Jackson’s 1862 Valley Campaign ended with another victory today at Port Republic, in Rockingham County Virginia. With a smaller force than the Federals he had marched from field to field, thwarting the Northern generals, McDowell, Banks and now Fremont. Lincoln and the Administration were in uproar and feared for the Capital.
Today, the 9th June 1862, Major General Thomas J Jackson, West Point professional and original leader of the now famous “Stonewall Brigade”(2,4,5, 27 and 33 Va Inf) commanded 7 Brigades of Infantry. All were Virginiians, many recruited from the very region on which they had been fighting, except a large Brigade of very fine Louisianans under Richard Taylor, son of President Zachary Taylor.
As was usual with Jackson, he attacked the enemy and with his Stonewall Brigade, now commanded by Marylander Charles Winder, opened the battle. Finding things hard going Jackson had to throw in more troops. By day’s end he had pushed the smaller Notlrthern force back enough for their commander, John Fremont , to feel he had been beaten and withdraw.
As a consequence of this, yesterday’s Cross Keys battle and the campaign as a whole, Jackson was able to rejoin Lee’s large North Virginia army to help push the cautious Northern commander all the way from the gates of Richmond, which looked like falling to his enormous Northern army.
Hadrian becomes Emperor today, the 8th August, 117AD
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Today in 117AD Hadrian, the adopted son of Trajan, became the new Roman Emperor. Trajan had ruled for nearly twenty years and had enlarged the Empire greatly. Hadrian in his twenty one year rule would be just as good for Rome. He left behind four great building works, which remain today.
The first was to rebuild Agrippa’s Pantheon, adding the 141ft diameter Dome. It has massive bronze doors and now a church, has buried two of Italy’s kings and the artist Raphael amongst others.
On the river Tiber is the Castel San Angelo, another stone dome building, this one built as his own tomb. It has been used as a fortress by more than one Pope when Rome has been threatened. It housed Pope Clement VII when the forces of the (Spanish)Holy Roman Empire sacked the city in 1527. It is well worth a visit if you ever go to Rome. A coffee from the battlements’ cafe’ is a good end to a walk around the military museum it is now.
The third monument is the beautiful Villa at Tivoli.
Lastly is the wall he had constructed in the North of England to keep out those pesky Picts(Scots). It was 15ft high and stretched 73 miles from coast tocoast and there was a fort every five miles.
Hadrian had been unwell for some time and despite seeking death and requesting it of his adopted son Pius, who refused to aid him, he died aged 62 in his villa at Baie on the Bay of Naples.
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