Barnard Bee

Barnard Bee. Barnard Elliott Bee Jr. was a career military officer and Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. He is most famously remembered for bestowing the enduring nickname "Stonewall" upon General Thomas J. Jackson during the First Battle of Bull Run. Bee was mortally wounded in that same engagement, becoming one of the first prominent general officers to die in the conflict.

Early life and education

Born in Charleston, South Carolina, around 1824, Bee was the son of Barnard E. Bee Sr., a prominent political figure who served as the Secretary of the Treasury under the Republic of Texas. The family moved to Texas in 1835, where his father was involved in the diplomatic affairs of the nascent republic. For his education, Bee was appointed to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1845. His classmates included future Civil War notables such as George B. McClellan and John Gibbon.

Military career

Commissioned into the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Bee served with distinction in the Mexican–American War. He fought under General Zachary Taylor at the Battle of Monterrey and later participated in the Battle of Buena Vista. Following the war, he was stationed on the American frontier, serving in various posts including Fort Snelling in Minnesota and in the New Mexico Territory. After South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, Bee resigned his United States Army commission. He was quickly appointed a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army and given command of a brigade in the Army of the Shenandoah.

Political career

Prior to his full-time military commitment, Bee was briefly involved in the political life of his adopted state. After his service in the Mexican–American War, he settled in Texas. In 1855, he was elected as a representative to the Texas House of Representatives from Bexar County. His political tenure was short-lived, as he soon returned to active military duty, accepting a commission in the United States Army again in 1855. His political experience, however, informed his understanding of the sectional tensions that would lead to the American Civil War.

Death and legacy

Bee's place in history was cemented on July 21, 1861, at the First Battle of Bull Run. During the chaotic fighting on Henry House Hill, with his own brigade faltering under Union pressure, Bee reportedly gestured toward General Thomas J. Jackson's steadfast Virginia brigade and shouted to his men, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall!" The exact meaning and context of the exclamation have been debated, but the nickname "Stonewall Jackson" became legendary. Bee was struck by artillery fire later that day and died of his wounds the following day in Manassas, Virginia. He was initially buried in the churchyard of Grace Episcopal Church in Charleston before being reinterred at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pendleton, South Carolina. A monument to Bee stands on the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

In popular culture

Bee's fateful utterance has been dramatized in numerous works about the American Civil War. He is a character in the 2003 film Gods and Generals, which depicts the First Battle of Bull Run. His legendary quote is frequently referenced or reenacted in documentary series such as those produced by the History Channel and Ken Burns's seminal documentary The Civil War. Bee also appears as a figure in several historical novels, including those by Jeff Shaara, and is a notable persona in many Civil War reenactments and wargame simulations.

Category:1820s births Category:1861 deaths Category:Confederate States Army brigadier generals Category:People of the American Civil War