Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson

by S. C. Gwynne

Overview

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the epic New York Times bestselling account of how Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson became a great and tragic national hero.

Stonewall Jackson has long been a figure of legend and romance. As much as any person in the Confederate pantheon—even Robert E. Lee—he embodies the romantic Southern notion of the virtuous lost cause. Jackson is also considered, without argument, one of our country’s greatest military figures. In April 1862, however, he was merely another Confederate general in an army fighting what seemed to be a losing cause. But by June he had engineered perhaps the greatest military campaign in American history and was one of the most famous men in the Western world. Jackson’s strategic innovations shattered the conventional wisdom of how war was waged; he was so far ahead of his time that his techniques would be studied generations into the future.

In his “magnificent Rebel Yell…S.C. Gwynne brings Jackson ferociously to life” (New York Newsday) in a swiftly vivid narrative that is rich with battle lore, biographical detail, and intense conflict among historical figures. Gwynne delves deep into Jackson’s private life and traces Jackson’s brilliant twenty-four-month career in the Civil War, the period that encompasses his rise from obscurity to fame and legend; his stunning effect on the course of the war itself; and his tragic death, which caused both North and South to grieve the loss of a remarkable American hero.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451673302
Publisher:	Scribner
Publication date:	09/30/2014
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	688
Sales rank:	105,344
File size:	32 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

S.C. Gwynne is the author of His Majesty’s Airship, Hymns of the Republic, and the New York Times bestsellers Rebel Yell and Empire of the Summer Moon, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He spent most of his career as a journalist, including stints with Time as bureau chief, national correspondent, and senior editor, and with Texas Monthly as executive editor. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife.

Table of Contents

Map of Jackson's Theater of Operations: April 21, 1861-May 10, 1863 xii

Prologue: Legends of Spring 1

Part 1 The Unimagined War

1 Away to Richmond 13

2 The Imperfect Logic of War 20

3 Fate Intervenes 32

4 Discipline and Other Novel Ideas 37

5 A Brilliant Retreat 47

6 Maneuvers, Large and Small 52

7 All Green Alike 65

Map of First Manassas: July 21, 1862 70

8 The Bullet's Song 73

9 Scream of the Furies 84

Part 2 The Man Within the Man

10 Glory and Darkness 97

11 A Very Small, Very Bitter Fight 110

12 A Highly Unusual Man 119

13 The Embattled Professor 127

14 Deliberately and Ingeniously Cloaked 135

15 An Upright Citizen 151

Part 3 Valley of the Shadow of Death

16 Where Is the Thunder of War? 161

17 A Preternatural Calm 170

18 A Season of Storms 176

19 A Looming Peril 193

20 The Realm of the Possible 204

Maps of Jackson's Valley Campaign 208

21 A Jagged Line of Blood 212

Map of the Battle of Kernstown: March 23, 1862 214

22 The Shooting War 229

23 A Fool's Paradise 234

24 Hazards of Command 257

25 Hunter as Prey 266

26 The Professor's Time/Speed/Distance Equation 274

Map of the Battles of Front Royal and Winchester: May 23-25, 1862 276

27 A Lethal Footrace 282

28 The Taking of Winchester 291

29 Lincoln's Perfect Trap 299

30 A Strange Fondness for Traps 312

Map of Port Republic: June 9, 1862 314

31 Slaughter in a Small Place 322

Part 4 Stirrings of a Legend

32 Acclaim, and a New Mission 331

33 'The Hilljack and the Society Boy 340

34 The Defense of Richmond 348

Map of the Seven Days Campaign: June 25-July 1, 1862 350

35 Victor)-by Any Other Name 363

36 In Which Everything Changes 383

37 No Backing Out This Day 394

38 The Hum of a Beehive 408

Map of Second Manassas: Jackson's Flank March: August 24-27, 1862 412

39 At Bay on His Baptismal Soil 423

Map of Second Manassas: August 28, 1862 425

Map of Second Manassas: August 29-30, 1862 426

40 The Mongrel, Barefooted Crew 447

41 The Blood-Washed Ground 461

Map of Antietam: September 17, 1862 463

42 Stonewall Jackson's Way 482

Map of Fredericksburg: December 11-15, 1862 495

Part 5 All That Is Ever Given to a Man

43 Winter of Dreams 507

44 Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man 519

Map of Chancellorsville: May 1-3, 1863 524

45 "An Iron Sabre Vowed to an Iron Lord" 539

46 Immortality 552

Acknowledgments 563

Appendix: Other Lives, Other Destinies 565

Notes 577

Bibliography 623

Insert Photograph Credits 635

Index 637

Reading Group Guide

Questions for Discussion

1. Why does S.C. Gwynne consider Stonewall Jackson one of the most compelling characters of the Civil War

2. How did Jackson, an unpopular and highly eccentric college physics professor, become (in the space of fourteen months) the most famous military figure in the western world?

