US Civil War Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is really buried in two places—his amputated left arm has its own separate burial site from his body. Jackson was accidentally shot in the arm by his own troops during an 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia, causing the need for the arm to be removed. Although it was standard practice to discard amputated limbs, Jackson had such a respected reputation by some that the military chaplain who treated him decided to save and bury the arm near the military hospital. Just eight days after being shot, Jackson died of pneumonia and his body was sent to his family in Lexington, Virginia.
More about Stonewall Jackson:
- Jackson earned the nickname “Stonewall” after his determination during the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861 to prevent Union troops from attacking that he was compared to standing as impenetrable as a stone wall.
- Before gaining notoriety as a General during the Civil War, Jackson was a professor of artillery tactics.
- Jackson is thought to have suffered from hypochondria, or anxiety about perceived health conditions, and would keep one of his arms elevated because he believed they were different lengths.
