Through the following winter in the
Shenandoah Valley, Jackson’s career as
a Civil War general looked uncertain.
He seemed indifferent to the hardships
imposed on troops by forced marches
in foul weather and harsh conditions.
Secretive and paranoid, he alienated
his subordinate officers by ordering
operations with no explanations. When
they complained of his incompetence
to the Confederate Congress, Jackson
resigned in protest at political
interference. Although persuaded to
stay on, his relations with other officers
remained a problem.
Jackson’s religious faith gave him an
absolute belief in his actions as the
expression of a divine will. He was
utterly unforgiving toward those whom
he saw as falling short of the highest
standard. The discipline he imposed
was backed up by severe punishment.
Supreme military competence
The Shenandoah Valley campaign of
1862 made Jackson the most admired
general in the Confederate camp, a
man with almost magical prestige that
weighed upon the imagination of his
enemies as it inspired his own people.
The campaign revealed that Jackson
had thought deeply about military
tactics, and especially about how, in
his words, “a small army may defeat a
large one in detail.” His principles
were to “mystify, mislead, and
surprise the enemy,” and
not to fight against
heavy odds, instead
using maneuvers to “hurl your own
force on the weakest part of the
enemy.” True to these principles,
Jackson could drive his army to almost
superhuman feats of endurance on
the march, achieving a speed of
movement that constantly exhausted
his opponents and brought them to
battle on his terms.A man of complexity
Jackson’s performance in the Seven
Days Battles, immediately after the
Valley campaign, strikingly lacked the
qualities of generalship for which he
was renowned, instead highlighting
disturbing eccentricities.
Preparation for the fight was slowed
at a vital moment by one of Jackson’s
intermittent decisions to treat Sunday
as a sacred Sabbath. His movement of
troops during the offensive was slow
and hesitant, missing opportunities for
decisive maneuver. He had a startling
tendency to sleep at crucial moments,
paralyzing command. Nonetheless, he
retained Lee’s confidence, remaining
his most favored lieutenant.
Jackson excelled in the Northern
Virginia campaign of August 1862 that
climaxed at Second Bull Run. His
subsequent capture of Harpers Ferry
through bombardment showed the
skills of a former artillery officer.
At Antietam and Fredericksburg
he demonstrated his capacity for
conducting a stubborn static defense
in situations where maneuver was
impossible. He always acted with an
absolute disregard for personal safety,
convinced that God would preserve
him from harm until He chose the
moment to strike him down. Jackson
had no luxuries to ease the hardship of
campaigning, often sleeping on the
ground in all kinds of weather. He
chose as his mount a plain, sturdyhorse—Little Sorrel—rather than a fine
charger. To see their commander simply
dressed, sharing their hardships and
risks, reconciled his soldiers to their lot.
In May 1863, Jackson marched most
of Lee’s army across the Union front
for a devastating surprise flank attack
at Chancellorsville. It was a supreme
exhibition of his skill. When the day’s
fighting subsided, he led his staff on a
reconnaissance beyond his own lines.
As they rode back in moonlit darkness
nervous Confederate soldiers, believing
them to be Union cavalry, opened fire.
Jackson was hit three times. As a
result, his left arm was amputated,
prompting Lee’s heartfelt comment,
“He has lost his left arm; but I have
lost my right.” Initially, it seemed
that Jackson would recover, but he
succumbed to an attack of pneumonia
and died eight days later.THOMAS J. JACKSON■ January 21, 1824 Born in Clarksburg, Virginia,
son of an attorney. Both parents die by the time
he is seven years old. He is mostly raised by an
uncle at Jackson’s Mill, Lewis County.
■ 1842–46 Studies at West Point, graduating 17th
in his class of 59.
■ 1846–48 Fights as an artillery officer in the War
with Mexico, distinguishing himself at the battles
of Veracruz, Contreras, Chapultepec, and Mexico
City. Starting as a second lieutenant, he ends the
war with the brevet rank of major.
■ 1851 Resigning from
the army, Jackson
becomes a professor
at the Virginia Military
Institute in Lexington;
he embraces
Calvinism.
■ 1853 Marries Elinor
Junkin, who dies
a year later;
subsequently he
marries Mary
Morrison in 1857.
■ April, 1861 At the start of the Civil War, Jackson
opts for the Confederacy and is appointed an
infantry colonel.
■ July 21, 1861 Having been promoted to
brigadier general on July 3, Jackson distinguishes
himself at the First Battle of Bull Run in
command of the 1st Virginia Brigade, earning
the nickname “Stonewall.”
■ October 7, 1861 Put in command of the
defense of the Shenandoah Valley with
the rank of major general.
■ March 23, 1862 At the Battle of Kernstown,
Jackson suffers the only tactical defeat of his
military career.
■ April–June, 1862 Outfoxes superior Union
forces in the Valley campaign, winning victories
at McDowell (May 8), Front Royal (May 23),
Winchester (May 25), Cross Keys (June 8),
and Port Republic (June 9).
■ June 25–July 1, 1862 Performs poorly under
Lee in the Seven Days Battles, participating
nonetheless in another Confederate victory.
■ August 9, 1862 Jackson forestalls a Union
offensive with a hard-fought victory at
Cedar Mountain.
■ August 29–September 1, 1862 Plays an
outstanding role in the major Confederate victory
at the Second Battle of Bull Run.
■ September 15–17, 1862 Jackson captures
Harpers Ferry, taking 12,500 prisoners; then
supports Lee in the desperate defensive battle
of Antietam.
■ December 13, 1862 Having been promoted
major general in command of Second Corps
(October 10), Jackson aids Lee in the crushing
defensive victory at Fredericksburg.
■ May 2, 1863 Executes a daring flanking
maneuver at Chancellorsville, but is later
wounded by friendly fire; as a result, his left arm
has to be amputated.
■ May 10, 1863 Dies of pneumonia contracted
after surgery.TIMELINEHenry House Hill
A sign marks the place where Jackson’s men made their
stand during First Bull Run, earning both brigade and
commander the sobriquet “Stonewall.”JACKSON IN 1852“Captain, my religious belief
teaches me to feel as safe in
battle as in bed.”
JACKSON SPEAKING TO CAPTAIN JOHN D. IMBODEN, JULY 24, 1861The Battle of Cedar Mountain
Artist Edwin Forbes sketched troops encamped before
the battle on August 9, 1862—part of the Northern
Virginia campaign—a hard-fought victory for Jackson.