One of the finest biographies I've read, and I've read a bunch of them. This is a monster of a book. Over 700 pages of text. If you're really interested in Jackson, it is a must read. If not, it might weigh you down with so much information. It also presents a great deal about the war, both North and South. Jackson's life is shown very well amidst and in context of the time in which he lived. Highly recommend for Civil War enthusiasts. ( )

Stonewall Jackson was the most compelling figure of the Civil War. James Robertson has found, and accepted, the key to understanding Stonewall: his profound Christian Faith and his steadfast duty to doing the will of God. Without understanding this, Stonewall is just an eccentric genius. Robertson imports this understanding of Stonewall‘s faith primarily through devout passages from letters to his wife Anna. We truly are brought to know the man Stonewall through anecdotes on every page. There is also cogent military analysis of his campaigns, all within the context of Stonewall being a Soldier of God.

This is no hagiography, though. Certain myths are dispelled, and Stonewall’s difficult relations with subordinates, especially AP Hill, is detailed. His reticence in sharing his plans with subordinates and how that at times hampered the Army is also addressed.

I can’t imagine a more powerful biography of a more compelling military figure. ( )

This is a mammoth biography of the Confederate general at 762 pages not counting the 161 pages of notes and bibliographical material. It appears that Robertson read everything he could find that Jackson wrote or that any contemporary of Jackson wrote about Jackson.

The General was an odd soul who was abandoned as a child and never seemed to know how to deal with people. Because he was so private and it appears distrustful of others, he frequently did not tell his subordinates what his plans were. This often led to mistakes on the battlefield that led to defeats of less success than he may have had otherwise. I seems to have led to his death as he wandered around in no mans land without notifying his his men he was out there. In the fog and smoke he and his fellow officers were mistaken for Union troops and fired upon.

The detail in this volume is impressive with every battle or skirmish Jackson was involved in dissected in minute detail. Pages are spent on describing his painful years as a student at West Point and then his years of poor teaching at the Point that followed.

To the author's credit, he includes great amounts of documentation from the General's critics of whom he had many. He was in constant conflict with his military staff during the War often starting court martials against them which was a major pain for General Lee who in his turn tried to ignore those conflicts hoping they would solve themselves in the chaos of battle.

Jackson's aggressiveness on the battle field and his patented move of always trying to have his forces outflank the Union Army before attacking led to his great success as a military leader. He drove his men hard especially on long fast marches that would enable him to be in position to attack before the enemy knew where he was. When he died, the Confederate forces suffered a huge psychological blow from which they probably never really recovered. ( )

I am interested in the Civil War and found that although this book has a lot of pages, it was so interesting, that I read every word. It is a very comprehensive account of Jackson's life from his earliest years to his funeral. ( )

This book was signed for Brian Scheulen.