“Why Stonewall Jackson Lost His Arm”

 

“Let us cross the river and rest in the shade.”

--The final words of General Jackson.

* * *

His eyes opened slowly, his body resting

Upon grass that was greener and softer

And springier than any seen before

In his own bonny land of Virginia,

Beneath trees, towering and majestic,

Whose iridescent white flowers set amidst

The silvery green leaves were sending down

Showers of petals upon the forest floor,

And also upon him.  He rose from the grass.

His left arm, surprisingly, was whole again.

A stream, pure and unclouded, ran nearby.

The air about him seemed fresh and vibrant.

All the objects in his sight glowed, he noticed,

With a beautiful light that seemed to shine

From within.  He surveyed the scene as he had

Countless others in recent times, his soldier’s

Instincts still very much alive:  Yet even he,

Though veteran of many battles, started

At the sight of another man, in ancient

Roman uniform, a soldier like himself,

From whom an even brighter light poured forth.

“Hail Thomas!”  The radiant man’s greeting,

Full of warmth and love, embraced him, calmed him.

Yet as he approached, the General felt

An instinctive need to bow his face to the earth,

In honor of the awesome holiness

That this man possessed.  “Rise fellow soldier

Of Christ.  I the lowly one have been sent

By the Holy Trinity, Who is blessed

Forever, amen! – by your God and my God,

To escort you to your resting place here

In Paradise.”  “Paradise,” Stonewall answered,

“Is that where I am?”  He got to his feet;

The man’s light was less intense.  “It is, dear man.”

“Thanks be to God for His mercy to me a wretch!

But, if you will pardon me for asking,

Who are you, Sir, who have come to do this

Kindness for an undeserving sinner?”

“I am unworthy George, a simple soldier.”

“Nay, Sir, there is more to you than this.  What

Is the cause of this great weight of Grace and joy

That I feel in your presence?”  “All of Christ’s

Witnesses and Confessors bear this Grace;

What you find in me is only ordinary.”

“Witness?  A martyria?  Art thou a martyr?”

“I will not deny it; yes, martyred for Christ –

Glory to Him! – at His behest outside

The walls of Nicomedia during

The cruel reign of Emperor Diocletian.”

“A saint?  Can it be?  I was told you were all

Fantasies and fairy tales, gross inventions

Of the imaginations of evil men!”

“It is true:  Christ has bestowed this crown

Upon me, though I have suffered but little

For Him.  You will find that there are other

Things which differ some from what you were taught.

But you lived well according to what you knew,

Obeying your conscience.  And you likewise

Suffered without grumbling at the end of your

Life, losing thine arm after your victory

At Chancellorsville.  Therefore, the Lord says,

“Well done, good and faithful servant!  Enter

Into the joy of your Lord and Savior!”

“These words of yours bring me powerful great joy

That I can scarce contain within me, Sir Saint!

May God be adored and exalted forever,

Amen!”  And he bowed himself upon the ground

Again.  Rising, the General spoke once more:

“Sir Saint, Sir George, I perceive deep inside

That, despite the humble effacing of

Yourself, you are a mighty man before God.

Tell me if you would, for it troubles me

Greatly in my soul:  What will be the outcome

Of the war in which my fellow Southrons

Are engaged?  I asked the Lord to take my life

If it were to end in failure.  Will it

Be so?”  Saint George closed his eyes for some moments,

Standing still and silent.  He opened them

At length and said, “I felt the pain in your heart

And have besought the Lord on your behalf.

Because of our Savior’s generosity,

He has granted you to know:  The South will fall.”

Tears immediately began to fall

From Stonewall’s eyes.  Saint George spoke consolingly:

“Be not dismayed.  All is not as it seems.

The Father is far-seeing.  In future times

A terrible menace will arise in

Eastern lands, a furious persecutor

Of Christian folk in Russia and round about.

To contain the extent of that demonic

Force, Christ the God-man will require the strength

Of all the States of your old league, North and South,

And of others that do not yet exist.

Together, they will battle the Beast and serve

As a haven to those persecuted

By it.  After its defeat and downfall and

The resurrection of the Church in those lands,

The hold of the Blessèd Trinity upon

The States will be released, and they will begin

To separate again.  At this time, your people

In Dixie will be introduced to the true

And undefiled Christian Faith in large numbers,

Which to most of them has been a thing unknown.

How they choose to respond to this highest gift

And invitation of the Holy Ghost

Will determine how the future unfurls

For them.  But come, let us be on our way

To your dwelling.  There is much else to speak of

And to show you as we go.  Sing with me

The hymns of Paradise as we begin.”