The Family and Early Life of Stonewall Jackson

Many students of Civil War history recall Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as the enigmatic and talented Confederate general from Lexington, Virginia, but few notice that the polarizing military leader was born and raised in the hills of present-day West Virginia.First published in 1924, The Family and Early Life of Stonewall Jackson is the most popular biography of Jackson to ever come out of West Virginia. Scholars and casual readers alike are still drawn to the book for its insight into a relatively unexamined stage of Jackson's life.State historian Roy Bird Cook crafts a narrative that heavily focuses on Jackson's Mountain State roots. In doing so, he argues that much of Stonewall Jackson's character -including his gentlemanly mannerisms, his devout Christian faith, and independent, no-nonsense attitude- was forged by his upbringing in Lewis County, West Virginia.This edition present the original 1924 version of the text in its entirety, along with an introductory essay by historian S. C. Straley.