History That Doesn't Suck - 49: From Little Mac McClellan to Stonewall Jackson: The Peninsula and Shenandoah Valley Campaigns

Episode Date: October 14, 2019

“In my opinion, Cadet Jackson of Virginia is a complete jackass.” This is the story of daring. On both sides. President Lincoln is tired of waiting for General-in-Chief George “Little Mac” McClellan to act. So he’ll act instead. The President goes to the front on the Old Dominion’s coast, walks on Confederate soil, and oversees the taking of Norfolk, Virginia.  But things aren’t going as well for the Union as he’d hoped. Little Mac continues to dawdle while the eccentric-yet-brilliant “Stonewall” Jackson outwits, outruns, and outguns Union forces several times larger than his own in the Shenandoah Valley. Following Stonewall’s incredible Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Confederate General Joe Johnston takes a bullet at the Battle of Seven Pines. Someone else is going to have to lead his army; welcome to the role of commander, Robert E. Lee. ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette  come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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What did it take to survive an ancient siege? Why was the cult of Dionysus behind so many slave revolts in ancient Rome? What's the tragic history and mythology behind Japan's most haunted ancient forest? We're Jen and Jenny from Ancient History Fangirl. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and as in the classroom, my goal here is to make rigorously researched history come to life as your storyteller. Each episode is the result of laborious research with no agenda other than making the past come to life as you learn. If you'd like to help support this work, receive ad-free episodes, bonus content, and other exclusive perks, I invite you to join the HTDS membership program. Sign up for

a 7-day free trial today at htdspodcast.com slash membership, or click the link in the episode notes. Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck. I'm your professor, Greg Jackson, and I'd like to tell you a story. Ah, another sailor has failed to match the strength of President Lincoln. It's an early May morning, 1862, and we're aboard the luxurious, two-masted and steam-powered yacht turned five-gun Treasury Department-owned vessel, the Miami. Ever the entertainer, President Lincoln found an axe and held it out by the tip of its handle with his arm fully extended and only using his thumb and index finger. He did this with ease for several minutes. So of course, all the strongest manly sailors aboard are now trying to demonstrate that they

can keep up with their old man of a president. But to their embarrassment, Not a single one can. What can I say? General Egbert Veal, who's present and witnesses this feat of strength, isn't exaggerating in his description of Lincoln. Quote, In muscular power, he was one in a thousand. Close quote. But despite the jokes, stories, and witticisms of Lincoln being enjoyed on the Miami,

this is a very serious trip. War Secretary Edwin Stanton and Treasury Secretary Salmon Chase are both on board with the president. These three powerful union leaders are traveling in secret. See, General George McClellan still can't seem to ever do a thing, so Lincoln has decided to go in person to get a better look at what's going on with the campaign farther down the Chesapeake on Virginia's coast. That's why the trio is now making the 27-hour journey from Washington City's Naval Yard to the tip of Virginia's peninsula

between the York and James Rivers, where Union-held Fort Monroe is located. Full steam ahead. Arriving at Fort Monroe under the cover of night, those aboard the Miami can only make out its silhouette initially. But General Veal tells us that as they draw near, he saw the lights on various vessels in the U.S. fleet, quote, glimmering like stars in the mirrored surface, close quote. The elderly fort commander, General John Wool, is called for, and soon the president and his entourage are in a little tugboat making their way to the fleet's flagship, the USS Minnesota. Mounting the narrow steps with nothing but ropes for handrails is unnerving on this dark night, especially for vertigo-prone Edwin Stanton.

But they all do so safely and are soon discussing strategy with U.S. Navy Commodore Louis Goldsboro. Lincoln wants the military to cut a few miles south across the waters to where the James River empties into the Chesapeake Bay and take Norfolk, Virginia. This would mean challenging the Confederacy's ironclad Merrimack. Worse yet, in the minds of two of General Wool's staff officers, even if they can beat the Merrimack, the rest of the plan is impossible. They assure the group that boats transporting soldiers to their selected invasion point, Norfolk's Pleasure Point, would get stuck a mile out from Norfolk's coast because of its shoals. Man, the Merrimack, shoals. Fine concerns, gents, but the Illinois rail splitter isn't ready to take no for an answer.

This plan is moving forward. The next morning, the Union's own ironclad, the USS Monitor, steams out in the open. Sure enough, the CSS Virginia, aka the Merrimack, comes out right on cue. No Union man's forgotten what the Merrimack did to them about a month back, as we heard about in episode 47. Are we really going for round two? There comes the Merrimack, Union soldiers utter to each other. I can almost hear the fear and trepidation as I read their words.

