Reminiscences of the Civil War, 1861-1865

by Preston Lafayette Ledford

General D. H. Hill, was a brave commander, had a tender regard for the welfare of his men and being of a humane disposition looked after minor details that the most of officers of his rank left entirely to subordinates. At one time on a march he discovered that many of the men were barefooted and their feet sore—some of them bleeding. He was powerless to furnish shoes and issued an order for the soldiers to make shoes out of rawhides. The order was given with a view of ameliorating the condition of the men and really did to some extent, but was not received by the men in the same spirit it was given and they in ridicule named him “Rawhide.” He was held in high esteem by his men, and they admired his fighting qualities. In battle he was firm as an unshaken rock, and the boys said that not a muscle would quiver even when shells were bursting around him and bullets were cutting close.

General A. P. Hill was a peer of the bravest and most successful general officers of his rank who were co-workers with him in the army of Northern Virginia. He commanded with judgment; maneuvered and executed with skill and proved himself worthy of the position he occupied. In the hour of danger he did not waver and in the heat of battle stood firmly with his men.

General Ewell was a little, scrawny, weakly looking fellow but a fighter with a reputation. He succeeded Jackson in command and while he did not claim to be his equal. The mantle of the famous general fell upon a worthy one, who did not degrade but kept the command up to a respectable standard. In an engagement when perhaps many a commanding officer would have been far enough to the rear to have protected himself, he was wounded and in consequence of the wound had to submit to an operation and had his leg amputated, but did not make his misfortune an excuse to retire from service, but remained with his command and fought to the finish.

General Early was regarded as rather eccentric, and acquired a reputation for gaining many battles and losing out in the end. After bagging his game he seemed not to have the ability to retain it. On one occasion after driving the Yankees unceremoniously from their position he passed along and familiarly said to the soldiers, “Boys you walloped it to ’em this time.” For many weeks he kept his command on the run either in hot pursuit of the Yankees or running in a stampede from them. He kept the Yankees in constant dread and did some very effective work as a commanding officer.

General Stuart was a dashy cavalry general and when he went on the warpath there was something doing. He with other cavalry officers, such as Hampton, Mosby, Imboden and others terrorized the Yankees and often made them hit the grit and burn the wind to get out of the way. The cavalry force under his leadership very materially assisted the main army in successfully carrying out its plans on the campaign. General Stuart took Jackson’s place at Chancellorsville, and successfully prosecuted the engagement that occurred the day after Jackson’s unfortunate adventure while riding along the lines, resulting in his serious wound that disabled him and finally caused his death. He was a fine looking man and a gallant commanding officer and lost his life in a cavalry engagement at the Yellow Tavern.

General Longstreet held a high position among the officers of the army, and in its counsels his fine military mind exerted an influence towards shaping aggressive campaigns. His command did some hard and effective fighting. Wherever the tramp of the soldiers in his corps was heard, Southern soldiers were encouraged and the Federal troops terror stricken. The Yankees learned of his name and fame and feared him accordingly.

General Breckenridge was tall symmetrical and impressed one in his presence with his attractive personality. He belonged to a leading Kentucky family and was in the war prompted by a sense of duty and loyalty to his country. He was a leading factor in the counsels of the officers in shaping the character of the military movements.

General Gordon was a fair type of the Southern gentleman, and his very appearance indicated soldier qualities of a high order. He was an educated man and his literary attainments gave him prominence in the counsels of war held by the general officers. In prosecuting military movements he called into requisition his fine military talent, experience, good judgment and discretion. After the war he became distinguished for his eloquence and became a fine platform lecturer.

General Wheeler, better known as fighting Jo Wheeler, a good portion of the time had his headquarters in his saddle, and his command was expert horseback riders. With his boys he was in his proper element when chastising the Yankees. It was said that he slipped upon their blind side and it seemed that all sides were blind for he was liable to attack them from any point of the compass, and his raids were a great help to the main army. His command returning home after the surrender was followed by a gang of looters that stole horses and committed other depredations claiming to be Wheeler’s men. General Wheeler figured conspicuously in the Spanish-Cuban war retaining in his old age his fire and courage as a soldier.

General Jackson was a military chieftain whose equal in his special line or plan of conducting a campaign could not be found in the army. He never tried to evade a battle when it was in the interest of the cause he represented to fight, but by his dashing movements often accomplished by strategy victories that could not have been achieved in battle. He was loved by officers and men in his command, and they placed implicit confidence in him. His name and presence cheered them on to deeds of valor, and the mere rumor in the camp of the enemy that Jackson was coming made officers and soldiers tremble in their boots. They feared him as a foe, but respected him for his clever management, and admired him for his heroism and wonderful achievements.