Thomas J. Jackson
Thomas Jackson Quotes
Last Updated January 13, 2010
With quotations by Jackson first followed by others in alphabetical order of the person making the quote
“We must give the enemy no time to think. We must bewilder them and keep them bewildered. Our fighting must be sharp, impetuous, and continuous. We cannot stand a long war”
Jackson, Thomas
In a letter to his wife Anna. Robertson, Stonewall Jackson, 269
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg8
“Every officer and soldier who is able to do duty ought to be busily engaged in military preparation by hard drilling, in order that, through the blessing of God, we may be victorious in the battles which in His all-wise providence may await us”
Jackson, Thomas
Henderson Stonewall Jackson , 123-124
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 13
“My idea is that the best mode of fighting is to reserve your fire till the enemy get-or you get them-to close quarters. Then deliver one, deadly, deliberate fire-and charge”
Jackson, Thomas
Henderson Stonewall Jackson , 123-124
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 13
“My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it overtake me”
Jackson, Thomas
In conversation w John Imboden after the Battle of First Manassas
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 14
“It is painful to discover with what concern 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. Should the step be taken which is no threatened, we shall have no alternative; we must fight.
Jackson, Thomas
Dec 1860
Speaking to Rev William White about the coming war
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 34
“My trust is in God for the defense of that country. I shall have great labor to perform, but through the blessing of our ever-kind Heavenly Father, I trust that he will enable me to accomplish it”
Jackson, Thomas
To wife in her memoirs p200
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 117
“It is not desirable to have a large number of friends
Jackson, Thomas
In Jackson’s book of axioms
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 9
“obey my orders first and reason about them afterward”
Jackson, Thomas
Cedar Mountain Campaign Aug 1862
Martin Schenk, Up Came Hill: The Story of the Light Division and Its Leaders (Harrisburg, 1958)
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 102
“cross under the river and rest under the shade of the trees”
Jackson, Thomas
May 10 1863
Jackson’s Last words
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 192
“I wanted to see active service. I wished to be near the enemy and in the fight, and when I heard John Magruder had got his battery, I bent all my energies to be with him, for I knew if there was any fighting to be done, Magruder would be on hand”
Jackson, Thomas
Jackson’s reasons for wanting to get into Magruder’s battery in Mexico. McCabe, James Dabney, The Life of Thomas J. Jackson by an Ex-cadet.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 61
“afraid the fire would not be hot enough for me to distinguish myself”
Jackson, Thomas
Asked what feelings Jackson had about his first battle (Contreras) Jackson quote from Hunter McGuire and George Christian
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 64
“Sir, we will give them the bayonet”
Jackson, Thomas
July 1861
At Bull Run in response to a statement that “they are driving us”
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 264
“Reserve your fire until they come within fifty yards! Then fire and give them the bayonet! And when you charge, yell like furies”
Jackson, Thomas
July 22 1861
Jackson shouting instructions to the men at First Manassas.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 266
“Yesterday we fought a great battle, & gained a great victory, for which all the glory is due to God alone…My preservation was entirely due, as was the glorious victory, to our God.”
Jackson, Thomas
July 23, 1861
Letter to Anna
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 270
“Mystery, mystery, Major is the secret to success. Napoleon marched his men fifty miles in twenty-four hours and fought and won pitched battles, and ours can do the same.”
Jackson, Thomas
July 1861
Jackson in a conversation with Maj John Harmon .
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 275
“But my opinion is…to reserve your fire till the enemy get-or you get to them-to close quarters. Then deliver one deadly, deliberate fire-and charge.”
Jackson, Thomas
Henderson, I:162-163
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 278
“Colonel, I desire that you will see that the powder which is used for this expedition is not the powder that was procured on Sunday”
Jackson, Thomas
Dec 17 1861
Jackson to Colonel John Preston regarding the procurement of gunpowder for a raid on Dam 5 C&O Canal
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 298
“I like it, and that’s the reason I don’t drink it.”
Jackson, Thomas
Dec 17 1861
Jackson, responding to a question by Surgeon McGuire as to whether he liked whisky
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 299
“The business of a soldier is to fight. Armies are not called out to dig trenches, to throw up breastworks, and 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…but such a war would of necessity, be of brief continuance, and so would be an economy of prosperity and life in the end. To move swiftly, strike vigorously, and secure all the fruits of victory, is the secret of successful war.”
Jackson, Thomas
Jackson responding to James Graham one evening regarding the nature of war. Graham “Some Reminiscences” 126
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 325
“I am obliged to sweat them tonight, that I may save their blood tomorrow”
Jackson, Thomas
May 24-25 1862
Col Samuel Fulkerson talking to Jackson during the preliminaries to the Winchester battle. Averitt , Memoirs, 196-97
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 403
“do you know why I habitually abstain from intoxicating liquors? Why sir because I like the taste of them. When I discovered this to be the case, I made up my mind at once to do without them altogether.”
Jackson, Thomas
May 31 1862
Jackson talking to Boteler about intoxicating beverages. Hotchkiss Journal
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 418
“always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up 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.
Jackson, Thomas
Spring 1862
Jackson, talking to John D. Imboden gave his formula for success. Battles and Leaders, 2:297
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 447
“Who would not conquer with such troops as these”
Jackson, Thomas
Aug 25, 1862
Jackson commenting on his men’s performance during the run up to the Second Manassas battle. Dabney, 516-17
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 550
“There are but few commanders who properly appreciate the value of celerity.”