But this time is different. The USS Monitor is backed by the Vanderbilt and the Minnesota. When they, along with Union fortifications, unleash their guns, the Merrimack's Confederate crew sees that the odds aren't in their favor and wisely steam away. The first great fear has been conquered, but what about those shoals? The next day, Salmon decides to test those waters. Literally. Let us take our man of war, the Miami, and reconnoiter the place you suggested for landing,

the Treasury Secretary says to General Veal. They and others do so, going as far as they dare in their vessel, then continuing their exploration with the tugboat and a rowboat. They find General Wool's staff completely wrong. This was a most admirable landing place with depth of water sufficient for the largest transport, a validated General Veal reports. It's so hard to find good help these days. And perhaps that's why, once night falls, Lincoln does something unfathomable to our 21st century sensibilities. He himself, the president of these United States, goes out

to verify that the landing will work. Yeah, he rose right up to the shore under the moonlit sky. Lincoln then disembarks and walks on this Confederate territory. Absolute baller move. This definitely makes HTDS's list of top 10 moments in presidential badassery history, which is a list I just decided we're making. The next night, Union forces occupy Confederate-evacuated Norfolk. They also find that their great naval horror, the Merrimack, will no longer terrorize them. The rebels couldn't take it while fleeing by land, of course, so they had to scuttle it. Union forces and supplies will now freely move through the Chesapeake Bay.

Norfolk is ours! Edwin cheers as the news reaches them back on the Miami. This distinguished lawyer and Secretary of War is dressed in his ankle-length nightgown as he joyously hugs and even picks up General Wool. Basically, he looks like Ebenezer Scrooge, realizing he isn't damned and there's still hope at the end of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Frankly, between the war secretary and this fictional Christmas icon, Edwin just might be the happier one. And the credit for all of this goes to Lincoln. To quote Salmon, so has ended a brilliant week's campaign by the president, for I think it quite

certain that if he had not gone down, Norfolk would still have been in possession of the enemy, and the Merrimack as grim and defiant and as much a terror as ever. The whole coast is now virtually ours. Close quote. Well, General George McClellan doesn't agree with that analysis. But that's another story. Or perhaps more accurately, that's our next story. Today we're following the Army of the Potomac and its general, George Little Mac McClellan, as they prepare to make a move on the Confederate seat of government, Richmond, Virginia. But George's plans fall through due to mistakes and delays, and we'll see President Lincoln make

the tough choice to relieve Little Mac of his general-in-chief position. Once that's done, I'll tell you about Little Mac's Peninsula campaign against the Confederate Capitol. Just as it's picking up steam, a shadow in the shape of Thomas Stonewall Jackson appears on the horizon. Stonewall and his foot cavalry up in the Shenandoah Valley are wreaking havoc on the Union forces in Northern Virginia and on the Union's plan to sack Richmond. Lincoln, acting as his own general-in-chief, must decide how he's going to handle the military threat and support Little Mac's bid to attack the Confederate capital. Whew, we've got a lot to cover. Let's start by heading back to February 1862 and catching up with George McClellan. Rewind. When you last heard about General George B. McClellan in episode 48,

he was in a jealous rage over Ulysses Grant's battle success. George even tried to get U.S. Grant arrested. But that issue has been settled thanks to Lincoln's new war secretary, Edwin Stanton. The organized, polished, accomplished general, who is known to his men as Little Napoleon or Little Mac, is a Democrat and personal friend with Edwin. And sure, Lincoln's a Republican, but he respects, even defers, to George. Nonetheless, George is in hot water with Lincoln and Edwin. Why is this capable general

butting heads with his bosses? Well, across the early months of 1862, General-in-Chief Little Mac wears out his welcome by being constantly almost ready for battle. News of military success rolls into Washington, D.C. from Tennessee and Arkansas, as you heard about in episodes 47 and 48. And there are other, smaller Union victories that I didn't detail for you, like the Battle of Glorietta Pass way out west in the Rocky Mountains. All of these actions put pressure on George to make a move on the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia, with his 75,000-strong Army of the Potomac. But the recalcitrant general won't even share his battle plans with Lincoln and the cabinet. Edwin is fed up with this insubordination. Referring to little Napoleon's almost nightly dinner parties that appear to take

priority over executing battles against the Confederacy, Edwin tells a friend that, quote, while men are striving nobly in the West, the champagne and oysters on the Potomac must be stopped. Close quote. George finally bends to the pressure from Edwin and tells the president and his cabinet about his plan to flank General Joseph Johnston's army stationed at Manassas Junction and attack Richmond, Virginia. And considering that Lincoln had to wait weeks to hear it, it's pretty good. Let me give you the details. There are four main rivers that flow almost parallel to each other southeast into the Chesapeake Bay.

