Stiles/Akin
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2016
- Location
- Atlanta, Georgia
This is the first I've heard of his poor horsemanship and poor hearing.
Those flaws mentioned in that article is well known about him...
Of course every general had their flaws but the most successful overcame those flaws. One thing this article did bring out was the rapport that he and Lee had concerning orders. Jackson did very well "reading between the lines" that were sent from Lee. I think this was not a flaw but an advantage to the overall thinking that went on between the two.
I read Sharon's post with interest. It was all new to me--his riding style for sure. I guess Henry Kyd Douglas never mentioned either. I think I've read his book a half dozen times.SharonS has discussed the likely exaggeration of Jackson's horsemanship briefly above and more extensively in other threads; Jackson was, however, deaf in one ear and there are accounts of his having trouble hearing at some occasions. However, he wasn't as bad as Gen. Theophilus H. Holmes who supposedly asked during a bombardment if any of his staff members heard anything!
I believe you're correct in thinking it was no flaw; but the flaw intended by the article was that Jackson failed to enjoy a similar relationship in the opposite direction with his own subordinates. Lee for example recommended A. P. Hill as a subordinate in whom Jackson could confide when he sent Hill to join Jackson prior to Cedar Mountain; Jackson of course ignored Lee's advice and did no such thing! His cantankerous secretiveness has been well-discussed here in the forums.
If Jackson was such a poor general why did the Union send so many troops against hin?.If you consider the terrain that he had to fight over then this may explain why he was not there in place when he was to be.His troops served with honor when they were under his leadership.After his death Lee no longer had a staff officer who could carry out his orders ,even if he did it using his own statergy.Next to Grant and Sherman ,Jackson understood how the war should be fought and what sacarfices it would take to win.Those flaws mentioned in that article is well known about him. I think his need for sleep might have been because he had sleep apnea.
Of course every general had their flaws but the most successful overcame those flaws. One thing this article did bring out was the rapport that he and Lee had concerning orders. Jackson did very well "reading between the lines" that were sent from Lee. I think this was not a flaw but an advantage to the overall thinking that went on between the two.
Does Longstreet not count?After his death Lee no longer had a staff officer who could carry out his orders
If Jackson was such a poor general why did the Union send so many troops against hin? ...
After his death Lee no longer had a staff officer who could carry out his orders ,even if he did it using his own statergy ...
Next to Grant and Sherman ,Jackson understood how the war should be fought and what sacarfices it would take to win ...
Calling Jackson a poor horseman is one of the things that annoy me the most. He had an unconventional seat--for the time. His stirrups were too short and he rode too far forward for the era, but if you saw him trotting up to you today you would think he had a perfectly normal seat on horseback. There's debate about how he came to ride too short and too far forward. He did ride his uncle's racehorses as a young boy at Jackson's mill, but at the time jockeys rode with long stirrups and mostly upright. The "monkey on a stick" style of race riding came much later in the 19th century.
I think he got the style from his time in Mexico after the war, where he liked to ride out on the Paseo among the aristocrats of Mexico City. They used what's called the jineta seat---forward and short.
By the way, I could find no example of Jackson coming off his horse during the war, with the exception of an incident in September 1862 when a crazy borrowed horse fell back on him. He didn't even fall off when he was shot at Chancellorsville.
I'm going to attach a photo of one of the D'Inzeo brothers (they were Italian cavalry officers who competed in the Olympics int he 1960's and '70's. (I chose it because it's the only example of a uniformed army person using a modern forward seat. I suspect Jackson looked a little like this (different uniform of course) on horseback.View attachment 127477
This was the incident when he accepted a gift horse who flipped on him as soon as he climbed aboard. Nobody can do anything about a horse who decides to flip over backwards. According to Henry Kyd Douglas Little Sorrel had been "lost or stolen" sometime on the final day of Second Manassas and he was in need of a horse. I think Little Sorrel might actually have been slightly wounded and was out of action (a Black Horse cavalryman holding him on Aug 30 was mortally wounded]. At any rate, Jackson gave away the gift mare and called for Little Sorrel.I have seen a report of of Jackson being slightly injured in a riding accident during the Maryland campaign of 1862. It's not clear from the report I saw whether his horsemanship was at fault, or whether the fall was from some other cause.
I'll look it up for you if you are unfamiliar with the incident, but my hazy recollection is that the accident took place at about the time the army crossed the Potomac, right at the beginning of the campaign.
This was the incident when he accepted a gift horse who flipped on him as soon as he climbed aboard. Nobody can do anything about a horse who decides to flip over backwards. According to Henry Kyd Douglas Little Sorrel had been "lost or stolen" sometime on the final day of Second Manassas and he was in need of a horse. I think Little Sorrel might actually have been slightly wounded and was out of action (a Black Horse cavalryman holding him on Aug 30 was mortally wounded]. At any rate, Jackson gave away the gift mare and called for Little Sorrel.