Military career of Stonewall Jackson
Encyclopedia
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
, temporary, and permanent appointments in no less than five different military organizations.
Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
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was also a civilian military instructor (while still granted military status as an officer) and when the Civil War began Jackson became an officer in the state forces of Virginia. He was later appointed in the Provisional Army of the Confederates States (PACS) while also holding a permanent rank as a major in the Confederate States Army.
West Point service
Stonewall Jackson was appointed to the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in the summer of 1842, at the age of eighteen years old, after Cadet Gibson Butcher resigned after one day of service. After petitioning Congressman Samuel Hays
Samuel Hays
Samuel Hays was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Samuel Hays was born in County Donegal, Ireland. He immigrated to the United States with his mother, and settled in Franklin, Pennsylvania, in 1792. He served as treasurer of Venango County, Pennsylvania...
to appoint Jackson as an emergency replacement for Butcher, Jackson reported for duty on June 18, 1842.
Considered simply as a "plebe" during his first semester at West Point, Jackson finished his first term in January 1843 and was appointed a Cadet Fourth Class on February 20, 1843. Jackson's 1842-1843 4th Class year ended on a high note with the visit of Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
to West Point in June 1843.
Jackson assumed duties as a Third Class Cadet in July 1843 and finished his sophomore
Sophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
year without incident in the spring of 1844. Now twenty years old, he was then appointed a Second Class Cadet and granted his first ever summer vacation
Summer vacation
Summer vacation is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students and instructors are off school typically between 6 and 12 weeks, depending on the country and district.-Students:In some countries, students participate in programs such as organized sports, summer camps, and...
from West Point returning on August 28, 1844. For the 1844 -1845 school year Jackson was appointed a Cadet Sergeant, the only leadership position he would hold in the Corps. When his junior year ended in the spring of 1845, Jackson was advanced to Cadet First Class but was not granted a Senior leadership position. He was thus referred to as a "Cadet High Private".
Jackson graduated from West Point at the age of twenty two in June in 1846. The academy at the time had no graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies or formal presentation of diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
s with Jackson departing on July 1, 1846 as a Brevet Second Lieutenant.
Key Dates
- June 18, 1842: Appointed a Plebe Cadet, United States Military Academy
- February 20, 1843: Appointed a Fourth Class Cadet
- July 1, 1843: Appointed a Third Class Cadet
- June 25, 1844: Appointed a Second Class Cadet
- August 28, 1844: Appointed a Cadet Sergeant
- July 1, 1845: Appointed a First Class Cadet w/o position ("High Private")
- June 30, 1846: Graduated from West Point and commissioned a Brevet Second Lieutenant
Mexican War service
Stonewall Jackson graduated West Point the same year that the Mexican-American War began. The commander of the United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, Winfield Scott, made it clear in his early campaign planning that he wanted leadership of his invasion army to comprise regular army officers with a minimal use of militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
whom Scott felt were under trained.
Jackson was issued official military orders on July 22, 1846, assigning him to Company K of the 1st U.S. Artillery presently headquartered at Fort Columbus
Fort Columbus
Fort Columbus was a fortification and army post in Governors Island, New York Harbor, New York City, New York, from 1806 to 1904.-Fort Jay:Fort Columbus was the name of a fortification and later the army post that developed around it...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Two weeks later, Jackson arrived at Fort Columbus to find his company already deployed to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Jackson's new Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
, Francis Taylor, who had remained behind then detailed the young Second Lieutenant to recruiting
Military recruitment
Military recruitment is the act of requesting people, usually male adults, to join a military voluntarily. Involuntary military recruitment is known as conscription. Many countries that have abolished conscription use military recruiters to persuade people to join, often at an early age. To...
duty to collect new recruits and horses for a future deployment to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Jackson was deployed on August 19 and it took until October 5 for himself and the new members of Company K to reach Camargo
Camargo
Camargo may refer to one of these places:Places Bolivia:* Camargo, Chuquisaca Brazil:* Camargo, Rio Grande do Sul Mexico:* Camargo, Chihuahua* Camargo, Tamaulipas Spain:...
in Mexico. By November 24, the entire Company K had assembled at Monterrey
Monterrey
Monterrey , is the capital city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León in the country of Mexico. The city is anchor to the third-largest metropolitan area in Mexico and is ranked as the ninth-largest city in the nation. Monterrey serves as a commercial center in the north of the country and is the...
and on November 29 the first official combat campaign began in which Jackson was a participant. This was the attack against Saltillo
Saltillo
Saltillo is the capital city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. The city is located about 400 km south of the U.S. state of Texas, and 90 km west of Monterrey, Nuevo León....
although by the time the American forces arrived, the town was found to be deserted.
