Confederate General Sonewall Jackson Statue at the West Virginia State Capitol

Thomas Jonathan (Stonewall) Jackson of West Virginia

Stonewall Jackson and the West Virginia State Capitol - Flicker Photo by Angie

While visiting the West Virginia state capitol grounds in Charleston, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that, in 1910, this monument to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson became the first statue to be erected at the capitol.  This was  just 50 years or so after West Virginia seceded from Virginia during the War Between the States, then rejoined the Union.     Jackson was born in Clarksburg, and grew up at Jackson's Mill, Lewis County, in what is today part of West Virginia.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned Moses Ezekiel, then working in Italy, to design the bronze statue to honor soldiers from western Virginia who fought for the Confederacy. The statue was first erected on the old Capitol gounds, located downtown, then moved to the new Capitol in 1921. An identical copy of Ezekiel's "Jackson" stands on the parade grounds of Ezekiel's alma mater, the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.

Stonewall Jackson Window

Stonewall Jackson Window behind the pulpit of Church in Roanoke, Virginia
"In Memory of Stonewall Jackson"
"Let us cross over the river and rest in the shade of the trees."

The article below is reprinted from The New York Times, Published July 30, 1906

Stonewall Jackson Window

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Erected in Negro Church by Contributions from Negroes.

ROANOKE, Va., July 29 -- A memorial window of Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson was unveiled in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church today.  The congregation is composed of negroes.  The window was erected by the pastor, the Rev. L. L. Downing, the money for its purchase coming wholly from negroes.

The Exercises were largely attended by both races, the Confederate camps of Roanoke and Salem and the chapters of the Daughters of the Confederacy.  There were addresses by white citizens of Roanoke.

Downing's father and mother were members of a Sunday school class of negro slaves taught by Jackson at Lexington before the war, and to-day's exercises marked the realization of an ambition Downing has had since boyhood, to pay fitting tribute to the Confederate commander.

The picture presented on the window is that of an army camping on the banks of a stream, the inscription underneath being Jackson's last words: "Let us cross over the river and rest in the shade of the trees."

Here is a link to the New York Times article:  http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F10910FA395512738DDDA90B94DF405B868CF1D3

The Funeral of Stonewall Jackson

Grave of General Stonewall Jackson, Lexington, Virginia

The Lexington Gazette
May 20, 1863
 All that was mortal of our great and good chief, Lieut. Gen. T.J. Jackson was consigned to the tomb on Friday last.

The body having reached Lexington by the Packet boat on Thursday afternoon, accompanied by his personal staff, Maj. A.S. Pendleton, Surgeon H. McGuire, Lieut. Morrison, and Lieut. Smith, by his Excellency Gov. Letcher, and a delegation of the citizens of Lynchburg, it was received by the Corps of Cadets and escorted to the Institute, and deposited in his late Lecture Room, which had been appropriately draped in mourning.

There was the table used by the late Professor--the same chair in which he sat--the cases with the Philosophical apparatus he had used--all told of his quiet and unobtrusive labors in his Professional life--and placed just as he left them, when he received the order of the Governor of Virginia to march the Corps of Cadets to Richmond, on the 21st of April 1861. He left the Va. Military Institute in command of the Cadets. He has been brought back to sleep among us--a world renowned Christian Hero.

The procession moved from the Institute on Friday morning at 10 A.M. The Funeral escort was commanded by Maj. S. Ship, Commandant of Cadets, a former pupil of Gen. Jackson and a gallant officer who had served with him in his Valley Campaign, as Major of the 21st Va. Regt.

The Escort was composed as follows:

1. Cadet Battalion
2. Battery of Artillery of 4 pieces, the same battery he had for ten years commanded as Instructor of Artillery and which had also served with him at 1st Manassas, in [the] Stonewall Brigade.
3. A company of the original Stonewall Brigade, composed of members of different companies of the Brigade, and commanded by Capt. A. Hamilton, bearing the flag of the "Liberty Hall Volunteers."
4. A company of convalescent officers and soldiers of the army.
5. A Squadron of cavalry was all that was needed to complete the escort prescribed by the Army Regulations. This squadron opportunely made its appearance before the procession moved from the church. The Squadron was a part of Sweeny's battalion of Jenkin's command, and many of its members were from the General's native North-western Virginia.
6. The Clergy.
7. The Body enveloped in the Confederate Flag and covered with flowers, was borne on a caisson of the Cadet Battery, draped in mourning.