From north to south, they are the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the York, and the James. Washington, D.C. sits on the northernmost river, the Potomac, which makes the border between Maryland and Virginia. Manassas lies west of DC, between the Potomac and the Rappahannock in Virginia. So George figures he can transport his army down the Potomac and back up the Rappahannock a few miles to Urbana. This flanking maneuver will cut off Joe Johnston's army from Richmond. And since Urbana is only a three days march to the rebel capital, George can then easily turn

and mount an attack on Richmond. In one great battle, little Napoleon claims he can win, quote, the capital, the communications, and the supplies of the rebels. Norfolk would fall, all the waters of the Chesapeake would be ours,

all Virginia would be in our power. Close quote. Damn. Can George really pull this off? In a word, no. Before George even leaves Washington, D.C., two major embarrassments foil his grandiose plan. First, the general gets himself entangled in a small

operation against Confederates in Northern Virginia. Now, for all his faults, Little Mac is an expert organizer. This guy manages to track the movements and plans of armies all over the country and still have time to host fancy dinner parties. So why he chooses to get in the middle of the mundane minutiae of this small project is beyond me. Here's the thing. Confederates currently hold Harper's Ferry, as well as the B&O rail line that runs from this West Virginia town north and across the Potomac. Union troops want to rebuild a vital bridge across the river and gain military control of the area. No problem. On February 26th, Union troops throw up a temporary bridge

and get 8,500 infantry, two cavalry squadrons, and at least 12 cannons over to the west side of the river. George is so stoked, he tells his wife Mary Ellen the, quote, magnificent spectacle

is one of the greatest I ever saw, close quote. But George hits a snag the next day when his men try to start work on the permanent bridge. The specialty built at a cost of a million dollars pontoon boats that are bringing the bridge building materials are six inches too wide for the locks on the Potomac. George telegraph's War Secretary Edwin Stanton a bad news. Quote, the lock lift is too small to permit the canal boats to enter the river so that it is impossible to construct a permanent bridge as I intended. I shall probably be obliged to fall back upon the safe and slow plan. Close quote.

Little Mac cancels the entire military operation, and Lincoln is pissed. His anger explodes all over Georgia's second-in-command, Brigadier General Randolph Marcy. Why in tarnation? Couldn't the general have known whether a boat would go through that lock before he spent a million dollars getting them there? I'm no engineer, but it seems to me that if I wished to know whether a boat would go through a lock, common sense would teach me to go and measure it. I am almost

despairing at these results. The general impression is daily gaining ground that the general does not intend to do anything. Ouch. But Little Mac's next embarrassment is much worse and more public. On March 8th, just before George plans to move his men out of D.C., Confederate General Joseph Johnston falls back to defensive lines on the west banks of the Rappahannock, making George's plan to get in between the Confederates and their capital obsolete. While he's trying to cobble together plan B, Union soldiers and reporters make two startling discoveries at the abandoned rebel camps. There were only 60,000 troops stationed at Manassas, not the 150,000 soldiers reported by George. And they were using logs painted like cannons to defend their position. I mean, it's like walking by one of those buildings being remodeled with a massive

canvas over the scaffolding that has an image of what the final product should look like. Except in this case, George would be dumb enough to think the tarp is the real building. How did General Little Mac botch all of this? Well, George uses the Scotsman Alan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, to snoop around to report on enemy numbers and movements. While Alan is a great detective and does a stellar job rooting out Confederate double agents, he sucks at counting troops. Further, when George relays Allen's reports to his superiors, he has a tendency to round way up. And that's how the general ends up telling the president that Joe Johnston has 150,000 men at Manassas, when in reality he only has 60,000. A reporter

publishes a truly damning photograph of these logs, which he dubs, in honor of America's favorite peace-loving pacifist faith, and future favorite oatmeal, Quaker guns. Little Mac gets excoriated in the press for missing his chance to attack the clearly undermanned and undergunned Confederates. On March 11th, President Lincoln takes stock of Georgia's record. Spends money on a project that goes nowhere? Check. Delays battle plans until they become obsolete? Check. Overestimates an enemy force? Check. It's time to get Marie Kondo in here to clean house. Lincoln asks Little Mac to resign as General-in-Chief, but he can stay on as general of the Army of the Potomac. For the time being, Lincoln and Edwin will act together as general-in-chief.

They hope that if George can just focus on his Army of the Potomac duties, he will finally do something. It seems to work. On March 17, 1862, George finally puts his army of now over 100,000 men on more than 400 ships and they sail down the Potomac. He tells his men, quote, I will bring you now face to face with the rebels. Ever bear in mind that my fate is linked with yours.

Close quote. On March 19, the men arrive at Fort Monroe, which is on the north shores of Virginia's James River as it empties into the Chesapeake Bay, as you may recall from the opening of this episode. Finally, something under George's command happens quickly and efficiently. It's only after the army of the Potomac leaves town that Edwin notices a problem. Even though the president gave George explicit orders that the vulnerable-to-rebel attack capital should, quote, be left entirely secure, close quote, and even though Little Mac promised to do so in a March 14th letter to Edwin, he has not positioned a defensive force anywhere near

Washington City. This can't be right. Can it? Edwin and Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas look at the numbers and realize that only 20,000 unorganized green troops are haphazardly milling around D.C. Edwin is so worried, he goes to the White House at midnight and wakes up Lincoln. The alarmed president can't believe it. He immediately telegraphs General Irvin McGowell and asks him to ditch his assignment with George and come defend the Capitol. This doesn't go over well with little Napoleon, but he'll still have plenty of men to meet his newly revised battle objectives. George's plan B, known as the Peninsula Plan, goes like this. He and his army will march north from Fort Monroe, knock out the rebels at Yorktown, then continue northwest up the Virginia Peninsula, the finger of land between the York and James Rivers, and attack

