Sabattus High School - Yearbook (Sabattus, ME)

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THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON Thomas Jackson was commonly called 'Stonewall Jacksonu was born January Zh, 1824, at Clarksburg, Harrison County, Va He died near Chancellorville, Va , May 10, 1863 Lieutenant Genelal Jackson a une of the most romantlc char acters of the War between the States, and crowded into the two yexrs in which he served more brilliant achievements, whlch won hlm wid r fame than any other soldier on either side Descended from Scotch Irish stock, he inherited nany of the qualltie of his ancestors He was left a penniless orphan when three years old, and soon Wshowed the stuff of which heroes are madeu in his manly elf rellant efforts to support himself When he heard of a vacancy from his Congressional District in the Military Acadamy at West Point, he was determlned to make the trlp to Washlngton and seek the appointment When he started travel ing, he got there part way on foot The Congressman presented him to the Secretary of War, who vas so pleased with the youth' determination, that he at oncl made out the appointment to West Point He was badly prepared to enter the Academy, but passed the examlnatlon He worked hard and gradually rose in h1s grade untll in July, IBL6, he was graduated numb r 17 1n a brilliant clas In his class were such men as NcClellan, Foster, Reno, Pickett and others One of WOld Jack'sN friends said if he had had a longer time in which to graduate, he would have graduated at the head of hisiclass After graduation, he immediately reported for duty ln MCX CO He quickly rose to rank faster than any other officer of h1s grade John G Magruder, hls lnmediate suporlor, wrote, Ulf de votion, lndustry, talent, and gallantry are the highest qualitlea of a soldier, then he is entitled to the distinction whlch thelr possession confers W At West PO1nt he had adopted as hls motto, WYou may be what ever you resolve to be,N and he add d the saying of the greit Apostle WI can do all th1ngs through Christ who strengtheneth me W The e two mottos were the keynote of his lnfe, and led the penniless orphan boy to become one of the lnmortals Jackson was a Union man, opposed to sece sion as a remedy for Southern wrong , though hethorou,hly believed ln the right of a state to secede when he learned ln the little town of Lexlngton that Hr Lincoln had called for 75,000 troops to coerce sovereign states, and that the Union Convention of V1rg1n1a had passed an ordlnance of sece sion, Jackson sald ln a publlc speech, HI have longed to preserve the Unlon, and would have been willlng to sacrifice much to that end But now that the North has chosen to lnaugurate war against us, I an ln favor of meeting her by drawlng the sword and throwlng away the scabbard W . He g O o 0 . 1 - I' ' ' W S 1 . a. ' , -1 . I , 1 . xf .TA 3 - ,. - 1 . ' fu f 3 r J . 'J L J 4 e C u ,, n . G A 57 I . 5 - . , Q . 0 - 1 ,E - -. 5 3 1 ' ' . 1 I X 3 0 ' A ' .' 3 I e . , .- ' v S , 2 ' f ' . n ' . I v J - . . . . P . - I J ' I .1 ' U1 - ' . L1 Q o c ., 1 e fx 1 o a x . Q. ' , . f . . , 5 L x 3 1 'A ., , n -I . .I . . . ' 0 n ' ' 'm . r - ' . L. 3 ' H . . 1 s o I 5 I s. ' h p, ' ' s ' - Q Z ' ' ' C- rw- . Q 0 ' . . ' 0 - O . J 'A 'N ' . J. , g - v ' S . . 1. ' S gp rf ' - o 1 , , . . 0 . . - ' l l C ' , as . O A J A c . . N , ' . . 1 ' ' O Y ' 0