Best Generals Of The American Civil War

Gen. Barnard Bee might've been insulting Stonewall Jackson when he said, "There stands Jackson like a stone wall!" at the First Battle of Bull Run (no one can know for sure: Bee died later that day, per Historynet), but the term has since come to lionize Jackson. Interestingly, despite the nickname, Jackson's greatest talents were offensive, not defensive.

The Confederates won that battle. Jackson went on to lead a brilliant campaign in the Shenandoah, where his rapidly moving "foot cavalry" thwarted Union armies many times their size (per History). He then joined up with Robert E. Lee and played a huge role in the battles to come. Most notably, at Chancellorsville, Lee defied military convention by splitting his smaller force and sending Jackson's corps to outflank Union troops. Jackson routed the surprised 11th Corps. It was Lee's magnum opus, but Jackson was wounded by friendly fire later that same day. When he died days later on May 10, 1863, his reputation as a legend was already established.

However, it's possible Jackson's death was the best thing that happened to his reputation. His performances were actually hit or miss. At the Seven Days Battles, Jackson's division arrived behind schedule, jeopardizing Lee's plans (via The American Battlefield Trust). At Fredericksburg, Jackson's line nearly broke (via NPS). And although he won some flashy victories, he also got a lot of irreplaceable men killed trying to one-shot larger Union armies that always came back. Still, Jackson's brilliance in the Shenandoah and at Chancellorsville cannot be denied.