Jackson, Thomas
Sep 4 1862
Jackson to Maxcy Gregg when Gregg halted his men. Prelude to arrest of A.P. Hill From Benson, Berry Benson.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 585
“Give General Stuart my best thanks, Major. The coats is much too handsome for me, but I shall take the best care of it, and shall prize it highly as a souvenir.”
Jackson, Thomas
Jackson to Maj von Borcke upon delivery of a new uniform coat purchased for Jackson by Stuart. Von Borcke Confederate War, 2:36-37
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 630
“men had a larger sphere of usefulness than women.”
Jackson, Thomas
Nov 1862
Jackson in a letter to his wife initially hoping for a son made this statement.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 645
“I thank you, Mr. Chandler, for your gracious invitation, but I never wish to fare better than my men.”
Jackson, Thomas
Dec 1862
Jackson declining the invitation of Thomas Chandler to use his house. Lucy Chandler Pendleton Reminiscences
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 648
“Wait until they come a little nearer, and they shall either scare me or I shall scare them!”
Jackson, Thomas
Dec 1862
Jackson to Longstreet when asked if he was scared of the massing Yankees in front of the positions outside of Fredericksburg.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 654
“my men sometimes fail to take a position, but to defend one, never!”
Jackson, Thomas
Dec 1862
Jackson replying to von Borcke at the Battle of Fredericksburg about whether he could hold his position. Von Borcke, Confederate War, 2:113
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 655
“We must make the coming campaign an exceedingly active one. Only thus can a weaker country cope with a stronger one. Our country must make up in activity what it lacks in strength. A defensive campaign can only be made successfully by taking the aggressive. Napoleon never waited for his army to become fully prepared.”
Jackson, Thomas
Mar 1863
Jackson discussing the upcoming spring of 1863 campaign. Lacy narrative
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 688
“Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.”
Jackson, Thomas
May 10 1863
Jackson’s Last words
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 753
“Did you ever think sir, what an opportunity a battlefield affords liars”
Jackson, Thomas
Jackson to an aide in the Shenandoah Valley
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg x
“if I can keep my movements secret from my own people, I will have little difficulty in concealing them from the enemy”
Jackson, Thomas
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xiv
“Once you get them running, you stay right on top of them, and that way a small force can defeat a large one every time.”
Jackson, Thomas
unk
“Who could not conquer with such troops as these?”
Jackson, Thomas
August 25, 1862
Jackson remarking as his troops file by in the Second Manassas Campaign. Wert, “Killing Ground” ACW 4,2 p21
Wert, Jeffry D. General James Longstreet. New York: Touchstone, 1993. Pg 163
“the time for war has not yet come, but it will come and that soon, and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard.”
Jackson, Thomas
April 1861
Jackson to VMI Cadets celebrating the fall of Fort Sumter. Wert Brotherhood of Valor p 26-27
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 47
“Boys, he’s not much for looks, but if we’d had him we wouldn’t be caught in this trap.”
A captured Union soldier
9/15/1862
A captured Union soldier describing Stonewall Jackson
unk
“Wasn’t much to look at, but you ought to have seen how his men would look at him. Just like he was God himself.”
a Manassas resident
A Manassas resident who as a lad saw Jackson several times
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xiv
“He seems to be cut off from his fellow men and to commune with his spirit only.”
A Soldier
July 1861
a soldier early in the war who though Jackson eccentric. Sutherland “Stars in Their Course,” ACW vol 4, no. 4, p. 45
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 48
“an awkward, tired hump shouldered, careworn looking man, dressed in the very plainest garb…very seedy”
A soldier (John W. Stevens)
June 20, 1862 (est)
A soldier who saw Jackson at the time. Stevens Reminiscences, p45
Wert, Jeffry D. General James Longstreet. New York: Touchstone, 1993. Pg 134
“a closer glance easily penetrated his apparent tranquility and carelessness. The trust in God, and utter reliance on His will was surely there- no apathetic calmness. The blaze of the eye…was unmistakable-there plainly was a soul on fire with deep feeling, and the ardor of battle. A slumbering volcano clearly burned beneath that face so calm and collected.”
a soldier at First Manassas
Soldier describing Jackson at First Manassas. Cooke, Outlines from the Outpost, 52
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 263
“as calm in the midst of a hurricane of bullets as though he were on dress parade at West Point”
a soldier at Veracruz commenting on Jackson
Mar 1847
soldier speaking of Lt Jackson at siege of Veracruz
Johnson, Timothy. A Gallant Little Army. Lawrence KS: University of Kansas, 2007. Pg 44
“one of the most conscientious men I know, pious, determined and brave.”
a staff officer
July 1861
a staff officer writing from Harpers Ferry in 1861. Duke Recollections, v. 1, p 84
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 47
“Old Jack was so plain in manner and attire, there was so little effort at show, his feet were so large and his arms and hands fastened to his body in such awkward shape, that the cadets didn’t take much pride in him”
a student at Washington College describing Jackson
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 34
“suddenly broke loose upon the Valley of Virginia & not only astonished the weak minds of the enemy almost into paralysis, but dazzled the eyes of military men all over the world by an aggressive campaign which I believe to be unsurpassed in all military history for brilliancy and daring.”