Richmond. He's got the men, guns, and supplies. So let's do this. make the most of your finances. I sit down with NerdWallet's team of nerds, personal finance experts in credit cards, banking, investing, and more. We answer your real-world money questions and break down the latest personal finance news. The nerds will give you the clarity you need by cutting through the clutter and misinformation in today's world of personal finance. We don't promote get-rich-quick schemes or hype unrealistic side hustles. Instead, we offer practical knowledge that you can apply in your everyday life. You'll learn about strategies to help you build your wealth, invest wisely, shop for financial products, and plan for major life events.

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Not a chance. Little Mac wants the Navy to knock out rebel batteries at Yorktown before he sends in his infantry. But ships are a little busy blockading 3,500 miles of southern coastline, as we learned back in episode 47. Without naval help, George tells Edwin that a land-based siege of Yorktown will, quote, involve a delay of weeks, close quote. Who does this guy think he is? Every Union general in the West is making do with what he has, but George Little Napoleon McClellan continually insists that he needs more men and more guns to succeed. In fact, George asks for over 120 more guns of all sizes to bombard the enemy. Then he spends over two weeks building earthen works for the siege.

On April 6th, the same day that U.S. grantsmen are fighting for their lives near Shiloh Church, Lincoln is getting worried about the delay and inaction on the Virginia Peninsula. He telegraphs George saying, I think you better break the enemy's line from Yorktown to Warwick at once. They will probably use time as advantageously as you can. But plotting George doesn't want to be rushed. In a passive-aggressive move, the general writes to his wife that if Lincoln wants him to attack Yorktown, quote, he had better come and do it himself, close quote. Damn. Well, it might come to that,

but not just yet. So what is the holdup at Yorktown? What is George facing at that historic Revolutionary War battleground? From where he stands, George sees a heavily gunned and manned rebel stronghold under the able command of General John Magruder. Every day, John, or Prince John, as his men, and now you know him, marches his men in formation across the fort's ramparts. Little Mac is totally intimidated. But it's all for show. Theatrical Prince John has only 15,000 Confederate troops barely holding onto the fort. His men march in circles to make them seem more numerous than they really are, and he uses log Quaker guns like the ones at Manassas. Little Mac buys the whole act, hook, line, and sinker. George again tells Washington City that

even though he has 100,000 men in his army, he needs more before he can attack Yorktown. Joe Johnston knows that Prince John needs more men and sends about 20,000 to reinforce Yorktown in mid-April. Joe sizes up the situation. 100,000 well-armed Union soldiers versus 35,000 Confederates with Quaker guns. Joe is baffled by George's lack of action and says, no one but McClellan could have hesitated to attack. This waiting and delaying goes on for a whole freaking month. Exasperated, Edwin can't take one more minute of George's whining and excuses. He tells an aide, If McClellan had a million men, he would swear the enemy had two millions,

and then he would sit down in the mud and yell for three. Close quote. Even George's men are becoming disillusioned with their general's lack of leadership. One soldier writes, quote, We have fit for duty 103,378 soldiers, while the enemy has 50,000, if he has that. Little Napoleon's stock is at a very low ebb among dashing leaders. Close quote. But even though George hasn't attacked yet, Prince John knows he will eventually. Don't get me wrong, George is hardly going to pull an Alexander Hamilton and literally leap

on top of the fort's breastworks, fearlessly attacking the enemy head-on with nothing more than a musket and bayonet. Want to hear that story? Check out episode 13. But Joe Johnston orders John to get his men out of danger while he still can. On the night of May 3rd, the boys and Greg quietly slip out of the fort under the light of the moon. When George wakes up on May 4th and realizes the rebels are gone, he's elated. He orders the men to fire one symbolic cannon shot over the abandoned fort. George writes to his wife, Quote, Results glorious. 82 heavy guns and large amounts of stores taken.

All well and in splendid spirits. Close quote. I don't think George is very good at reading the room. His men are actually disappointed and frustrated. One soldier records, quote, The whole army were much chagrined that the enemy had so cleverly skipped out after giving us the hard work to construct 14 batteries. It was a whole month's work for nothing. Close quote. And if you're wondering whether or not Mary Ellen believes all of George's bragging and blustering,

she doesn't. In fact, her response to George taking Yorktown is so tepid that the general writes back to her, quote, I do not think you overmuch rejoiced at the results I gained, close quote. On the afternoon of May 4th, Little Mac telegraphs Edwin, quote, no time shall be lost. I shall push the enemy to the wall, close quote. Surprisingly, George immediately orders a pursuit of the retreating rebels. I don't know what to tell you. He never seems to respond to the president,