1847 brought hopes of an amphibious
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
campaign and by March 5, Company K had been relocated off the shores of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. Here Jackson's true war record begins as he participated in the Siege of Veracruz
Siege of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican beachhead seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from 9-29 March 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation...
followed by combat at the Battle of Cerro Gordo
Battle of Cerro Gordo
The Battle of Cerro Gordo, or Battle of Sierra Gordo, in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's United States troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position.-Battle:...
. In April 1847, Jackson was informed that his brevet (temporary) rank of Second Lieutenant was now being made permanent in the United States Army.
Jackson was transferred to Company G of the 1st Artillery, but Captain Taylor delayed the actual move until May 1847. Jackson then assumed duties under Captain John H. Winder with the American forces next ordered to move against Perote, Veracruz. Jackson's new company, however, was ordered to garrison duty in the town of Xalapa
Xalapa
Xalapa-Enríquez, commonly Xalapa or Jalapa, is the capital city of the Mexican state of Veracruz and the name of the surrounding municipality. In the year 2005 census the city reported a population of 387,879 and the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat reported a population of...
. There Jackson would remain until June 18, 1847, when Company G was ordered forward into action although, in reality, this entailed simply further garrison duty in the city of Puebla.
On July 13, Jackson was transferred to Company I of the 1st Artillery with the unit ordered into action on August 7. The Battle of Contreras
Battle of Contreras
The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place during August 19–20, 1847, in the final encounters of the Mexican-American War. In the Battle of Churubusco, fighting continued the following day.-Background:...
followed accompanied by an assault at Molino del Rey. Jackson's combat participation then continued in the Battle of Chapultepec
Battle of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec, in September 1847, was a United States victory over Mexican forces holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War.-Background:On September 13, 1847, in the costly Battle of Molino del Rey, U.S...
with a culmination in September 1847 when Jackson participated in the Battle for Mexico City
Battle for Mexico City
The Battle for Mexico City refers to the series of engagements from September 8 to September 15, 1847, in the general vicinity of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War...
.
On August 20, 1847, Jackson had been promoted to First Lieutenant with recommendations made for brevet promotions to both Captain and Major. He had also been made the acting company commander of Company I but was replaced by William French
William H. French
William Henry French was a career United States Army officer and a Union Army General in the American Civil War. He rose to temporarily command a corps within the Army of the Potomac, but was relieved of active field duty following poor performance during the Mine Run Campaign in late 1863.-Early...
on December 4, 1847. On January 19, 1848, Jackson transferred back to his original company (Company K) and served as a Company Officer until the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...
in March 1848. On July 5, Company K was ordered to depart Mexico and by July 20 the unit was in New Orleans.
First Lieutenant Jackson's activities immediately following the Mexican War consisted mainly of administrative tasks accompanied by some free time in which Jackson engaged in some furloughs both to Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
. Between the summer of 1848 and the start of 1849, Jackson was detailed to various Forts including Fort Columbus, Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton
Historic Fort Hamilton is located in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst, and is one of several posts that are part of the region which is headquartered by the Military District of Washington...
, as well as a detail to serve on a court martial at Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle Barracks is a United States Army facility located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It is part of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command and is the site of the U.S. Army War College...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. With his primary posting at Fort Hamilton, Jackson performed duties as Acting Company Commander, Post Adjutant, as well as the Company Quartermaster.
In February 1849, Jackson had heard nothing about his brevet promotions from the Mexican War and was still merely a First Lieutenant. News came in the last days of February that Jackson had been promoted to Brevet Captain with a date of rank from August 20, 1847. Just two days later, Jackson learned of his promotion to Brevet Major with date of rank from September 13, 1847.
