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"Stonewall" Jackson was one of the South's greatest generals during the Civil War. Pious and uncommunicative, he possessed an uncanny, almost intuitive grasp of Gen. Robert E. Lee's orders. His untimely death in 1863 undoubtedly hastened the Confederacy's downfall.
Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born on January 21, 1824 in Clarkesburg, Virginia (present-day West Virginia) into a life of poverty. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his uncle and in 1842, gained admission to West Point. Joined the army and fought in 1847 for the final months of the Mexican-American War.
After the war he taught artillery tactics and natural philosophy at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He was uninspiring and unpopular as a teacher.
Known for his almost fanatical religious devotion, he married Eleanor "Ellie" Junkin, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister, on August 4, 1853. Jackson was devoted to Ellie and enormously admired his wife's religious piety and intellectual abilities. His wife died in childbirth in 1854 (he was devastated). He remarried another minister’s daughter in 1857.
In the 1850’s Jackson devoted himself to his teaching and the Presbyterian church, studiously avoiding the debate over slavery and the growing sectional crisis between the North and South.
He disdained politics and was horrified by the prospect of civil war, although he owned a few slaves himself. In December 1859, he commanded the VMI Cadet Corps at the hanging of abolitionist John Brown.
When the Civil War broke out in April 1861, Jackson, who did not support secession, sided with his state and was appointed a colonel in the Confederate Army.
In June 1861, Jackson was promoted to brigadier general in the Army of Northern Virginia and the following month, distinguished himself at the First Battle of Bull Run.
His staunch defense of the Henry House occasioned Gen. Bernard E. Bee to remark "There is Jackson standing like a stonewall!" The moniker stuck, and ever since, he has been known by the nickname "Stonewall."
He became an invaluable resource for the Confederate Army. A demanding leader, his men came to revere him and take special pride in his exploits on the battlefield.
His determination and fortitude saved the Confederate Army many times. Lee came to value him as his most trusted subordinate and routinely gave Jackson difficult tasks, which he always successfully completed.
Promoted to major general in October, Jackson assumed command of troops in the Shenandoah Valley and conducted one of the most brilliant campaigns of the entire war. During March-June 1862, Jackson's 17,000 bedraggled men, out-marched, out-foxed, and out-fought a combined Union force of 60,000.
Having captured the arsenal at Harpers Ferry and driven Federal troops out of the valley, Jackson was then ordered to join Lee at Richmond.
In September 1862, Jackson again distinguished himself at the Battle of Antietam and the following month, received promotion to lieutenant general and command of II Corps, half of Lee's army.
In this capacity, he commanded the left wing of the Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg in December 1862 and assisted in the bloody repulse of Union general Ambrose Burnside. On many a far-flung field, Lee and Jackson proved to be an unbeatable combination.
Jackson's military reputation was solidified in the Chancellorsville campaign of May 1863, although he would not survive the engagement. Confederates were outnumbered two to one by the Union forces and faced a dismal prospect for survival, let alone victory over the federal troops.
Having lured the army of Union general Joseph Hooker into a false sense of security, Lee divided his army and sent Jackson and his men around the Union right flank. On May 2, Jackson fell like a thunderbolt upon Union general Oliver O. Howard's forces and routed them. Jackson's victory brought a temporary reprieve for the Confederates, although hard fighting remained before victory could be secured.
After the fighting had ceased on the night of May 2, Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own sentries as he returned from a scouting foray. His arm was amputated that night, but pneumonia overtook the wounded general. He lingered for eight days before dying on May 10, 1863.
His loss was a great tragedy to both Lee and the Confederate cause. "I do not know how to replace him," bemoaned Lee, "I have lost my good right arm." Lee never found a commander whom he could trust and rely on as he had on Jackson.
In addition, Jackson's death coincided with the beginning of the Confederacy's defeat on the battlefield. Thus, Southerners came increasingly to associate him with military victory and survival of the Confederate cause. His reputation quickly took on mythical qualities, as Southerners saw their dreams for an independent nation disintegrate without the fallen general.
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