but I guess his wife can shame him into action. No matter the reason, Little Mac sends General Hooker's army northwest to fight the Confederates, and they find John's on-the-move troops near Williamsburg, Virginia. Early on Monday, May 5th, despite rain pouring down in sheets, General Joseph Hooker orders his men to position themselves and their artillery in the woods on either side of the road that heads straight into Confederate Fort Magruder on the southern outskirts of Williamsburg, Virginia. But there's not going to be any learning about life in colonial America

from talented period-dressed actors today. Besides, tourist destination Colonial Williamsburg definitely doesn't exist in 1862. Anyway, John's small army turns and faces the Union troops and they get into a serious firefight. Artillery Commander Major Charles Wainwright tells us, quote, it was just about eight o'clock when we opened fire. The rain made all objects at any distance very indistinct. At no time could we see any large body of the enemy. Our work was simply to silence and keep silent their artillery. Close quote. The men fight for 10 hours in the rain, mud, and enemy fire. And though he can hear the fighting from his headquarters near Yorktown, George doesn't join the hard-fought but confused battle until sunset. And yet, one soldier says

that Little Mac manages to take the credit for the small Union victory. Quote, He went from regiment to regiment, congratulating his men for their victory and acknowledging their cheers. Close quote. The Union troops count about 2,200 casualties. The Confederates have a few less, 1,700. But the short battle gives the rest of the rebel army, supply wagons, and artillery time to get to safety near Richmond. The same day that George is spinning the rebel retreat as a Union victory, Lincoln boards the Miami and heads to Fort Monroe, which you heard about in this episode's opening. And after Lincoln's successful operation at Norfolk, George McClellan tries to join in on the celebration too. The day after the takeover of that Confederate naval base, he writes to his long-suffering wife, Mary Ellen,

Norfolk is in our possession, the results of my movements. Are you satisfied now with my bloodless victories? Little Mac is dripping with hubris. How can he claim that a joint naval and army operation conceived by Lincoln and his cabinet members and executed by Commodore Louis Goldsboro and General John Wool somehow constitutes a victory for him? Yet he does.

I still doubt his wife is buying it, but he sure does. In the weeks after his success at Norfolk, Lincoln wants to keep up the Union momentum. He orders General Irvin McDowell to join up with Little Mac and move against Richmond. It's a great idea. Between Irvin and George, there will be almost 150,000 boys in blue marching on Jeff Davis's capital city. Things are looking grim for the Confederacy, but they have a saving grace. General Thomas Stonewall Jackson. We met him briefly back in episode 47, but let me give you a proper bio on the man who's going to change the momentum of this war. To do this, we'll dip into the 1820s, then push back up to May 1862.

Ready? Rewind. Thomas Stonewall Jackson. Born the third of four children in Clarksburg, Virginia. Well, future West Virginia, too close to midnight to be sure if it's January 20th or 21st, 1824, Thomas, or Tom as he's known through childhood, will be no stranger to death. Only two years later, both his six-year-old sister Elizabeth and gambling, lawyering father Jonathan die from typhoid fever. Widowed at 28 years old,

his mother Judith remarries in 1830, only to lose her life to complications from birthing Stonewall's half-brother William Wirt in December 1831. So seven years into life, little Tom's already down to two siblings and orphaned. Although his brother will die in the next decade from tuberculosis, the remainder of the future general's youth is happier. Stepfather Blake Woodson had sent Tom, his older brother Warren, and younger sister Laura Ann to live with Jackson relatives even before their mother's death. So Tom really grows up at the Jackson Mill built by his grandfather. Here he enjoys the freedom and support of the

large and tight-knit Jackson clan. As Tom later described it, there were, quote, none to give mandates, none for me to obey, but as I chose, surrounded by playmates and relatives, all apparently eager to promote my happiness. Close quote. Tom rides horses, hunts, fishes, and works at the mill, as do his extended family slaves, while learning from his less savory, sue-happy Uncle Cummins how the court system works. Nonetheless, Tom came to have a reputation for being a good guy, even serving as constable while only 17. And fascinatingly, an acquaintance of his named Thomas Moore recalled a conversation about slavery in which, quote, Tom seemed to be very sorry for the race and thought they should be free, close quote. Soon a new opportunity came Tom's way. When another Virginian boy from his

same congressional district throws in the towel at West Point, Tom gets to take his place in 1842. Being poorly educated, he didn't always mix well with the elites, and the feeling was mutual. In my opinion, Cadet Jackson of Virginia is a complete jackass, says the genteel Virginian Dabney Morey. No matter. Tom studies like hell and works his way up from the bottom of the heap. He graduates 17th of the 59 students in the class of 1846. That same year, the new graduate departs as a lieutenant of artillery to serve in the Mexican-American War. He's at battles such as Veracruz and Chapultepec, sees promotion to second lieutenant, and meets Robert E. Lee. Thomas stays in the army after

the war and in 1850 is sent to fight the Seminoles in Florida. But he leaves the military in 1851 to become the most boring professor ever at the Virginia Military Institute. This same year, the deeply religious instructor also joins the Presbyterian Church. Thomas then marries Ellie Junkin in 1853, but sadly, she dies on October 22nd the next year, giving birth to their stillborn child. He then marries Anna Morrison in 1857. They have a daughter the next year, but once again, death robs Thomas of enjoying fatherhood. But as you know, it isn't long before the country goes to war.

