Stonewall's Arm
Chancellorsville, Virginia
May 3, 2013
After the conference, I rode with Tim out to Reagan airport, he to catch a flight back to Boston, me to rent a car to strike out into Virginia for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville. I'm not used to knowing far less about the Civil War than the people I'm around, but it's true with Tim.
"Pick up Confederates in the Attic on your Kindle," he told me. "There's something in there about Chancellorsville. They go looking for Stonewall Jackson's arm, which is buried on some farm. It's not officially marked, but if you ask the rangers they might show you where."
So while waiting for my rental car, I downloaded the book and searched for Chancellorsville. Sure enough, he tells how he asks the ranger, who reaches under the desk and produces a little map leading to the burial place of Stonewall Jackson's arm, which was amputated during the battle, after he had been shot by his own pickets while reconnoitering for a night attack.
(to be continued...)
