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Show Why It's Stonewall Jackson Time: July 21, 1861. Place: Manassas, Prince William county, Virginia. Dramatis Personae: Generals Thomas Jonathan Jackson and Bernard Ber-nard Elliott Bee, Federal and Confederate Con-federate troops. It was the first Battle of Bull Run, or as the South prefers to call it, Manassas. Under the withering fire and irresistible ir-resistible charge of the Federals, the Confederate General Bee's brigade had broken and was on the verge of utter rout As from nowhere, appeared General Gen-eral Jackson with five of Virginia's crack regiments, who, though confronted con-fronted by superior numbers, were holding their own, were indeed beginning be-ginning to press forward. "See, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall!" shouted Bee to discouraged soldiers. Suiting their actions to his stirring words, which passed from lips to lips, the fast faltering troops reformed re-formed their ranks and put up such a stiiT fight as to contribute materially materi-ally to shifting the tide of battle, tiie Federals coming off second best General Bee was killed leading the fresh rally: but his sobriquet, "Stonewall" for Thomas Jonathan Jackson survives lustily. |