade was in the darkness | of the night mistaken for a body of the enemy's cavalry, and, fured upon by a regiment of i his own corps. He was struck by three balls, One through the left arm, two inches below the shoulder joint, shattering the bone, and severing the chief artery; another ball passed through the same arm between the elbow ' and wrist, making its exit through the palm of the hand; a third ball entered the palm of i the right hand, about its middle, passing through, and broke two bones. He was wounded on the Plank Road, about fifty yards in advance of* the enemy, He fell from his horse, and was 1 caught by Captain Wormley, i to whom he remarked, " All my wounds are by my own men." He had given orders to ; fire at anything coming up the road before he j left, the lines. The enemy's skirmishers apj peared ahead of him, and he returned to ride 1 back. Just then some one cried out, " Cavalry, charge!" and immediately the regiment ■ fired. The whole party broke forward to | ride through our line to escape the fire. Capt. , Boswell was killed, and carried through the I line by his horse, and fell among our own J men. Colonel Couchfield, Chief of Staff, was i wounded by his side. Two couriers were killed. General Jackson was immediately \ placed in a litter and started for the rear. The I firing attracted the attention of the enemy, and was resumed on both lines. One litterj bearer was shot down, and the General fell from the shoulders of the men, receiving a severe contusion, adding to the injury of the ' arm, and injuring his side severely. ; The enemy's fire of artillery on this point was terrible. General Jackson was left for , five minutes until the fire slackened; then ] placed in an ambulance, and carried to the ; field hospital at Wilderness Run. He lost a I large amount of blood, and at one time told '■ Dr. M'Guire he thought he was dying, and j would have bled to death, but a tourquinet i was immediately applied. For two hours he I was nearly pulseless from the shock. As he : was being carried from the field, frequent enquiries were made by the soldiers, " Who have you there ?" He told the doctor, " Do i not tell the troops I am wounded." After the reaction, a consultation was held between Drs. Black, Coleman, Walls, and : M'Guire, and amputation was decided upon. He was asked, " If we find amputation necessary, shall it be done at once?" He re- , plied, " Yes, certainly, Dr.. M'Guire; do for i me whatever you think is right." The opeI ration was performed while he was under the ', influence of chloroform, and was borne well. I He slept on Sunday morning, was cheerful, ' and in every way was doing well. He sent ; for Mrs. Jackson, asked minutely about the battle, spoke cheerfully of the result, and said—" If I had not been wounded, or had an hour more of daylight, I would have cut off the enemy from the United States Ford, and we would have had them entirely surroundei}, and they would have been obliged to surrender or cut their way out. Thejr had no other alternative. My troops may sometimes I fail in driving the enemy from a position, but the enemy always fail to drive my men from ! a position." This was said smilingly. He complained this day of the fall from his I litter, although no contusion or abrasion was apparent as the result of the fall. He did not complain of his wounds, never spoke of them unless asked. He was cheerful; talked about j the battle, gallant bearing of General Rhodes, and said that his Major-General's commission ought to date from Saturday, the grand charge I of his old Stonewall brigade, of which he had heard; asked after all his officers; during the I dav talked more than usual, and said:—" Men ; who live through this war will be proud to say, i 'I was one of the Stonewall brigade' to their ! children." He insisted that the term Stonewall belonged to them, and not to him. During the ride to Guiness he complained greatly of heat, and besides wet applications to his wounds, begged that a wet cloth be applied to his stomach, which was done, greatly to his relief, as he expressed it. On Tuesday his wounds were doing very well. He asked, " Can you tell me, from the appearance of my wounds, how long I will be kept from the field?" He was greatly satisfied when told they were doing remarkably well. He did not complain of any pain in his side, and wanted to see the members of his staff, but was advised not On Wednesday his wounds looked remarkably well. He expected to go to Richmond this day, but was prevented by rain. This night, while his surgeon,

who had not slept for three nights, was asleep) he complained of nausea, and ordered his boy, Jim, to place a wet towel over his stomach. This was done About daylight the surgeon wa* awakened by the boy saying," the General is iu great pain." The pain was in the right side, and due to incipient pneumonia and some nervousness, which he himself attributed to the fall from the litter. On Thursday Mrs Jackson arrived, greatly to his joy and satis* faction, and she faithfully nursed him to the end. By Thursday evening all pain had ceased. He suffered greatly from prostration. On Friday he suffered no pain, but prostration increased. On Sunday morning, when it was apparent that he was rapidly sinking, Mrs. Jackson was informed of his condition. She then had free and full converse with him, and told him he was going to die. He said: " Very good; very good. It is all right." He had previously said: " I consider these wounds a blessing. They were given me for some good and wise purpose. I would not part with them if I could." He asked of Major Pendelton: " Who is preaching at headquarters to-day ?" He sent messages to all the Generals. He expressed a wish to be buried in Lexington, in the valley of Virginia* During delirium, his mind reverted to the battlefield, and he sent orders to General A. P. Hill to prepare for action, and to Major Hawks, his Commissary, and to the surgeons; He frequently expressed to his aides his wish that Major-General Ewell should be ordered to command his corps. His confidence in General Ewell was very great, and the manner in which he spoke of him showed that he had duly considered the matter.