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Stonewall Jackson's Birthplace

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Similar to many Confederate markers and monuments, this bronze plaque was the result of the efforts of women in the early 19th century. The United Daughters of the Confederacy funded and dedicated this plaque to commemorate the birthplace of Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson. Jackson was born on January 21, 1824 in Clarksburg, Virginia. He entered West Point in July 1842 and, in spite of his poor childhood education, was able to graduate seventeenth in his class in 1846. Upon graduation, Jackson served as an officer in the Mexican American War. He also served as an army officer in New York and Florida. In 1851, Jackson became professor of artillery tactics and natural philosophy at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. He resigned from the army in 1852 and later joined the Confederate army where he earned a reputation as a competent and fearless military officer.


Images

  • Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
  • This is a copy of an engraving likely done from a photo original. It was done by Bruce Haymond, brother of Henry Haymond who wrote the History of Harrison County in 1910.
  • This marker was placed by the Stonewall Jackson chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
  • Color postcard of an artist's rendering of the Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson birthplace in Clarksburg, WV. Courtesy of Harrison County WV Historical Society
  • WV Historical Marker, located at the Courthouse.
  • Historical marker and monument at the Courthouse

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

In 1831, six-year-old Thomas J. Jackson and his four-year-old sister Laura Ann Jackson moved from Clarksburg to Jackson's Mill near Weston. Thomas and Laura were orphaned and sent to live here with their grandmother, Eliza Cummins Jackson and their uncle, Cummins Jackson after their father, Jonathan Jackson died in poverty in 1826 and their mother, Julia Beckwith Neale Jackson Woodson died in 1831. Thomas helped with various activities on the farm: herding sheep with the assistance of his dog; driving teams of ox; and harvesting the multiple crops grown in the area. Thomas grew up with little schooling, and most of his education was self-taught due to the need for manual labor on the farm. In 1842 he left Jackson's Mill to attend the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. On September 1, 1844, Laura Jackson married Jonathan Arnold, and moved to Beverly, WV where they had four children.2

Jackson's leadership and capacity to quickly maneuver his soldiers earned the praise of General Robert E. Lee during the early days of the Civil War in eastern Virginia. While observing the position of the troops guarding his army's flanks at the Battle of Chancellorsville, he was mistaken as a possible Union attacker and shot by one of his own men on May 2, 1863. Jackson died eight days later from pneumonia after having his arm removed due to the gunshot wounds.3

Sources

1. "History of WVU Jackson’s Mill." WVU Jackson's Mill. Accessed August 22, 2016. http://jacksonsmill.ext.wvu.edu/about_us/history_of_wvu_jackson_s_mill. 2. "Civil War Women." Civil War Women. Accessed August 24, 2016. http://civilwarwomenblog.com/laura-jackson-arnold/. 3. History.com Staff. "Stonewall Jackson." History.com. 2009. Accessed August 24, 2016. http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/stonewall-jackson.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

"'Stonewall' Jackson." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed September 23, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=73406.

"'Stonewall' Jackson." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed September 23, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=73406.

Additional Information