Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend

Rating:
Summary: Excellent bio, but somewhat flawed
Review: Robertson's intense, personal devotion to his subject is evident in this otherwise excellent bio of General Jackson, although the general's flaws are somewhat glossed over, particularly his unjust treatment of General Richard Brooke Garnett at Kernstown and the often-buried fact that Jackson had an illegitimate daughter. Still, an excellent account of the life and times of a Southern hero whose career ended tragically and much too soon.

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Work
Review: This is a wonderful biography of "Mighty Stonewall". General Jackson was an admirable man for his discipline and hard work and a person can certainly learn a good deal from his example, but I would not want to spend much time with him. He could be very harsh. He was kind and caring with his family and a true 110% soldier. A person wonders just what his life would have been like had he survived the war.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST READ!!!
Review: One of the few accurate reads about this great American hero. "Old Jack," an orphan, grew up in Jackson Mills, the home and business of his uncle. What many would have used as an excuse for failure (orphaned, poor, very little standardized education, no gov't breast to succour, etc.), motivated "Old Jack" to make something of himself. Jackson worked hard to get an appointment to West Point, one of the greatest Engineering schools of its time. While at West Point, Jackson had to work twice as hard as his classmates often staying up into the early morning hours memorizing his previous day's lesson. Though he often struggled, his hard work and determination paid off. Jackson had great discipline. Recognized in the Mexican War for always following orders and never losing his cool. Although, he is often criticized for his ability to teach at VMI, a few things have to be mentioned. I have never known anyone personally nor heard of anyone who ever said they had it easy learning Physics. I am sure most student generated complaints concerning Jackson's teaching methods, etc. were mostly because: one, it was a hard class, and two, it required one's undivided attention. Secondly, if the faculty had concerns, they (their concerns) never amounted to much. The Civil War is often said where Jackson blossomed. I disagree. Jackson's greatness originated from inside. Nearly always, men are great because they are great men no matter what the outside circumstances and I believe this is the case with "Old Jack." The Civil War simply provided the theatre for Jackson to display his greatness. Jackson is one of the World's greatest military strategists. He is still studied across the world today. His movements were done with speed and stealth often moving nearly half of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Thomas J. Jackson is great example for all. Although, it has many pages it flows very well.

Rating:
Summary: Best Biography I Have Ever Read
Review: I have not read other biographies of Stonewall Jackson as others here have, so I cannot say if there are others out there that are better. However, of the biographies I have read (Theodore Rex, John Adams, etc.) this biography is by far the best I have ever read.
I currenly live in Centreville, VA and Manassas Battlefield and the surrounding areas are basically part of my everyday commute. So you can imagine that it was quite interesting to me to read about those battles in particular. I also attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. A lot of my life as been in the same georgraphy that Stonewall and his "foot cavalry" marched over (and over, and over) during his Valley Campaigns in particular.
Roberston goes to great lengths to describe Jackson the man during all stages of his life. I especially enjoyed learning about his service in the Mexican War and as a teacher at VMI. The book is so detailed that by the time the Civil War starts, your are almost half way through the biography! The one complaint I have is that the details of the Civil War campaigns are so meticulous that I actually got tired of reading about another 50+ mile march, often back to a town retaken by the Federals (Harrisonburg, Winchester, etc). However, Roberston's style pays off in spades in his accounts of each battle, how they were fought (including troop placements and supply trains), what the outcome meant to each side, and what it meant to Jackson is particular.
At the end of the book it is very hard to feel nothing in Jackson's death.