In 1859, Thomas is among the military present for the execution of abolitionist John Brown. And while not a huge fan of secession himself, the VMI professor chooses his home state over the Union, a choice for which his sister will never forgive him. And I'm sure you remember our briefly meeting him at the Battle of Bull Run slash Manassas in episode 47, where he turns the tide of the fight and earns his famous moniker of Stonewall. He does have another less complimentary nickname though, Old Tom Fool. That's because Thomas Jackson's a weird dude. Quiet and with no sense of humor, Tom sucks lemons to help his digestion, says that eating pepper causes his left leg to ache, won't lean back on chairs for fear his internal organs won't stay lined up, and worries about his blood flow being off. Add to that his zealot-like faith, and many

of his men just think this guy is nuts. But they won't call him Old Tom Fool for long, not after what he does in the Shenandoah Valley between May and June, 1862. So it's early May, 1862, and as you know, things are not looking good for the CSA as 150,000 Union soldiers move toward its capital. Hell, 100,000 are so close, they can hear Richmond's church bells. Sounds like game over, as Jeff Davis' military advisor Robert E. Lee instructs Stonewall to keep Union General Irvin McDowell too busy to reinforce George McClellan. I mean, talk about a huge risk. Stonewall has a mere 17,000 men to do this. Well, let's see what the boring VMI professor can do. Now, before I detail any of Stonewall's daring slash craziness, let me draw you a mental image of the region's geography.

That's important. We're in and around Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Picture this, running from northeast to southwest, kind of along the line between Virginia and West Virginia, we have three sets of mountains and two valleys between them. Starting on the west, we have the Allegheny Mountains. Now, running right alongside them to the east, we drop into the Shenandoah Valley, the main Shenandoah Valley that is. Just continuing eastward, the valley rises up to the Massanutan Mountains, which then descend into our second valley, the Luray Valley. And if we just keep going a bit farther east into Virginia, the Luray Valley hits our third and final set of mountains, the Blue Ridge. So there we are, our three sets of mountains and two valleys. Now all of this area

is sometimes sweepingly referred to as the Shenandoah, but you now know the greater details. Got it? Sweet. Stonewall starts his own personal mission impossible by marching a large number of his men east over the Blue Ridge Mountains. Well, heading east, clearly he's going to reinforce his brothers-in-arms at the Confederate capital of Richmond. Or so the Union generals think. And they're wrong. Like a basketball player

executing a killer crossover, Stonewall instead loads his men on trains at Charlottesville and they all head back the way they came, eastward to the town of Staunton. From there, he takes 9,000 men northwest to the small town of McDowell, which is near the edge between West Virginia and Virginia. Stonewall catches a smaller Union force off guard here and engages them on May 8th.

Injured men in blue and gray are taken to a nearby church that's become a makeshift hospital, and hundreds die on both sides as Jackson's surprise attack cripples a small part of Union General John C. Fremont's army still amassing in the region. But Stonewall won't rest on these laurels. He now marches his men back east toward the main Shenandoah Valley town of Harrisonburg. Jackson then fakes out federal forces once again by sending some cavalry led by Turner Ashby down the Shenandoah Valley while he discreetly takes other forces east over the Massanutan Mountains and down the bottom of the parallel running Luray Valley. And here, Stonewall takes yet another small Union army by surprise as they are defending a crucial point for Union communication lines on the Manassas Gap Railroad. The May 23rd Battle of Front Royal is a true brother versus brother fight as the 1st Union Maryland Regiment engages

the 1st Confederate Maryland Regiment. Yeah, two units, both Marylanders, same name, different sides of the war. Friends and family fight one another to the death as a 15-year-old local girl runs out of her home waving a Confederate flag, cheering, go it boys, Maryland, whip Maryland. She gets her wish, drove them through the town all the time, howling like demons. Confederate Captain John Post later records. The battle is yet another resounding victory for the VMI professor who shed the title of Old Tom Fool. Now, if Thomas Jackson isn't being called Stonewall, it's Old Jack. Continuing to march his men at a breakneck speed, he catches up with another 6,000 Union men under the command of Nathaniel Banks, retreating north to the town of Winchester. On May 25th, Old Jack's 15,000 or so men make short work of the 6,000 Union troops

who can't flee from the Battle of Winchester fast enough. My God, men, don't you love your country? An infuriated Union General Banks exclaims at his faltering men. Yes, and I'm trying to get back to it as fast as I can. A quick-witted but terrified Union soldier hollers back as he continues to run north. When Lincoln hears about the mess at Winchester and the general havoc that Stonewall is wreaking on his armies in northern Virginia, he makes a bold, controversial change of plans. Instead of having General Irvin McDowell's army join forces with General McClellan's near Richmond, Lincoln orders Irvin to send 20,000 of his 32,000 men to shore up Union lines in the Shenandoah and have the rest of his troops

