Stonewall Jackson

I had never been a big fan of Stonewall Jackson. I always thought he was lunatic who just happened to be a good general. Its not a bad thing, but I just never really liked him....until I happened to read a book about him. Suddenly all his weird idiosyncrasies made sense. The way that he was brought up explained the weird things that he did. After understanding him, I realized that maybe he wasn't so bad.

All this leads to some of my travels. About 3 years ago, I took a trip down to Manassas Battlefield. At that time, I didn't know much about the fighting that took place there, but it was a place that I really wanted to experience. I arrived at the Visitors Center on a cold windy day in February. There were about 3 cars in the parking lot, so I knew that I would have the battlefield to myself. I looked at the far end of the parking lot and just a few yards out (on Henry House Hill) I saw it.....my very first statue of Stonewall Jackson. Now, I didn't know much about this battle(s) and I certainly didn't know that Stonewall Jackson was there, but the minute I saw that statue, I KNEW it was him. Before I even headed into the VC, I walked right over to that statue. I got chills just standing and looking at this statue (and it wasn't because it was a blustery winter day either). This was THE Stonewall Jackson. He was HERE....right where I was standing. He fought here. And this was where he got his nickname.

A few months later, I took a trip down to Chancellorsville. This trip was a complete accident. I didn't feel like staying home and I just took off. I didn't know where I was going, I just went. Three hours later, I found myself at Brandy Station. Upon looking at a map I realized that I was really close to Chancellorsville. I thought, "Why not?" and off I went. I did know a bit about this battle. I KNEW that this was where Stonewall Jackson was shot by his men...but I also knew that he died about a week later at Guiney Station. So when I went into the VC I had a bit of a background on this battle.

I was talking to a park ranger about the battlefield when suggested that I take a little stroll around the building. He handed me a brochure and said, "If you have any interest at all in Jackson, this is something you MUST do." Ok....you don't have to tell me twice. So I headed off on my little tour around the VC. This walking tour is only a couple of hundred yards long. Its not much by way of ground, but the importance of this area is unreal. The first thing I noticed was a fairly large monument directly behind the VC so I went to check it out. This monument was dedicated to Gen. Jackson. Ooohhh....the chills I got. This monument claimed to be the spot where Gen. Jackson was shot by his men. Now, I can't explain the feeling that you get the first time you see something that you hadn't seen before, especially if its something that you want to see but didn't know it existed. The feeling was there. Then there is a big rock that was placed there by some of his men to commemorate the spot where he was shot. I've been back to Chancellorsville since and I didn't get the same feeling that I got the very first time I saw these spots. I found out later that on the old mountain road there is a wayside marker that claims that it was in that area that Stonewall Jackson was shot. Doesn't matter....the feeling from the first time seeing the spot still exists....deep down inside me.

I don't claim to be a Stonewall Jackson fanatic. I'm not his greatest admirer. But I do like him. He wasn't just a good general....he was great....despite all his idiosyncrasies. To stand in the same spots that Gen. Jackson stood was an experience that I would like to experience again....but I know that I will never feel that same way again. The next time I hit Antietam, I'm going to concentrate on Jackson so that I get a feel of where he was and what he did. I'm hoping to actually get to Guiney Station and the Jackson Shrine sometime in the near future. That should really give me the chills!