The Eccentricities of Thomas Jonathan Jackson (another Stonewall post)

Greetings Cosmic Americans!

Stonewall Jackson was a peculiar fellow - so peculiar in fact, that more than a few doubted his sanity. Well, I do not think that Jackson was insane - just a bit peculiar. And as peculiarities go, he was a zinger.

Indeed - back when he was teaching at the Virginia Military Institute, students thought him so odd that they referred to him as "Tom Fool." There have even been students' class notes uncovered from his lectures with unflattering cartoons of the foolish Jackson in the margins.

He was a religious zealot, as we all know. But that is not what made him a strange guy. He just did weird stuff. For example, he sucked on lemons constantly. But that is mild compared to the other strange behavior.

He imagined that his body was somehow off balance and would stand for hours on end with his right arm over his head so that his body could regain harmony. What's more, he believed that he was suffering from an unusual arrangement of "jumbled" organs, which proscribed how he would sit or stand. Because of this, Jackson never let his back touch a chair - he sat ramrod straight. And if that isn't enough - he once told a comrade that he could not eat black pepper because it gave him rheumatism in one (not both) of his legs.

This is one strange cat. But you know - as far as fighters go, he was one of the best. Despite his bizarre behavior, he could kick some ass. The Rebs missed him when he was gone.

Peace,

Keith