The pall bearers were as follows:

Wm. White ; Professor J.L. Campbell--representing the Elders of the Lexington Presbyterian Church.
Wm. C. Lewis; Col. S. McD. Reid--County Magistrates.
Prof. J.J. White; Prof. C.J. Harris--Washington College.
S. McD. Moore; John W. Fuller--Franklin Society.
George W. Adams; Robt. I. White--Town Council.
Judge J. W. Brockenbrough; Joseph G. Steel--Confederate District Court
Dr. H.H. McGuire; Capt. F.W. Henderson--C.S. Army.
Rev. W. McElwee; John Hamilton--Bible Society of Rockbridge

8. The Family and Personal Staff of the deceased.

9. The Governor of Va., Confederate States Senator Henry of Tenn. The Sergeant-at-Arms of C.S. Senate, and a member of the City of Richmond Council.

10. Faculty and Officers of Va. Mil. Institute.

11. Elders and Deacons of Lexington Presbyterian Church of which church Gen. Jackson was a Deacon.

12. Professors and Students of Washington College.

13. Franklin Society.

14. Citizens.

Story from the archives of the Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia

Photo by J. Stephen Conn

Visiting Stonewall Jackson's Church

I recently found myself in Lexington, Virginia on a Sunday morning, so decided to visit the historic First Presbyterian Church. This is the view from my pew on the back row.

It is here at First Presbyterian Church of Lexington that Confederate General Stonewall was a deacon while serving as a professor at the Virginia Military Institute. Jackson was instrumental in establishing and teaching a Sunday School in this church for black parishioners, both slave and free. It is thought that he not only taught the Bible but also taught the black population of Lexington to read and write. The black Sunday School was in existance for several years before the outbreak of the War Between the States.

Several black churches in southwestern Virginia can trace their roots to Stonewall Jackson's black sunday school. An excellent book which tells that story is, "Stonewall Jackson: The Black Man's Friend,." by Richard G. Williams Jr. Here is a link to the book on Amazon:

Augusta, Georgia's Confederate Monument

Standing in a park in the middle of the 700 block of Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia, the Richmond County Confederate Monument soars seventy-six feet tall. It has a granite base topped by a shaft of pure Italian marble. The monument was commissioned by the Ladies Memorial Association of Augusta in 1875 at the cost of $17,331.35 – a princely sum at that time.

Around the base of the monument are the life size statues of four Southern generals in the War Between the States: Thomas R. R. Cobb, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and William Henry Talbot. A Confederate private is depicted at the top of the shaft. The model for this statue was Private Berry Benson of Augusta. An inscription at the base reads, “In honor of the men of Richmond County who died in the cause of the Confederate States.” A crowd of ten thousand people turned out for the dedication of the monument on October 32, 1878.

On one side of the monument is this inscription:

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IN MEMORIAM

"No nation rose so white

and fair

and none fell so pure of crime."

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The inscription on the other side is even more eloquent:

WORTHY
to have lived and known
our Gratitude:
WORTHY
To be hallowed and held
in tender Remembrance:
WORTHY
the fadeless fame which
CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS
WON.
who gave themselves in life
and Death for us:
for the Rights of the States,
for the Liberties of the People,
for the Sentiments of the South,
for the Principles of the Union
as these were handed down to
them by the fathers of
OUR COMMON COUNTRY

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Photo and Article by J. Stephen Conn

Praise for Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson

By Chuck Baldwin
ChuckBaldwinLive.com

January is often referred to as “Generals Month” since no less than four famous Confederate Generals claimed January as their birth month: James Longstreet (Jan. 8, 1821), Robert E. Lee (Jan. 19, 1807), Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson (Jan. 21, 1824), and George Pickett (Jan. 28, 1825). Two of these men, Lee and Jackson, are particularly noteworthy.

Without question, Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson were two of the greatest military leaders of all time. Even more, many military historians regard the Lee and Jackson tandem as perhaps the greatest battlefield duo in the history of warfare. If Jackson had survived the battle of Chancellorsville, it is very possible that the South would have prevailed at Gettysburg and perhaps would even have won the War Between the States.

In fact, it was Lord Roberts, commander-in-chief of the British armies in the early twentieth century, who said, “In my opinion, Stonewall Jackson was one of the greatest natural military geniuses the world ever saw. I will go even further than that–as a campaigner in the field, he never had a superior. In some respects, I doubt whether he ever had an equal.”

While the strategies and circumstances of the War of Northern Aggression can (and will) be debated by professionals and laymen alike, one fact is undeniable: Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson were two of the finest Christian gentlemen this country has ever produced. Both their character and their conduct were beyond reproach.

