Little Sorrel Stickpin, Stonewall Jackson’s Horse

Recently I was given the opportunity to acquire this neat piece of Southern history from Matt Hagan of www.museuminvestments.com.

Included with the stickpin is a newspaper article mentioning the stickpin and a tintype image of Benjamin Porter Gooch who enlisted 7-15-1861 in Princeton of Mercer County Virginia (currently West Virginia) as a private in I Co. 59th Virginia Infantry, eventually being promoted to Sargent in the 17th Virginia Calvary.

Benjamin Gooch, Stickpin & Newspaper Article
Benjamin Gooch, Stickpin & Newspaper Article

Born in Somers, Connecticut the foal would be sold to the U.S. Government to serve in its war effort. In 1861, he and a number of other Union horses landed in Confederate hands when Southern forces at Harper’s Ferry overtook their transport train.

Little Sorrel was a Morgan horse, fifteen hands tall, Jackson originally intending to give the horse to his wife, He paid the quartermaster $150 for the gelding, naming him “Fancy.” But after riding the horse, Jackson found the animal’s gait so pleasing he remarked, “A seat on him was like being rocked in a cradle.” Deciding to keep the horse for himself, it quickly became known as “Little Sorrel” once Jackson began using it as his regular mount.

Jackson rode his new horse into some of the most famous Civil War battles, including Sharpsburg and Fredericksburg, and it was Little Sorrel who carried Jackson on the fateful day in 1863 when friendly fire mortally wounded the General at Chancellorsville.

After Jackson’s death, Little Sorrel briefly lived with Jackson’s widow in North Carolina before moving to the Virginia Military Institute and then to the Confederate Soldiers Home at Richmond’s Robert E. Lee Camp.

Appearing frequently at county fairs and Confederate veteran’s reunions, Jackson’s old horse never failed to draw a crowd. VMI cadets often had to be called upon to stand guard in order to prevent onlookers from plucking hair from the horse’s mane and tail for souvenirs.

As Little Sorrel advanced in age, he couldn’t stand. But, the Confederate veterans fabricated a sling to support the gelding when he had visitors. It was this sling that broke which sent Little Sorrel tumbling to the ground where he broke his neck. Reports indicate there was a round the clock vigil in Little Sorrel’s stall until he took his last breath in 1886.

Little Sorrel’s body was given to a taxidermist who worked partially for money and partially for an agreed amount of the famous horse’s bones, which he eventually gave to a museum in Pittsburgh. Little Sorrel’s hide was stuffed and mounted in a simulacrum of life which can still be seen on display in the VMI Museum. However the story does not end there.

Little Sorrel
Little Sorrel

In 1997, the Daughters of the Confederacy, aghast at the thought of a Confederate animal’s bones being so far from its heroic skin, successfully lobbied to have the bones returned to VMI, where they could be spiritually reunited with their former flesh blanket. In honor of the horse’s service and legacy, they burnt Little Sorrel’s reclaimed skeleton to ashes and buried the remains in front of the “Stonewall” Jackson statue near the parade grounds.

War Horse Little Sorrel, Head Stone
War Horse Little Sorrel, Head Stone

Lost to time is how Benjamin Porter Gooch clipped portions of hair from Little Sorrel, but considering he was a Proud Southern Veteran and lived a short distance from the Virginia Military Institute it’s fair to say he had ample opportunity to get close enough to the Morgan to secure his souvenir.

He cherished the lock of braided hair so, that he had it mounted under glass in a solid gold pendant surrounded by 6 diamonds and 2 amethyst. It must have been a wonderful conversation piece and a souvenir any Southerner would have been proud to wear.

Apparently upon death Benjamin wills the stickpin to his son Carlos A. Gooch who in turn wills it to either his son Ben Gooch or his daughter Mrs. Harry “Gooch” May of Beckley West Virginia and then the story gets sketchy………but now I’m in possession of the stickpin and what a treasure it is. I’ve found two newspaper articles mentioning the Gooch family heirloom reaffirming the provenance.

