Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and the best-known Confederate commander after General Robert E. Lee. Jackson played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the Eastern Theater of the war until his death, and played an important part in winning many significant battles.
Jackson was born in what was then part of Virginia. He received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served in the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War and distinguished himself at Chapultepec. From 1851 to 1863, he taught at the Virginia Military Institute, where he was unpopular with his students. During this time, he married twice. His first wife died, but his second, Mary Anna Morrison, outlived him by many years. When Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861 after the attack on Fort Sumter, Jackson followed it and joined the Confederate Army. He distinguished himself commanding a brigade at the First Battle of Bull Run the following month, providing crucial reinforcements and beating back a fierce Union assault. It was there that Barnard Elliott Bee Jr., allegedly for Jackson's courage and tenacity, compared him to a "stone wall", which became his enduring nickname.
Jackson performed audaciously in 1862's campaigns in the Shenandoah Valley. Despite an initial defeat due largely to faulty intelligence, through swift and careful maneuvers Jackson was able to defeat three separate Union armies and prevent any of them from reinforcing the Army of the Potomac in its campaign against Richmond. Jackson then quickly moved his three divisions to reinforce General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in its defense of Richmond. His performance in the subsequent Seven Days Battles against George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac was poor, but did not cost the Confederacy the battles. During the Northern Virginia Campaign that summer, Jackson's troops captured and destroyed an important supply depot for General John Pope's Army of Virginia, and then withstood repeated assaults from Pope's troops at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Jackson's troops played a prominent role in September's Maryland Campaign, capturing the town of Harpers Ferry, an important strategic location, and providing an important defense of the Confederate Army's right flank at Antietam. At Fredericksburg in December, Jackson's corps buckled but ultimately beat back an assault by the Union Army under Major General Ambrose Burnside.
In May 1863, faced with a tremendous threat from the larger Union Army, now commanded by Joseph Hooker, Lee divided his force three ways. On May 2, Jackson took his 30,000 troops and launched a surprise attack against the Union right flank, driving the opposing troops back about two miles. That evening, he was accidentally shot by pickets. The general survived but lost his left arm to amputation; he died of complications from pneumonia eight days later. Military historians consider Jackson to be one of the most gifted tactical commanders in U.S. history. His tactics are studied even today. His death was a severe setback for the Confederacy, affecting not only its military prospects, but also the morale of its army and of its general public. Jackson in death became an icon of Southern heroism and commitment. His daring military exploits, often while at a numerical disadvantage, play a prominent part in Confederate lore. Jackson has become a mainstay in the pantheon of the "Lost Cause".
“You may be whatever you resolve to be.”
This statement, attributed to Jackson, is inscribed on the Jackson Arch barracks entrance at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, where Jackson was a teacher in mathematics prior to the American Civil War.
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Make it a rule never to accuse without due consideration any body or association of men.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Endeavor to do well with everything you undertake.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off unnecessary actions.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
Speaking to Captain John D. Imboden (24 July 1861), as quoted in Stonewall Jackson As Military Commander (2000) by John Selby, p. 25; sometimes quoted as "My religious beliefs teach me..."
As quoted in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (1884 - 1888) edited by Robert Underwood Clarence C. Buel, Vol. II, p. 297
Context: Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number. The other rule is, never fight against heavy odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can hurl your own force on only a part, and that the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it. Such tactics will win every time, and a small army may thus destroy a large one in detail, and repeated victory will make it invincible.
To Col. Sam Fulkerson, who reported on the weariness of their troops and suggested that they should be given an hour or so to rest from a forced march in the night. (24 May 1862); as quoted in Mighty Stonewall (1957) by Frank E. Vandiver, p. 250
Context: I yield to no man in sympathy for the gallant men under my command; but I am obliged to sweat them tonight, so that I may save their blood tomorrow. The line of hills southwest of Winchester must not be occupied by the enemy's artillery. My own must be there and in position by daylight. … You shall however have two hours rest.
