Calamity at Chancellorsville Read online

  As the real and imaginary stories regarding Stonewall Jackson continued to be told long after the war, his stature as “the idol of the people” only grew larger and larger. He became such an iconic figure, especially in the South, that his name and likeness was used to sell everything from alcohol and tobacco (whereas Jackson was neither a drinker nor a smoker) to razor blades, soap, Coca-Cola, and, ironically, life insurance. His name has also adorned numerous restaurants, hotels, public schools, and parks throughout the southern United States.11

  In the final 22 months of his life, Thomas J. Jackson experienced a meteoric rise from obscurity to national celebrity in both the North and the South. “Few or none of those who inhabit with him the temple of Fame,” Dabney wrote, “won their way to it by a career so short.” In the 150 years since his death, Jackson’s image has been molded and shaped through the writings of family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. Few individuals from the American Civil War have generated as much curiosity as Stonewall Jackson, and it is likely he will remain the subject of many books and discussions for years to come.12

  1 C. Vann Woodward, ed., Mary Chestnut’s Civil War (New Haven, CT, 1981), 428.

  2 OR 12, pt. 1, 470; Peter Gaunt, Oliver Cromwell (London, 2004), 8-19; W. G. Bean, Stonewall’s Man: Sandie Pendleton (Chapel Hill, NC, 1959), 81.

  3 London Times, September 20, 1862.

  4 Dabney, Life and Campaigns, 112-115.

  5 R. E. Colston, “Address of Gen. R. E. Colston,” SHSP (1893), vol. 21, 46; Elizabeth P. Allan, The Life and Letters of Margaret Junkin Preston (Boston and New York, 1903), 165.

  6 Paper Adopted by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Session at Columbia, S. C., May, 1863, SHSP (August 1920), vol. 43, 103; Earl S. Miers, ed., When the World Ended: The Diary of Emma LeConte (New York, NY, 1957), 96.

  7 Catherine C. Hopley, “Stonewall” Jackson, Late General of the Confederate Army (London, 1863); Markinfield Addey, The Life and Military Career of Thomas Jonathan Jackson (New York, NY, 1863), 7-8.

  8 John Esten Cooke (writing as “A Virginian”), The Life of Stonewall Jackson from Official Papers, Contemporary Narratives, and Personal Acquaintance (New York, NY, 1863), 19.

  9 Wallace Hettle, “The Minister, the Martyr, and the Maxim: Robert Lewis Dabney and Stonewall Jackson Biography,” Civil War History (2003), vol. 49; Dabney, Life and Campaigns, 727.

  10 Jackson, Life and Letters, 105-106.

  11 P. W. Alexander, “Confederate Chieftains,” Southern Literacy Messenger (January 1863), vol. 35, 37.

  12 Dabney, Life and Campaigns, 734.

  Appendix III

  An Interview with Author Mathew Lively

  Q: Why did you decide to write this particular book?

  A: Stonewall Jackson’s death was appealing to me for multiple reasons. First, I am a West Virginia native, as was Jackson, although it was still a part of Virginia when he was born. Nonetheless, our state still considers him a native of our land. Second, I have had a long interest in Civil War history that dates back to my childhood. And last, as I became a physician, I became interested in medical history, particularly 19th century medical history. Researching Jackson’s death allowed me to concentrate all my interests into one subject.

  Q: What specifically interested you initially about researching Stonewall Jackson’s history?

  A: Stonewall Jackson is a well-recognized name in the state of West Virginia. His boyhood home, Jackson’s Mill, is a popular state 4-H camp. There is a statue of him on the state capitol grounds, and a recreational lake and resort are named after him. Growing up in West Virginia, I became interested in Civil War history at a young age and it was a natural progression to become interested in Jackson since he is such a popular figure in my state. Then, while in medical school, I became interested in the medical aspects of the Civil War and as a natural extension, was intrigued by the medical facets of Jackson’s life and death.

  Q: How did you conduct your research?

  A: Like most historical research, much of it was spent in various libraries and historical societies searching through primary sources. Fortunately, the bulk of the information was in the Virginia and Washington D.C. area, so I did not have to travel great distances. However, I have also been amazed at the amount of information that is now accessible over the Internet. More libraries are now digitalizing their holdings, so it has become much easier to obtain information electronically without ever having to leave home.

