Stonewall's demise

Stonewall Jackson Shrine
National Military Park

May 2, 2013

Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson died in an outbuilding on the Chandler plantation known as Fairfield in the rural community of Guinea Station, Virginia, May 10, 1863 after being hit by friendly fire.

Today, the Jackson Shrine is part of Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park.

I happened to arrive at the "shrine" on my way to Fredericksburg May 2, 2013, 150 years to the day he was shot and brought to this place. Some Daughters of the Revolution were paying their respects when I arrived. Due to the conversation I overheard, I chose not to identify my Yankee origins (that would be those of us not born in a Confederate State); emotions were running high on this anniversary.

Jackson's military feats had elevated him to near mythical proportions, in both North and South, when in the midst of one of his most brilliant maneuvers, he was mistakenly shot by his own men on the night of May 2, 1863 at the The Battle of Chancellorsville. Confederate army commander Robert E. Lee decided that his indispensable and most capable subordinate should recuperate in a safe place well behind friendly lines. He selected this area, Guinea Station, as the best location for Jackson because of its proximity to the railroad to Richmond and its familiarity to the wounded general.

This photo was taken days before he was mortally wounded.

This diagram shows the layout of the Chandler property May 2, 2013. The house no longer exists.

The office stood bare, except for a few items in storage, when Jackson's ambulance arrived. Although offered the use of the Chandler house, Jackson's doctor and staff officers chose the quiet and private outbuilding as the best place for Jackson to rest after his long ambulance ride. If all went well, the general would soon board a train at Guinea Station and resume his trip to Richmond and the medical expertise available there.

Instead, Stonewall's condition worsened. As Jackson lay dying, Lee sent a message through Chaplain Lacy, saying "Give General Jackson my affectionate regards, and say to him: he has lost his left arm but I my right."

Upon hearing of Jackson's death, Robert E. Lee mourned the loss of both a friend and a trusted commander. The night Lee learned of Jackson's death, he told his cook, "William, I have lost my right arm" and "I'm bleeding at the heart."

Jackson arrived at Fairfield for the last time May 4, 1863. By then the plantation was crowded with thousands of Union prisoners and Confederate wounded.

Jackson's last words were," Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees."

After the war, Jackson's widow was the most venerated in the South.

After leaving this shrine, I went up the road to Fredericksburg and at 8:00 p.m., sat in a dark forest with hundreds of people for a dramatic Park Service re-telling of the events of that fateful night when Stonewall Jackson was shot.

Afterward we were invited to walk down the path where lit candles lined the spot where General Jackson fell.
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The next day we went on a Ranger-led walk in the Park with 371 other people who reverently stood and listened to the narrative of the battle that took place there. I could hear the wind rustle the leaves and chirping of the birds; that was the level of attentiveness of the listeners.