3. Why do you think Gwynne chose the title Rebel Yell

4. Jackson’s Valley Campaign shows how often victory or defeat hangs on the thread of chance. How did small decisions greatly impact the outcome?

5. Gwynne is not afraid to show the different sides of Jackson—a contradictory figure, a man who rode his troops almost as hard as his horse, Little Sorrel, and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of soldiers, but was in his private moments a loving husband and devoted Christian. Discuss Gwynne’s portrayal of the contradictions within his character.

6. How do Jackson’s personal views on slavery relate to his actions as a general?

7. Stonewall Jackson’s war-making strategies have merited generations of study. What in his strategies and leadership is significant today?

8. A review of Rebel Yell noted that “praying soldiers were often socially shunned and professionally unrewarded.” How did Jackson’s religious convictions imbue his leadership? How did his faith differentiate him?

9. What do you think attracted Gwynne to Jackson as a subject? He seems to occupy a much smaller place in the minds of Americans than other Civil War figures like Jefferson Davis or Robert E. Lee. Was Rebel Yell an attempt to correct that?

10. What surprised you most about Stonewall Jackson?

11. Do you consider Jackson an American hero? Why or why not? Did reading Rebel Yell change your opinion? How?

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/21/2014
Journalist Gwynne follows his bestselling Empire of the Summer Moon with a stimulating study of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson. Jackson today remains a figure of almost mythical proportions and embodies the more heroic elements of the Southern cause. Gwynne, in a primarily chronological narrative, reveals him to have been an early master of modern mobile warfare and a clear-eyed interpreter of what modern “pitiless war was all about.” In 1861, Jackson was “part of that great undifferentiated mass of second-rate humanity who weren’t going anywhere in life.” But underneath his efflorescent eccentricities, he was “highly perceptive and exquisitely sensitive,” as well as an “incisive and articulate observer.” In the spring of 1862 those qualities shaped the brilliant Shenandoah Valley campaign that reinvigorated a stagnant Confederate war effort and established him as the “most famous military figure in the Western world.” Exhaustion limited Jackson’s contributions to the Peninsular Campaign, but from Second Bull Run through Antietam to his mortal wounding at Chancellorsville, his achievements and his legend grew. Gwynne tells Jackson’s story without editorializing and readers are likely to agree that, without Jackson, Lee “would never again be quite so brilliant,” while even in the North Jackson was considered, rather than a rebel, a “gentleman and... fundamentally an American.” Maps and 16-page photo insert. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Gwynne’s portrait of Jackson is comprehensive, stirring, compelling....This well-researched portrait of a well-studied figure of the Civil War defies the odds and measurably adds to the scholarship surrounding Jackson and the conflict that defined him... The book is hard to put down."

The Dallas Morning News

"S.C. Gwynne provides a comprehensive portrait of a complex man who triumphed on the battlefield—but remained an enigma... a joy to read."

Civil War Times

The great tragedy of modern historiography is that more historians don’t write like S.C. Gwynne. In this book on Stonewall Jackson’s Civil War career, Gwynne has fashioned a fast-paced narrative of a man complex and enigmatic, awkward and exceptional. Gwynne has taken on a giant figure of quirks and brilliance who demands both restraint and a facile pen, and he delivers in vivid form.

John Hennessy

"Profoundly enlightening...The difference in Rebel Yell is...the historical sweep, the small touches, and the quality and clarity of the writing... Those sorts of little touches, page after page after page, set this book apart....Gwynne's Rebel Yell delivers what readers want and deserve — a brave, headlong charge into American history."

Chicago Tribune

Gwynne stirringly recreates the bloody, error-plagued battles of the early war and argues that Jackson’s legend galvanized the South, outmanned and outgunned, to keep fighting.

New Yorker

It’s hard to imagine an author breaking newground with another Jackson biography. But S.C. Gwynne does just thatin Rebel Yell... Readers will come away from Rebel Yell withan understanding of the man that goes beyond his military exploits. Gwynne’s masterful storytelling makes Rebel Yell anabsorbing choice for general readersand Civil War buffs alike.

Bookpage

"Spry prose and cogent insight....Showing Jackson’s exploitation of speed and deception, Gwynne’s vivid account of his Civil War run, which ended with his death in the 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville, is a riveting, cover-to-cover read for history buffs."

STARRED review Booklist

"In the magnificent Rebel Yell, one of the year's best biographies, writer S.C. Gwynne brings Jackson ferociously to life... His battle scenes are marvels of description and kinetic action. [He] brings a deep humanity to his portrayals of Jackson, his fellow Confederate generals and their Union adversaries... Gwynne's pages fly by, brimming with excitement and terror."

Newsday

"An engaging narrative with a pace that never flags... Gwynne accomplishes a great deal in his clear and highly readable book... If you read everything about the Civil War — or if you have read very little about the Civil War — Rebel Yell is an excellent addition to your reading list."

