I need help creating a thesis and an outline on General Stonewall Jackson: The Unpredictable Force. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is req

I need help creating a thesis and an outline on General Stonewall Jackson: The Unpredictable Force. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required. General Thomas J Jackson was the most cunning and terrifying leader in the Civil War and has emerged as one of history's most respected field commanders. His tactics in the critical Shenandoah Valley during the Spring of 1862 were able to route the Union forces, while significantly outgunned, outnumbered, and outmanned. The Shenandoah Valley was strategically important to both the North and South, as it controlled access to vital supply and transportation lines. Jackson, the embodiment of courage and inspiration, was a master of deception and surprise and was able to forestall a Union victory by his actions during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862.

Thomas J Jackson was born in Clarksville Virginia in 1824 and stayed there through his childhood getting to know the territory, terrain, and people. His father died when Jackson was two years old and his mother passed away when he was ten. Jackson spent nearly his entire childhood living with other family members amid financial instability and poverty. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1842 and graduated in 1846 "standing 17th out of 59 graduates".1 During the period of 1846-1851 Jackson served in the US Army and as a young officer, he fought in the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848. Jackson's training and experience would later make him a valuable asset to the Confederate forces.

Jackson resigned from the US Army to take a position at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia in 1851 where he remained until the Civil War broke out. At VMI he taught philosophy and courses relating to "physics, astronomy, acoustics, optics, and other scientific courses".2 In 1856 Jackson spent time in Europe before returning to teach at VMI. He was called to service by the Confederacy on Apr 21, 1861, when the "VMI Corps of Cadets was ordered to Richmond to serve as drillmasters for new army recruits. Jackson was placed in command of the cadets".3 In July 1861, Jackson would see action at the South's victory in the First Battle of Manassas, where Jackson acquired the nickname "Stonewall".