Stonewall Stonewall Jackson at Chancellorsville ...in Comics?!

[James N.]

Cadet Gray of West Point was a 1958 Dell comic book that extolled the virtues of the United States Military Academy at West Point through the travails and eventual triumph of a "typical" plebe or first year student named James Gray - hence the title. The entire publication - thicker than a usual comic of the times - was given over sans advertisements (they didn't do that then!) to his story, broken into maybe a half-dozen "chapters", each concerning a problem for Gray, solved by his remembrance of a relevant story taken from U.S. military history. These chapters included incidents from the Mexican War, Little Big Horn, the Spanish-American War, and World Wars I and II. The Civil War was represented by this one, titled Know Your Opponent.

In this case, Cadet Gray's "opponent" is an upperclassman named Rogers who has been "riding" his plebes trying to improve their discipline with predictable results. At that year's Army-Navy Game, Gray and a friend are double-dating two girls who recognize a relative of one who wants to join the girl and her date, who of course just happens to be Rogers. The dilemma sets in motion Gray's thinking, back to a "similar" incident involving Stonewall Jackson at the Battle of Chancellorsville... (I have eliminated all the extraneous bit leading up to the "meat" of the story; note that Jackson has a courier/aide also named Gray, who serves as the connection between past and present in each chapter.)

 

[James N.]

That old standby, Classics Illustrated, also featured Jackson, though in a minor way. They produced two separate issues devoted to the Civil War - in one he was featured as one of the WAR LEADERS; in another his wounding at Chancellorsville was pictured along with Grierson's Raid through Mississippi.

 

[SharonS]

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That old standby, Classics Illustrated, also featured Jackson, though in a minor way. They produced two separate issues devoted to the Civil War - in one he was featured as one of the WAR LEADERS; in another his wounding at Chancellorsville was pictured along with Grierson's Raid through Mississippi.

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I didn't see this when you first posted it, but let me thank you now even if I'm a little late. I thought it was a reasonably accurate version of Jackson at Chancellorsville, especially considering that it't a comic book. Of course, I tend to judge all Jackson art work on the basis of how accurately the artist portrays Little Sorrel and this one really did him proud. He even shows the correct gait in one of the panels!

 

[Tom Elmore]

I suspect the results of the Army-Navy game reminded Cadet Gray of the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. Better luck next time!

 

[mkyzzzrdet]

I didn't see this when you first posted it, but let me thank you now even if I'm a little late. I thought it was a reasonably accurate version of Jackson at Chancellorsville, especially considering that it't a comic book. Of course, I tend to judge all Jackson art work on the basis of how accurately the artist portrays Little Sorrel and this one really did him proud. He even shows the correct gait in one of the panels!

I would wager that they would not be able to print something like this today - it gives a favorable impression of the Confederates and Stonewall Jackson. Can't have that!

 

[James N.]

A *BUMP* for today's anniversary of Jackson's wounding at Chancellorsville!

 

[51st Georgia]

I thought that was a pretty well done version of events. I would have cherished that comic when I was a lad. Weird though, I remember seeing similar comic books where the Confederate battle flag had inverted colors like that (Red stripes and Blue fields). Was that caused by political correctness back then lol?

 

[James N.]

I thought that was a pretty well done version of events. I would have cherished that comic when I was a lad. Weird though, I remember seeing similar comic books where the Confederate battle flag had inverted colors like that (Red stripes and Blue fields). Was that caused by political correctness back then lol?

No, PC was virtually a non-issue during the Centennial era and before; it only reared its ugly head in the wake of all the Civil Rights demonstrations, etc. and even then not among all segments of society. Strangely, the reversed colors on the Battle Flag could actually be found on some Western or Trans-Mississippi theater Confederate flags and banners - not of course on those of Lee's army however. Also, some turn-of-the Twentieth Century lithographs published by prolific printmaker Kurz & Allison depict some of the flags that way too.