hunkered down at Fredericksburg. Both George and Irvin disagree with this call. On the afternoon of Sunday, May 25th, Irvin telegraphs acting as his own General-in-Chief Lincoln, quote, I shall gain nothing for you there and shall lose much for you here. Close quote. Though it may add a few more gray hairs to his goatee, he follows orders. But little Napoleon takes the news that his reinforcements are being diverted with a little less dignity. His telegram reads,

quote, The object of the enemy's movement is probably to prevent reinforcements being sent to me. All the information obtained from deserters agrees in the statement that the massive rebel troops are still in immediate vicinity of Richmond, ready to defend it. Close quote. Stonewall is doing the impossible. His at times divided force of a mere 17,000 men have darted across the Shenandoah, stinging like a bee at the vastly larger Union army.

He's pulling this off through his own regional knowledge, excellent maps, and help from locals and spies. Old Jack's also been unorthodox in his willingness to ditch supplies and equipment most would think essential. We get along without anything but food and ammunition, says Stonewall's subordinate, Richard Ewell. And if someone falls behind, Stonewall is not one for sympathy. An officer observes, quote, If a man's face was as white as cotton and his pulse so low you could scarcely feel it, he looked upon him merely as an inefficient soldier and rode off impatiently.

Close quote. By the time the Valley campaign is over, Stonewall will have marched his men over 350 miles within the space of a mere month. This earns these quick-moving, worn-out troops the nickname Stonewall's Foot Cavalry. Old Jack's success has also been in catching the Union off guard in small numbers. This has allowed him to win three separate battles. He's got Lincoln all worked up. Stonewall is actually managing to prevent Union reinforcers from reaching Little Mac, just as Bobby Lee had hoped. Jackson's small but distracting victories are keeping Richmond safe. Well, safer. And the Confederacy's morale is getting a much-needed boost too.

But now, Stonewall needs to book it. Union General John C. Fremont, yes, the old pathfinder we met back in the Mexican-American War, and General James Shields are hot on his tail. As we enter the month of June, old Jack and his men now head south, up the Shenandoah Valley as quickly as they can. As they flee, Turner Ashby's cavalry burn bridges faster than your rather tipsy uncle at Thanksgiving dinner. This slows the Union forces following them, but also costs him his life. Turner is killed in a skirmish against the Federals on June 6th. Known as the Black Knight of the Confederacy,

Turner's death breaks hearts across the South. But there's no time to mourn yet. With orders from President Lincoln himself, General the Pathfinder Fremont hopes to cut off Stonewall before he can escape to Richmond. His army moves up the Shenandoah while General Shields heads south along the Massanutan Mountains. With any luck, they can converge their forces and overwhelm Stonewall. Unfortunately for them, their luck is in short supply.

On June 8th, General Fremont catches up with Stonewall's men under Richard Ewell's command. Not realizing his 11,000 men outnumber the Confederates nearly two to one, General Fremont botches the battle by only engaging a minority of his men, then ineffectively relying on artillery. This should have been an easy victory for the Union. Instead, he just gets at least half of the New York Eighth killed as Richard and his men escape to rejoin Stonewall. Worse still for the Union, Stonewall controls the only bridge among the region's rivers. Fremont's forces won't be joining up with Shields. Having prevented the Union generals from ganging up on them, victorious Richard and Stonewall mount

their united front against General Shields the next day. The Confederates launch a dawn attack on Union lines and are soon pinned down under heavy Union fire. General Dick Taylor leads his Louisiana Brigade into the fight and launches another assault at the Yanks. And yes, if you're wondering, Louisiana Dick Taylor is the son of old rough and ready Mexican-American war hero and former president of the United States, Zachary Taylor.

If Zach were alive, I wonder, what would the old general think of his son fighting for the Confederacy? Following in at least a few of his dad's footsteps, Dick bravely leads his men to force a union retreat. Five for five battles, Stonewall leads his army out of the Shenandoah Valley as the undefeated campaign champ. Using speed, terrain, and surprise, Stonewall managed to distract and disrupt his several times larger opponents with such brilliance, militaries around the world will study his tactics for generations to come. They fulfilled to the letter Bobby's orders to distract the Union army here in Northern Virginia, and now they're trying to get back to Richmond in time to help defend it from George McClellan. They won't make it in time to contribute, but let's

head south and back a few weeks and see what's happening with ever cautious George's plan to attack the Confederate capital. One more time, rewind. It's May 15th, 1862, and the citizens of Richmond are nervous. Sure, they've gotten a morale boost from their hero Stonewall Jackson up in the Shenandoah Valley, but there's another Union threat much closer to home. The freshly constructed Confederate batteries at Drury's Bluff overlook the James River from 90-foot-high cliffs, and this all-important position is the last line of defense for Richmond, only 7 miles upriver. If the batteries here fail, then Union steamers can safely sail all the way into the heart of the capital. That's exactly what the Union hopes to do. The Monitor and a few