Letter to his wife from Mt. Jackson after the First Battle of Kernstown (24 March 1862), as quoted in Life and Campaigns of Lieut.-Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, (Stonewall Jackson) (1866) by Robert Lewis Dabney, p. 329
“Let your conduct towards men have some uniformity.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“My men have sometimes failed to take a position, but to defend one, never!”
Statement to Major Heros von Borcke http://aotw.org/officers.php?officer_id=1082 (13 December 1862), as quoted in Memoirs of the Confederate War for Independence (1867) by Heros von Borcke, p. 301; this has been paraphrased as "My troops may fail to take a position, but are never driven from one!"
Letter to his wife after the First Battle of Bull Run (22 July 1861); as quoted in Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by His Widow Mary Anna Jackson (1895) http://books.google.com/books?id=bG2vg5cH004C, Ch. XI : The First Battle of Manassas, p. 178
“Duty is ours; consequences are God's.”
Though this was a favorite motto of Jackson, and reported as among his last words, it did not originate with him, and was used by others at least as early as in a speech by abolitionist John Jay (8 October 1856)
Misattributed
Words on his deathbed (9 - 10 May 1863); as quoted in "Stonewall Jackson's Last Days" by Joe D. Haines, Jr. in America's Civil War http://www.historynet.com/magazines/american_civil_war/3031406.html
“Be content and resigned to God's will.”
Robert E. Lee, in a letter to his wife (8 May 1861)
Misattributed
Although under a heavy fire for several continuous hours I received only one wound, the breaking of the longest finger of my left hand; but the doctor says the finger may be saved. It was broken about midway between the hand and knuckle, the ball passing on the side next to the forefinger. Had it struck the centre, I should have lost the finger. My horse was wounded, but not killed. Your coat got an ugly wound near the hip, but my servant, who is very handy, has so far repaired it that it doesn't show very much. My preservation was entirely due, as was the glorious victory, to our God, to whom be all the honor, praise, and glory. The battle was the hardest that I have ever been in, but not near so hot in its fire.
Letter to his wife after the First Battle of Bull Run (22 July 1861); as quoted in Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by His Widow Mary Anna Jackson (1895) http://books.google.com/books?id=bG2vg5cH004C, Ch. XI : The First Battle of Manassas, p. 178
“I have seen enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils.”
Comments to his pastor (April 1861) as quoted in Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by His Widow Mary Anna Jackson (1895) http://books.google.com/books?id=bG2vg5cH004C, Ch. IX : War Clouds — 1860 - 1861, p. 141; This has sometimes been paraphrased as "War is the sum of all evils." Before Jackson's application of the term "The sum of all evils" to war, it had also been applied to slavery by abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay in The Writings of Cassius Marcellus Clay : Including Speeches and Addresses (1848), p. 445; to death by Georg Christian Knapp in Lectures on Christian Theology (1845), p. 404; and it had also been used, apparently in relation to arrogance in a translation of "Homily 24" in The Homilies of S. John Chrysostom on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1839), p. 331 <!-- earliest use thus far found ~ Kalki 2008·01·21 -->
Context: If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened, there must be war. It is painful enough to discover with what unconcern they speak of war and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils.
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
Context: It is man's highest interest not to violate, or attempt to violate, the rules which Infinite Wisdom has laid down. The means by which men are to attain great elevation may be classed in three divisions — physical, mental, and moral. Whatever relates to health, belongs to the first; whatever relates to the improvement of the mind, belongs to the second. The formation of good manners and virtuous habits constitutes the third.
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
As quoted in Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War (1904) by George Francis Robert Henderson http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12233, Ch. 25 : The Soldier and the Man, p. 481
Context: War means fighting. The business of the soldier is to fight. Armies are not called out to dig trenches, to throw up breastworks, to live in camps, but to find the enemy and strike him; to invade his country, and do him all possible damage in the shortest possible time. This will involve great destruction of life and property while it lasts; but such a war will of necessity be of brief continuance, and so would be an economy of life and property in the end. To move swiftly, strike vigorously, and secure all the fruits of victory is the secret of successful war.
