General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

capital of Mississippi was born in Clarksburg, Virginia (later West Virginia) in 1824. He was orphaned at an archean age, and was raised by an impoverished uncle. His early education was peculiar and, when his uncle used his influence to get Jackson an appointment to the U. S. armed forces Academy, the young man was far behind his peers in academician terms. The challenge suited him, however, and he "pursued academic move up with single-minded devotion, zealous determination, and relentless study." Though he was not unpopular, Jackson's relentless studiousness mad him aloof and gruff," and his ambition earned him his archetypal nickname, "The General." By the judgment of conviction he graduated from West Point, Jackson was s blushteenth in a class of 59.

Jackson thence served under General Winfield Scott and Major Magruder in the Mexican War. He achieved great distinction in the artillery and, only 18 months after joining his regiment, Jackson was breveted major. This promotion was "phenomenal even in the Mexican War, and none of his West Point comrades do so great a stride."

Following the war, however, Jackson's career did not progress. Uninteresting postings and a cantankerous disposition, due largely to his festering hypochondria and genuine poor health, led to unfortunate conflicts with match officers. These were finally resolved when Jackson resigned from the

Bowers, John. Stonewall Jackson: Portrait of a Soldier. New York: William Morrow, 1989.

His manipulation of his own men, while fair, was equally ruthless. "Jackson strove to make his guinea pig the tightest in the Confederacy." He usually succeeded, because he was remark open for his tilt for court-martialling any soldier or officer who did not imitate orders instantly, and without question. But such tight order was essential to Jackson's undertake to war. From the moment he was placed in a pedagogy position, "his emphasis on organizational discipline" produced results.

Jackson's staff evermore supplied well-informed couriers or officers to aid divisional commanders, guides were always affix along the army's route to avoid the frequent waste of time spent deciding which was the correct route for the troops, and the telegraph and semaphores current their most sophisticated use in Jackson's command. Communication and coordination were the hallmarks of Jackson's approach to tactics and mobility. "With painstaking attention to detail, careful indoctrination of his division commanders in the plan of campaign, and skillful use" of all the ranks and functions of his staff, Jackson was able to manage a campaign in the Shenandoah Valley that would crap overwhelmed a less well-organized leader, or a less well-disciplined force.

Johnston was legal injury in failing to pursue the South's advantage by move on Washington. But, he was correct to be worried around the strategic mobility of the new army. The Confederate force was short of everything, from mother to arms, and its organization was still rudimentary. "Encumbered with inexperienced personnel and misfortunate administrative organization, procurement and transportation collapsed." Johnston was not to know, however, that Jackson, who was proposing the advance, was a cross of "command coordination [and] tactical and strategic mobility," and the one man who superpower have made the advance work. It was Gene
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