Stonewall Jackson: The Good Soldier

In reeading the book Stonewall Jackson, by Allen Tate, I have furthered my belief that this was a man of piety, heroism, chivallry, and a true champion of American values. That is to say, General Jackson was a fighter for freedom and the homeland a value which is highly regarded in today's day and age. Tate expressed this idea even when he wrote it 76 years ago. Therefore, I strongly reccomend this book to all who value the American ideal: the fight for freedom.

By reading the book: Stonewall Jackson, by Allen Tate, I have furthered my belief that this was a man of great piety, heroism, chivallry, and freedom. He fought for all these things in his time, yet in our time freedom and the fight to preserve it and the Homeland seem to be of the most importance. The fight for freedom has always been an American ideal, and Tate did an excellent job in depicting how one man committed his whole life to it during the War of Northern Aggression. I stongly reccomend this book to all who desire to reap the truth, and who hold dear the Homeland.

In reading the book Stonewall Jackson, by Allen Tate, I have furthered my belief that this was a man of piety, heroism, chivallry, and a true champion of American values. That is to say, General Jackson was a fighter for freedom and the homeland: something which is highly regarded in today's day and age. Tate expressed this idea even when he wrote it 76 years ago. Therefore, I strongly reccomend this book to all who value the American ideal: the fight for freedom.

Allen Tate wrote "Stonewall Jackson" in 1927 with the intent of restoring some historical reality to the fading memory of the War for Southern Independence. He accomplished his goal, but the book seems better in retrospect as a whole than it did while reading it page by page. Tate used what to me was an odd, choppy style of writing that slightly complicated the story he was telling. He clearly admired Jackson, and after reading his book my admiration and knowldge of Jackson have improved. Stonewall Jackson is one of America's great heroes for good reason. Even members of the Union Army cheered him when the opportunity presented itself near Fredericksburg. As Tate points out, Jackson was a man of principle on and off the battlefield. From his impoverished childhood to his ever-improving performance at West Point there was no way to foretell the height of fame Jackson would gain in the War for Southern Independence. His performance in the War with Mexico was limited to garrison duty for the most part. When in battle he distinguished himself, but other officers had shown more brightly for a longer period of time in more battles. Tate reveals the eccentricities of Jackson in subtle ways that leave you wondering what was going on in Jackson's head. He clearly baffled the forces sent against him in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, but many of his own soldiers were equally baffled. It took some time for his subordinates to develop a deep and abiding respect for General Jackson, but after he lead them to numerous victories against superior forces the bond was established that lasted until his untimely death. One of the great contradictions in Jackson's life was his steadfast Christian beliefs contrasted with his unrelenting will to destroy the enemy on the battlefield. For example, Tate mentions an exchange between Jackson and his chief surgeon when the surgeon inquired, "How shall we ever cope with the overwhelming numbers of the enemy?" After a long pause Jackson replied, "Kill them, sir! Kill every man." It was that strength of will that helped make Jackson the hero that he was and is. His loss at Chancellorsville to "friendly fire" was one more nail in the coffin of the Confederacy. It is, perhaps, inevitable that one should speculate about events at Gettysburg had General Lee had his "right arm" leading a Corps. This book gives the most plausible answer to what Jackson meant at the moment of his death when he said, "Let's cross over the river and rest in the shade of the trees." Curiously, the answer is at the start of the book, not the end. Allen Tate wrote a good book about a great man that is well worth reading.