“Good-breeding is opposed to selfishness, vanity, or pride.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
Context: Good-breeding is opposed to selfishness, vanity, or pride. Never weary your company by talking too long or too frequently.
Source: Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson (1891), Ch. 22 : The Last Happy Days — Chancellorsville — 1863, p. 429
Context: We must make this campaign an exceedingly active one. Only thus can a weaker country cope with a stronger; it must make up in activity what it lacks in strength. A defensive campaign can only be made successful by taking the aggressive at the proper time. Napoleon never waited for his adversary to become fully prepared, but struck him the first blow.
“War means fighting. The business of the soldier is to fight.”
As quoted in Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War (1904) by George Francis Robert Henderson http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12233, Ch. 25 : The Soldier and the Man, p. 481
Context: War means fighting. The business of the soldier is to fight. Armies are not called out to dig trenches, to throw up breastworks, to live in camps, but to find the enemy and strike him; to invade his country, and do him all possible damage in the shortest possible time. This will involve great destruction of life and property while it lasts; but such a war will of necessity be of brief continuance, and so would be an economy of life and property in the end. To move swiftly, strike vigorously, and secure all the fruits of victory is the secret of successful war.
“If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened, there must be war.”
Comments to his pastor (April 1861) as quoted in Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by His Widow Mary Anna Jackson (1895) http://books.google.com/books?id=bG2vg5cH004C, Ch. IX : War Clouds — 1860 - 1861, p. 141; This has sometimes been paraphrased as "War is the sum of all evils." Before Jackson's application of the term "The sum of all evils" to war, it had also been applied to slavery by abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay in The Writings of Cassius Marcellus Clay : Including Speeches and Addresses (1848), p. 445; to death by Georg Christian Knapp in Lectures on Christian Theology (1845), p. 404; and it had also been used, apparently in relation to arrogance in a translation of "Homily 24" in The Homilies of S. John Chrysostom on the First Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians (1839), p. 331 <!-- earliest use thus far found ~ Kalki 2008·01·21 -->
Context: If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened, there must be war. It is painful enough to discover with what unconcern they speak of war and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils.
“Wrong no man by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
Letter to his pastor after the First Battle of Bull Run (22 July 1861); as quoted in The Religious Development of the Negro in Virginia (1914) by Joseph Brummell Earnest, p. 84
“Always look people in the face when addressing them, and generally when they address you.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Spare no effort to suppress selfishness, unless that effort would entail sorrow.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries as much as you think they deserve.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“The only true rule for cavalry is to follow the enemy as long as he retreats.”
Statement to Colonel Thomas T. Munford (13 June 1862); as quoted in Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War (1904) by George Francis Robert Henderson http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12233 Vol. I, Ch. XI p. 392
“Be not disturbed at trifles, nor at accidents, common or unavoidable.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“I am more afraid of King Alcohol than of all the bullets of the enemy.”
As quoted in Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee (1874) by John William Jones, p. 171
As quoted in Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants : A History of Frederick County, Virginia (illustrated) from its formation in 1738 to 1908 (1989) by T. K. Cartmell, p. 322
Farewell address to his brigade, as he left to receive his promotion to Major General (4 October 1861)
Speech to cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (March 1861); as quoted in Mighty Stonewall (1957) by Frank E. Vandiver, p. 131; this has sometimes been paraphrased as "When war does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard."
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet!”
Reply to Colonel Barnard E. Bee when he reported that the enemy were beating them back. At the First Battle of Bull Run (21 July 1861); as quoted in Stonewall Jackson As Military Commander (2000) by John Selby, p. 21
“Speak but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Never speak disrespectfully of anyone without a cause.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“I like liquor — its taste and its effects — and that is just the reason why I never drink it.”
