Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born on January 21, 1824 in
Clarksburg, Virginia. He entered West Point in July 1842 and, in spite of his
poor childhood education, worked hard to graduate seventeenth in his class in
1846. Upon graduation, Jackson was sent on military duty to Mexico, and
continued his service in the United States Army in positions in New York and
Florida. In 1851, Jackson became professor of artillery tactics and natural
philosophy at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. He resigned
from the army as of February 29, 1852.
Jackson's summer vacations from teaching were often spent vacationing in the
North and in Europe where his interests were aroused in art and culture rather
than military or political aspects. This somewhat calm, domestic period in his
life came to a close on April 21, 1861 when he was ordered to go to Richmond as
part of the cadet corps. Since military aspirations had faded from his life, he
was virtually unknown in this sphere.
It was during the Battle of Bull Run in the Civil War when Jackson assumed his
nickname. Amidst the tumult of battle, Brigadeer-General Barnard E. Bee stated,
"There is Jackson standing like a stone wall." As the war continued, Jackson
continually impressed his Confederate compatriots with his skill on the
battlefield and in planning conferences. He distinguished himself in the Valley
campaign of early 1862, the Battle of second Manassas in August 1862, and the
Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Jackson was a Southern hero, and in
spite of his eccentricities, he was loved and respected by his soldiers. He
strictly observed the Sabbath, and his religiousity was constant in all facets
of his life.
On May 2, 1863, in his last march of the Civil War, Jackson was wounded by
friendly fire. He died of pneumonia several days later on May 10 at Guiney's
Station, Virginia. His body was carried to Richmond and then to Lexington where
it was buried. It is said that The Army of Northern Virginia never fully
recovered from the loss of Stonewall Jackson's leadership in battle. General
Robert E. Lee believed Jackson was irreplacable.
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