other gunboats are steaming up the James River to attack Drury's bluff. But the 90-foot bluffs create a problem. The Monitor's guns can't fire at a high enough angle to do any damage to the rebel position, and the gunners in gray are managing to hit their targets on the water without a problem. As Jeff Davis watches the battle and cheers on his gunners, a shell rips through the entire length of one of the gunboats, literally tearing a hole from bow to stern. It's time to retreat. Before they sustain any more damage in this going nowhere battle, the Monitor and its friends steam back downriver. This failure forces George's hand. As much as the dawdling, whining general hates it, he will have to attack Richmond in a land-based frontal assault with no naval support. He moves his army closer to Joe Johnston's defensive lines,

which lie four miles east of the all-important capital city. Ironically, or maybe it's not ironic at all-important capital city. Ironically, or maybe it's not ironic at all considering Georgia's constant lethargy, Joe's defensive forces make the first move. Let me lay out the blue and gray lines for you. Starting with the blue, Georgia's nearly 100,000 men camp seven miles east of Richmond. Their main lines run north to south, but George has foolishly allowed his army to be divided by the Chickahominy River. Fellow Federal General Erasmus Key's troops are on the south side of this swampy, unusually slow-moving waterway, situated among the dense woods near the

village of Seven Pines. But Erasmus only has 30,000 guys. Three small, newly constructed bridges connect his exposed Union troops to George's men on the north side of the Chickahominy. As for the Gray, balding defense focus Joe has been getting a ton of pressure from Jeff Davis and Bobby Lee to strike a counter-offensive blow. So he plans to work the Union's poor positioning to his advantage. On the night of May 30th, Mother Nature gives Joe a boost. A torrential downpour turns the sluggish Chickahominy into a swollen menace that washes out all but one bridge. One Yankee soldier reports, quote, The lightning was blinding and incessant.

The thunder one continual roar, and the rain fell in torrents, turning the gentle incline on which we were encamped into one complete sheet of water, which ran like a river. The storm lasted far into the night, turning every brook, rivulet, and river into a raging torrent, and the Chickahominy was one wide sea of swift-running muddy waters. With the Union army separated by this almost impassable

river, Joe moves in. He orders about 50,000 rebels under the command of James Longstreet to attack the low-hanging fruit on the south end of the Union lines. On May 31st, James' front lines attacked the boys in blue. But James misunderstood his generals' confusing, contradictory orders, and Confederate regiments get tangled up with one another in the dense trees and flooded meadows around Seven Pines. The battle should have started at 8, but it gets delayed until almost 1.30. It soon devolves into small brigades of Confederates fighting clusters of Union troops. The armies fight all afternoon without an organized, defensible position on either side. But there's one thing for sure in all of this confusion.

The Yanks are outnumbered, and they need help. Union Brigadier General Randolph Marcy orders Hardin General Edwin Bull Sumner to march his 20,000 men over a crappy, nearly washed-out bridge and reinforce Erasmus' overwhelmed men. Bull orders his men to cross the river, even though most of his officers don't think the bridge will hold. But they aren't about to disobey their Sean Connery doppelganger commander.

Miraculously, as infantry file onto the wooden plank deck, it sinks down onto its flooded piers. They walk through ankle-deep water. And like a scene right out of a movie, the bridge crumbles and its pieces float downstream, but only after the last of Bull Sumner's men miraculously succeed in crossing it. Bull's guys join the fight near Seven Pines as dusk falls. The fresh Union troops force the Confederates to retreat from their position at Fair Oaks Station. As the fighting ends on May 31st, Joe's men have lost the ground they gained earlier in the day. But they've lost something much more important than that. Their general.

As Joe directs the fighting, he takes a bullet to his right shoulder and a piece of shell hits him in the chest. Joe topples off his horse with a broken shoulder and at least two cracked ribs. His aides quickly evacuate him back to Richmond. The confused, disjointed fighting around Fair Oaks and Seven Pines continues early on June 1st, but the new commander, Bobby Lee, calls off the attack when it becomes obvious this battle is little more than a high-casualty stalemate. Both sides claim victory, though neither gains or loses any ground. With almost 6,000 dead, wounded, and missing, and a wounded general to boot, June 1st is a dark day for the Confederates. But this cloud-silver lining is the quiet, bearded Virginian now at their helm. George McClellan sees the Confederate command change as a point in his favor.

He sneers that Bobby Lee is, quote, cautious and weak under grave responsibility, likely to be timid and irresolute in action. Close quote. Can you believe that never takes the initiative George is saying this? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. But George is about to find out just how wrong he is. History That Doesn't Suck is created and hosted by me, Greg Jackson. Research and writing, Greg Jackson and C.L. Salazar.

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