As a Brevet Major, Jackson next looked forward to what future assignments that the United States Army had to offer. This path led Jackson to the state of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where events would transpire to eventually persuade Jackson to resign from the U.S. Army.
Mexican War promotions
- July 1, 1846: Brevet Second Lieutenant of Artillery, United States Army
- March 3, 1847: Second Lieutenant (Permanent), United States Army
- August 20, 1847: First Lieutenant (Permanent), United States Army
- August 20, 1847: Brevet Captain, United States Army (appointed February 1849)
- September 13, 1847: Brevet Major, United States Army (appointed March 1849)
Mexican War assignments
- July 1846: Company K, 1st Artillery Regiment
- May 1847: Company G, 1st Artillery Regiment
- July 1847: Company I, 1st Artillery Regiment
- January 1848: Company K, 1st Artillery Regiment
Florida and resignation
Following the Mexican War, Jackson was assigned to a garrison post in Florida where he quickly became enemies with his Commanding Officer, filing numerous complaints with the Commanding General of the Region. Jackson's Army career thereafter took a sharp downward turn, and he resigned from the military in 1851 in order to pursue a career as a military instructor at the Virginia Military InstituteVirginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
. In many ways, Jackson in fact behaved as if he had never left the Army while at VMI, as he routinely wore a uniform and was addressed by faculty and students as "Major Jackson".
Service at VMI
- September 24, 1851: Accepts appointment at VMI, wears major's insignia on U.S. Army uniform
- February 29, 1852: Resigns from the United States Army as a Brevet Major and Permanent 1st Lieutenant
The Civil War
- See main article for details regarding Stonewall Jackson's Civil War career
On April 17, 1861, Virginia seceded from the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Jackson was ordered to mobilize the VMI Corps of Cadets to Richmond. Upon arriving at Richmond, Jackson presented himself to the state governor and requested a formal military assignment. To Jackson's disappointment, he was appointed to his former rank in the U.S. Army (Major) and assigned to what he saw as unimportant duties with military engineers.
After a second conversation with the governor, in which Jackson made his displeasure of his previous appointment known, Jackson was approved by the Virginia General Assembly
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
as a Colonel in the new "Provisional Army of Virginia" (also known as the "Citizens Army of Virginia") to which Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
was the supreme commander.
When Virginia formally joined the Confederacy in May 1861, Jackson's Virginia appointments were converted to the Provisional Army of Confederacy and he became a Colonel in the Confederates Army. For administrative reasons, Jackson's appointment as a Confederate Colonel was backdated to March 16, 1861 (the date that the Virginia Assembly first began debating formal succession). Thus, Jackson has the distinction of being a Confederate Colonel (at least on paper) a full month before his state actually joined the Confederacy.
The Confederate Army also had a permanent Regular Army
Regular Army
The Regular Army of the United States was and is the successor to the Continental Army as the country's permanent, professional military establishment. Even in modern times the professional core of the United States Army continues to be called the Regular Army...
, this known as the Army of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. In October 1862, after Jackson was already a Major General in the Confederate Provisional Army, he was appointed to the permanent rank of Major of Artillery in the Army of the Confederate States.
While in Harpers Ferry as a Virginia States Forces colonel, Jackson was also placed in command of the entire Virginia Militia
Virginia Militia
The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the British militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulsory for all free males...
, making him by default a militia general. Jackson never referred to himself in this sense and quickly petitioned the Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
to fold militia forces into the regular state army.
The earliest use of Jackson wearing a gray Confederate Army uniform was in Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
, in the early spring of 1862. Prior to this time, although a serving officer in the Confederacy, Jackson wore his blue VMI officer uniform with various insignia.
Dates of Rank
- April 25, 1861: Major of Topographic Engineers, Virginia Militia
- April 27, 1861: Colonel, Provisional Army of Virginia
- May 23, 1861: Colonel of Infantry, Provisional Army of the Confederacy
- June 17, 1861: Brigadier General, Provisional Army of the Confederacy
- October 7, 1861: Major General, Provisional Army of the Confederacy
- October 31, 1861: Major of Artillery (Permanent), Confederate States Army
- October 10, 1862: Lieutenant General, Provisional Army of the Confederacy