Colorful nicknames for Thomas Jackson: “Old Blue Light” and “The Blue Light Elder”
By Christopher D. Rucker, MD
Thomas J. Jackson, whose nom de guerre “Stonewall” came courtesy of General Bee at First Manassas,
arguably carried more nicknames than any other Civil War general officer. Most of them are selfexplanatory, and at least mildly unflattering. During his West Point years, Jackson isolated himself with a
single-minded pursuit of academics and a disinterest in his peers’ juvenile frivolity, prompting less
serious cadets to brand him “The General” and “Old Jack.” (Robertson, 1997, p. 34) His ten years at the
Virginia Military Institute proved him to be an unpopular professor with his students, who called him
“Fool Tom Jackson” for his clumsy teaching methods (Pollard, 1867, p. 182) and ridiculed him as “Square
Box” for his outsized footwear. (Stonewall Jackson at VMI) The name “Old Hickory” he shared with
President Andrew Jackson, presumably for his adoption of a rigid stick-like posture, never permitting his
spine to contact a chair’s back in the hope that it would maintain the alignment and health of his
internal organs. (Dabney, 1866, p. 37)
What is the origin of two of his most colorful nicknames: “Old Blue Light” and “The Blue Light Elder”? A
fanciful modern explanation, oft repeated without historical reference, is that his blue eyes flashed at
the prospect of battle. While Jackson’s eyes were definitely blue, (Robertson, p. 22) and his
contemporary biographers remarked upon their intensity of gaze, at no time did his peers claim an
ocular inspiration for these monikers of “Old Blue Light” and “The Blue Light Elder.” (Dabney, pp. 78,
189, 455)
Confederate sympathizer John Williamson Palmer, employed by the stridently Yankee New York Tribune
newspaper, composed a poem titled “Stonewall Jackson’s Way.” (Gaddy, 1988, p. 98) Written just after
the Battle of Antietam, and published as a song, (Palmer, 1862) these stanzas are of particular interest:
See him now, the old slouch’d hat Cock’d o’er his eye askew,
The shrew’dry smile, the speech so pat, so calm, so blunt, so true;
“The Blue Light Elder,” knows ‘em well_ says he that’s Banks he’s fond of shell,
Lord save his soul! We’ll give him __” well, that’s Stonewall Jackson’s way.
Silence! Ground arms! Kneel all! Caps off!
Old Blue Light’s going to pray
Strangle the fool that dares to scoff! Attention! _ ‘tis his way!
So, at least as early as the Autumn of 1862, Jackson was referred to as “The Blue Light Elder” and “Old
Blue Light.” By this time, Jackson’s military exploits were becoming legendary, and the previous scorn of
his VMI students had been replaced by his soldiers’ steadfast confidence in his leadership. Once mocked
for his appearance and demeanor, by this time his troops excused and defended his peculiarities, one of
which was his well-documented fervent religiosity. Jackson’s religious faith was expressed in regular
church worship, and in overt extemporaneous displays of his evangelical zeal, so that the Stonewall
Brigade became accustomed to his frequent public prayers (Dabney, p. 110). This outward manifestation
of his inner faith was the reason for Jackson’s nicknames of “Old Blue Light” and “The Blue Light Elder.”
The term “Blue light Presbyterian” was in use long before Jackson gained renown, as in this recollection
from 1842: “Not long since a Mr.___ stopped here. He was from my native town. He and my father are
members of the same Presbyterian church: but with this difference - the former is a blue light, the latter
a new light.” (anonymous, A Leaf From My Journal, 1842, p. 296). Long before Jackson achieved fame,
the Presbyterian church had experienced a schism. The two factions were familiarly called “old lights”
and “new lights,” and in time the “old” became “blue” in common use, perhaps simply because the
rhyme “blue lights and new lights” is more attractive in print and speech. “Blue” is a word long
associated with steadfastness and reliability, as in “true blue” to describe something “dyed in the wool.”
It has been speculated that “true blue” was popularized in the 17th century to describe staunchly
conservative Scottish Presbyterians, in contrast to the red color adopted by British royalists. (Ammer,
2002). The term was certainly in use well before Jackson’s time: in 1735 a Scottish author penned “A
Groan from A True Blue Presbyterian.” (anonymous, 1735)
Jackson’s contemporary biographers understood the religious origin of the “Blue Light” nickname,
stating that his extreme eccentricity of demeanor and earnest faith in Divine Providence branded him a
“blue-light Presbyterian.” (Sanders, 1887, p. 602). This label likely dated at least to his years at VMI,
(Pollard, 1867, p. 182), well before the establishment of his esteemed military reputation and any
interest in the color and character of his eyes. His soldiers and fellow commanders certainly knew the
reason for the nickname: speaking of Jackson, a former trooper stated that “I have before alluded to the
reprehensible practice of deception by this “blue light” Presbyterian.” (Robson, 1898, p. 104). Another
soldier clearly stated the connection between Jackson’s religion and his nickname: “His fearlessness was
the result of his faith in God, and he was almost a fatalist in his conception of Divine Providence, being
what we then termed a blue-light Presbyterian.” (unknown, 1911). Shamelessly punning, General Fitz
Lee “facetiously said that Hooker was in imminent peril when the “Blue-light Presbyterian” was praying
on his flank and rear.” (Brock, 1907)
It is important to separate myth from history. Jackson’s legend has often led to romanticizing his image,
but careful research should allow us to winnow the fanciful from the factual. He was “Old Blue Light”
and “The Blue Light Elder” to his men because he was an overt, unabashed, and uncompromising
Presbyterian, not because his eyes were blue. Had his eyes been brown or green, his nicknames would
have been the same.
Bibliography
Ammer, C. (2002). The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Houghton Mifflin. Retrieved June 11,
2015, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trueblue
anonymous. (1735). A Groan from A True Blue Presbyterian. Edinburgh, Scotland. Retrieved June 12,
2015, from Google Books internet search
anonymous. (1842, September 16). A Leaf From My Journal. Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate,
13. Retrieved 2015
Brock, R. (Ed.). (1907). The Career of General Jackson. Southern Historical Society Papers, 35.
Dabney, R. (1866). Life And Campaigns of Lieut- Gen. Thomas J. Jackson. New York: Blelock & Co.
Gaddy, D. W. (1988, Summer). John Williamson Palmer: Confederate Agent. Maryland Historical
Magazine Vol. 83, No. 2, p. 98.
Palmer, J. W. (1862). Stonewall Jackson's Way. Baltimore, MD: Miller & Beacham.
Pollard, E. A. (1867). Lee and His Lieutenants. New York: E.B. Treat & Co.
Robertson, J. I. (1997). Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend. New York: Simon &
Schuster Macmillan.
Robson, J. S. (1898). How a One-legged Rebel lives: Reminiscenses of the Civil War. Durham, NC: The
Educator Co.
Sanders, L. C. (1887). Celebrities of the Century vol. I (Vol. 1). London: Cassell & Co., Ltd.
Stonewall Jackson at VMI. (n.d.). Retrieved 2015, from www.vmi.edu: www.vmi.edu
unknown. (1911, May 25). A Reminiscence of Chancellorsville. The Christian Advocate, 86. Retrieved
2015
About the author: Christopher D. Rucker, MD of Boiling Springs, SC, is a long-time living historian and
artillery reenactor with Ferguson’s (SC) Artillery Company and The Cowpens Artillery. He has a
particular interest in obsolete pyrotechnics and signaling technologies. He welcomes comments at:
[email protected]