Wayne County, NC - Heritage Series Reprinted with permission of the Mount Olive Tribune and cannot be reproduced without permission. A Confederate Lady "Our Heritage" By Claude Moore Friday, March 6, 1992 Mrs. Stonewall Jackson is not only remembered as the wife and widow of the great Confederate General Jackson, but she was a great lady in her own right and did much to help create a new South after the War Between the States. Mrs. Jackson, prior to her marriage, was Mary Anna Morrison, the daughter of Dr. Robert Hall Morrison, who was the founder of Davidson College and the first president. Dr. Morrison was graduate of the University of North Carolina and Princeton. Her mother was Mary Graham, the daughter of General Joseph Graham who was a hero of the Revolution, and she was sister to the Honorable William A. Graham, governor of North Carolina and secretary of the Navy. Dr. Graham was a noted Presbyterian minister and prior to his presidency at Davidson he had been pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, the First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, and at the historic Sugar Creek Church near Charlotte. He and Mrs. Morrison built a home near Charlotte called "Cottage Home." It was here that young Mary Anna was born in 1831. She had the following brothers and sisters: Eugenia, Susan, Laura, Joseph Graham, Robert Jr., Alfred, Isabella, William and Harriett. The Morrisons later lived in a large brick home on the Davidson campus. Young Mary Anna Morrison attended the local schools and then to Salem Academy (now Salem College) in Winston-Salem where she was graduated in 1849. She could speak well, write and was an accomplished pianist. Her sister, Isabella, had met and married Daniel H. Hill (later Lieutenant General, C.S.A.) who was a professor at Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Virginia. While visiting the Hills, young Mary Anna met Thomas J. Jackson (later to be nicknamed Stonewall). He married a Miss Junkin in 1853 and she died fourteen months later. After her death he courted Mary Anna. He made a trip to Europe and when he returned they were married in 1857 at "Cottage Home" near Charlotte. The service was performed by Dr. Drury Lacy, the president of Davidson. The Jacksons went on a bridal tour to the north. Jackson was a professor of mathematics at Virginia Military Institute and after he married they bought a home and a few acres of land near Lexington. At the beginning of the War Between the States, he volunteered and was given a commission as major in the Confederate Army. He left here on April 21, 1861, and never returned home. Mrs. Jackson later went to stay with her sister, Mrs. James Irwin, near Charlotte, and her baby, Julia was born on November 23, 1862 at the home of her Aunt Harriett. Because of his military victories and heroism, Jackson soon attained the rank of lieutenant general. In April 1863 Mrs. Jackson took her daughter and went to Moss Neck, Virginia, where General Jackson was encamped. They remained there in a cottage for several days. General Jackson was wounded at the Battle of Chancellorsville and was carried to a hospital where an arm was amputated. He realized that his condition was serious and he sent for his wife and daughter. He was moved to Guinea's Depot. Mrs. Jackson and the daughter arrived there on Thursday. He died on Sunday, Mary 10. His body lay in state in the Confederate Capitol building in Richmond and with much sad ceremony a special train carried his body to Lexington for burial. Mrs. Jackson and Julia returned to Charlotte where she lived at "Cottage Home" and later at Charlotte Female Institute where Julia attended school. After the War, Mrs. Jackson wrote two biographies, one of her husband and one of her daughter. She organized the Charlotte Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Mecklenburg Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was active in the cultural societies of Charlotte. Many prominent figures called upon her, including Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. In 1891 she attended the unveiling of the statue of General Jackson at his grave in Lexington, Virginia. In 1899 while attending the D.A.R. Continental Congress, a reception was held at the White House and President McKinley invited her to receive with him and Mrs. McKinley. Julia Jackson married Captain W. E. Christian and lived in California. They had two children, John and Thomas Jackson, who were brought back to North Carolina after their mother's death. Mrs. Stonewall Jackson died on May 31, 1915, and was buried with military rites beside her husband in Lexington, Virginia. She will long be remembered for her "quiet kind of dignity" that laid the foundation stones for a new South. ============================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Guy Potts ==============================================================