This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 Excerpt: ...Kernstown. They felt that they had made a good fight against four times their number. It began to dawn on them, too, that their leader was a great general; whenever Jackson passed along the columns, the men would cheer themselves hoarse. Cooke tells us that one man was heard to ask as he marched along, "Why is Old Jack ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 Excerpt: ...Kernstown. They felt that they had made a good fight against four times their number. It began to dawn on them, too, that their leader was a great general; whenever Jackson passed along the columns, the men would cheer themselves hoarse. Cooke tells us that one man was heard to ask as he marched along, "Why is Old Jack a better general than Moses 1" "Don't know," was the reply. "Because it took Moses forty years to lead the Children of Israel through the Wilderness, and Old Jack would have doublequicked them through it in three days." Another writer states that the men would laughingly declare that the only rest they had was when they were retreating before the enemy. Jackson always led them by forced marches when going to attack, but never moved fast enough on a retreat to lose the chance of a fight. The army finally reached its old camp at Mount Jackson, where Jackson gathered the wounded and sent them up the Valley. On April 1, he crossed the north fork of the Shenandoah and took position on Rude's Hill, five miles below New Market. Banks was pressing up the Valley behind him. Ashby burned the bridge over the Shenandoah near Mount Jackson after the Southern army had crossed. While Ashby was doing this work he fought a skirmish with the Federal cavalry, in which his beautiful snowwhite charger was killed. Jackson remained at Bude's Hill until April 17. By this time the water had gone down so that the Federals could cross the river. Jackson then retreated through New Market to Harrisonburg, where he turned east. Passing the southern end of Massanutton mountain, he crossed the south branch of the Shenandoah river and posted his troops in the gorge of the Blue Ridge called Swift Bun Gap. The way to Staunton was now open to Banks...
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