Although he was older than most of his classmates, Jackson at first struggled terribly with his course load. To make matters worse, his fellow students often teased him about his poor family and modest education. In , he graduated from West Point, 17th in a class of 59 students. In Mexico, he joined the 1st U. Artillery as a 2nd lieutenant. Jackson quickly proved his bravery and resilience on the field, serving with distinction under General Winfield Scott.
It was during the war in Mexico that Jackson met Robert E. Lee, with whom he would one day join military forces during the American Civil War. By the time the Mexican-American War ended in , Jackson had been promoted to the rank of brevet major and was considered a war hero. After the war, he continued to serve in the military in New York and Florida. Jackson retired from the military and returned to civilian life in , when he was offered a professorship at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.
At VMI, Jackson served as a professor of natural and experimental philosophy as well as of artillery tactics. His classes also covered astronomy, acoustics and other science subjects. Grappling with hypochondria, the false belief that something was physically wrong with him, Jackson kept one arm raised while teaching, thinking it would hide a nonexistent unevenness in the length of his extremities.
Although his students made fun of his eccentricities, Jackson was generally acknowledged as an effective professor of artillery tactics. In , during his years as a civilian, Jackson met and married Elinor Junkin, daughter of Presbyterian minister Dr. George Junkin. In October of , Elinor died during childbirth, after giving birth to a stillborn son. In April , Jackson and his second wife had a daughter. What happened to the Washington Street house after Jackson died?
Mary Anna then rented the house out for a period before selling it to a chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy in the early 20th century.
For nearly fifty years, the house—with many additions—served as the only hospital for Rockbridge County. When the hospital moved to its current location, the house was operated as a shrine to Jackson. In , the house was restored to its appearance during the period of Jackson occupancy and reopened to the public. Ellwood was located about one mile from the field hospital where Jackson was treated.
The arm was buried in the family cemetery. The site is currently operated by the National Park Service. Mary Anna Jackson never remarried. Mary Anna and Julia then moved to Charlotte for six years and subsequently spent two years in Baltimore while Julia attended school.
After Julia completed her formal education, the two women generally spent winters in Richmond and summers visiting Lexington, though they never stayed in the Washington Street house.
Julia married William Christian in Before her death in at the age of twenty-six, the couple had two children, Julia Jackson Christian and Thomas Jackson Christian. How did Jackson feel about slavery? We do know that he participated in the slave economy. Jackson owned six individuals while he lived in the Washington Street House. Albert had requested that Jackson purchase him and was hired out a local hotel, Rockbridge Alum Springs, and Virginia Military Institute as a waiter.
Amy, who served as a cook, had requested that Jackson purchase her at a public auction. Jackson purchased the sixth slave, a small child named Emma, as a gift for his wife. Military Academy at West Point. Older than many of the other students, he initially struggled with the curriculum and endured frequent ridicule for his modest background and relatively poor education.
However, Jackson worked hard and eventually met with academic success, graduating in Jackson left West Point just as the Mexican War was starting and he was sent to Mexico as a lieutenant with the 1st U. Jackson continued his military service until he accepted a professorship at the Virginia Military Institute in Jackson spent 10 years as a professor of artillery tactics and natural philosophy similar to modern-day physics at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington.
He was better at teaching artillery than natural philosophy, and was disliked by some cadets for his brusqueness, lack of sympathy and eccentric behavior. Students mocked him for his hypochondria and his habit of keeping one arm elevated to hide a perceived discrepancy in the length of his limbs.
In , Jackson married Elinor Junkin , the daughter of a Presbyterian minister who was the president of Washington College. She died in childbirth 14 months later; in , Jackson married Mary Anna Morrison , the daughter of a former president of Davidson College.
The following year, the couple had a daughter; however, the child lived for only a month. He did not drink, gamble or smoke. When Virginia seceded from the Union in , Jackson accepted a commission as a colonel in the Confederate army and went off to war, never to return to Lexington alive. During the first wave of secession from December through February , during which time seven Southern states declared their independence from the U.
However, when Virginia seceded in April , he supported the Confederacy, showing his loyalty to his state over the federal government. Jackson served only briefly as a colonel before receiving a promotion to brigadier general under General Joseph E.
Johnston Jackson earned his nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run also known as Manassas in July when he rushed his troops forward to close a gap in the line against a determined Union attack.
Jackson was commissioned a major general in October In the spring of , Jackson spearheaded the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, firmly establishing himself as a strong and independent commander. With an army of some 15, to 18, troops, Jackson repeatedly outmaneuvered a superior Union force of more than 60, men.
He won several key victories over armies of larger size. Jackson had prevented the Northerners from taking the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, and had done so in the face of unfavorable odds. Chosen for his tactical prowess and bravery, Jackson did not disappoint. His widely publicized exploits had elevated him to legendary status among Southern soldiers and citizens alike.
He frequently punished his officers for relatively minor violations of military discipline and rarely discussed his plans with them.
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