slightest reason to believe that Lee ever gave the subject a thought.  Entirely free from that vulgar species of ambition which looks with cold eyes upon the success of others, as offensive to its own amour-propre Lee never seems to have instituted any comparison between himself and Jackson—­greeted praise of his famous lieutenant with sincere pleasure—­and was the first upon every occasion, not only to express the fullest sense of Jackson’s assistance, and the warmest admiration of his genius as a soldier, but to attribute to him, as after the battle of Chancellorsville, all the merit of every description.

It is not possible to contemplate this august affection and admiration of the two soldiers for each other, without regarding it as a greater glory to them than all their successes in arms.  Lee’s opinion of Jackson, and personal sentiment toward him, have been set forth in the above sentences.  The sentiment of Jackson for Lee was as strong or stronger.  He regarded him with mingled love and admiration.  To excite such feelings in a man like Jackson, it was necessary that Lee should be not only a soldier of the first order of genius, but also a good and pious man.  It was in these lights that Jackson regarded his commander, and from first to last his confidence in and admiration for him never wavered.  He had defended Lee from the criticism of unskilled or ignorant persons, from the time when he assumed command of the army, in the summer of 1862.  At that time some one spoke of Lee, in Jackson’s presence, as “slow.”  The criticism aroused the indignation of the silent soldier, and he exclaimed:  “General Lee is not ‘slow.’  No one knows the weight upon his heart—­his great responsibilities.  He is commander-in-chief, and he knows that, if an army is lost, it cannot be replaced.  No! there may be some persons whose good opinion of me may make them attach some weight to my views, and, if you ever hear that said of General Lee, I beg you will contradict it in my name.  I have known General Lee for five-and-twenty years.  He is cautious.  He ought to be.  But he is not ‘slow.’  Lee is a phenomenon.  He is the only man whom I would follow blindfold!”

The abrupt and energetic expressions of Jackson on this occasion indicate his profound sense of the injustice done Lee by these criticisms; and it would be difficult to imagine a stronger statement than that here made by him.  It will be conceded that he himself was competent to estimate soldiership, and in Jackson’s eyes Lee was “a phenomenon—­the only man whom he would follow blindfold.”  The subsequent career of Lee seems to have strengthened and intensified this extreme admiration.  What Lee advised or did was always in Jackson’s eyes the very best that could be suggested or performed.  He yielded his own opinions, upon every occasion, with perfect readiness and cheerfulness to those of Lee, as to the master-mind; loved him, revered him, looked up to him, and never seems to have found fault with him but upon one occasion—­when he received Lee’s note of congratulation after Chancellorsville.  He then said:  “General Lee is very kind; but he should give the glory to God.”