Winchester, Virginia May 25, 1862

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General Thomas J. Jackson rose from a hardscrabble childhood as an orphan to become acclaimed as an American military genius. In 1861, this obscure instructor from Virginia Military Institute gained enduring fame in battle as "Stonewall" Jackson – then enlarged his fame into legend with his extraordinary and victorious Valley Campaign of 1862. Jackson would earn the mantle of military greatness as General Robert E. Lee’s unsurpassed "right arm."

At the height of his great campaign in the Shenandoah, Jackson and his army swept into Winchester as Union forces fled northward in defeat. The 5th Virginia Infantry of Jackson’s own "Stonewall Brigade" leads the way into Winchester, and the townspeople flock about their liberators. Despite the dust and smoke from battle, many of the faces are familiar as Winchester is their hometown. Confederate flags, hidden in closets and trunks for so long, suddenly appear from windows, and the rush through the streets becomes a parade. Caught in the spirit of the moment, Jackson accepts accolades of the grateful citizens suddenly free from the Union control they had been under for so long. "Stonewall" Jackson has reached the zenith of his career, rising from the defeat of Kernstown to clearing the Shenandoah Valley from superior numbers of Union forces within two months. The citizens of Winchester not only applaud the victorious general? they gaze upon the legend.

The celebration is brief for Jackson. To the north, the sound of musketry can still be heard. Jackson presses on, the greatest victory of his brilliant Valley campaign nearly over, leaving only the legend behind.

Release Date: 1988