  Q: How long did it take you to research and then write the book?

  A: My guess would be about ten years in total. It started out as a desire to find out more about Jackson’s death by collecting information. Soon, I discovered that no one had written a definitive account on the circumstances surrounding his death, which inspired me to try and accomplish the task. As I am not an author by trade, I worked on the project intermittently when I could find time in my otherwise busy schedule.

  Q: What makes your book unique from other things that have been written on the same topic?

  A: My book is the first full-length examination of the details surrounding the event. Most books that discuss Jackson’s death do so as the last chapter in a biography of his entire life, or a short section in a Chancellorsville campaign or battle study. This book is the result of a careful analysis of the available primary source material as it relates only to the circumstances of his wounding and death. I hope that by narrowing the focus, readers will have a better understanding of what actually happened from May 2-10, 1863.

  Q: What are some features of your book that you think readers will really enjoy?

  A: I think having the story written in a narrative style makes it more pleasing to read, particularly for those who are interested in learning the story more than reading a detailed analysis of the battle or the controversies surrounding the event. But for those who want a more scholarly examination of the facts, there is an appendix that goes into that level of depth.

  Q: You mentioned there are some controversies surrounding the event. Can you elaborate on some of those?

  A: Sure. A controversy that has resurfaced recently is which road Stonewall Jackson and his staff reconnoitered down before his wounding. Many current interpretations maintain they rode down and back on the Mountain Road, as opposed to the main Plank Road. . . .

  Q: What did you mean by resurfaced? This is a long-standing controversy?

  A: Yes. This version was first proposed in the 1890s, but was quickly discounted by most of the participants directly involved in the event. I cover this in some depth, and I think readers will find the discussion of interest.

  Q: Can you share other controversies?

  A: Sure. A recent one is the medical condition that actually resulted in Jackson’s death. Although the physicians involved in his care all agreed he died of pneumonia, several modern physicians have offered alternate diagnoses. Yet another controversy that has swirled since the event was whether Jackson actually said his famous last words: “Let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of the trees.” All of these questions and more are discussed in Appendix I.

  Q: Were you surprised by anything you found while writing the book?

  A: I was surprised to discover that Hunter Holmes McGuire, Jackson’s chief physician and friend, stepped out of the room before the general died. McGuire’s account of Jackson’s final moments are the most cited source for documentation of his last words, and yet McGuire admits in an early letter to Jed Hotchkiss that he wasn’t actually in the room at the time and never heard Jackson say the words.

  Q: What do you think of the medical care Jackson received at the time?

  A: It was the standard of care for the time. It’s easy to look back and criticize what we realize today were misguided and even harmful treatments, but the 1860s were still at the end of the medical “Dark Ages” in the sense of scientific knowledge. The germ theory had yet to be advanced, so the physicians of the time did not have a grasp of how diseases were transm
itted, and consequently did not have an appreciation of the need for sterile technique. Because the germ theory did not exist, neither did antibiotics exist to kill the disease-causing bacteria. Since the physicians had a basic misunderstanding of the science behind disease, they also had a misunderstanding of how to treat disease. There were, however, some success stories at the time. For example, morphine was used successfully to treat pain, quinine was used to treat malaria, and anesthetic was used to perform surgery. Some of Jackson’s care was no doubt detrimental to his condition, but the physicians did the best they could with what they knew at the time. I’m sure a hundred years from now future physicians will look back on what we do today and think some of it as being archaic.

  Q: What was the most difficult aspect of writing this book?

  A: Sorting through the various first person accounts of the event and determining which ones appeared to be the most accurate representation of the facts. This was made more difficult because some of the details in the accounts were contradictory, even when written by the same person many years apart. Interpreting history is not an exact science and making decisions on which details to accept and which to reject is not an easy task when the event happened 150 years ago.

  Q: Did you come away with any new perspectives or opinions of Stonewall Jackson?

