THOMAS J. ‘STONEWALL’ JACKSON AND OTHER CONFEDERATE GENERALS SIGN A DIPLOMA FOR A CADET WHO WOULD BE KILLED IN THE CIVIL WAR, INCLUDING THE CADET’S OWN FATHER
(1824 – 1863) Confederate lieutenant general and a brilliant yet somewhat eccentric tactician, he gained his nickname from his stand at Bull Run and served as Lee’s right hand in the Seven Days, in Maryland and at Chancellorsville where he was accidentally shot by Confederate pickets while riding between lines.
Rare partly-printed diploma issued by the Virginia Military Institute, 1p. 15.5 x 20.5 in. vellum, Lexington, July 4, 1856. The diploma is awarded to James Lawrence Meem, who would be mustered into Co. ‘G’ , 11th Virginia Infantry on April 23, 1861 and killed on May 31, 1862 at Seven Pines. At bottom this ulrta-rare deploma is signed by a number of Meem’s professors, including ‘T. J. Jackson, as a professor of philosophy, FRANCIS H. SMITH (1812–1890), the first Superintendent of V.M.I. who also served as a major general in the Virginia militia and a colonel in the Confederate States Army; THOMAS H. WILLIAMSON (1813-1888) Lieutenant Colonel of Engineers in the Provisional Army of Virginia. Jackson requested that he be temporarily released from his duties and assigned to Jackson’s command; WILLIAM B. TALIAFERRO (1822-1898), Confederate major general who fought with Jackson in the Valley, and commanded Jackson’s division at Fredericksburg; JOHN T. L. PRESTON (1811–1890), a primary founder and organizer of V.M.I. who also served as an aide to Jackson; RALEIGH E. COLSTON (1825-1896) Confederate brigadier general who led brigades under Longstreet and Jackson, and commanded a division at Chancellorsville; WILLIAM RICHARDSON Adjutant General of Virginia; JAMES L. KEMPER (1823-1895), Confederate brigadier general who fought at 1st Bull Run, Seven Pines, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. At Gettysburg he was desperately wounded and captured during Pickett’s charge; ANDREW RUSSELL MEEM (1821-1865) Confederate surgeon who served throughout the war. Most importantly, Meem was one of the surgeons who administered to the wounded VMI cadets after the Battle of New Market, and we suspect here sends his own son to his ultimate death, and HENRY A. WISE (1806-1876), Confederate general during the Civil War and 33rd Governor of Virginia. As always, some of the text is a bit light and the signatures spotty on the vellum surface, else very good with ribbon and seal. An excellent combination of rare signatures, including the all important Stonewall Jackson.
Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson was one of the greatest Confederate Generals and military strategists of the Civil War. He fought in the Mexican-American War and taught at the Virginia Military Institute before the Civil War. Jackson earned his nickname at the Battle of Bull Run when Confederate General Barnard Bee remarked, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall”. On May 2, 1863, he was accidentally shot by Confederate pickets. He lost his left arm to amputation. Weakened by his wounds, he died of pneumonia eight days later at age 39. Jackson’s death proved a severe setback for the Confederacy. After his death, his military exploits developed a legendary quality, becoming an important element of the ideology of the “Lost Cause”.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee wrote Jackson after learning of Jackson’s injuries, stating: “Could I have directed events, I would have chosen for the good of the country to be disabled in your stead.”
