548 



JACKSON, THOMAS JONATHAN. 



promise. He embraced the cause of secession 

 with enthusiasm, was commissioned a colonel 

 by Gov. Letcher of Virginia, and on the 3d of 

 May appointed commander of the "Army of 

 Observation " at Harper's Ferry, which a few 

 weeks later he resigned to Gen. Joseph E. 

 Johnston, retaining command of the infantry. 



For several weeks he was employed in fre- 

 quent manoeuvres between Winchester and Har- 

 per's Ferry, encountering the Federal Gen. Pat- 

 terson's advance at Falling Waters on July 2d ; 

 and on the 18th his brigade, consisting of five 

 Virginia regiments carefully disciplined by 

 himself, was hurried off to Manassas, almost 

 under the eye of Patterson, to reenforce Beau- 

 regard. He bore a distinguished part in the 

 battle of Bull Run, where, in the language of 

 the Confederate General Bee, " Jackson stood 

 like a stone wall ; " and ever after that event- 

 ful day he was popularly known as " Stone- 

 wall " Jackson, and the troops commanded by 

 him on the occasion as the " Stonewall Bri- 

 gade." He remained with his brigade in the 

 neighborhood of Centreville until October, hav- 

 ing previously been commissioned a brigadier- 

 general, and was then promoted to be a major- 

 general and assigned to the command of the 

 troops at Winchester, where he remained until 

 early in the succeeding March, retiring only on 

 the approach of the Union forces under Gen. 

 Banks. 



A reconnoissance made on the 18th and 19th 

 of this month by Gen. Shields, commanding a 

 division of Gen. Banks's corps, discovered Jack- 

 son posted in a strong position south of Win- 

 chester, and in immediate communication with 

 powerful supports, for which reason the Union 

 forces were concentrated near Winchester. On 

 the 22d, Banks, with half of his corps, marched 

 for Centreville to join the army of McClellan, 

 and this fact having been communicated to 

 Jackson by his scouts, the Confederate cavalry 

 was ordered to drive the Union pickets back 

 toward Kernstown, a small village, three miles 

 south of Winchester, while the main body of 

 the Confederates was pushed forward with se- 

 crecy and rapidity. Here on the morning of 

 the 23d, Jackson, deceived evidently as .to the 

 strength of the Union army, made a vigorous 

 attack upon Shields's left wing. Failing to 

 make an impression there, he massed his troops 

 for an assault upon the right, where Shields, in 

 anticipation of such a movement, had concen- 

 trated a large force. One of the fiercest con- 

 tests of the war ensued, but by unflinching en- 

 ergy the Unionists succeeded in driving the 

 Confederates from a strong position behind a 

 stone wall, and the latter at once yielded the 

 field to their opponents, leaving behind 2 guns 

 and other trophies. The swelling of the Shen- 

 andoah by rains having prevented the arrival 

 of his supports, Jackson was compelled to re- 

 treat up the valley, disputing step by step the 

 pursuit of Banks and Shields, until he reached 

 the neighborhood of Harrisonburg, about 60 

 miles south of Winchester. From this point 



he was summoned with his command to Rich- 

 mond, where the Confederates were collecting 

 all their available strength, in anticipation of 

 the advance of McClellan up the peninsula. 

 But having suggested that he could better de- 

 fend Richmond on the Shenandoah than on the 

 Chickahominy he was allowed to remain where 

 he was. 



With a view of dislodging Jackson from this 

 position two columns of Union troops were di- 

 rected to operate in concert, one under Banks 

 in the Shenandoah valley, and another under 

 Fremont in the Mountain department, to the 

 west. Both were weak in numbers, and by 

 the beginning of May the corps of Banks had 

 been reduced, by the withdrawal of Shields's 

 division, to less than 7,000 men. Jackson, how- 

 ever, by concentrating with Generals Edward 

 Johnson and Ewell, had increased his force to 

 upward of 20,000. In conformity with the 

 Union plans, Gen. Milroy, of Fremont's column, 

 early in May marched with a small force east- 

 ward toward Buffalo Gap, for the purpose of 

 threatening Staunton. Jackson at once moved 

 to meet him, encountered the Union forces at 

 McDowell on the 8th, and drove them back to 

 Franklin, on the west side of the mountains, 

 thus effectually preventing a junction between 

 Fremont and Banks. Then rapidly retracing 

 his steps, he collected all his available troops 

 and turned upon Banks, who had been con- 

 strained by the depletion of his corps to fall 

 back some distance from Harrisonburg. 



On the 23d of May a portion of Jackson's 

 army which had made a detour toward Front 

 Royal on the Manassas Gap railroad, surprised 

 the small Union force under Col. Kenly, sta- 

 tioned there, and captured nearly the whole 

 command. Banks, who was then at Strasburg, 

 was not slow to perceive his critical position, 

 with an enemy on his front and flank, and on 

 the night of the 23d commenced a rapid retreat 

 toward Winchester, sending his train in ad- 

 vance. The force which had moved upon 

 Front Royal also pushed on to intercept him at 

 Middletown, while Jackson with his main body 

 followed vigorously in his rear, expecting by 

 this movement to capture Banks's train, if not 

 to put his whole army hors de combat. At Mid- 

 dletown the Union train was driven back upon 

 the main body, whereupon Banks, ordering his 

 troops to the head of the column, repulsed the 

 enemy in his front, and succeeded, after hard 

 fighting, which was continued at intervals along 

 the line of march, in reaching Winchester. But 

 Jackson was too close upon his rear to admit 

 of his making a stand there, and almost imme- 

 diately the retreat was renewed and not again 

 ended until the Union troops reached the Po- 

 tomac on the 26th, the Confederates pressing 

 them continually on either flank and on their 

 rear. A brigade under Gen. Gordon, left be- 

 hind at Winchester to enable the main body 

 and the train to get well forward, maintained 

 for some time an unequal fight with Jackson, 

 but was finally compelled to fall back. 