Unlike his northern counterpart, Ulysses S. Grant, General Lee never sanctioned or condoned slavery. Upon inheriting slaves from his deceased father-in-law, Lee immediately freed them. And according to historians, Jackson enjoyed a familial relationship with those few slaves that were in his home. In addition, unlike Abraham Lincoln and U.S. Grant, there is no record of either Lee or Jackson ever speaking disparagingly of the black race.

As those who are familiar with history know, General Grant and his wife held personal slaves before and during the War Between the States, and, contrary to popular opinion, even Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation did not free the slaves of the North. They were not freed until the Thirteenth Amendment was passed after the conclusion of the war. Grant’s excuse for not freeing his slaves was that “good help is so hard to come by these days.”

Furthermore, it is well established that Jackson regularly conducted a Sunday School class for black children. This was a ministry he took very seriously. As a result, he was dearly loved and appreciated by the children and their parents.

In addition, both Jackson and Lee emphatically supported the abolition of slavery. In fact, Lee called slavery “a moral and political evil.” He also said “the best men in the South” opposed it and welcomed its demise. Jackson said he wished to see “the shackles struck from every slave.”

To think that Lee and Jackson (and the vast majority of Confederate soldiers) would fight and die to preserve an institution they considered evil and abhorrent–and that they were already working to dismantle–is the height of absurdity. It is equally repugnant to impugn and denigrate the memory of these remarkable Christian gentlemen.

In fact, after refusing Abraham Lincoln’s offer to command the Union Army in 1861, Robert E. Lee wrote to his sister on April 20 of that year to explain his decision. In the letter he wrote, “With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the army and save in defense of my native state, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed . . .”

Lee’s decision to resign his commission with the Union Army must have been the most difficult decision of his life. Remember that Lee’s direct ancestors had fought in America’s War For Independence. His father, “Light Horse Harry” Henry Lee, was a Revolutionary War hero, Governor of Virginia, and member of Congress. In addition, members of his family were signatories to the Declaration of Independence.

Remember, too, that not only did Robert E. Lee graduate from West Point “at the head of his class” (according to Benjamin Hallowell), he is yet today one of only six cadets to graduate from that prestigious academy without a single demerit.

However, Lee knew that Lincoln’s decision to invade the South in order to prevent its secession was both immoral and unconstitutional. As a man of honor and integrity, the only thing Lee could do was that which his father had done: fight for freedom and independence. And that is exactly what he did.

Instead of allowing a politically correct culture to sully the memory of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. Jackson, all Americans should hold them in a place of highest honor and respect. Anything less is a disservice to history and a disgrace to the principles of truth and integrity.

Accordingly, it was more than appropriate that the late President Gerald Ford, on August 5, 1975, signed Senate Joint Resolution 23, “restoring posthumously the long overdue, full rights of citizenship to General Robert E. Lee.” According to President Ford, “This legislation corrects a 110-year oversight of American history.” He further said, “General Lee’s character has been an example to succeeding generations . . .”

The significance of the lives of Generals Lee and Jackson cannot be overvalued. While the character and influence of most of us will barely be remembered two hundred days after our departure, the sterling character of these men has endured for two hundred years. What a shame that so many of America’s youth are being robbed of knowing and studying the virtue and integrity of the great General Robert E. Lee and General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.

You may also see this story here: http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/01/chuck-baldwin-praise-for-robert-e-lee-and-stonewall-jackson/

Robert E. Lee's 202nd Birthday

January 19th, 2009, marks the 202nd birthday of one of American's greatest and most beloved leaders, General Robert E. Lee. Throughtout the United States, and especially in the South, many schools, churches, museums and groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Sons of Confederate Veterans, will mark the day with special events. Robert E. Lee's birthday has been celebrated publicly since the 1860s, when he was commander of the Confederate armed forces in the War for Southern Independence. To this day, his birthday is a legal holiday in several Southern states.

Regrettably, many young people today know little about this American hero who was one of the truest Christian gentlemen the world has known.
Here are just a few of the things that others have said of him:

President Theodore Roosevelt described General Robert E. Lee as "the very greatest of all the great captains that the English-speaking peoples have brought forth."

Prime Minister Winston Churchill wrote of Lee: "His noble presence and gentle, kindly manner were sustained by religious faith and an exalted character." Of his army, Churchill observed: "It was even said that their line of march could be traced by the bloodstained footprints of unshod men. But the Army of Northern Virginia 'carried the Confederacy on its bayonets' and made a struggle unsurpassed in history."

