and break up their line of supplies toward Gordonsville. But General Stuart met him near Kelly's Ford with eight hundred men of the brigade of FitzHugh Lee, and after a stubbornly-contested combat drove him back across the Rappahannock.

The season of quiet was happily closed for General Jackson by a visit from his wife and daughter. Having secured lodgings for them at the neighbouring country-seat of a gentleman, near Hamilton's Crossing, he yielded at length to Mrs. Jackson's solicitations, and to his own affection, and about the middle of April met them at the railroad station. The arrival of the mail-train from Richmond was the signal every day for the assemblage of a great crowd of officers and soldiers off duty around the place. In the midst of these the General came forward to the doors of the cars to receive his expected treasures.

The infant, refreshed by long slumber, had just awakened, and looked up at him with a countenance very fresh and bright. His first care after the accustomed salutation was to get the mother and child safely through the crowd and rain into the carriage which was to convey them to their temporary home. Arrived there, he divested himself of his wet overcoat, and taking his baby into his arms, caressed it with tender delight, exclaiming upon its beauty and size. Henceforth his chief pleasure was in caressing her, and he was several times seen, while she was sleeping, kneeling long over her cradle, watching her with a face beaming with admiration and happiness.

This visit was a source of unalloyed delight to him. His first care was to make arrangements for the baptism of

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the child; for the uncertainties of the day warned him that both the parents might not speedily meet again to concur in the sacred rite. He therefore caused his chaplain to administer baptism to it at the quarters of Mrs. Jackson, among a small circle of their personal friends. Such was his devotion to duty, that the attractions of his family made slight change in his busy habits; and his time was employed as strictly as ever in the care of his command. After the labours of the day were completed, he was accustomed to leave his tent and dine with one or two comrades with Mrs. Jackson, spending his evenings with her, chiefly in joyous romps with little Julia. She, on her part, immediately formed the closest intimacy with her new admirer, and learned to prefer his caresses to all others.

CHAPTER XIX.

CHANCELLORSVILLE.

As the time drew near for that resumption of active. hostilities, which General Jackson knew to be inevitable, his temper began to rise in its animation and resolve to meet the crisis. He now spoke with less reserve than before to the members of his military family concerning the general principles which should govern the war upon the Confederate side. Speaking of the coming campaign, he said, with an intense concentration of fire and will, "We must make it an exceedingly active one. Only thus can a weaker country cope with a stronger; it must make up in activity what it lacks in strength. A defensive campaign can only be made successful by taking the Napoleon never waited for

aggressive at the proper time. his adversary to become fully prepared; but struck him the first blow by virtue of his superior activity."

Early upon the 29th of April, he was aroused by a message, which said that an officer was below with something important to communicate immediately. As he arose he remarked, "That sounds as if something stirring were afoot." After a few moments he returned and informed Mrs. Jackson that General Early, to whom he had committed

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the guardianship of the river bank, had sent his adjutant to report that Hooker was crossing in force. He said that great events were probably at hand, and that he must go immediately to verify the news he had received; that if it were as he supposed, and the hostilities were about to be resumed on a great scale, Mr. Yerby's would be no place for a lady and infant; and she would be compelled to retire to Richmond. He therefore requested Mrs. Jackson to make immediate preparations for her journey, so that, if his surmises proved true, she might leave at a moment's warning in the forenoon. He promised, if it were practicable, to return in person and assist her departure, but added that, as his duties might deprive him of the power to do so, he would say good-bye now. Thus, after an affectionate leave-taking, he hurried away, without breakfast, and she saw him no more until she returned to the side of his dying bed. Her heart was oppressed with gloomy forebodings for his safety, arising from her anticipation of the desperate struggle into which she well knew it was his purpose to plunge, rather than yield ground to his gigantic adversary; his animated eagerness seemed to leave him no time for such thoughts for self.

Hurrying to his troops, he now made it his first business to communicate the movements of the enemy to the Commander-in Chief. The aide whom he sent found him still in his tent; and in reply to the message, he said, "Well, I heard firing, and I was beginning to think it was time some of you lazy young fellows were coming to tell me what it was all about. Say to General Jackson that he knows just as well what to do with the enemy as I do."

This answer indicated his high confidence in his great Lieutenant; and the strain of kindly pleasantry habitual with Lee had a happy influence in infusing into all who came near him his own composure and serene courage in great emergencies. When General Jackson joined his troops, he found so much demanding his oversight that he did not return to the assistance of his wife, but sent her brother, his aide, Lieutenant Joseph Morrison, to provide her with an ambulance, and escort her to Guinea's Station, whence she was to proceed by railroad to Richmond. This young officer, eager to be in the post of danger with his chief, transferred his task to his chaplain, who convoyed her to Guinea's, and then also hurried back to his duties with the army.

When General Jackson got his corps under arms, he saw that the Federalists were crossing in great force below Deep Run, and entrenching themselves at the edge of the plateau, on the same ground occupied by Franklin and Hooker at the battle of Fredericksburg. He estimated their numbers at thirty-five thousand men. But he saw at a glance that there was, as yet, no sufficient evidence that Hooker was about to provoke a serious collision on the ground which had been so disastrous to Burnside. That ground had now been strengthened by a continuous line of field-works along the edge of the plateau near the Spottsylvania hills, and by a second partial line within the verge of the forest. He suspected that this crossing was the feint, while the real movement was made upon one or the other flank, and he therefore awaited the reports of the vigilant Stuart, whose cavalry pickets were stretched from