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By late 1862, General Thomas J. Jackson and General J.E.B.
Stuart were giants in gray — revered in the South and reluctantly
respected in the North. Only General Robert E. Lee was held in
higher esteem. “Stonewall” Jackson and “Jeb”
Stuart had bequeathed heart and hope to the embattled people
of the South, while repeatedly frustrating Northern strategies
for conquering the Southern homeland. Stuart had literally ridden
circles around the enemy, while providing invaluable intelligence
as the 'eyes' of General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern
Virginia. Jackson had turned the tide at First Manassas where
he emerged from obscurity to become the mighty “Stonewall”
and then had thoroughly humiliated his foes in the Shenandoah
Valley and at Second Manassas.
A daring attempt by Lee to capitalize on the Southern victories
had been thwarted weeks earlier on the bloody fields of Antietam.
Now, the Army of Northern Virginia was regrouping and preparing
to repel another Northern assault — which they knew would
surely come soon. In early November, Jackson and his troops were
encamped east of Winchester, Virginia, and the General established
temporary headquarters on the grounds of Carter Hall Plantation.
It was there on November 4, 1862, that Jackson received a
visit from General Stuart, who was fresh from battle and a hard
night’s ride. Jackson promptly ordered his headquarters
cooks to feed the weary warriors. “Nothing was better calculated
to restore our good spirits than the summons to the General’s
large breakfast-table,” recalled Major Heros von Borcke.
Within hours, Stuart and his staff were back in the saddle and
bidding goodbye to their host. They left Carter Hall much better
for their time spent as General Jackson’s guests. “The
good cheer had the happiest effect on Stuart, who enlivened our
repast with abundant anecdote and the recital of many a joke,”
recalled von Borcke. The laughter and cheer would prove fleeting
— ahead lay hard days, heavy fighting and tragic ends for
both Jackson and Stuart. Within months, mighty “Stonewall”
would be dead, followed in 1864 by the dashing General Stuart.
For the moment, however, Jackson and Stuart — like General
Lee — were giants of heroic stature in the South this Shenandoah
autumn. |