come!

"I am so thankful to our ever-kind Heavenly Father for having so
improved my eyes as to enable me to write at night. He continually
showers blessings upon me; and that YOU should have been spared, and
our darling little daughter given us, fills my heart with overflowing
gratitude. If I know my unworthy self, my desire is to live entirely
and unreservedly to God's glory. Pray, my darling, that I may so
live."

Again to his sister-in-law: "I trust God will answer the prayers
offered for peace. Not much comfort is to be expected until this
cruel war terminates. I haven't seen my wife since last March, and
never having seen my child, you can imagine with what interest I look
to North Carolina."

But the tender promptings of his deep natural affection were stilled
by his profound faith that "duty is ours, consequences are God's."
The Confederate army, at this time as at all others, suffered
terribly from desertion; and one of his own brigades reported 1200
officers and men absent without leave.

"Last evening," he wrote to his wife on Christmas Day, "I received a
letter from Dr. Dabney, saying, "one of the highest gratifications
both Mrs. Dabney and I could enjoy would be another visit from Mrs.
Jackson," and he invites me to meet you there. He and Mrs. Dabney are
very kind, but it appears to me that it is better for me to remain
with my command so long as the war continues...If all our troops,
officers and men, were at their posts, we might, through God's
blessing, expect a more speedy termination of the war. The temporal
affairs of some are so deranged as to make a strong plea for their
returning home for a short time; but our God has greatly blessed me
and mine during my absence, and whilst it would be a great comfort to
see you and our darling little daughter, and others in whom I take a
special interest, yet duty appears to require me to remain with my
command. It is important that those at headquarters set an example by
remaining at the post of duty."

So business at headquarters went on in its accustomed course. There
were inspections to be made, the deficiencies of equipment to be made
good, correspondence to be conducted--and the control of 30,000 men
demanded much office-work--the enemy to be watched, information to be
sifted, topographical data to be collected, and the reports of the
battles to be written. Every morning, as was his invariable habit
during a campaign, the general had an interview with