Stonewall Jackson: A Life from Beginning to End

Although he finds himself on the wrong side of history, Stonewall Jackson has become known as one of the American Civil War’s most brilliant strategists. His ride to acclaim was not easy; Jackson grew up poor, was orphaned by seven, jumped between different relatives’ homes, and had no real education, yet at 18 he was accepted into the prestigious military academy at West Point.

Jackson spent most of his adult life teaching, and when he joined the Confederates to fight in the Civil War in 1861, he was entirely out of military practice. Nevertheless, throughout Jackson’s two-year service in the war, he won all but one battle he led. From the First Battle of Bull Run to his campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, Jackson managed to conquer most of his battles with his impressive military wits, often achieving what many considered to be impossible.