Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Recorded sideConfederate States

Recorded resultvictory

Confederate victory; disorganized Union retreat toward Washington

Confederate reinforcements arriving by rail from the Shenandoah Valley and a firm stand on Henry House Hill (where Jackson earned the name "Stonewall") blunted the Union assault and turned the tide into a rout.

What followed

The first major land battle of the war; the Confederate victory shattered Northern hopes of a quick, easy end and revealed to both sides that the conflict would be long and costly.

Recorded sideConfederate States

Recorded resulttactical draw / strategic defeat (withdrawal)

Tactically inconclusive; Lee withdrew back to Virginia, ending his first invasion of the North

Lee, badly outnumbered, used interior lines and the terrain to shift defenders to each threatened sector; McClellan's piecemeal, uncoordinated attacks and failure to commit reserves let the Confederates survive, though the strategic result forced Lee's retreat.

What followed

The bloodiest single day in U.S. history. Though tactically a draw, halting Lee's invasion gave Lincoln the victory he needed to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, reframing the war around ending slavery and discouraging European recognition of the Confederacy.

Recorded sideConfederate States

Recorded resultvictory

Confederate victory; Hooker's larger army was outmaneuvered and withdrew across the Rappahannock

Facing a force more than twice his size, Lee violated military convention by dividing his outnumbered army, sending Jackson on a concealed 12-mile flank march through the Wilderness to crush the exposed Union right flank in a surprise evening assault that collapsed Hooker's line.

What followed

Often called Lee's greatest tactical masterpiece, achieved against long odds. The victory came at a devastating cost: Stonewall Jackson's mortal wounding removed Lee's most capable corps commander just before the Gettysburg Campaign.