JACKSON
JACKSON
brigadier-general in the Provisional army of the
Confederate States, July 3, 1861. On July 18,
1861, he received orders to reinforce the army of General Beauregard, engaged in repelling a Federal attack at Manassas. He reached the field on July 19, and on July 21, to quote his own words in a letter to his wife, he " fought a great battle and gained a great victory, for which all the glory is due to God alone." In this battle he was wounded in the finger and his horse was shot. It was in this fight that General Bee, witnessing the conduct of Jackson and his bri- gade at a moment wlien defeat stared the Con- federate army in the face, cried out to his own wavering command, " Look at Jackson — there he .stands like a stone wall; rally beliind the Vir- ginians; " and in that baptism of fire " Stonewall " Jackson and the "Stonewall" brigade received the names they were henceforth to bear, and Bee's inspiring order turned the tide of battle in favor of the Confederates. On Nov. 4, 1861, he received promotion to the rank of major-general, with orders to assume command of the Valley district, and in parting with his old brigade he said: "In the Army of the Shenandoah you were the first brigade; in the Army of the Potomac you were the first brigade; in the second corps of the army you were the first brigade; you are the first brigade in the affections of your general, and I hope by your future deeds and bearing that you will be handed down to posterity as the first brigade in this, our second war of independence. Farewell." He made the headquarters of the Army of the Valley at Winchester, the two other armies being commanded by Generals Beaure- gard and Holmes, and the three made up the Department of Northern Virginia, under com- mand of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. His next movement was the occupation of Romney by General Loring, and when the war department oi'dered Loring's command back to Winchester, General Jackson complied with the order but forwarded his conditional resignation, Jan. 31,
1862, requesting to be ordered to report for duty to the superintendent of the Virginia Military institute at Lexington, or, in case the application should not be granted, that the President should accept his resignation from the army. General Johnston, in forwarding the communication, Feb. 7, 1862, endorsed it, " I don't know how the loss of this officer can be supplied." Protests from all quarters against his resignation, and especially one from Governor Letcher, in which he conveyed an assvirance he had received from the government at Richmond that it did not in- tend to interfere with Jackson's militarj^ plans, caused that officer to yield with soldierly obedi- ence, and Governor Letcher was instructed to withdraw the resignation. After Loring's evac-
uation of Romney the Federal troops took posses-
sion, and General Jackson was left at Winchester
with not over 4000 effective men, exclusive of
militia, and he asked for 9000 men for the imme-
diate defence of the place, threatened by both
Banks and Lander. As Johnston was j^reparing
to retreat before McClellan's advance he could
fvirnish no troops, and gave orders to Jackson to
watch the advance closely and do what he could
to impede it. Jackson proposed to a council of
his chief officers to make a night attack on
Banks, which was not approved, and on March
11, 1862, he reluctantly withdrew liis army from
the town and retreated to Woodstock and
Mount Jackson, reaching Strasburg on the 22d
in the wake of Sliields's army, which had
been ordered to evacuate the place and to
intrench at Manassas in order to guard the
approach to Washington. This movement led to
Jackson's attack at Kernstown on Sundaj',
March 23, 1862, when, after three liours' stubborn
fighting against more than double his number, he
was compelled to retreat. He received the
thanks of congress for fighting this battle and its
effe(;t on the fortune of the Confederate army, by
changing the plans of the Federal officers, was
acknowledged. On A^iril 28, 1862, he asked
General Lee for 20,000 men, with which reinforce-
ment he proposed to attack General Banks, but
he could be promised only the division of 6000
men of General Ev%-ell, near Gordonsville, and
the brigade of Gen. Edward Johnson, comprising
3500 men, seven miles west of Staunton, and
with this slight reinforcement he fought the
battle of McDowell, May 8, 1862, which compelled
the Federal army to retreat to Franklin, where it
formed a junction with Fremont. Jackson fol-
lowed, and there executed his celebrated flank
movement by which he withdrew his entire force
from in front of Fremont's army, and after
surprising Gen. J. L. Kenly at Front Royal, oblig-
ing him to flee to Winchester, he reached Win-
chester by daylight, May 25, 1862, to find the Fed-
eral lines drawn across the approaches to the
place. He ordered a vigorous attack, and after a
brave resistance, the Federal lines gave way and
Banks retreated through the town, closely
pursued by Jackson and Ashby for several miles,
when, failing to receive help from the cavalry,
who had delayed their advance to pillage the
town, Ashby was obliged to give up the pursuit,
and Banks escaped across the Potomac. On Jack-
son's return from the pursuit he found over 3000
prisoners and $300,000 worth of stores, and the
whole populace, with the victorious army, made
Mondaj', May 26, the day after the engagement,
a day of thanksgiving, according to General
Jackson's custom. On the strength of this
victory General Jackson again asked for rein-