  A: I always knew Jackson was a religious individual, but until writing the book, I did not have an appreciation for the depth of his religious convictions. His faith seemed to pervade every fiber of his being. Although he seemed to approach devotion to God as his personal duty, his duty as a soldier seemed to take precedence over his deeply religious convictions once the fighting began. He could turn from being a pious, merciful human being one second to being a brutal, merciless soldier the next. His personality was a remarkable litany of contrasts.

  Q: Why do you think the events in your book are so misunderstood?

  A: I think, in part, because in the 150 years since the event, there have been some contradictory accounts published in various books and magazines. Jackson didn’t survive the ordeal, so we have had to rely on others to provide the details and some of those individuals may have embellished the facts and their involvement in the event for their own benefit. Also, many interpretations and retellings of the event have relied on only one or two accounts, which in turn, can lead to a misunderstanding of what actually occurred.

  Q: Thank you for your time, we appreciate it.

  A: You’re welcome.

  Bibliography

  Primary Sources

  Manuscript Collections and Letters

  Carson, John J. Letter to Mary C. Higgs, January 20, 1916. Copy is in author’s possession

  Denver (CO) Medical Library

  Florida Atlantic University (FAU)

  Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (FSNMP)

  Harvard University

  A. C. Hamlin Collection (ACHC)

  Library of Congress (LC)

  Abraham Lincoln Papers, Series 1, General Correspondence, 1833-1916

  Hotchkiss Papers

  Jubal Anderson Early Papers

  Library of Virginia (LVA)

  Dabney-Jackson Collection

  Museum of the Confederacy (MOC)

  Thomas J. Jackson Collection

  New York Historical Society (NYHS)

  Miscellaneous Manuscripts

  University of North Carolina, Southern Historical Collection (SHC)

  Charles William Dabney Papers

  University of South Carolina

  Crawford Family Papers

  University of Virginia (UVA)

  Special Collections

  Virginia Historical Society (VHS)

  Charles J. Faulkner Papers

  Jed Hotchkiss Papers

  Lee Family Papers

  Virginia Military Institute (VMI) Archives and Museum

  Sandie Pendleton Papers

  West Virginia University

  Roy Bird Cook Collection

  Periodicals

  CV = Confederate Veteran Magazine

  SHSP = Southern Historical Society Papers

  Colston, R. E. “Address Before the Ladies Memorial Association.” SHSP 21 (1893): 38-49.

  Craige, John H. “The Wilderness Maneuvers.” Marine Corps Gazette 6, no. 4 (1921): 418-423.

  Early, Jubal A. “Stonewall Jackson—The Story of His Being an Astrologer Refuted—An Eyewitness Describes How He Was Wounded.” SHSP 6 (1878): 261-282.

  “Field Notes at Chancellorsville from Stuart and Jackson.” SHSP 11(1883): 137-138.

  Hairston, Peter W. “The Civil War Diary of Peter W. Hairston, Volunteer Aide to Major General Jubal A. Early, November 7–December 4, 1863.” Ed. Everard H. Smith. North Carolina Historical Review 67, no. 1 (1990): 59-86.

  Jones, J. William. “Stonewall Jackson: Personal Reminiscences and Anecdotes of his Character—Recollections of Him by Dr. J. William Jones, Formerly Chaplain of the Army of Northern Virginia.” SHSP 19 (1891): 145-164.

  Kinsolving, Roberta Corbin. “Memories of Moss Neck in the Winter of 1862-63.” CV 20 (January 1912): 24-26.

  Kyle, David. “Jackson’s Guide When Shot.” CV 4 (September 1896): 308-309.

  Lee, Fitzhugh. “Chancellorsville – Address of General Fitzhugh Lee before the Virginia Division, A. N. V. Association, October 29th, 1879.” SHSP 7 (1879): 545-585.

  McGuire, Hunter Holmes. “Career and Character of General T. J. Jackson.” SHSP 25 (1897): 91-112.

  ——. “Death of Stonewall Jackson.” SHSP 14 (1886): 154-162.

  ——. “How Stonewall Jackson Died.” De Bow’s Review 8 (1870): 477-478.

  ——. “Last Wound of the Late Gen. Jackson (Stonewall)—The Amputation of the Arm—His Last Moments and Death.” Richmond Medical Journal 1 (1866): 403-412.

