Stonewall Jackson

Jackson was not very impressive to look at. He was of average height and usually dressed shabbily. He was not a good horseman and wore his cap pulled down to his nose.

He married Elinor Junkin in 1853, while he was an instructor at the ‘Virginia Military Institute.’ His wife died a year later, during childbirth. Jackson later married Mary Anna Morrison in 1857. Their first child, Mary Graham, died within a month of being born in 1858. In 1862, they had their second daughter, Julia Laura. During this period, he was popular among the blacks, for whom he organized Sunday school classes at the ‘Presbyterian Church.’ His family had slaves, but he believed they deserved to be educated and treated with dignity. Despite his stern attitude as a military leader, he was a strong follower of the ‘Presbyterian Church.’

After his death, his body was moved to the ‘Governor’s Mansion’ in Richmond for public mourning and later buried in the ‘Stonewell Jackson Memorial Cemetery’ in Lexington, Virginia.

Stonewall Jackson was born Thomas Jonathan Jackson, on January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, Virginia, US, to Julia Beckwith Jackson and Jonathan Jackson. His father was an attorney. He was the third child of his parents. His elder sister died of typhoid two years after he was born. This was followed by the death of his father due to the same disease. His mother gave birth to his youngest sister a day after his father died and had to bring up three children on her own.

His mother moved to a small rented house and supported her children by sewing clothes and teaching in a school. In 1830, she got married to an attorney, Blake Woodson, and died during childbirth a year later. Jackson had a half-brother, William Wirt Woodson, but his stepfather did not like his stepchildren.

His elder brother went to stay with his mother’s family and died of tuberculosis in 1841. Thomas and his younger sister, Ann, went to live with their half-uncle, Cummins Jackson, in Jackson’s Mill in Lewis County, West Virginia. His sister later went to stay with his mother’s family and he went to stay with his paternal aunt, Polly, for a while. He did not get along with his aunt’s husband and came back to Jackson’s Mill, where he helped in farming and educated himself by reading books.

He joined the ‘United States Military Academy’ at West Point, New York, in 1842. Because of his informal schooling, he had a difficult time initially but worked hard to secure the 17th position among 59 cadets, in 1846.

He began his career with the US army as a second lieutenant in the ‘1st US Artillery Regiment.’ His regiment was involved in the Mexican–American War from 1846 to 1848, where Jackson fought in the siege of Veracruz and the battles of Chapultepec, Contreras, and Mexico City. During the war, he displayed an aggressive spirit and sound judgment, which earned him a promotion to the post of major by the end of the war.

During the next two years, he was assigned to various forts as part of the American effort to push the native Seminoles further west. He was the second-in-command at Fort Meade, where he had serious differences with his commanding officer, Major William H. French.

He took up an instructional assignment at the ‘Virginia Military Institute’ in Lexington, in 1851, where he was a professor of natural and experimental philosophy and an instructor of artillery. Though he was good at his subject, he was not a very popular instructor due to his strict ways and lack of humor. During his instructional tenure, he commanded an artillery contingent, which consisted of two howitzers manned by 21 cadets, to provide additional military presence at the hanging of a militant named John Brown.

When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Jackson was a drill master for the ‘Confederate Army’ recruits. By then, he had become a colonel and was given the charge to command the troops at the Harpers Ferry. He believed in strict discipline and was soon promoted to the position of brigadier general after leading the raids on the B&O Railroad in May 1861.

In July 1861, Jackson earned the nickname ‘Stonewall’ at the First Battle of Bull Run when his brigade stood their ground, while the rest of the ‘Confederate’ lines began to crumble. His success was attributed to the strict discipline and drilling imposed by him on his men. His brigade was referred to as the ‘Stonewall Brigade’ that stopped the Union assault. He became famous for his posture where he held his left arm up with the palm of his arm facing forward to motivate his men. His hand was injured by shrapnel, but he refused medical treatment till the battle was over.

Stonewall Jackson is considered as one of the most accomplished generals of the ‘Confederate Army.’ The ‘Stonewall Jackson State Park’ in West Virginia is named after him. He was featured on postage stamps, and several books have been written about his military genius.