Thomas Stonewall Jackson

Background

Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, a well-known member of the Confederacy, was born on January 21, 1824, in Harrison County, Virginia, to Julia Beckwith Jackson and attorney Jonathan Jackson. The three siblings of Jackson were Warren, Elizabeth, and Laura Ann. Later, typhoid disease caused him to lose his father and his older sister, Elizabeth, forcing his mother to look after three children before ultimately remarrying attorney Captain Blake B. Woodson. Julia’s health gradually deteriorated, and Jackson’s grandmother took over for being their caretaker. His military background started when he went to the United States Military Academy in New York in 1842. He was known as one of the most hard-working cadets due to his academic performance at first.

Jackson’s career started in 1846 when he served in the United States Army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant to an artillery regiment. Jackson then enlisted in the Mexican War but disobeyed a flawed command from his superior, displaying the traits that would eventually earn him fame: sanity, fearlessness in taking chances, and inventiveness. Afterward, he got promoted to the brevet rank of major, resuming his fight in Mexico. In 1851, he started teaching as a Professor of Artillery Tactics and Natural Philosophy, a new curriculum at the Virginia Military Institute. Jackson became unpopular amongst students due to his strict and stern way of teaching. He also taught Sunday School at this time. In 1855, Jackson organized Sunday School classes for black people at the Presbyterian Church and was praised for his teaching methods.

In 1861, Jackson returned to the Civil War’s front lines and joined the Confederate Army as a Colonel. From this point on, his career developed quickly, bringing him quick fame and promotions. One of his famed acts was stationing his brigades in a powerful line on the field of Bull Run in July 1861. Against overwhelming force from the enemy, his troops successfully withheld their place, and he earned the nickname Stonewall. Jackson demonstrated his remarkable tactical abilities during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign in 1862, which the Confederate soldiers praised and successfully boosted their spirits. Jackson saw many ups and downs after that victory, and in 1863, one of his soldiers unintentionally shot him. He was slightly hurt, but a week later, sickness took his life.

Jackson started family life during his time as an educator in the V.M.I. He married Elinor “Ellie” Junkin in 1853, the president of Washington College. They lived together in the same house, and later when Robert E. Lee became president, it was known as the Lee-Jackson House. Junkin then passed during childbirth in 1854. After touring Europe, Jackson married Marry Anna Morrison. They had two children, Mary Graham, that passed shortly after her birth in 1858, and Julia Laura, who was born in 1862 before Jackson’s death.