Stonewall Jackson Day by Day

Jackson Day-by-Day details the daily events of the soldier his men called “Stonewall” during those stirring days of 1861-1863. Before the Civil War, Thomas J. Jackson was an obscure, eccentric professor at the Virginia military institute in Lexington, Virginia. For Jackson, everything changed when he donned a gray uniform. Over the next two years, he would become a household name across the South, a terror to his Union enemies, and one of best American generals of all time.

Fame took root at Manassas, where Jackson and his troops stood “like a stone wall” and the former professor earned his undying nickname. Next came his legendary Shenandoah Valley Campaign, where Jackson mystified, misled, outfought, and defeated several Union armies, terrifying the authorities in Washington, D.C. in the process. This campaign is still studied by military professionals around the world for its masterful flanking movements and rapid deployment. Jackson’s holding of the railroad cut at Second Manassas in late August 1862, coupled with his capture of Harpers Ferry (the largest surrender of American troops until the fall of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942) and defensive stand at Sharpsburg (Antietam) made him in many ways more popular than Robert E. Lee. Jackson was at the peak of his career at Chancellorsville in May 1863, where his bold flank march and devastating attack crushed the wing of Hooker’s army. Unfortunately, he was mortally wounded that night by friendly fire, and died just a handful of days later.

Schildt’s Jackson Day-by-Day will please general readers and more search researchers alike, and will find a permanent place on your bookshelf or in your electronic reading device for many years to come.