Thomas J. Jackson never sought fame; but he could not escape its light when opportunity came. Jackson was very much a man of his time; and he was not alone in this quest for personal development; but he was an earnest man with an iron resolve. Such personal discipline served him particularly well during the war that divided North and South. Although he was fatally wounded by friend fire on May 2; 1863; Jackson has continued to live in the national memory and to fascinate Americans with his remarkable achievements against incredible odds. His sobriquet "Stonewall" remains the most famous nickname in American military history. The manner in which Jackson lived his life was heavily influenced by the popular writings of Lord Chesterfield; whose published letters to his son on self-improvement were well known in polite society. No single work - save the Bible - more influenced Jackson in his personal evolution. While he was a cadet at West Point; he began collecting maxims as part of his quest for status as a gentleman. In the mid-1850s he carefully inscribed these maxims in a personal notebook; which disappeared after his death in 1863. Subsequent generations assumed that this notebook was a casualty of time; but in the 1990s; during his research for a biography of Jackson; James I. Robertson Jr. discovered the long-lost book of maxims in the archives of Tulane University. Jackson's maxims are reproduced here as he wrote them. Accompanying each are insights into the man. Stonewall Jackson's Book of Maxims includes: The origin of the adage One or more quotations that parallel the maxim How Jackson may have applied the idea in his own life How certain maxims offer insights into the mind of the man These timeless insights offer as much to individuals today as they did when Jackson strove to integrate them into his life.
#417147 in Books Harold Holzer 2010-10-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 12.13 x 1.75 x 9.50l; 4.37 #File Name: 1579128459512 pagesThe New York Times The Complete Civil War 1861 1865
Review
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful. You gotta get this!By Richard J. SavardI thought this was a "must have" for anyone interested in the Civil War or American History in general and boy was i right! You know how you like to go to your favorite breakfast diner and take your time with the newspaper; catching up?....it's like that but better. Yeah; that's how it feels; like you're back then and your're catching up on the doings at the fronts----Eastern; Western; Political---it's all there and at 23.00 it's a steal. I usually don't spend my extremely valuable time (i'm retired) writing feedback so you can take that into consideration; too.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. they weren't just "reporting"; they were "influencing" as well; this is a terrific book!!By rw24what can i say? i'm a "buff"... i had to acquire this. it's a big book and my only "beef" is that the print is quite small throughout most of it. it does come w/ a companion DVD-ROM that was a cool/ neat surprise that i thoroughly enjoy as well. i'd read reviews of this book many times before and took them to heart. i'm glad i've added this title to my Civil War "collection"; it'll be a terrific resource for further reference. grant it; it's only one; Northern newspaper's articles (one could argue "one-sided") but given that publication's still around; i think it's a neat compilation and very well put together by the editors - kudos.thanks to all you who'd previously taken the time to review this offering. be it not for y'all; i probably never would've thought about this title; so thank you again! if you're a "buff" (or a NYT's fan) or just want a nice; neat condensed; well-edited compilation; look no further!5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. New York Times Civil WarBy StudyManIt is interesting to see how biased the newspapers were 150 years ago. Not much has changed today.The reliance on telegraph messages to send the news was also quite limiting as battle results written about were sometimes quite wrong after the battles were over.The writing style and the size of the print makes for slow reading but then I take more time; while resting my eyes; to reflect and wonder about what I have read.It is also interesting to see that many of the issues which caused the Civil War were never completely resolved by the war's end. States Rights still drives much of today's political disagreements and while there is no more slavery;the achievement of peoples civil rights has been laboriously slow to evolve. And prejudice is still much stronger than we seem to think it should be.This book is a wonderful and useful addition to my personal Civil War library.
