[364] that as a rule Jackson kept Ewell and the rest of his officers in profound ignorance of his plans and purposes.
General J. A. Walker has recently given me an amusing illustration of this. A few days after Ewell's division moved into Swift Run Gap to take the place of Jackson's troops, who were then marching on Milroy, Walker had occasion to call to see Ewell on important business, but found him in such a towering rage that he took the advice of a member of the staff and did not broach his errand to him. But as he was about to leave Ewell called him and abruptly asked: “Colonel Walker, did it ever occur to you that General Jackson is crazy?”
“I don't know, General,” was the reply, “We used to call him ‘Fool Tom Jackson’ at the Virginia Military Institute, but I do not suppose that he is really crazy.”
“ I tell you sir,” rejoined the irate veteran, “he is as crazy as a March hare. He has gone away, I don't know where, and left me here with instructions to stay until he returns. But Banks's whole army is advancing on me, and I have not the most remote idea where to communicate with General Jackson. I tell you, sir, he is crazy, and I will just march my division away from here. I do not mean to have it cut to pieces at the behest of a crazy man.” And as Walker rode away he left Ewell pacing the yard of his quarters in no good humor at being thus left in ignorance of the whereabouts and plans of his chief.
Riding down to see General Elzey, who commanded the brigade, Colonel Walker found that officer in an exceedingly irritable frame of mind over an order he had received from General Ewell, and pretty soon he said: “I tell you sir, General Ewell is crazy, and I have a serious notion of marching my brigade back to Gordonsville.” Just then one of the conscripts who had been recently assigned to the Thirteenth Virginia (Walker's regiment), bolted in with a paper in his hand and rushing up to General Elzey exclaimed:
I want you, sir, to sign that paper at once, and give me my discharge. You have no right to keep me here, and I mean to go home.
As soon as General Elzey recovered from his astonishment at the fellow's impudence, he seized his pistols and discharged two shots at him as the man rushed out of sight. Coming back he exclaimed: “I should like to know, Colonel Walker what sort of men you keep over at that Thirteenth regiment? The idea of the rascal's demanding of me, a Brigadier-General, to sign a paper. Oh! if I could have only gotten hold of my pistols sooner.”
“ Well,” replied Walker, “I don't know what to do myself. I was up to see General Ewell just now, and he said that General Jackson ”
