For two months in late Spring 1862, General Thomas J.
"Stonewall" Jackson repeatedly out-thought, out-
maneuvered, and out-generaled the Union army
in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Jackson's
performance there is still studied in military
colleges.
Shenandoah "created an aura of invincibility"(1)
around Jackson and his troops, and General Robert
E. Lee aimed to capitalize on that aura immediately.
He intended to surprise Union troops in the area of
the Chickahominy River "and he knew whom he
wanted to lead the attack: Jackson." (2)
Lee's plan called for coordinated action by his
generals. Jackson was to attack early in the
morning of June 26. Early morning came and
went and even at noon Jackson was
nowhere to be found. Finally, in late afternoon
General A.P. Hill acted for Jackson, and took
tremendous casualties. "Jackson's three
divisions were only a few miles to the north,
but their commander made no effort to hasten to
Hill's aid." (3)
Lee planned another coordinated attack the next
day "but once more Jackson was slow getting to
position and lethargic in attacking." Again, A.P.
Hill's troops had to step into the breach.
On June 29, Lee planned an assault on paranoid
Union General George B. McClellan's flank, but
"yet again--Jackson's slowness frustrated Lee's
efforts." (4) Lee had ordered Jackson to cross a river
and attack McClellan "but Jackson dawdled all day
rebuilding a bridge instead of fording the river." (5)
"Next day another of Lee's complicated plans for...
an assault...near the village of Glendale came to
grief." (6) Only General James B. Longstreet--and
A.P. Hill--were able to get their troops moving.
Not Jackson. When Union soldiers prevented his
men from completing a bridge over a river "Jackson
lay down and took A NAP." (7) "Seemingly in a trance,
[Jackson] did nothing while Longstreet's and Hill's
men bled and died two miles to the south." (8)
Jackson, of course, has been savaged by historians for
all of this, which occurred during what has become
known as "The Seven Days Battles," but what was the
cause of this strange behavior? Jackson was one of
the most audacious, battle-hungry generals in the
Civil War. He is rightly celebrated as one of military
history's great generals.
James McPherson, from whose book Battle Cry of
Freedom all of the above quotes come, believes
in this prosaic explanation: Stonewall was tired.
McPherson writes that Jackson generally
"seemed to need more than an average amount
of sleep" (9) and had gotten much less than
his required allotment during the Shenandoah
Valley Campaign.
We often discount that great people are first, people.
They have the same needs as we all do. Robert E. Lee
said that "under ordinary circumstances the Federal
Army should have been destroyed" during "The
Seven Days Battles." It wasn't, because Stonewall
Jackson needed his rest. This is Public Occurrences.
1. Battle Cry of Freedom. James McPherson, p.460.
2.Ibid, 464.
3. Ibid, 465-466.
4.Ibid, 468.
5. Ibid, 468.
6. Ibid, 469.
7. Ibid, 469. Emphasis added.
8.Ibid, 469.
9. Ibid, 466.
"Stonewall" Jackson repeatedly out-thought, out-
maneuvered, and out-generaled the Union army
in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Jackson's
performance there is still studied in military
colleges.
Shenandoah "created an aura of invincibility"(1)
around Jackson and his troops, and General Robert
E. Lee aimed to capitalize on that aura immediately.
He intended to surprise Union troops in the area of
the Chickahominy River "and he knew whom he
wanted to lead the attack: Jackson." (2)
Lee's plan called for coordinated action by his
generals. Jackson was to attack early in the
morning of June 26. Early morning came and
went and even at noon Jackson was
nowhere to be found. Finally, in late afternoon
General A.P. Hill acted for Jackson, and took
tremendous casualties. "Jackson's three
divisions were only a few miles to the north,
but their commander made no effort to hasten to
Hill's aid." (3)
Lee planned another coordinated attack the next
day "but once more Jackson was slow getting to
position and lethargic in attacking." Again, A.P.
Hill's troops had to step into the breach.
On June 29, Lee planned an assault on paranoid
Union General George B. McClellan's flank, but
"yet again--Jackson's slowness frustrated Lee's
efforts." (4) Lee had ordered Jackson to cross a river
and attack McClellan "but Jackson dawdled all day
rebuilding a bridge instead of fording the river." (5)
"Next day another of Lee's complicated plans for...
an assault...near the village of Glendale came to
grief." (6) Only General James B. Longstreet--and
A.P. Hill--were able to get their troops moving.
Not Jackson. When Union soldiers prevented his
men from completing a bridge over a river "Jackson
lay down and took A NAP." (7) "Seemingly in a trance,
[Jackson] did nothing while Longstreet's and Hill's
men bled and died two miles to the south." (8)
Jackson, of course, has been savaged by historians for
all of this, which occurred during what has become
known as "The Seven Days Battles," but what was the
cause of this strange behavior? Jackson was one of
the most audacious, battle-hungry generals in the
Civil War. He is rightly celebrated as one of military
history's great generals.
James McPherson, from whose book Battle Cry of
Freedom all of the above quotes come, believes
in this prosaic explanation: Stonewall was tired.
McPherson writes that Jackson generally
"seemed to need more than an average amount
of sleep" (9) and had gotten much less than
his required allotment during the Shenandoah
Valley Campaign.
We often discount that great people are first, people.
They have the same needs as we all do. Robert E. Lee
said that "under ordinary circumstances the Federal
Army should have been destroyed" during "The
Seven Days Battles." It wasn't, because Stonewall
Jackson needed his rest. This is Public Occurrences.
1. Battle Cry of Freedom. James McPherson, p.460.
2.Ibid, 464.
3. Ibid, 465-466.
4.Ibid, 468.
5. Ibid, 468.
6. Ibid, 469.
7. Ibid, 469. Emphasis added.
8.Ibid, 469.
9. Ibid, 466.
