on the one
hand, and Port Royal on the other; in front, the far-stretching level
gave full sweep to the eye; and at the foot of its forest-clad
bluffs, or by the margin of undulating fields, the Rappahannock
flowed calmly to the sea. Old mansions dotted this beautiful
land--for beautiful it was in spite of the chill influences of
winter, with its fertile meadows, its picturesque woodlands, and its
old roads skirted by long lines of shadowy cedars."* (* Cooke page
389.)

The headquarters of the Second Army Corps were established at Moss
Neck, on the terrace above the Rappahannock, eleven miles below
Fredericksburg. After the retreat of the Federals to Falmouth, the
Confederate troops had reoccupied their former positions, and every
point of passage between Fredericksburg and Port Royal was strongly
intrenched and closely watched. At Moss Neck Jackson was not only
within easy reach of his divisions, but was more comfortably housed
than had usually been the case. A hunting-lodge which stood on the
lawn of an old and picturesque mansion-house, the property of a
gentleman named Corbin, was placed at his disposal--he had declined
the offer of rooms in the house itself lest he should trespass on the
convenience of its inmates; and to show the peculiar constitution of
the Confederate army, an anecdote recorded by his biographers is
worth quoting. After his first interview with Mrs. Corbin, he passed
out to the gate, where a cavalry orderly who had accompanied him was
holding his horse. "Do you approve of your accommodation, General?"
asked the courier. "Yes, sir, I have decided to make my quarters
here." "I am Mr. Corbin, sir," said the soldier, "and I am very
pleased."

The lower room of the lodge, hung with trophies of the chase, was
both his bedroom and his office; while a large tent, pitched on the
grass outside, served as a messroom for his military family; and here
for three long months, until near the end of March, he rested from
the labour of his campaigns. The Federal troops, on the snow-clad
heights across the river, remained idle in their camps, slowly
recovering from the effects of their defeat on the fields of
Fredericksburg; the pickets had ceased to bicker; the gunboats had
disappeared, and "all was quiet on the Rappahannock." Many of the
senior officers in the Confederate army took advantage of the lull in
operations to visit their homes; but, although his wife urged him to
do the same, Jackson steadfastly