“After the battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia (July 1, 1862), a soldier was found dead fifty yards in advance of any officer or man, his musket firmly grasped in his rigid fingers,--name unknown,--simply ‘2 La.’ (Second Louisiana) on his cap.” Malvern Hill lies near the James River, about fifteen miles southeast of Richmond. 26. BARBARA FRIETCHIE. By John Greenleaf Whittier. John Greenleaf Whittier, “the Quaker laureate of Puritan New England,” and by some considered the most distinctively American poet, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, December 17, 1807. Whittier was prominent among the anti-slavery agitators, and during his early manhood gave much of his time and strength to the interests of the cause. He took up his permanent residence at Amesbury, Massachusetts, in 1840, and lived there, and at “Oak Knoll,” in Danvers, during the remainder of his life. “Of all our poets,” says Mr. Stedman, “he is the most natural balladist.” He is seen at his best in such ballads as “Cassandra Southwick,” “Mary Garvin,” and “The Wreck of Rivermouth,” and in the New England pastoral, “Snowbound.” He died at Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, September 7, 1892. It was during the march of “Stonewall” Jackson’s command through Frederick City, Maryland, just before the battle of South Mountain, in September, 1862, that the incidents which inspired this poem are said to have occurred. Their truth having been questioned, Mr. Francis F. Browne appealed to Mr. Whittier, and in November, 1885, received from the poet the subjoined statement:--“Of the substantial truth of the heroism of Barbara Frietchie I can have no doubt. Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth, the novelist, of Washington, sent me a slip from a newspaper stating the circumstance as it is given in the poem, and assured me of its substantial correctness. Dorothea L. Dix, the philanthropic worker in Union hospitals, confirmed it. From half a dozen other sources I had the account, and all agree in the main facts. Barbara Frietchie was the boldest and most outspoken Unionist in Frederick, and manifested it to the rebel army in an unmistakable manner.” In spite of Mr. Whittier’s belief in the truth of the incident, its authenticity has been seriously questioned in later years. “Stonewall” Jackson (Thomas Jonathan), one of the most brilliant generals on either side in the Civil War, was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, January 21, 1824. He graduated at West Point, and was twice breveted in the war with Mexico. At the beginning of the Rebellion he took command of the Confederate troops at Harper’s Ferry. He commanded a brigade at the battle of Bull Run, where he gained the sobriquet “Stonewall” on account of the firm stand he made. After a series of brilliant victories, he was mortally wounded by some of his own men when returning from a reconnaissance after the battle of Chancellorsville. He died on the 10th of May, 1863.