…none to caress

Jackson’s Valley Campaign, May 5, 1862      In the spring of 1862, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was embarking on what would become one of the most successful military campaigns of the entire Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign. During that time, over seventeen thousand Confederates marched more than six hundred miles to defeat four Union armies. One of the most overlooked aspects of this campaign was the active participation of young soldiers, many of them just “boys” according to today’s standards. Most of these cadets attended the Virginia Military Institute.      As a faculty member at VMI, Professor Jackson had established a reputation as a stern and sometimes difficult educator. His lectures on Natural and Experimental Philosophy & Artillery demanded great attention and his expectations of the students Were legendary. As the War marched on, Jackson’s students observed their teacher’s lessons firsthand. It didn’t take long before they developed a great appreciation an