The Stonewall Brigade a Confederate Army unit during the American Civil War was one of the most famous battle units in United States history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. Jackson, an instructor from Virginia Military Institute (VMI). His severe training program and ascetic standards of military discipline turned these raw but enthusiastic recruits into an effective military organization.

The unit was Virginia's First Brigade until July 21, 1861, when, at the First Battle of Manassas, it and its general received the nickname "Stonewall Jackson". General Barnard E. Bee Jr. of South Carolina is said to have made his immortal remark between 2:30 and 3:00 P.M., when, looking for more of his brigade to rally for the final phase of the battle. Although the exact words were not recorded at the time, he probably said, "Yonder stands Jackson like a stone wall; let’s go to his assistance… Rally behind the Virginians!"

The affection of the soldiers for their leader, who died at Chancellorsville, Virginia on May 10, 1863, is demonstrated by the action of Captain Thomas R. Ranson of Staunton in Augusta County, Virginia. Ranson knew of the sad story of Jackson's mother, who died when he was only 7 years old. he went to her unmarked grave in Westlake Cemetery (now in the Town of Ansted in Fayette County, West Virginia, and had a marble headstone erected over the grave of Julia Neale Jackson, who had died over 35 years earlier in 1831.

External links

• Stonewall Brigade
• VMI website
• Story about Julia Neale Jackson's gravesite