Alexander, Porter
Porter Alexander describing the Jackson in the Valley. Alexander, Fighting for the Confederacy, 94;
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 448
“his words were few and to the point, the voice distinct but rather low.”
an officer
Blackford, War Years p 81
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 48
“From what I saw of Jackson, he is a very ordinary man of medium size, his uniform badly soiled as though it had seen hard service. He wore a cap pulled down nearly to his nose and was riding a rawboned horse that did not look much like a charger, unless it would be on hay or clover. He certainly made a poor figure on horseback, with his stirrup leather six inches too short, putting his knees nearly level with his horse’s back, and his heels turned out with his toes sticking behind his horse’s foreshoulder. A sorry description of our most famous general, but a correct one.”
Andrews, William H.
Andrews describing Jackson at Glendale. W.H. Andrews, Footprints of a Regiment: A Recollection of the First Georgia Regulars, 1861-1865 (Atlanta, 1992), 49
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 499
“a gentleman in peace, “he was a warrior in war.”
Barton, Randolph
Randolph Barton – A.C. Hamlin Hamlin Papers, HU
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 48
“The conduct of General Jackson requires mention as eminently that of an able fearless soldier and sagacious commander, one fit to lead his efficient brigade. His prompt timely arrival before the plateau of the Henry House, and his judicious disposition of his troops, contributed much to the success of the day.”
Beauregard, P.G.T.
July 23, 1861
Beauregard’s report on First Manassas
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 270
“Look men, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer! Follow me!”
Bee, Barnard
July 22 1861
Bee acting to rally his troops at Bull Run utters this statement.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 264
“Jackson, on the other hand, was a typical Roundhead. He was poorly dressed, that is, he looked so though his clothes were made of good material. His cap was very indifferent and pulled down over one eye, much stained by weather and without insignia. His coat was closely buttoned up to his chin and had upon the collar the stars and wreath of a general. His shoulders were stooped…He had a plain sword belt without sash and a sword in no respect different from that of other infantry officers that I could see. His face, in repose, is not handsome or agreeable and he would be passed by anyone without a second look.”
Blackford, Charles
July 13 1862
Blackford comparing Lee and Jackson at start of Second Manassas Campaign. Susan Leigh Blackford, comp., Letters from Lee’s Army (New York, 1947). 86
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 511
“He divides his time between military duties, prayer, sleep and solitary thought. He holds converse with few.”
Blackford, Charles
Jul 1862
Blackford comparing Lee and Jackson at start of Second Manassas Campaign. Susan Leigh Blackford, comp., Letters from Lee’s Army (New York, 1947). 89
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 516
“The great Stonewall gave but little thought to the comforts of life…”
Borke, Heros von
July 18 1862
Stuart’s aide von Borke describing dinner with Jackson. Von Borcke, Confederate War, I:104
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 513
“It is a great pity sir, that General Jackson has not bitten some of his subordinates on furlough and affected them with the same sort of craziness that he has himself”
Boteler, Alexander
Jan 1862
Boteler responding to one of Loring’s officers who states that Jackson is insane. Alexander R. Boteler in Philadelphia Weekly Times, June 2, 1822
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 316
“Crowds were continually hanging around his headquarters and peeping through the windows, as if anxious to catch him at his ‘incantations,’ for many believed he was in league with the Old Boy and had constant intercourse with him. Others actually thought that he was continually praying, and imagined that angelic sprits were his companions and councilors.”
Caffetm Thomas E.
An English observer describing the crowds from Frederick MD attempting to catch a glimpse of Stonewall at his HQ in Best Grove. Battlefields of the South, from Bull Run to Fredericksburg, “by an English Combatant.” 2 vols. London: Smith, Elder & Co, 1864
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 589
“scarcely could be called intellectual in appearance; but his restless eye gave evidence of the indefatigable activity of his brain, and his thin compressed lips and fixed features were expressive of that earnestness and resolution which have so pre-eminently characterized him.”
Caldwell, James Fitz James
A South Carolina officer, James Fitz James Caldwell. The history of a Brigade of South Carolinians, Known First as “Greggs,” and Subsequently as “McGowan’s.” Philadelphia: King and Baird, 1866
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 542
“Gen. Jackson is a very ordinary looking man, a little and but a very little above the medium height. He is very shabbily dressed and has a short, shaggy beard, very prominent chin and a mouth indicating firmness and decision.”
Chambers, Henry A.
Jun 19 1862
Soldier catches a glimpse of Jackson aboard a train heading to Richmond to confer with Lee. Diary, Henry A. Chambers.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 459
“Jackson is a very plain and simple man having little conversational power, and only two elements of greatness-implicit self-reliance giving great imperturbility of temper and feeling and never-yielding Faith. I like him very much.”
Cobb, Thomas R. R.
Dec 1862
Cobb after meeting Jackson just after his arrival at Fredericksburg. Tom Watson Brown” The Military Career of Thomas R. R.. Cobb,” Georgia Historical Quarterly, 45 (1961): 351
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 648
“He was not demonstrative but was one of the most obliging of men, ever willing to do any favor that might be asked of him, without regard to his personal convenience”
Colston, Raleigh
Raleigh Colston a fellow faculty member recalling his introduction to Jackson at VMI in 1851
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 35
“How adroitly put! Lee knew of Jackson’s reticence with his subordinate Generals-of which complaint had been made to him-and this was a hint to Jackson to consult with them more, but it had no effect.”
