They Called Him Stonewall: A Life of Lt. General TJ Jackson, CSA

by Burke Davis

Book Overview

Davis approaches the subjects with the zest of an author who has a richly interesting human being to write about.--Bruce Catton This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517662043
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Wings
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.4" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

MEET STONEWALL JACKSON

Anything by Burke Davis is excellent. Why? He is factual and a good writer but most of all, he writes book s that re easy to read. There are deeper, larger, more intellectual books out there on ever aspect and ever person in leadership positions but if you are looking for interesting books on interesting people that won't bore you and are factual, select Davis. This one was my first Davis read, a bio of Stonewall Jackson. Jackson was without fear and brilliant in war strategy, yet deeply religious. It can be argued his death was one of the crushing blows to the Confederacy. Well done. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Great for teachers; back ground for lectures.

Civil War

Author gives nice run of historical characters from the Civil War. Others that he has covered include Robert E. Lee and JEB Stuart.

Historical Background

Where can I find a historical Background of this book?

Mighty Stonewall.

This book has come in for some criticism from other reviewers and many of their points are well taken. One has to remember however that this book was first published in 1954, a time when the cult of the lost cause was still very much alive and kicking. This is a prime example of civil war literature of that era. Davis actually shows a good deal of courage in that he did criticize the mighty Stonewall at all. No, this book does not compare favorably with some of the civil war studies that are available today, but it still has a place. In fact this would be an excellent book for someone with no background in civil war studies. For someone who has never heard of A.P. Hill or Richard Ewell this book offers an excellent introduction to the campaigns in Virginia. Davis has a pleasant writing style, which makes this an easy book to read. He sprinkles his narrative with amusing antidotes which add greatly to the book and he does not get bogged down in battle the battle details that derail so many books of this sort. The map of the valley campaign does allow the reader to get an idea of the relation of the significant points to each other but a few more maps sprinkled here and there would be of a great deal of help. Jackson of course wore his religion on his sleeve and Davis deals with that extensively. Calvin's influence is obvious although I found it interesting that while in Mexico the General flirted with the Roman Catholic Church. Some of Jackson's habits however cannot be explained by his religious beliefs and some of his behavior is frankly quite odd. Davis gets points for pointing out that Jackson absolutely refused to take any responsibility for failure, always looking for a scapegoat. This of course explains the long running feuds he had with some of his generals. In 1954 circles that criticism of the much revered Stonewall must have raised some eyebrows for as every southerner who is over 40 knows, Stonewall was always right and we would have won easily at Gettysburg if he had only been there. Every time we go to Gettysburg my wife points that out to me and thinks I am crazy because I don't necessarily agree with her.I do have a problem with the fact that Davis does not have the courage to take on the Jackson legend so far as to point out his failures during the Seven Days Battles. I realize that it would have been a hard sell in 1954 but Davis fails to do much more than point out that Jackson was unusually slow during this period and does not really even attempt to answer the questions raised by the General's behavior. In fact, had Jackson not failed so badly during this campaign the Union army might have been almost destroyed. After Jackson's failure below Richmond it is indeed almost a miracle that Lee would later have enough confidence in Jackson to give him command of a corps. A lot more detail would have helped in this area.Overall though, I found this to be an excellent biography. There is to be found here what was new

Crazy Ray's Review

Burke Davis continues among my favorite Civil War authors. In this work, he introduces you to Jackson, the whole man. His triumphs, defeats, joys, sorrows,and last but not least his genius on the art of warfare. A must read. enjoy!