WASHINGTON — Blame it on the moon. Two astronomical researchers are. Texas State University researchers Don Olson and researcher Laurie Jasinski have published an article in “Sky and Telescope” magazine that says a full moon may have been responsible for the accidental death of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Jackson was mortally wounded by Confederate troops as he returned from a scouting patrol during the Battle of Chancellorsville 150 years ago Thursday. Combining lunar data, maps of the Virginia battlefield and historical accounts, the two researchers says the full moon was at just the right angle to blind soldiers of the 18th North Carolina Infantry Regiment, who fired on a group of soldiers on horses, who turned out to be Jackson’s scouting party. Jackson was the key element of Chancellorsville, which is regarded as the Confederate Army’s greatest victory in the Civil War. Despite his odd habits – he refused to fight on Sundays, he held his hand high in the air during battles and he sucked raw lemons, Jackson was regarded one of the best Confederate Generals.
Updated 5/6/13 @ 7:54 pm