Douglas, Kyd
Jul 1862
Douglas commenting about Lee’s July 28 letter to Jackson about AP Hill
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 520
“essentially a silent man, not morose, but quiet. He smiled often, rarely laughed.”
Douglas, Kyd
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 48
“Nobody ever understood him, and nobody has even been quite able to account for him”
Eggleston, George Gary
one of Jackson’s men writing about him after the war. Eggleston, George Gary Rebel’s Recollections, p132.
Wert, Jeffry D. General James Longstreet. New York: Touchstone, 1993. Pg 162
“”I tell you sir, he is as crazy as a March hare! He has gone away I don’t know where, and left me here with some instructions to stay until he returns…”
Ewell, Richard
May 12, 1862
Conversation between Col James Walker of the 13th VA and MG Richard Ewell. SHSP, 9 (1881):364
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 380
“do you remember my conversion with you at Conrad’s Store when I called this old man an old woman? Well, I take it all back! I will never prejudge another man. Old Jackson’s no fool. He has a method in his madness.”
Ewell, Richard
Jun 8, 1862
Ewell talking to Munford after the Port Republic battle.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 438
“What is the use of General Jackson going to church? He sleeps all the time!”
Ewell, Richard
Jul 1862
Ewell talking about Jackson sleeping in church. SHSP, 10 (1882): 83-84
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 518
“I think Gen. Jackson is the most efficient & energetic Gen. in our army, the glory of belonging to his army is great & so is the labor”
Fogel, Theodore
August 11, 1862
one of Longstreet’s officers in a letter home. Theodore Foget – Mother and Father , Fogel Papers EU
Wert, Jeffry D. General James Longstreet. New York: Touchstone, 1993. Pg 163
“His nature was intense in everything. He was an intense Presbyterian. He was an intense disciplinarian.”
Former VMI Cadet
A former VMI cadet talking of Jackson
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 47
“Our general will certainly not give us much time while there is an enemy to meet. He is a singular man and has some most striking military traits of character, and some that are not so good. A more fearless man never lived and he is remarkable for his industry and energy. He is strictly temperate in his habits and sleeps very little. Often while near the enemy, and while everybody except the guards are asleep, he is on his horse and gone, nobody knows where. I often fear that he will be killed or taken. Our men curse him for the hard marching he makes them do, but still the privates of the whole army have the most unbounded confidence in him. They say that he can take them into harder places and get them out better than any other living man…He is an ardent Christian.”
Fulkerson, Sam
Jun 14 1862
Colonel Fulkerson of the 37th Virginia to an unknown addressee
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 453
“You know of the unfortunate breach between General Jackson and myself. I can never forget it, nor cease to regret. But I wish to assure you that no one can lament his death more sincerely than I do. I believe that he did me a great injustice, but I believe also that he acted from the purest motives. He is dead. Who can fill his place!”
Garnett, Richard
May 11 1863
Garnett to Pendleton and Douglas at Jackson’s funeral bier in Richmond. Garnett was invited to be one of the Pallbearers and gratefully accepted.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 757
“I knew him at West Point and in Mexico. He was very religious….Personally we were always good friends; his character had rare points of merit”
Grant, U.S.
Philadelphia Weekly Times, Aug 3, 1878
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 797
“There’s only one language that will make mules understand on a hot day that they must get out of the water!”
Harman, John A.
Sep 4 1862
Jackson’s quartermaster Harman explaining his profanity in exhorting the mules from the Potomac River
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 587
“Well I suppose Jackson wants to pray over it”
Hill, AP
Aug 25, 1862
Hill joking to Richard Ewell after a Council of War held by Jackson . William Jones, Christ in the Camp, (Richmond, 1887), 97
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 112
“I suppose I am to vegetate here all winter under that crazy old Presbyterian fool-I an like a porcupine all bristles, and all sticking out too, so I know we shall have a smash up before long…The Almighty will get tired, helping Jackson after a while, and then he’ll get the d–ndest thrashing-and the shoe pinches, for I should get my share and probably all the blame, for the people will never blame Stonewall for any disaster.”
Hill, AP
Nov 14, 1862
Hill to JEB Stuart, JEB Stuart Papers VA Historical Society
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 639
[Jackson’s strict adherence to duty and orders, Hill asserted, were such as] “to cause me to preserve every scrap of paper received from Corps Had to guard myself against any new eruption from this slumbering volcano.”
Hill, AP
Jan 1863
A.P. Hill in a letter to Lee describing his pending legal battles with Jackson. Robertson General A. P. Hill, 171-172
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 679
“I think it was Jackson’s reticence more than anything else that gave offense. His next in command knew no more than the private soldier what he intended to do. I think that this must have had a palsying effect at times on his next in command.”
Hill, DH
Hill describing his brother-in-law Jackson. Century Magazine, 47 (1893-94): 628
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 857
“To attempt to portray the life of Jackson while leaving out the religious element, would be like undertaking to describe Switzerland without making mention of the Alps.”
Hoge, Moses D.
