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  ...was uncertain.
6. Banks might have marched to join McDowell at Fredericksburg.
7. McClellan might have pressed Johnston so closely that a decisive battle could not have been long delayed.
8. McDowell might have marched on Richmond, intervening between the Valley army and the capital.
Such an array of possibilities would have justified a passive attitude on Elk Run. A calculation of the chances, however, showed Jackson that the dangers of action were illusory. Never take counsel of your fears.   " was a maxim often on his lips. Unlike many others, he first made up his mind what he wanted to do, and then, and not till then, did he consider what his opponents might do to thwart him. To seize the initiative was his chief preoccupation, and in this case it did not seem difficult to do so. He knew that Banks was unenterprising. It was improbable that McDowell would advance until McClellan was near Richmond, and McClellan was very slow. To prevent Fremont getting an inkling of his...   Jackson, Stonewall

Excerpt from Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War · This quote is about fear · Search on Google Books to find all references and sources for this quotation.

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