Thomas Jonathan Jackson - Stonewall of the Confederacy
Aside from Robert E. Lee, no figure from the Confederacy was more beloved during the Civil War, or glorified afterward than General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. Revered by his compatriots, respected by his foes, studied by military students even today, Jackson was an intriguing man whose shadow loomed large the duration of the war, despite the fact that he died from injuries sustained at Chancellorsville in 1863, the midpoint of the war.
Yet Jackson’s life outside the military is just as intriguing. The history of the Civil War is people with many fascinating characters, but even in this pantheon, Jackson stands out as one of the most fascinating, a man who would have been remarkable had the Civil War never happened.
Before entering the Confederate Army, Jackson was first a teacher in a community school and later an instructor at Virginia Military Institute, despite the fact that he himself was largely self-educated. He did not, however, limit his teaching to military students and white children; going against one of the tenets of the cause he supported, Jackson actively educated and assisted slaves.
Jackson the Teacher
Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. Thomas Jonathan Jackson
Thomas Jonathan Jackson lacked formal education during the majority of his formative years. An orphan at a young age, Jackson was sent to live with several family members; one of these was an uncle, Cummins Jackson, was a schoolteacher, and Jackson was able to attend school sporadically during his time with his uncle.
When he was unable to attend school, Jackson educated himself - and others. He made a bargain with one of his uncle’s slaves, the bargain being that if the slave provided Jackson with pineknots, by which he read at night after completing his chores, he would teach the slave to read. Teaching a slave to read was illegal in Virginia, where Jackson was born and reared. As a teenager, Jackson taught at a community school.
At age 18, Jackson entered West Point. His uneven schooling made passing the entrance exams difficult, but Jackson persevered, eventually graduating 17th out of 59 students.
After serving several years in the military, including service during the Mexican-American War, Jackson took a position at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington. As Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and Instructor of Artillery, Jackson was an exacting and demanding instructor who was unpopular with students, who were confounded by his stern nature and high standards. However, his theories, theories that would be proven during the Civil War, are still taught at VMI today.
His popularity was much greater with the African-American residents of Lexington. The slave he taught to read was the first of many African-Americans that Jackson taught, despite the fact that the education of blacks was illegal, and in fact a punishable offense.
A fervent Presbyterian, Jackson spent much of his time away from VMI pursuing religious endeavors. One of the pursuits that was closest to his heart were the bible studies that he conducted with African-American children and adults. While the religious education of the African-American students of Jackson’s bible classes was foremost in his mind, he also taught them to read the Scripture, and rewarded their efforts by giving them bibles and other books, books that they were ostensibly forbidden by law to read.
Jackson’s bible studies were often attended by more than one hundred persons, and his stature in the African-American community grew. He was approached by several slaves, who asked that he buy them, then allow them to work for wages to buy their freedom, and he did so on more than one occasion. The slave he taught to read as a teenager escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad.
His dedication to the African-Americans he taught at the Presbyterian church did not waver after he left to join the war effort. He wrote to his pastor, during the war, saying:
In my tent last night, after a fatiguing day’s service, I remembered that I failed to send a contribution for our colored Sunday school. Enclosed you will find a check for that object, which please acknowledge at your earliest convenience and oblige yours faithfully.
He consistently sent money to his church so that the education of the African-Americans he’d undertaken could continue in his absence.
While Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson will be remembered chiefly for his military accomplishments during the Civil War, these accomplishments are hardly what Jackson himself would have considered his greatest achievement, nor are they the most remarkable aspect of Jackson’s remarkable life.
