The Virginia in the Civil War Message Board

Stonewall Jackson's Death (?)

This might be old hat to everyone else, but I hadn't heard this version.

Stonewall Jackson

Elijah A. Jackson, Co. B, 1st Ore., Philomath, Ore., says there were a large number of the boys in his company who declared they would like to shoot the reb who killed his own general, Stonewall Jackson, for the news reached us that one of the rebel General's own men shot and killed him while in an engagement. A lot of the Union comrades sat in judgment against him who they supposed was Stonewall Jackson's murderer, and their decision was that he ought to be killed; yet, if a Union soldier should have performed the same deed, they would have sustained him and declared he did his duty in killing a rebel General. One of Comrade Elijah Jackson's comrades, E. S. Jackson, was a second cousin of Stonewall Jackson, but a true patriotic Union soldier. About three weeks ago, Comrade Elijah Jackson was hauling wood, and on his way out from the farm where he got his wood he overtook an aged man on foot and in conversation with him learned that he was acquainted with the man who shot Stonewall Jackson. He said the man was placed in command of a squad of men on a certain road and Jackson's orders were to shoot any man coming down that road, without challenging, and as Stonewall Jackson himself came charging down the road the squad fired on him. He fell and the leader ran up to him and finding that it was Stonewall Jackson, his General, whom he had shot, commenced lamenting. Jackson's last words were, "You have killed me by my own orders." Comrade Elijah Jackson does not remember the name of this unfortunate soldier nor his informant's name either. The same story was told by Comrade Charles Cowells in his article published in the National Tribune.

The National Tribune (Washington, D.C.) 23 May 1907