What Really Killed Stonewall Jackson?
Following his greatest victory at Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863, Stonewall Jackson and members of his staff were scouting ahead of their lines after sunset when tragedy struck. They were mistaken for Union cavalry and were fired upon by their own troops. Jackson sustained a severe gunshot wound to his left arm, necessitating immediate amputation. Upon receiving the news, General Robert E. Lee appropriately remarked, “He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right.” Lee’s words proved prophetic. Eight days after the amputation, Jackson was dead. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PRINTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS DIVISION Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson is revered as one of the Confederate Army’s greatest commanders. His untimely death after being wounded by “friendly fire” in 1863 has sparked speculation over how differently the Civil War might have turned out had he lived. Before Chancellorsville, Jackson enjoyed the fortuitous combination of his outstanding skill as a commander, the ineptitude of
