The submarine USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN 634) is named for Lieutenant General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (1824-1863), one of the most famous Confederate generals in the War Between the States. Born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, he earned a West Point appointment and became a distinguished military leader during the Mexican War. At the start of the Civil War he was on the staff of the famed Virginia Military Institute. General Jackson earned the sobriquet of "Stonewall" at the first battle of Bull Run. As reported after the battle, he and his brigade of Virginians stood, when assaulted, "like a stone wall." The nickname was never to leave him. His conduct of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, emphasizing strength through mobility, is a model of military strategy. He was accidentally shot by his own men during the battle of Chancellorsville in the Spring of 1863 at the age of 39.

Above portrait of General Jackson courtesy of Kelly Carter Portrait Gallery. Click on the portrait to access her portrait gallery.

The design reproduced above is the ship's insignia. White lettering and stars on a blue and red background are intended to suggest the stars and bars of the confederacy -- the cause Stonewall Jackson served so well. The words "Strength -- Mobility" emblazoned on the banner are taken from letters written by General Jackson, and apply to the Polaris submarine as well as to the tactics he used so successfully. The American Bald Eagle suggests the strength inherent in the Polaris system, while the arm clothed in confederate sleeve, thrusting a Polaris missile out of the depths of the Pacific Ocean, suggests the power and concealment of the FBM submarine along with the strength of our heritage from General Jackson.

The above passages are excerpts from the pamphlet distributed at the commissioning ceremony of USS Stonewall Jackson (SSBN 634) on 26 August 1964. Copyright United States Navy.

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