As quoted in Personal Reminiscences, Anecdotes, and Letters of Gen. Robert E. Lee (1874) by John William Jones, p. 171
“Easy, Mr. Pendleton. Easy. Good to have your dander up, but it’s discipline that wins the day.”
These were lines in the film Gods And Generals (2003); they are not actual quotations of Jackson.
Misattributed
“Sacrifice your life rather than your word.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Nothing justifies profanity.”
A wounded Jackson said to Captain John Imboden, after First Manassas (The Oxford Dictionary of Civil War Quotations, 2006)
Source: Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson (1891), Ch. 4 : The War with Mexico — 1846 - 1848, p. 45
Q him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow…
Source: As quoted in The Civil War : An Illustrated History (1990) by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns, and Ric Burns, p. 272
“Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.”
Last words (May 10, 1863); as quoted in "Stonewall Jackson's Last Days" by Joe D. Haines, Jr. in America's Civil War
“Disregard public opinion when it interferes with your duty.”
Misattributed, Jackson's personal book of maxims
“Who could not conquer with such troops as these?”
Remark to his staff (25 August 1862), as quoted in Life of Lieut. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson (Stonewall Jackson) (1866) by Robert Lewis Dabney, p. 266
“The Institute will be heard from today.”
An incorrect version of this quote, "the Virginia Military Institute will be heard from today" is carved on the base of a statue of Jackson at VMI according to VMI.edu
Q him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow…
Source: Referring to the number of Virginia Military Institute alumni and former students among his officers; to Colonel Thomas T. Munford at the Battle of Chancellorsville (2 May 1863), as quoted in Chancellorsville (1996) by Stephen W. Sears, p. 242
As quoted in Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War (1904) by George Francis Robert Henderson http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12233, Ch. 25 : The Soldier and the Man, p. 481
Q him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow…]]
As quoted in Battles and Leaders of the Civil War (1884 - 1888) edited by Robert Underwood Clarence C. Buel, Vol. II, p. 297
Q him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow…]]
To Col. Sam Fulkerson, who reported on the weariness of their troops and suggested that they should be given an hour or so to rest from a forced march in the night. (24 May 1862); as quoted in Mighty Stonewall (1957) by Frank E. Vandiver, p. 250
Q him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow…]]
Comments to his pastor (April 1861) as quoted in Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by His Widow Mary Anna Jackson (1895) http://books.google.com/books?id=bG2vg5cH004C, Ch. IX : War Clouds — 1860 - 1861, p. 141; This has sometimes been paraphrased as "War is the sum of all evils." Before Jackson's application of the term "The sum of all evils" to war, it had also been applied to slavery by abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay in The Writings of Cassius Marcellus Clay : Including Speeches and Addresses (1848), p. 445; to death by Georg Christian Knapp in Lectures on Christian Theology (1845), p. 404; and it had also been used, apparently in relation to arroganceus hours I received only one wound, the breaking of the longest finger of my left hand; but the doctor says the finger may be saved. It was broken about midway between the hand and knuckle, the ball passing on the side next to the forefinger. Had it struck the centre, I should have lost the finger. My horse was wounded, but not killed. Your coat got an ugly wound near the hip, but my servant, who is very handy, has so far repaired it that it doesn't show very much. My preservation was entirely due, as was the glorious victory, to our God, to whom be all the honor, praise, and glory. The battle was the hardest that I have ever been in, but not near so hot in its fire.
Letter to his wife after the First Battle of Bull Run (22 July 1861); as quoted in Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by His Widow Mary Anna Jackson (1895) http://books.google.com/books?id=bG2vg5cH004C, Ch. XI : The First Battle of Manassas, p. 178
Q him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow…]]
Source: Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson (1891), Ch. 22 : The Last Happy Days — Chancellorsville — 1863, p. 429