  ——. “Reminiscences of the Famous Leader by Dr. Hunter McGuire, Chief Surgeon of the Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia.” SHSP 19 (1891): 298-323.

  Moorman, Marcellus N. “Narrative of Events and Observations Connected with the Wounding of General T. J. (Stonewall) Jackson.” SHSP 30 (1902): 110-117.

  Morrison, Joseph G. “Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville.” CV 8 (May 1905): 229-232.

  [——]. “Wounding of Lieutenant-General T. J. Jackson.” The Land We Love 1 (July 1866): 179-182.

  “Oil-Cloth Coat in which Jackson Received His Mortal Wound.” SHSP 19 (1891): 324-326.

  Palmer, William H. “Another Account of It.” CV 8 (May 1905): 232-233.

  “Paper Adopted by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Session at Columbia, SC, May 1863.” SHSP 43 (1920): 103-105.

  Potter, H. L. The National Tribune, October 18, 1888.

  Randolph, William F. “General Jackson’s Mortal Wound.” SHSP 29 (1901): 329-337.

  Rennolds, Albert. “Virginia Reminiscences.” CV 5 (February 1897): 50-53.

  Sanders, Christopher C. “Battle of Chancellorsville.” SHSP 29 (1901): 166-172.

  “Stonewall Jackson’s Death.” SHSP 10 (1882): 143.

  Talcott, Thomas Mann Randolph. “General Lee’s Strategy at the Battle of Chancellorsville.” SHSP 34 (1906): 1-27.

  Taylor, Murray F. “Stonewall Jackson’s Death.” CV 7 (October 1904): 492-494.

  Thompson, J. S. The National Tribune, February 14, 1889.

  “Unveiling of the Statue of General Ambrose Powell Hill at Richmond, Virginia, May 30, 1892.” SHSP 20 (1892): 352-392.

  Books

  B&L = Battles and Leaders of the Civil War

  OR = The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records . . .

  Alexander, Edward P. Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander. Ed. Gary W. Gallagher. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1989.

  Bates, Samuel P. “Hooker’s Comments on Chancellorsville.” B&L, vol. 3, pt. 1, 215-223.

  Douglas, Henry Kyd. I Rode with Stonewall. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 194
0.

  Eggleston, George C. A Captain in the Ranks: A Romance of Affairs. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co., 1904.

  Goode, James E. The Life of Thomas J. Jackson by a Cadet. 2nd ed. Richmond: Author, 1864.

  Hotchkiss, Jedediah. Make Me a Map of the Valley: The Civil War Journal of Stonewall Jackson’s Topographer. Ed. Archie P. McDonald. Dallas: Southern Methodist University Press, 1973.

  ——. and William Allan. Chancellorsville: Embracing the Operations of the Army of Northern Virginia from the First Battle of Fredericksburg to the Death of Lieutenant-General Jackson. New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1867.

  Houck, Peter W. Confederate Surgeon: The Personal Recollections of E. A. Craighill. Lynchburg, VA: H. E. Howard, 1989.

  Howard, Oliver O. “The Eleventh Corps at Chancellorsville.” B&L, vol. 3, pt. 1, 189-202.

  Huey, Pennock, and Andrew Wells. “The Charge of the Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry.” B&L, vol. 3, pt. 1, 186-188.

  Imboden, John D. “Incidents of the First Bull Run.” B&L, vol. 1. pt. 1, 229-239.

  ——. “Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah.” B&L, vol. 2, pt. 1, 282-298.

  Jackson, Mary Anna. Life and Letters of General Thomas J. Jackson. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1892.

  ——. Memoirs of Stonewall Jackson by his Widow Mary Anna Jackson. Louisville, KY: Prentice Press, 1895.

  Johnson, Robert Underwood, and Clarence Clough Buel, eds. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: Being for the Most Part Contributions by Union and Confederate Officers. 4 vols. New York: Century Company, 1887-1888.

  Jones, J. William. Christ in Camp or Religion in Lee’s Army. Richmond: B. F. Johnson & Co., 1887.

  Jones, John B. A Rebel War Clerk’s Diary. 2 vols. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1866.

  Lincoln, Abraham. Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. 9 vols. Ed. Roy P. Basler. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1953.