Then the horrors of his past returned. His wife and two children died and another child was still born. " Everyone who Jackson had turned to for affection had been wrenched away. (McMurry.)" he was once again lonely with no one to turn to for help.
Eventually, Jackson found God and his religious faith, and his life returned to some degree of normalcy. The devastating events in his past would prepare him for what he was about to face in the war to come. .
Jackson would again enter the miltary in April of 1861. He was then given a brigade under the command of General Robert E. Lee. Thomas Jackson, "Ole Jack" better known to his men (McMurry-1) had a knack for making something great out of nothing. For example, at the 1st battle of Bull Run on Manasses. General Jackson was in command of a brigade that was the key to stopping the federals advance on southern soil. " Jackson was already demonstrating skills which will make him legendary. his force of .
10,000 men almost seemed to be twice the size" (Bishop pg 62). He was given the nickname "stonewall" when another commander trying to rally his troops yelled ".look, there is Jackson standing like a stonewall (McMurry 3). This action would rally the moral of the troops and bring them together for one last stand that would be the turning point of the battle. Now Stonewall Jackson was becoming a hero among the souths confederate soldiers, his strong faith recently found. Due to the death of his first wife and three children was strong enough to keep his troops together. "Stonewall Jackson brought new hope to the besieged south, (McPherson 66).withs his faith in god and country General Jackson had the respect of both federal and confederate soldiers. .
Jacksons faith would be proved strong when he took "6000 men against 38,000 union soldiers" (McPhereson 66) to hold the lines until his reinforcements could come two days later. Without his belief in his men or without faith in his troops, anyone with 6,000 men against any number over 12,000 would easily fold or run from the fight.
