Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson

*Includes Table of Contents

“The only true rule for cavalry is to follow the enemy as long as he retreats.” 

–Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson


Thomas Jonathan Jackson is one of the most famous generals of the Civil War, but many of the people he continues to fascinate probably don’t remember his whole name. That’s because Jackson earned his famous “Stonewall” moniker at the First Battle of Manassas or Bull Run, when Brigadier-General Bee told his brigade to rally behind Jackson, whose men were standing like a stone wall. Ironically, it’s still unclear whether that was a compliment for standing strong or an insult for not moving his brigade, but the nickname stuck for the brigade and the general itself. 


Jackson would only enhance his legend over the next two years, first leading his army on one of the most incredible campaigns of the war in the Shenandoah Valley in 1862.. Known as the Valley Campaign, Jackson kept 3 Union armies occupied north of Richmond with less than 1/3 of the men, marching his army up and down the Valley 650 miles in three months. The impressive feat helped his men earn the nickname “foot cavalry.”


He is equally known for his famous flank march and attack at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, which completely surprised the Army of the Potomac’s XI Corps and rolled the Union line up. The attack would end up winning the battle for the Confederates, who were outnumbered by nearly 50,000 men at Chancellorsville. As fate would have it, Jackson was mortally wounded at the height of what may have been his finest hour, depriving the Confederacy of one of its best generals. Many still wonder how the outcome of Gettysburg or the Civil War itself may have changed if Jackson had lived. 


Of all the Civil War generals, none have been mythologized like Stonewall Jackson, whose quirks and piety have made him a subject of study among military historians and Christians alike. Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson is a biography of Stonewall Jackson written by his widow. An introduction by General John Gordon and other tributes by Confederate generals are also included.