Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

     Born Thomas Jonathan Jackson on January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Jackson earned his nickname, "Stonewall," in 1861, when he held the line of Confederate troops against a Northern assault when he and his men (acting as reinforcements) rushed to the aid of losing Confederates at the Manassas Junction, Virginia, near Bull Run Creek, July of 1861. Union General Winfield Scott and his troops were nearing a victory when Jackson and his defense arrived and counter attacked the invading foes so forcefully they broke ranks in their furious sprint to safety. Approximately a year later, Jackson led a force and went on a rampage in the Shenandoah Valley, where they were able to pin down a larger Union army. Then in May of 1863, Jackson was sent in by Lee to help General Joseph Hooker and his men battle Union troops in Chancellorsville, Virginia. Jackson and his men went in on the right and surprise attacked the Union army. They were badly defeated (success for Confederates), however, as a result of the wounds he received in this battle, Jackson died on May 10, 1863.