Gods and Generals: General "Stonewall"Jackson

Lieutenant-General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was one of the greatest of Confederate generals.

His death was a body blow to the Confederate cause. He did not favour slavery and ran a Sunday school for black children when he was younger.

Here is a clip from the film Gods and Generals which is a fine example of motivation by a general of his troops.

I don't agree with the example of the "second war of independence" since the first one was not a just war.

However, the War between the States was a war against centralisation and the abolition of the rights of the States and therefore had much more justice about it.

Although sensible politicians on both sides should have done their best to prevent it, regrettably the 19th century was an age when absurd revolutionary ideas held sway causing wars all over the civilised world and leading to the unnecessary deaths of all too many.

The War between the States was not primarily about slavery, contrary to Yankee propaganda. If it were, then why did so many blacks fight for, and support, the South. Were they all just "Uncle Toms"? To say so is simply to insult them and is, already, a form of racism.

It is the case that many black Americans fought for the South and were proud to do so.

Slavery would eventually have died out but it was already being replaced by the modern form of slavery - that of the industrial workers of the machine age who were already being enslaved in dark mills and factories by the plutocrat Yankees of the North whose primary interest was in enriching themselves regardless of the rights of others.

Was that really "progress"? Was this "justice"? Or was it just hypocrisy?

The music in this film is a bit too schamltzy but the speech is good:



Jackson was a zealous Presbyterian and had some flaws but overall he is an impressive personality, especially as he appears to have suffered from narcolepsy and even fell asleep sometimes when eating. He overcame this disability with steely tenacity and went on to greatness.

He was a fine general and his loss - accidentally shot by some fellow Confederates - was a serious blow to the Confederate cause.


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