Stonewall Jackson at prayer.
[from the Louisville courier-journal, October 19, 1891.]
Probably there was never a more impressive tribute paid to Christianity than that by
General John Echols in his ‘Stonewall Jackson Address’ last Tuesday evening before the
Confederate Association of
Kentucky.
Bishop Dudley,
Bishop Penick,
Dr. Broadus,
Dr. Jones,
the Rev. J. G. Minnigerode, and other ministers of the gospel in the great audience were visibly affected when, after the thrilling recital of
General Jackson's matchless movements in the
Valley of Virginia, throughout the forty days during which he marched four hundred miles, fought five pitched battles, defeated five great generals, captured four thousand prisoners, and closed the war in the Shenandoah Valley for months,
General Echols, referring to the death of
Ashby and the tender emotion exhibited by
Stonewall Jackson, paused, and speaking of frequent prayer as a characteristic of
Jackson, said slowly:
There is a weakness among young men in regard to praying.
They do not care to let men know that they kneel and pray; some even thinking praying a sign of cowardice.
There is nothing greater than thus getting hold of God.
Remember Jackson, of whom it can be said, “There lies a man who never feared the face of man.”
He was constant in prayer.
Men may scoff as they will, but there comes the time when every knee shall bow. Stonewall Jackson went through the war attributing all his victories to God.
He had absolute dependence on an overruling providence.
What could overcome such a character?
A distinguished Virginia minister, Rev. Mr. Hullihen, has just furnished me this historical letter in regard to General Ewell and Stonewall Jackson:
Dear General: 'Twas in connection with
General Ewell's conversion to
Christ, from his accidentally overhearing
Jackson praying
[
112]
for guidance in the prosecution of the campaign when it had a short while before been confessed by all the
Confederate generals,
Jackson included, that they knew not what to advise—then the brilliant movement through Thoroughfare Gap, etc. My informant got the account from a minister of the Presbyterian Church, who was present as one of the session in examining
General Ewell (who had been a very profane man and skeptical), and hearing him give his experience and what led him to desire membership in the
Church.
General Ewell had been wounded in the series of battles that occurred just after the incident to which reference is about to be made, and he had time for deep reflection.
General Ewell did not have a high opinion of
General Jackson's natural ability.
Indeed, as he often remarked in hearing of his staff, he knew
Jackson well, and knew he did not have good common sense, and therefore the victory which
Jackson had won had been an accident.
And so the staff used to join in with him in deriding the claim of
Jackson's friends to his being a great general.
But, somehow,
Jackson kept on winning victories, so that the staff, one after another, ceased talking in the strain they had been indulging in, and
Ewell was left alone in reaffirming his oft-repeated convictions.
This went on until
Pope had assumed command of the
Federal troops, and at a juncture of that campaign when everything seemed dark and inextricably mixed up; and a council of war was held, at which
Generals Jackson and
Ewell were present.
Each general was asked what he would advise, and one after another said he had nothing to suggest; and
Jackson also said the same thing, but added that, as they seemed to think that he ought to know what to do, if they would agree to meet again the next morning, before daylight, he might have something to offer for their consideration.
They all then separated.
General Ewell had not gone very far when he discovered that he had left his gauntlets, which he valued very much, in
Jackson's tent.
Upon returning, he found the flap of the tent down and tied, and heard the voice of
Jackson engaged in prayer.
He concluded that he was just saying his prayers before going to bed, and that he would wait until he got through, and then he would go in and get his gloves, but
Jackson continued to pray long and fervently, and he could not help hearing what he said.
It was as a little child talking to his father.
He told his heavenly Father that he did not know what to do; that everything seemed to be involved in perfect darkness, and that the other generals seemed to expect that he would be able to tell
[
113]
them what the army ought to do; would He not graciously reveal to him what was best to be done?
This was the substance of his prayer, which he continued to utter as he urged his suit with God, which he did with the utmost humility and reverence, and yet with the humble boldness of a little child.
Jackson continued praying so very long that
Ewell concluded that he would leave.
When they assembled next morning, and
Jackson laid before them what he would suggest, they all instantly perceived that it was the very thing that ought to be done, and so the movement through Thoroughfare Gap was decided upon, and the series of battles followed with the results so well known by all.
Ewell was wounded, but he still held the opinion as to
Jackson's natural ability, and there was, therefore, no other way, to his mind, to explain
Jackson's success, except, that prayer had power with God, and that this fact carried with it practically all the rest that the New Testament taught; and if this was the case, he was most assuredly on the wrong side, and the quicker he got over to the right side, the better for him, and that he had been trying to get there ever since he had come to that conclusion; and it was in carrying out this determination that he now asked admission to church membership.