Booker T. Washington, America’s great African-American Educator, wrote in 1910: "The first white people in America, certainly the first in the South to exhibit their interest in the reaching of the Negro and saving his soul through the medium of the Sunday-school were Robert E. Lee and 'Stonewall Jackson.' ... Where Robert E. Lee and 'Stonewall’ Jackson have led in the redemption of the Negro through the Sunday-school, the rest of us can afford to follow.”

War-era Georgia Senator Ben Hill eloquently expressed a lasting Lee tribute: "He possessed every virtue of other great commanders without their vices. He was a foe without hate; a friend without treachery; a victor without oppression, and a victim without murmuring. He was a public officer without vices; a private citizen without reproach; a Christian without hypocrisy and a man without guile. He was a Caesar without his ambition; Frederick without his tyranny; Napoleon without his selfishness, and Washington without his reward. He was obedient to authority as a servant, and loyal in authority as a true king. He was gentle as a woman in life; modest and pure as a virgin in thought; watchful as a Roman vital in duty; submissive to law as Socrates, and grand in battle as Achilles!"

***

Below is a letter written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Leon W. Scott, dated August 9, 1960:

Dear Dr. Scott:

Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War Between the States the issue of Secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted.

General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his belief in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history.

From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee’s caliber would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualities, including his devotion to this land as revealed in his painstaking efforts to help heal the nation’s wounds once the bitter struggle was over, we, in our own time of danger in a divided world, will be strengthened and our love of freedom sustained.

Such are the reasons that I proudly display the picture of this great American on my office wall.

Sincerely,
Dwight D. Eisenhower

Confederate Memorial Carving, Stone Mountain, Georgia

Below is the most popular photo of more than 11,000 I have posted on Flickr.com. The overwhelming majority of my travel photos on Flickr have absolutely nothing to do with the Confederacy. Yet, the two most popular pictures - determined by the number of views and comments they receive - are both Confederate related. This says something about the continuing intense interest in the Confederate States of America, almost 150 years after the War Between the States. With the photo I am also posting below it the description which I gave on my Flicker site.



It's difficult to appreciate the size of the Confederate Memorial Carving from a photograph. The three men on horseback look almost small against the massive side of Stone Mountain. To give some perspective, two school busses could be parked on the back end of Robert E. Lee's horse. This magnificent memorial consists of three acres of chiseled granite making it the largest high relief sculpture in the world. For shear size it even surpasses the better known and more "politically correct" four heads on South Dakota's Mt. Rushmore.

In front is Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865. The central and most prominent figure is that of General Robert E. Lee, and behind him is his right hand man, General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. The carving, first envisioned in 1912, was not begun until 1923 and was finally completed in 1972. Three sculptors worked on the creation, the first being Gutzon Borglum, who later carved the Mt. Rushmore Memorial in South Dakota. Augustus Lukeman, the second sculptor, did the bulk of the work of carving the three central figures of the Confederacy on horseback.

Lack of funding and other problems caused work of the sculpture to remain idle for 36 years. Then in 1958 the state of Georgia purchased the mountain and the surrounding land. Walker Kirkland Hancock of Gloucester, Massachusetts was chosen to complete the carving and work resumed in 1964. A new technique utilizing thermo-jet torches was used to carve away the granite. Chief carver Roy Faulkner did much of the fine carving, completing the work of art with the detail of a fine painting.

Dedication ceremonies for the Confederate Memorial Carving were held on May 9, 1970. Finishing touches to the masterpiece were completed in 1972.

THE THREE CONFEDERATE LEADERS depicted on Stone Mountain were all noble men who were champions of liberty for all people.

GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE was strongly opposed to slavery and when he inherited slaves through his wife's family he set them free. This was at a time when Union General Ulysses S. Grant was a slaveholder who refused to give us his slaves - and continued to work his slaves throughout the War Between the States.

GENERAL STONEWALL JACKSON was a civil rights activist who organized black Sunday Schools through his integrated Presbyterian church in Lexington, Virginia, where African Americans were taught to read and write as well as spiritual and Biblical truths. Teaching slaves to read was considered by many to be a step toward emancipation - and this was many years before the War Between the States. The black citizens of Lexington, Virginia, later raised money to erect a statue in his honor.

PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS had an adapted free black son who lived with him in the Confederate White House in Richmond, Virginia, as a member of his family.

Stone Mountain is the most popular State Park in Georgia, on the outskirts of Atlanta - a Southern city which is a model of racial harmony for the entire nation. I've been to Stone Mountain dozens of times over the years and on every visit I have seen people from every race and ethnicity peacefully enjoying themselves in this beautiful and historic setting.

To see my Stone Moutain set on Flickr, or to view the photo in a much higher resolution, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/2776794690/

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Photo and Article by J. Stephen Conn