Huffington Post

"I've reviewed many books on the Civil War, and this is far and away the best biography of a Civil War general that I've read... If you're a Civil War buff — as I am — or if you're just interested in wonderful biographies — as I am — Rebel Yell is a must-read book. It reads like a novel, but it's based on extensive beyond belief research."

Huntington News

"In Rebel Yell, Mr. Gwynne's easy, loping style wraps itself effortlessly around the particulars of Stonewall Jackson's life, from his back-of-the-mountain upbringing to the outburst of military genius in the Civil War. The result is a narrative vivid with detail and insight."

Wall Street Journal

Rebel Yell breathes contemporary insight and fresh energy into the life of an authentic American legend. In this crackling narrative, S.C. Gwynne gives us the bold tactics, the eccentric thinking, and the wicked genius of one of history's most brilliant—and unconventional—military minds.

Hampton Sides

With the reporter's eye for the revealing vignette and the story-teller’s ear for the rhythm of human striving, S. C. Gwynne gives us a beautifully penetrating account of the meteoric rise and tragic death of the most legendary of Civil War soldiers.

H. W. Brands

Rebel Yell is the best biography of Stonewall Jackson I have ever read. The scholarship is exemplary, the narrative riveting and richly textured. With a rare combination of unflinching objectivity and genuine compassion, Rebel Yell unraveled for me the enigma of Stonewall Jackson. A magnificent achievement, Rebel Yell represents a milestone in Civil War literature.

Peter Cozzens

Powerfully told, richly detailed, but also deeply human in timeless ways, Rebel Yell unmasks Gen. Stonewall Jackson, one of American history's most enduring legends (and yet most private of men). This is history at its best.

Michael Duffy

"[Gwynne's contribution] lies in capturing Jackson’s character, personality and historical significance. He interprets Jackson as a discipline- and God-obsessed social bore, yet one of the fiercest fighters and most brilliant minds in American military history... a 'living myth'...Jackson ascended rapidly from nerdy artillery and physics professor at Virginia Military Institute to Lee’s audacious and seemingly invincible lieutenant."

The Raleigh News-Observer

"A worthy book that does much to present the general in a realistic, critical and evenhanded manner.... Gwynne writes with style... he creates vivid word pictures and descriptions that keep the reader engaged. Rebel Yell is a worthy addition to the shelves of those who study and read about the American Civil War."

Washington Independent Review of Books

"Profoundly enlightening...The difference in Rebel Yell is...the historical sweep, the small touches, and the quality and clarity of the writing... Those sorts of little touches, page after page after page, set this book apart....Gwynne's Rebel Yell delivers what readers want and deserve — a brave, headlong charge into American history."

Chicago Tribune

Gwynne stirringly recreates the bloody, error-plagued battles of the early war and argues that Jackson’s legend galvanized the South, outmanned and outgunned, to keep fighting.

New Yorker

"In Rebel Yell, Mr. Gwynne's easy, loping style wraps itself effortlessly around the particulars of Stonewall Jackson's life, from his back-of-the-mountain upbringing to the outburst of military genius in the Civil War. The result is a narrative vivid with detail and insight."

Wall Street Journal

05/01/2014
Because Gwynne did well with Empire of the Summer Moon, a New York Times best seller and Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle finalist, we can expect good things from this account of Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's rise to prominence during the Civil War. With an eight-city tour.

Library Journal

2014-08-21
Wide-ranging biography of the larger-than-life Confederate leader, a "sobersided, regulation-bound general" who emerges as an ever stranger figure with the passage of years. Texas-based journalist and historian Gwynne, having documented the free-riding Comanches of the plains (Empire of the Summer Moon, 2010), turns to another famed cavalry culture: namely, that of the residents of the valley of Virginia at the time that sectional divisions broke into open civil war. Few cavalrymen were as farsighted and successful as Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863), who carried a preternatural seriousness and piety with him at all times. As Gwynne writes, Jackson imagined as he was washing that he was cleansing himself in the blood of Christ and while dressing, might "pray to be cloaked in the Savior's righteousness." Jackson's relentless Christianity did not halt him in the least from assuming the role of avenging angel Robert E. Lee's right-hand man, whose death before Gettysburg deflated the Army of Northern Virginia and marked the beginning of the end of the Southern cause. By the author's account, Jackson was a caring yet hard, nearly tyrannical leader who pushed his men to the limit yet placed himself in every danger he subjected them to. He also habitually denied himself creature comforts in an effort to remain pure, though, as Gwynne points out, sometimes his explanations were less pious than all that. He did not partake of intoxicating drinks, he told a junior officer, "because I like the taste of them, and when I discovered that to be the case I made up my mind at once to do without them altogether." A satisfying biography though less exhaustive in its approach than Robert Krick's Conquering the Valley (1996) and somewhat less fluent than James Robertson's Stonewall Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend (1997).

Kirkus Reviews