Stonewall Jackson - General Stonewall Jackson Brigade
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson
(1824-1863)
Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born on January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg,
Virginia. He entered West Point in July 1842 and, in spite of his poor childhood education, worked hard to graduate seventeenth
in his class in 1846. Upon graduation, Jackson was ordered to military duty in Mexico, fought with valor during
the Mexican American War, and continued his service in the United States Army with positions in New York and Florida. In 1851, Jackson became
professor of artillery tactics and natural philosophy at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. He resigned from
the army on February 29, 1852.
Jackson's summer vacations from teaching were often spent vacationing in the
North and in Europe where his interests were aroused in art and culture rather than military or political aspects. This somewhat
calm, domestic period in his life came to a close on April 21, 1861, when he was ordered to Richmond as part of the cadet
corps. Since military aspirations had faded from his life, he was virtually unknown in this sphere.
It was during the Battle of First Bull Run in the Civil War when Jackson assumed his nickname. Amidst the tumult of battle, Brigadier-General Barnard E. Bee stated,
"There is Jackson standing like a stone wall!" As the war continued, Jackson continually impressed his Confederate compatriots
with his skill on the battlefield and in planning conferences. He distinguished himself in the Valley campaign of early 1862,
the Battle of Second Manassas in August 1862, and the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Jackson was a Southern hero, and in spite of his eccentricities,
he was loved and respected by his soldiers. He strictly observed the Sabbath, and his religiosity was constant in all
facets of his life.
"It is the Lord's Day; my wish is fulfilled. I have always desired to die on Sunday." "Stonewall" Jackson on the day he died
On May 2, 1863, in his last march of the Civil War, Jackson was wounded by
friendly fire. He died of pneumonia several days later on May 10 at Guiney's Station, Virginia. His body was carried to Richmond
and then to Lexington where it was buried. It is said that the Army of Northern Virginia never fully recovered from the loss
of Stonewall Jackson's leadership in battle. General Robert E. Lee believed Jackson was irreplaceable.
| Mountain Road Wounding Site of "Stonewall" Jackson |
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Battle of Chancellorsville
You are now standing in the trace of the Old Mountain Road, the road on which Jackson was riding
when he was injured. Accompanied by aides and couriers, Jackson scouted in front of his main line, hoping to determine the
new Union position. Private David Kyle served as Jackson's guide through the tangled woods. He described the path taken by
their party:
"We went down that old Mountain road some four hundred yards when we came in hearing of the Federals....We
stayed there I should judge from two to four minutes when the Gen Jackson Turned his horse around and started back up the
road we had come down....When we were about halfway back...he turned his horse head toward the south and facing the front
of our own line of Battle he started to leave the old Mountain road and just as his horses front feet had cleared the edge
of the road while his hind feet was still on the edge of the bank there was a single shot fired...in an instant it was taken
up and...a volley as if from a regiment was fired."
Spurred by the belief that the returning Confederates were Union cavalrymen
charging their line, Lane's men had fired into the darkness. One bullet lodged in Jackson's right palm and two struck his
left arm. As a result of the wounds Jackson would lose his left arm. Jackson died one week later on May 10, 1863.
Sources: Dictionary of American Biography; National Park Service; Library
of Congress
Also see:
Recommended Reading: General "Stonewall" Jackson
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