| Jackson, born in what is today West
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| | pharaoh, to ensure his internal organs
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| Virginia in 1824 became an orphan as a
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| | were properly aligned. He was also
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| boy and was raised by his uncle.
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| | deeply religious, following the rules of
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| Although his education was scanty, he
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| | the Bible as if they were a set of
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| obtained an appointment to West Point,
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| | military regulations. He established a
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| but because of his rudimentary education,
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| | Sunday school for slave children in
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| found that he had to apply himself
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| | town.He married twice, his first wife
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| mightily to pass his courses. Here he
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| | dying in childbirth - not an uncommon
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| gained a reputation as a quiet, almost
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| | occurrence in nineteenth century America.
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| withdrawn, young man who had within him a
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| | He remarried and bought a house in
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| deep resolve to make something of
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| | Lexington and was very happy with his
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| himself.Jackson was commissioned as an
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| | situation. Jackson and the VMI corps
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| office in the artillery and soon found
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| | provided a military presence for the
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| himself in a war. The United States was
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| | execution of John Brown. John Brown was
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| involved in a war with Mexico, where many
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| | not the end, but only the beginning of
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| prominent Civil War officers learned
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| | sectional strife that would lead to war.
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| about fighting firsthand. Jackson
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| | When the war came, Jackson, like so many
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| certainly did. In several important
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| | others living quiet, contented lives,
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| engagements in and around Mexico City,
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| | joined the colors when his home was
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| the young officer distinguished himself
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| | threatened. Taking a detachment of
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| while expertly and courageously employing
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| | cadets to Richmond to assist with
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| his cannon against the enemy. General
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| | drilling new recruits, Jackson was
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| Winfield Scott, the commanding general
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| | dispatched to Harper's Ferry to train new
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| himself, made note of Jackson's
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| | soldiers there.Jackson had no time for
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| accomplishments.Jackson stayed in Mexico
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| | the relaxed atmosphere of sunshine
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| for a while and served in various Army
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| | soldiers. He drilled the men hard and
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| posts, including Florida, where his
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| | established firm discipline. Jackson had
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| exacting sense of duty and strict
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| | a full beard and piercing blue eyes. He
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| adherence to regulations and orders
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| | was awkward in his manner, careless in
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| brought down the wrath of his
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| | his dress, wearing the military coat he
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| lackadaisical post commander. This
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| | wore in Mexico and he wore a battered cap
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| experience soured Jackson on the
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| | pulled low over his eyes. He had no
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| peacetime army and he accepted an
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| | interest in the pomp and circumstance of
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| appointment as a college professor of
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| | the parade ground or the privileges of
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| natural philosophy (physics) and
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| | rank that some officers sought. Quiet,
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| artillery tactics at the Virginia
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| | serious, seemingly preoccupied, Jackson
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| Military Institute in Lexington.
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| | always put his duty as a soldier first
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| Lexington was a small, tidy town at the
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| | above everything else and was
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| end of the Shenandoah Valley.As an
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| | uncomprehending when others did not do
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| instructor, Jackson earned the cadets'
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| | the same.Although thoroughly disliked by
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| respect over time, but his methods and
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| | his new trainees, Jackson cared not a
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| personality were hard to get used to.
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| | whit. War was serious business and
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| Each night after supper, Jackson would
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| | called for stern measures. He would
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| laboriously memorize his lesson for the
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| | follow his orders and do his duty.
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| next day. In class, he would repeat the
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| | Jackson did his job well. The same unit
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| lesson verbatim. If interrupted by a
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| | he trained at Harpers Ferry he led on the
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| cadet's question, he would simply repeat
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| | Manassas battlefield in the first major
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| word for word the last section he had
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| | action of the war. The brigade stood out
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| just spoken. Needless to say, he became
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| | as calm and ordered amid the confusion
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| a legend. Cadets called him "Tom Fool"
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| | and terror of battle - a direct result of
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| Jackson.He was also a hypochondriac,
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| | Jackson's stern and demanding discipline.
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| always imagining some imbalance in his
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| | As a reward for his exceptional
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| body. As a result, he ate only milk and
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| | performance at the Battle of Manassas,
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| corn or whole wheat bread to assist his
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| | Jackson was given command of a small army
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| digestion and sat bolt upright in his
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| | of 4,200 men with the mission of
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| chair, like a sculpture of an Egyptian
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| | defending the Shenandoah Valley.
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