Comments of a Presbyterian scholar about Jackson
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg x
Isaac Trimble was a West Pointer and a good soldier but neither he nor his superior commander, Ewell, understood Jackson at the time; and for that matter very few of them did. Many of the West Pointers were older than Jackson and had continued in the regular service, and so thought they were entitled to more consideration than he gave them; especially were they out of humor with him because he did not communicate to them his plans or counsel with them; and this must always be taken into account in reading the reports of any old West Pointers.”
Hotchkiss, Jed
Apr 26, 1895
Jed Hotchkiss to G.F.R Henderson
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 436
“It is well known that General Lee himself invariably remained with [Longstreet’s] First Corps because he never expected Longstreet to do what Jackson did.”
Hotchkiss, Jed
Mar 28 1892
Jed Hotchkiss to William L. Chase
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 632
“under great disadvantage-others trained at the start but his mind was still the unbroken colt, shying here, tottering there, and blundering where his companions already knew the difficulties of the ground”
Jones, William (Grumble)
Jones remembering Jackson’s challenges at West Point
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 33
“He wore a faded uniform coat, pants and cape, somewhat round shouldered and looks on the ground when he walks as if he had lost something;”
Jones, William Ellis
Aug 11 1862
a member of Crenshaw’s battery who sees Jackson for the first time after the Battle of Cedar Mountain. Diary of William Ellis Jones
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 538
“but let me tell you I believe Stonewall Jackson, if he is not very careful, will get his ass in a sling while he is so far away from Richmond anyway”
Keen, Thomas B.
Sep 13 1862
Keen, a private in the 3rd NJ in a letter to his father, Jeremiah day before Battle for Crampton’s Gap
Reese, Timothy J. Sealed With Their Lives The Battle for Crampton’s Gap. Baltimore: Butternut and Blue. 1998 pg 32
“[He] holds himself as the god of war, giving short, sharp commands distinctly, rapidly and decisively, without consultation or explanation, and disregarding suggestions and remonstrance. Being himself absolutely fearless. . .he goes ahead on his hook, asking no advice and resenting interference. He places no value on human life, caring for nothing so much as fighting, unless it be praying. Illness, wounds and all disabilities he defines as inefficiency and indications of a lack of patriotism. Suffering from insomnia, he often uses his men as a sedative, and when he can’t sleep calls them up, marches them out a few miles; then marches them back. He never praises his men for gallantry, because it is their duty to be gallant and they do not deserve credit for doing their duty.”
Lawton, Alexander
George Pickett relayed Lawton’s feelings to his wife. George Pickett, Soldier of the South (Boston, 1928), 27-28
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 614
“I have now seen a good deal of “Stonewall Jackson” and my impressions of him do not differ from what I expected-great energy & will – without much system – capable of any amount of endurance, he is rather indifferent to the comfort of his troops, & they are broken down very fast. He is very silent & mysterious. The greatest excitement I have ever seen him show was exhibited when we passed a fine country house & ladies waved handkerchiefs and cheered. He turned to me & said “no man demonstrating can so affect me as the cheering of the women of our country in the midst of so many trials” we were then sitting together in the cars, :& he had been very quiet. He does not look like a great man.
Lawton, Alexander
May June 1862
in a letter to his wife when enroute from the Valley to Richmond
Watching Lee’s Lieutenants by Everard Smith Civil War Magazine July Aug 1992 Issue XXXVI
“My opinion of the merits of General Jackson has been greatly enhanced during this expedition. He is true, honest and brave; has a single eye to the good of the service and spares no exertion to accomplish his object.”
Lee, Robert E.
Oct 1862
Lee’s recommendation to Pres Davis to promote Jackson to lieutenant general
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 631
“Give General Jackson my affectionate regards, and say to him: he has lost his left arm but I have lost my right arm. Tell him to get well and come back to me as soon as he can.”
Lee, Robert E.
Lee to Jackson’s chaplain Beverly Tucker Lacy when he gave Lee an update on the deteriorating condition of Jackson. Lacy Narrative
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 746
“It is a terrible loss. I do not know how to replace him. Any victory would be dear at such a cost.”
Lee, Robert E.
May 10 1863
Lee to his son Custis
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 754
“He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right.”
Lee, Robert E.
unk
“The General is a great man for praying at all times. But when I see him get up a great many times in the night to pray, then I know there is going to be something to pay, and I go straight and pack his haversack. Because I know he will call for it in the morning.”
Lewis, Jim
Aug 8 1862
Jackson’s servant Jim Lewis commenting about Jackson praying before a major action. as recorded in Jed Hotchkiss’ journal
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 525
“Jackson was a very skillful man against such men as Shields, Banks, and Fremont but when pitted against the best of the Federal Commanders he did not appear so well”
Longstreet, James
Long after the war in Battles and Leaders
Cozzens, Peter. Shenandoah 1862. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2008 pg 3
“Jackson should have done more for me than he did”
Longstreet, James
Longstreet commenting on Jackson’s apparent lack of support in the Battle of Glendale. B&L 2:402
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 495
“When pitted against the best of the Federal commanders, he did not appear so well.”
Longstreet, James
B&L, 2:405;
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 540
“a Jew peddler” who rode “a little sorrel horse like a house on fire.”
