General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

At the war’s outbreak, Jackson accepted orders as a Colonel of Virginia militia and commanded at Harper’s Ferry. Jackson then took on the title of Brigadier general and led troops in the epic "First Battle of Bull Run" also known as the battle of First Manassas, where he and his brigade earned him the title “Stonewall.” He was promoted to major general and dispatched to the Shenandoah Valley to defend the south from Federal troops headed towards Richmond in November of 1861

Jackson had successful military maneuvers at Front Royal, Winchester, Cross Keys, and Port Republic in the spring of 1862. These led up to the Seven Days Battle around Richmond, where Jackson’s performance gradually gained momentum. He victories at Second Manassas and then again in Sharpsburg at the Battle of Antietam. Following these events the Army of Northern Virginia was reorganized and Jackson was designated lieutenant general. In December of 1862, Jackson commanded a victory at Fredericksburg, and then the famous flank march at Chancellorsville in May.