Stonewall Jackson

6 Pages 1433 Words

One of the most famous generals of the American Civil was Thomas Jonathan Jackson who served under Confederate General Robert E. Lee. During the First Battle of Bull Run, or Manassas, Jackson’s brigade faced overwhelming odds. General Barnard E. Bee, seeing Jackson’s line holding firm, said, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall.” Hence from then on he was called Stonewall by his troops. Jackson was one out of many great generals during the Civil War, but he himself set the rest aside. He is perhaps the greatest of all of the generals during the Civil War. He was always known to be a military man and during the Civil War he brought out his skills and was declared a military genius by both the North and the South. His tactics were amazing and how he put great thought and detail into his strategic battles.
Jackson’s young live wasn’t very pleasant by today’s standards. As a young boy he was an orphan, but Jackson rose above what he was expected of and became much higher than anyone could have ever dreamed he’d be. As a young man Jackson attended the U.S. Military’s academy at West Point. He was a bright student he finished in the top 60% of his class and for his situation that was quite an accomplishment. Jackson’s year of graduation was greeted by the Mexican War and he was sent off to action as a fresh officer just out of West Point. He would accomplish the rank of a Major by the time the war ended.
Jackson had fought in a many battles in the Mexican war, but it seemed that almost all of them had little to no impact on the war. His first major battle that impacted a war was the Battle of Bull Run. His strategy was as a stern as a mule and Jackson held that hill with him and his five Virginia regiments.
Then in the spring of 1862 a campaign was held that also helped to enhance Jackson’s fame. The campaign was held at the Shenandoah Valley in which Jackson helped to keep a moral high amongst the Sou...