Louisiana Soldier
Aug 11 1862
Louisiana soldier describing Jackson at Cedar Mountain. Lawrence Hewitt, “A Confederate Foreign Legion: Louisiana ‘Wildcats’ in the Army of Northern Virginia,” Journal of Confederate History, 6 (1990): 62
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 886
“The Stonewall Brigade reserved to itself the exclusive right to cuss ‘Old Jack’
Lyle, John Newton
Jan 23 1862
Upon the arrival of Loring’s command, there were fistfights with the Stonewall Brigade Lyle “Sketches” 362
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 313
“Lieut Jackson, commanding the second action of the battery, who had opened fire upon the enemy’s works from a position on the right, hearing our own fire further in front, advanced in handsome style, and being assigned by me to the post so gallantly filled by Lieut. Johnstone kept up the fire with great briskness and effect.”
Magruder, John
Aug 19 1847
Magruder describing Jackson at the Battle of Contreras
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 63
“Filled with conscientious scruples [Jackson] was always ready himself to obey orders to the letter and in like manner he required that his subordinates should be similarly obedient”
Maury, Dabney
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 130
“probably put more officers under arrest than all other Confederate generals combined.”
Maury, Dabney
SHSP, XXV (1907), 89-90
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 130
“That fellow looks like he has come to stay”
Maury, Dabney
Maury’s remarks to fellow cadets Birektt Fry, AP Hill and George Pickett when they see Jackson for the first time at West Point. This account is a composite of Dabney H. Maury, Recollections of a Virginian in the Mexican, Indian, and Civil Wars (NY, 1894), 22-23, and his revised manuscript in the SHSP, 25 (1897): 309-10
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 27
“he complained that one arm and one leg were heavier than the other,..[Jackson] would occasionally raise his arm straight up, as he said, to let the blood run back into is body, and so to relieve the excessive weight.”
Maury, Dabney
Maury commenting on Jackson’s apparent hypochondria
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 44
[with]”that terrible earnestness which was the characteristic of his conduct in battle or in work”
Maury, Dabney
Sep 1846
Maury observing Jackson in Mexico moving heavy field pieces forward
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 49
“If you gain Romney look out for [the] return of Jackson, whom I know to be a man of vigor and nerve as well as a good soldier
McClellan, George
Feb 1862
McClellan in a letter to General Frederick Lander warning Lander to be careful describing his West Point classmate George B. McClellan, The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan: Selected Correspondence, 1860-1865 (New York, 1989), 162
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 322
“He was jealous of his command. Wanted it all, at all times and under all circumstances, and got very mad at me because I failed to report to him.”
Munford, Thomas
Munford talking about Jackson’s belief in controlling the cavalry in his command.
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 140
“but the tide of victory if taken at the flood it was hoped would lead on to fortune. So Jackson set his corps in motion.”
Oates, William C.
Sep 1862
Oates, describing the start of Jackson into Maryland The War between the Union and the Confederacy and Its Lost Opportunities. NY: Neale, 1905
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 578
All old Jackson gave us was a musket, a hundred rounds and a gum blanket, and he druv us so like hell
One of Jackson’s men picked up by the Sixth WI
May 1862
From Rufus Dawes Service with the Sixth Wisconsin
Sears, Stephen. George B McClellan – The Young Napoleon. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1988 pg 241
“Old Jackson is poking his nose around here, so you can look out for squalls soon.”
One of Longstreet’s gunners
Dec 1862
In the maneuverings prior to the Battle of Fredericksburg. William H. Morgan Personal Reminiscences of the War of 1861-5 (Lynchburg VA, 1911)
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 648
“none of Jackson’s old officers ever try to divine his movements”
Pender, Dorsey
W. Dorsey Pender, The General to His Lady: The Civil War Letters of William Dorsey Pender to Fanny Pender (Chapel Hill, 1962), 164
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 100
“Jackson would kill up any army the way he marches”
Pender, Dorsey
Sep 1862
W. Dorsey Pender, The General to His Lady: The Civil War Letters of William Dorsey Pender to Fanny Pender (Chapel Hill, 1962), 173
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 135
“Jackson would kill up any army the way he marches and the bad management in the subsistence Dept.-Genl Lee is my man.”
Pender, Dorsey
Dorsey Pender to his wife. The General to his Lady: The Civil War Letters of William Dorsey Pender to Fannie Pender (Chapel Hill, 1962) 171-173
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 553
“We didn’t know what he was worth, Mac, till we lost him.”
Pendleton, Sandy
May 3 1863
Sandy Pendleton to Hunter McGuire upon the wounding of Jackson
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 739
“I never saw a trench. General Jackson had not time to dig trenches, and he would have had no time to stay in them if somebody had dug them for him.”
Peterkin, George
Peterkin of Ewell’s division describing Jackson. Robert Edward Lee Strider, The Life and Work of George William Peterkin (Philadelphia, 1929),279
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 448
“I only pray that God may spare him to see us through…If General Lee had Grant’s resources he would soon end the war; but Old Jack can do it without resources.”