If you have any questions about this item or any of the other items in my Arsenal feel free to contact me at civilwararsenal@yahoo.com attn: Gene West.

Thomas Jonathan ”Stonewall” Jackson

Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson born January 21, 1824, was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He graduated 17th of a class of 59 from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, in time to fight in the Mexican War (1846-48).

Jackson began his United States Army career as a Second Lieutenant in the 1st U.S. Artillery Regiment. He served at the Siege of Veracruz and the battles of Contreras,Chapultece , and Mexico City, eventually earning two brevet promotions, and the regular Army rank of First Lieutenant. It was in Mexico that Thomas Jackson first met Robert E. Lee.

In the spring of 1851, Jackson accepted a newly created teaching position at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), in Lexington Virginia. He became Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy and Instructor of Artillery. Parts of Jackson’s curriculum are still taught at VMI, regarded as timeless military essentials: discipline, mobility, assessing the enemy’s strength and intentions while attempting to conceal your own, and the efficiency of artillery combined with an infantry assault.

After his home state of Virginia seceded from the Union in 1861, Jackson joined the Confederate army and quickly forged his reputation for fearlessness and tenacity during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign.

Jackson served only briefly as a colonel before receiving a promotion to brigadier general under General Joseph E. Johnston. Jackson earned his nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as Manassas) in July 1861 when he rushed his troops forward to close a gap in the line against a determined Union attack. Upon observing Jackson, one of his fellow generals reportedly said, “Look, men, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall!”–a comment that spawned Jackson’s nickname. Jackson was commissioned a major general in October 1861.

By October 1862, Jackson was a lieutenant general and led a significant portion of Lee’s army. His widely publicized exploits had elevated him to legendary status among Southern soldiers and citizens alike. Jackson’s bravery and success inspired devotion from his soldiers, but to his officers, he was known as overly secretive and difficult to please. He frequently punished his officers for relatively minor violations of military discipline and rarely discussed his plans with them. Rather, they were expected to obey his orders without question.

Lee and Jackson’s most famous victory took place at the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia in May 1863. Facing a numerically superior Union force of 130,000 men to 60,000 of their own, Lee and Jackson devised and executed a plan to rout the army of Union General Joseph Hooker.

Historians call this battle one of Lee’s finest moments as a Confederate general, and his success owed much to Jackson’s participation. On May 2, Jackson stealthily and quickly took 28,000 troops on an approximately 15-mile forced march (Jackson’s Flank March) to Hooker’s exposed flank while Lee engaged in diversionary attacks on his front. Jackson’s attack on the Union right inflicted massive casualties on the superior force, and Hooker was forced to withdraw only days later.

But the victory was not without cost. Jackson’s brutal attack ended at sunset, when he took some men into the Wilderness to scout ahead. Troops from the 18th North Carolina regiment mistook them for enemy cavalry and opened fire, shooting Jackson 3 times, twice in the left arm and once in the right hand. Several of his Staff were killed, in addition to many horses. Darkness and confusion prevented Jackson from getting immediate care. He was dropped from the stretcher several times while being evacuated. He was taken from the field and General J. E. B. Stuart took over his command. Dr. Hunter McGuire determined that a bullet had shattered the bone just below his left shoulder, and quickly amputated Jackson’s left arm he was then moved to Thomas Chandlers Plantation.

Jackson appeared to be healing from his wounds, but he died in the plantation office building in Guinea Station, Virginia from pneumonia on May 10, 1863 at the age of 39. Lee dispatched a letter, writing, “Could I have directed events, I would have chosen for the good of the country to be disabled in your stead.” Southerners mourned the death of their war hero, while Lee faced fighting the war without a highly valued general and comrade.

His body was moved to the Governor’s Mansion in Richmond Virginia for the public to mourn, and then he was moved to be buried in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery, Lexington, Virginia. However, the arm that was amputated on May 2nd was buried separately by Jackson’s Chaplin at the Horace Lacy House,’’ Ellwood” in the Wilderness near the field hospital.