Jackson, “Stonewall” [Thomas]
Jackson, “Stonewall” [Thomas] (1824–1863), Confederate army general.Born in what is now West Virginia, Jackson was orphaned at an early age and raised by paternal relatives. Although he had little formal education, he was appointed to West Point and by diligent study graduated in 1846. He distinguished himself as an artilleryman in the Mexican War, serving under Winfield Scott and winning brevets to major. After the war, as a lieutenant, he served in Florida, where he quarreled with his commanding officer, Capt. (later Union Maj. Gen.) William French, whom he did his best to have court‐martialed. In 1852, when opportunity offered, Jackson resigned his commission in the U.S. Army to accept a position as a professor at the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington. Although a poor teacher, he remained there until the beginning of the Civil War.
In 1861, when Virginia seceded...
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