Pickett, George
Oct 1862
Pickett, Soldier of the South, 28
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 633
“sullen, unsocial…unimpressive, silent, emphatic”
Richmond Daily Dispatch
Aug 1 1862
In front of Richmond around time of Seven Days
Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill. New York: Random 1987. Pg 79
“the religion of Jackson was the man himself. It was a not only that he was a religious man, but that he was that rare man among men to whom religion was everlasting…The religion of Stonewall Jackson will be the chief and most effective way into the secret spring of the character and career of this strong man”
Smith, James Power
Comment made by one of Jackson’s most faithful aides
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xii
“He mystified and deceived the enemy by concealment from his own generals and his own staff. We were led to believe things that were very far from his purpose”
Smith, James Power
From Stonewall Jackson and Chancellorsville (Richmond 1905), 12-15
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xiv
“no one on his staff ever knew him to change his mind”
Smith, James Power
From Stonewall Jackson and Chancellorsville (Richmond 1905), 12-15
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xiv
“fondness for General J.E.B. Stuart was very great, and the humor and frolic of that genial and splendid cavalry man was a source of unbounded delight.”
Smith, James Power
Smith, With Stonewall Jackson in the Army of Northern Virginia
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 48
“That fellow is not much at cussing, but something in a fight”
soldier
Soldier describing Jackson rallying stragglers at First Manassas. William T. Poague to Jedediah Hotchkiss
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 267
“,,,we saw standing in the crowd on the sidewalk a man with full dark whiskers and hair…and wearing a long blue overcoat with a large cape. His coat reached to his boots, which were worn outside of his pants in regular military style…His head was covered by a faded gray cap, pulled down so far over his face that between cap and whiskers was very little to see. Yet as we passed we caught a glimpse of a pair of dark flashing eyes from beneath the brim of his cap. That man was Stonewall Jackson.”
soldier of 21st Virginia
Dec 27, 1861
soldier describing seeing Jackson as Loring’s troops march into Winchester, Worsham, Jackson’s Foot Cavalry
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 301
“Jackson’s firmest friends have been obliged to admit some faults in their hero”
Sorrel, Moxley
June 1862
Speaking about the events of the Seven Days Campaign
Sorrell, G. Moxley. Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer. New York: Bantam edition, 1992. Pg 58
“Jackson’s marches in swiftness, daring, and originality of execution, were almost extraordinary
Sorrel, Moxley
August 1862
describing the Second Manassas Campaign
Sorrell, G. Moxley. Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer. New York: Bantam edition, 1992. Pg 71
“Longstreet called out, “Jackson, what are you going to do with all those people over there?” “Sir,” said Stonewall, with great fire and spirit, “we will give them the bayonet.””
Sorrel, Moxley
At Battle of Fredericksburg, discussion between Longstreet and Jackson
Sorrell, G. Moxley. Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer. New York: Bantam edition, 1992. Pg 111
“Stonewall rode up to have a word with Lee. As he dismounted, we broke into astonished smiles. He was in a spick and span new overcoat, new uniform with rank marks, fine black felt hat, and a handsome sword. We had never seen the like before, and gave him our congratulations on his really fine appearance. He said he “believed it was some of his friend Stuart’s doings””.
Sorrel, Moxley
Dec 1862
At Battle of Fredericksburg, Longstreet’s staff encounter Stonewall Jackson in an brand new uniform
Sorrell, G. Moxley. Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer. New York: Bantam edition, 1992. Pg 111
“an awkward, tired, humpshouldered, careworn looking man, dressed in the very plainest garb.”
Stevens John W.
Jun 23 1862
impression of Jackson upon his arrival at the Dabbs House prior to the Seven Days attack
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 102
“I feel as if I was the wandering Jew, Jackson is never satisfied unless he is marching or fighting so that I have no hope of seeing you until the war is over.”
Taliaferro, William
July 14 1862
William B. Taliaferro to wife. William B. Taliaferro Papers, W&M
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 515
“ignorant of the plans of the general, except so far as I could form an opinion from my observation of the dispositions made.”
Taliaferro, William
Aug 9 1862
Taliaferro remarking on his ignorance of Jackson’s plans and dispositions.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 527
“measured other men by his own standard and required them to come to his own ideas of duty to be performed.
Taliaferro, William
Taliaferro, “Personal Reminiscences,” CWTI, vi 34, no. 2 p 18
Wert, Jeffry D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. Pg 48
“Jackson will make his mark in this war. I taught him at West Point. He came there badly prepared, but was rising all the time, and if the course had been two years longer, he would have graduated at the head of his class. He never gave up on anything and never passed over anything without understanding it.”
Taylor, Francis
Taylor talking to DH Hill in Mexico about Jackson. DH Hill to Robert Dabney July 1 1864
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 52
“Having such a great captain as Lee over him we are left in doubt as to what would have been his ability if himself in chief command. However much the southern mind may be divided as to whether Beauregard, or Joe Johnston or Lee were the greater of their generals, one thing is certain: they all unite in worshiping the memory of “Stonewall” Jackson , and the entire world joins them in admiration of his wonderful career.”
Tidball, John C.
