Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Introduction

"Stonewall" Jackson earned his nickname at the First Battle of Manassas. The Confederate forces were hard pressed. Brigadier General Barnard B. Bee, CSA, was desperately trying to rally his troops to withstand the Federal attack. Gen. Bee rode up to inform General Jackson that his forces were being beaten back. Jackson replied, "Sir, we will give them the bayonet."

General Bee immediately rallied the remnants of his brigade. His last words to them were, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer." His men followed him forward, routing the Yankees. Bee fell, mortally wounded, at the head of his troops. Jackson's Shenadoan campaign of 1862 was a masterpiece. He shattered the northern forces there and wrecked the carefully laid plans of Union General George B. McClellan. During this period, Stonewall Jackson formed a staff of able officers who became famous in their own right.

General Jackson was instrumental in the Confederate victories at Second Manassas, Antietem, and Chancellorsville. After the battle of Chancellorsville, General Jackson, riding at night, was shot by his own troops. He lingered for a time, and hopes were high for his eventual recovery, then pneumonia set in. On May 10, 1863, shortly after 3:00 pm, Stonewall Jackson, in delerium, said, "Order A.P.Hill (at this time commanding a division, later a corps) to prepare for Action! Pass the infantry to the front! Tell Major Hawks..." Then the General paused, smiled, and spoke his last words, "Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees." He was 39 years old.