Jackson’s Arm
The story of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson is one etched in American history, a tale of military prowess and unwavering conviction during the tumultuous years of the Civil War. While his body rests in the hallowed grounds of his hometown, Lexington, Virginia, an intriguing and somewhat peculiar footnote marks a separate location, a testament to the profound impact he had on those around him. This is the story of Jackson’s Arm, buried approximately 100 miles east of Lexington, just beyond the Chancellorsville battlefield.
On May 3, 1863, Reverend Beverly Tucker Lacy, a close confidante of Jackson, arrived at the field hospital after hearing news of the general’s devastating wound. Overwhelmed by the severity of the injury, Lacy reportedly cried out, "Oh, General, what a calamity!" Their bond ran deep, forged during six months of shared service and a pre-war acquaintance in Lexington. Lacy, before the war, served as pastor of the Presbyterian congregation in Frankfort, Kentucky. By 1862, he ministered to wounded soldiers in Fredericksburg and Orange Court House. In January 1863, Jackson appointed Lacy to oversee the chaplain service for the entire Second Corps, a testament to the trust and respect he held for the clergyman.
Lacy was well-suited for this role. Born in 1819, the son of a clergyman, he graduated from Washington College and Union Theological Society. Mary Anna, Jackson’s wife, considered him a true “spiritual comforter.” On that fateful morning of May 3rd, however, it was Jackson who offered comfort, meager as it was, in his weakened state. He consoled his friend, and they parted with a sense of cautious optimism. Over the next week, Lacy remained a constant presence, acting as a crucial messenger between Jackson and General Robert E. Lee. It was to Lacy that Lee famously lamented, "He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right," a poignant acknowledgement of Jackson’s irreplaceable value.
The narrative surrounding Jackson’s Arm takes a turn towards the unusual when Lacy discovered the amputated limb, wrapped in cloth, outside Jackson’s tent. Distressed by the thought of it being discarded in a mass, unmarked grave alongside other discarded limbs, Lacy felt compelled to ensure a more dignified fate for this piece of the celebrated general. He retrieved the arm and resolved to give it a proper burial.
Driven by a desire to honor Jackson, Lacy journeyed northeast across the battlefield towards the home of his brother, J. Horace Lacy. This estate, known as Ellwood, had been constructed around 1790 and came under Lacy’s ownership in 1848 upon his marriage to the daughter of the original owner. The plantation primarily cultivated corn, wheat, and oats, employing a workforce of several dozen enslaved people. However, the Lacys primarily used Ellwood as a summer retreat, maintaining a larger residence, Chatham, in Fredericksburg overlooking the Rappahannock River. It was here, in the family cemetery at Ellwood, that Reverend Lacy laid Jackson’s Arm to rest.
The decision to bury Jackson’s Arm separately raises questions about the customs and beliefs of the time. The act speaks volumes about the reverence felt for Jackson, even in the face of such a gruesome circumstance. Later, when Mary Anna Jackson was asked if she desired the arm to be exhumed and reinterred with her husband in Lexington, she inquired whether it had received a Christian burial. Assured that it had, she acquiesced to its continued rest at Ellwood, demonstrating a faith in the sanctity of the burial site and the respect accorded to her husband’s memory.
The saga of Jackson’s Arm did not end with its burial. The area surrounding Chancellorsville became a focal point of intense fighting throughout the war. In May 1864, Union forces occupied the area and, driven by curiosity or perhaps a morbid fascination, exhumed the arm. After confirming its presence, they reburied it, adding another layer to the already peculiar history of the site.
Adding to the lore surrounding the burial site, a Union engineer named Wesley Brainerd of New York, while in the area on May 7th, sought out the gravesite, mistakenly believing that Jackson himself was buried there. In his journal, he recounted his experience: "I was much interested and impressed on approaching a common-looking farmhouse situated in an opening in the woods, to learn that Stonewall Jackson was buried nearby." Brainerd described the grave as being "situated in the heart of the Wilderness on a knoll, unmarked by stone or board." He wrote of feeling a sense of awe and respect for the memory of the general, despite being an enemy, acknowledging the "religious enthusiasm" he inspired in his soldiers and the "wonderful victories" he achieved.
Popular legend further embellishes the tale, claiming that in 1921, during a Marine Corps exercise in the area, General Smedley Butler of the United States Marine Corps exhumed the arm and reburied it with full military honors in a metal ammunition box. While this dramatic account is likely apocryphal, the Marine Corps did erect a plaque on the side of the arm’s monument, dedicating it "To the Memory of Stonewall Jackson by the East Coast Expeditionary Force: United States Marines Sept. 26-Oct. 4, 1921." The plaque itself has since been removed and is now part of the National Park Service’s curatorial collection.
The monument itself was placed by James Powers Smith, a close associate of Jackson, who sought to preserve the memory of the fallen general. After the war, Smith married Agnes Lacy, Horace’s daughter, and became a Presbyterian minister in Fredericksburg. He maintained a watchful eye over the grave of Jackson’s arm. In 1903, as part of a series of ten granite markers he placed around the battlefields, Smith installed the marker at the Ellwood cemetery. The inscription simply reads, "Stonewall Jackson’s arm—Buried May 3, 1863." Despite the presence of fifteen members of the Lacy family interred within the cemetery, only Jackson’s arm is marked with a monument, a unique distinction that speaks volumes about the enduring legacy of the Confederate general.
While the story of Jackson’s Arm is certainly unusual, it is not the only instance of a limb receiving special recognition in military history. Major General Benedict Arnold, infamous for his betrayal during the American Revolution, has a monument dedicated to his leg, which was severely wounded at the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 while he was still fighting for the American cause. The monument, erected near Freeman’s Farm in 1887, features a bas-relief boot but avoids mentioning Arnold’s name due to his subsequent treachery.
During the Mexican War, the 4th Illinois Infantry famously captured the cork leg of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. The Illinois National Guard has preserved the leg as a trophy, displaying it at its museum in Springfield.
Another notable example is the leg of Union Major General Daniel E. Sickles. Sickles, a flamboyant and controversial figure, lost his left leg at the Peach Orchard during the Battle of Gettysburg. In a display of bravado, he requested that his severed leg be preserved. It was subsequently sent to the Army Medical Museum in Washington, D.C., where it was pickled and put on display. Sickles reportedly visited his leg annually for the remainder of his life.
The tale of Jackson’s Arm is a poignant reminder of the complexities of history and the enduring power of human emotion. It is a story of camaraderie, respect, and the lengths to which individuals will go to honor those they admire, even in the face of war and its grim realities. The small cemetery at Ellwood, with its solitary marker, stands as a testament to a life of military achievement and the enduring legend of Stonewall Jackson.