Tidball and Jackson were assigned to the same company in the Corps of Cadets at West Point. They were of similar backgrounds, were both Presbyterian, were from the same section of Virginia (what is now West Virginia), and each spent most of their cadet careers as non-rank-holding cadet privates: From Tidball unpublished memoirs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Tidball
“In consequence of a somewhat shambling, awkward gait, and the habit of carrying his head down in a thoughtful attitude, he seemed less of stature than he really was…Being an intense student, his mind appeared to be constantly pre-occupied, and he seldom spoke to anyone unless spoken to, and then his face lightened up with a blush, as that of a bashful person when complimented. His voice was thin and feminine-almost squeaky-while his utterances were quick, jerky and sententious, but when once made were there ended; there was…no hypothesis or observation to lead to further discussion. When a jocular remark occurred in his hearing he smiled as though he understood and enjoyed it, and never ventured comment to promote further mirth. There were occasions as I observed when his actions appeared strangely affected; as for instance, a drenching shower caught sections returning from recitations, or the battalion from the mess-hall and ranks were broken to allow the cadets to rush for shelter to the barracks, [but] Jackson would continue to march, solemnly, at the usual pace, deviating neither to the right nor the left. This, and other things like it, I saw him do time and again, showing a design to it; but what the design was he alone appeared to know, for no one bothered themselves to discover it or did more than remark: “See old Jackson!”
Tidball, John C.
Tidball describing Jackson’s mannerisms at West Point. Tidball, “Getting through West Point” 33-34
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 40
“they were such quiet neighbors I scarcely knew they were there”.
Tidball, John C.
Tidball describing his neighboring roommates George Stoneman and Jackson
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 40
“Being in a subordinate position, [Jackson] evinced no higher trait than that of indomitable sticking qualities.”
Tidball, John C.
Jackson at Battle of Contreras. Tidball, “Getting through West Point” 44
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 63
“His chief characteristics as a military leader were his quick perceptions of the weak points of the enemy, his ever readiness, the astounding rapidity of his movements, his sudden and unexpected onslaughts, and the persistency with which he followed them up. His ruling maxim was that war meant fighting and fighting meant killing, and right loyally did he live up to it. Naturally taciturn, and by habit the keeper of his own designs, it was as difficult for his friends to penetrate them as it was easy for him to deceive the enemy…In any other person this would have been taken as cunning and deceit; but with him it was the voice of the Lord piloting him to the tents of the Midianites.”
Tidball, John C.
Tidball in “Getting through West Point” handwritten memoir, John Caldewell Tidball papers, USMA, 28
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xiii
“coolness and determination…whilst under fire.”
Twiggs, David
Aug 19 1847
Twiggs describing Jackson at the Battle of Contreras
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 63
“in no respect to be distinguished from the mongrel barefooted crew who followed his fortunes.”
Union Soldier
Sep 15 1862
A Union soldier captured at Harpers Ferry describing Jackson Withrow Scrapbooks
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 605
“I am still in the land of the living but don’t know how long I will be if ‘Old Jack’ keeps us running about as much as he has done lately.”
Wade, Thomas
Jun 14 1862
Wade of the Rockbridge after Port Republic describing service under Jackson. Thomas R. Wade to Louisa Hopkins
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 448
“a dirty old Virginia farmer…to avoid recognition by our sharpshooters”
Ward, John R.
Nov 7 1862
John Ward to Press Ward. John Ward Papers. A Union soldier captured at Harpers Ferry describing Jackson
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 605
“I must admit that it is much pleasanter to read about Stonewall & his exploits than to serve under him & perform those exploits.”
Wardlaw, Andrew
Oct 5 1862
Wardlaw of the 14th South Carolina to his wife.
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 628
“and his thin compressed lips and calm glance, which meets you unflinchingly, gives evidence of that firmness and decision of character for which he is so famous….The religious element seems strongly developed in him; and though his conversation is perfectly free from all puritanical cant, it is evident that he is a person who never loses sight of the fact that there is an omnipresent deity ever presiding over the minutest occurrences of life, as well as over the most important…With such a leader men would go anywhere, and face any amount of difficulties; and for myself , I believe that, inspired by the presence of such a man, I should be perfectly insensible to fatigue and recon upon success as a moral certainty…Jackson, like Napoleon, is idolized with that intense fervor which consisting of mingled personal attachment and devoted loyalty, causes them to meet death for his sake, and bless him when dying.”
Wolseley, Garnet
Oct 1862
Wolseley future commander in chief of British military forces reporting on his visit with Stonewall Jackson. Garnet Wolseley, “A Month’s Visit to the Confederate Headquarters,” Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, 93 (1863):21
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 633
“An old fox hunter but I tell you he knows how to hunt yanks his men almost worship him.”
Laskin in Good Old Rebels p 458
Pryor, Elizabeth Brown. Reading the Man – A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters. New York: Penguin Group, 2007 pg 415
“He was quick in his movements but nothing remarkable in his appearance. At supper he was a silent listener.”
A local miller where Jackson grew up describing the young man. John Strange Hall Reminiscences, Jackson-Holt
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 21
“Old Jack was as calm in the midst of a hurricane of bullets as though he were on dress parade at West Point”
West Point classmate describing Jackson under fire at Veracruz
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 54
“rather stiff and awkward in his movements, both on foot and on horseback, always rather shabby in his appearance and badly mounted, at a time when fine horses and stylish uniforms were the rule. He was always courteous, but beyond a salute he rarely had anything to say”
staff officer who observed Jackson’s visits to Gen Johnston’s HQ in the summer of 1861 From Haskell Memoirs
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg 275
a widely circulated story throughout the Confederacy was of the devil sending Jackson a petition to stop sending him so many Yankees because he was running out of room
F.R. Reeves to an unknown addressee, Jan 9 1864, Wm Cabell Rives Papers, LOC
Robertson, James I. Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997 pg xiv
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