War Stories - The First Battle of Bull Run, Part 3: The Appearance of Stonewall Jackson

The focus of the battle shifted to Henry House Hill. The Confederate army was pushed back several times by the fierce Union attacks, but managed to re-establish their defensive line with the arrival of reinforcements. During this process, Brigadier General Thomas J. Jackson, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, led his brigade and formed a strong defensive line. It is said that Virginia cavalry officer General Barnard Bee, pointing to Jackson's troops, told his soldiers something to the effect of "standing like a stone wall," and Jackson subsequently became known by the nickname 'Stonewall' Jackson. The Union army repeatedly attacked Henry House Hill in an attempt to break through the Confederate defenses, but the Confederates held their ground. Especially as Confederate reinforcements continued to arrive, the tide of the battle began to turn. The Union army, which had the upper hand in the morning, gradually lost its offensive momentum, while the Confederates secured enough troops to counterattack. The battle was no longer about the Union advancing on the Confederate capital, but about the Union army itself needing to survive on the battlefield. Finally, the Confederate hero, General 'Stonewall' Jackson, makes his appearance!