Southern Historical Society Papers, Volume 19.
Reverend J. William Jones, Ed.

A brigadier once galloped up to Jackson in the midst of battle and said: ‘General Jackson, did you order me to charge that battery?’ pointing to it. ‘Yes, sir; I did. Have you obeyed the order?’ ‘Why, no, General. I thought there must be some mistake. My brigade would be annihilated-literally annihilated, sir — if we should move across that field.’ ‘General——’ said Jackson, his eye flashing fire and his voice and manner betraying intense excitement, and even rage, ‘I always try to bury my dead, and take care of my wounded. Obey that order, sir, and do it at once.’

I heard one day, on the Valley campaign, a colloquy between Jackson and a colonel commanding one of his brigades. Jackson said quietly: ‘I thought, Colonel——, that the orders were for you to move in the rear instead of in the front of General Elzey's brigade this morning.’ ‘Yes, I know that, General, but my fellows were ready before Elzey's, and I thought it would be bad to keep them waiting, and that it really made no difference any way.’ ‘I want you to understand, Colonel,’ was the almost fierce reply, ‘that you must obey my orders first, and reason about them afterwards. Consider yourself under arrest, sir, and march at the rear of your brigade.’ Jackson put General A. P. Hill under arrest (for a cause that was manifestly unjust) on the Second Manassas campaign, and he probably put more officers under arrest than all others of our generals combined.