General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson has emerged as a hero in the minds of many white Southerners. At a time when the Confederate Army at large has not been effective in repelling Union advances, Jackson’s daring and successful military tactics serve as an inspiration to a nation under assault.
A Virginia Religious Herald profile of the general is now making the rounds via reprint in other Baptist newspapers of the South. Today, readers of North Carolina’s Biblical Recorder learn more about their military hero.
Stonewall Jackson is in every one’s thoughts just now, and I will try to give you a miniature etching of this truly wonderful man.
He appears about forty years of age, is near six feet high, and tolerably well proportioned, with long arms and legs, and large feet and hands. He has dark eyes and hair, wears whiskers from ear to ear and moustache, all cropped short. He walks with his eyes on the ground, his head slightly bent over, takes long steps, his arms oscillating slowly, and has a sad, sleepy, meditative look. He is noted for his piety, will and eccentricity. He is a member of Dr. White’s Presbyterian Church in Lexington, and a regular attendant on worship. When he reaches his pew, he sits slightly bent over, his eyes gloomily on the floor, and the lower part of his arms resting flat on his thighs.–I do not suppose he was ever known to alter this attitude during a sermon and this though he should fall asleep, which he has done. When his pastor preached in his brigade last summer, at Centreville, the large crowd in attendance were compelled by heat of the sun to keep their heads covered. But General Jackson was so reverent that he held his cap between himself and the sun, six inches over his head, throughout the services. Any one who will try to do this for five minutes, will appreciate the incident. The cadets of the Institute all worship him as the bravest man on earth, and have always done so. They used to throw bricks and other missiles out of their windows on his head, to see if he could be made to flinch or look around but he rather seemed to like it. They all concur in the opinion, however, that he is an old fogy in strategy, and that while he will always be a marvellous fighter, he will never plan a battle. I should have said that they have hitherto said this. They must admit their error now. I doubt whether anybody knows how, when, where, or why, this great man was called “Stonewall.” But I have heard that he has borne the name since he was fifteen years old.
Perhaps the writer’s confusion concerning the origins of the nickname “Stonewall” reflects larger uncertainty, at this time, among the Southern populace at large. Historians later point to the general’s determined stand at the First Battle of Bull Run (July 1861) as the origins of the name.
Source: “War Notes,” Biblical Recorder, June 11, 1862 (link); Stonewall Jackson brief bio (link)
