Full Name: Mr. Thomas Jonathan Jackson Date of Birth: January 21, 1824 Place of Birth: Clarksburg, West Virginia, USA Died: May 10, 1863 Place of Death: Guinea, Virginia, USA Classification: Heroes & Icons

Known for his most famous role in the Battle of Bull Run, Stonewall Jackson earned his nickname for his great tactical skill, cool head, and smart last-minute decisions in battle. With steadfast military morale and devotion to his soldiers, he became one of America’s most famed Confederate and Civil War Generals.

When his father died, his uncles, who did not look after his education as his father would have liked, raised him. However, he was able to make it into the esteemed U.S. Military Academy and graduated in time to meet his comrades who were engaged in the Mexican War. He was promoted quickly for his skill in battle and became a major.

Following the war, he accepted a professorship at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), but didn’t fare well in the classroom as he did on the battlefield. After the death of his first wife and daughter in childbirth, he went on a tour to Europe and came back to marry again, then had a daughter named Mary Morrison. While he saw the conflicts arise between the south and the north, he still hoped that the country would not divide.

Virginia, however, seceded from the Union and the confederate forces would hire Stonewall Jackson to head to Harper’s Ferry. But, first, he became a brigade commander, fighting back Union soldiers that thought of him as a “stone wall”. In the battle of Bull Run, among others, he was able to divert over 50,000 Union troops with just over 15,000 men from overtaking Richmond, the capital of Virginia. In Harper’s Ferry, Stonewall was able to capture 11,000 Union soldiers.

Before the famed Seven-Day Battles and Bull Run, Jackson was put in charge of the Shenandoah Valley region where he was to plan and attack Federal troops. In Kernstown, Virginia, he was able to prevent them from joining other union soldiers in the capital. During this time, he also attacked other Union Army forts and bases, forcing the northern soldiers below the Potomac River.

He won victory after victory on the battlefield. His aggression, stunning battle schemes, and even his intelligence gathering set the standard for other great generals to follow.

• Davy Crockett
• Robert E. Lee
• Abraham Lincoln
• George Washington
• Andrew Jackson