He was
greeted everywhere with the wildest enthusiasm, and found himself then,
as he has ever since remained, the idol and chosen hero of the southern
people, who saw in him a unique and splendid embodiment of valor and
virtue, second only to the first and greatest of all Virginians, and
even surpassing him in the subtle qualities of the heart.
As has been said, his fortune was gone, and it was necessary for him to
earn a living. The opportunity soon came in the offer of the presidency
of Washington College, at Lexington, where the remainder of his days
were spent in honored quiet. Those five years of warfare, with their
hardships and exposures, had brought on rheumatism of the heart, and the
end came on October 12, 1870. He died dreaming of battle, and his last
words were, "Tell Hill he _must_ come up!"
Next to Lee in the hearts of the Southern soldiers was Thomas Jonathan
Jackson, better known by the sobriquet of "Stonewall," which General Bee
gave him during the first battle of Bull Run. Driven back by the Union
onset, the Confederate left had retreated a mile or more, when it
reached the plateau where Jackson and his brigade were stationed. The
brigade never wavered, but stood fast and held the position.
"See there!" shouted General Bee, "Jackson is standing like a stone
wall. Rally on the Virginians!"
Rally they did, and Jackson was ever thereafter known as "Stonewall.
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