James A. Walker
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's9th district
In office March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899
Preceded by	James W. Marshall
Succeeded by	William F. Rhea
13th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
In office January 1, 1878 – January 1, 1882
Governor	Frederick W. M. Holliday
Preceded by	Henry W. Thomas
Succeeded by	John F. Lewis
Member of theVirginia House of Delegates fromPulaski County
In office December 6, 1871 – January 1, 1874
Preceded by	William J. Wall
Succeeded by	John B. Alexander
Personal details
Born	James Alexander Walker (1832-08-27)August 27, 1832 Augusta County, Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 21, 1901(1901-10-21) (aged 69) Wytheville, Virginia, U.S.
Party	Republican (1893–1901) Democratic (before 1893)
Spouse	Sarah A. Poage (m.1858)
Children	6
Alma mater	Virginia Military Institute University of Virginia
Signature
Nickname	"Stonewall Jim"
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Brigadier General
Unit	4th Virginia Infantry
Commands	13th Virginia Infantry Stonewall Brigade Early`s Division
Battles/wars	American Civil War

James Alexander Walker (August 27, 1832 – October 21, 1901) was an American lawyer, politician, andConfederate general during theAmerican Civil War, later serving as aUnited States Congressman for two terms. He earned the nickname "Stonewall Jim" for his days as commander of the famedStonewall Brigade. Walker is the first graduate of theVirginia Military Institute (Class of 1852) to serve asLieutenant Governor of Virginia. He was expelled from the Institute weeks before graduation in 1852 amidst a bitter dispute with then-mathematics professorThomas Jackson, but was granted his degree in 1872 in recognition of his military service in theAmerican Civil War.

Walker was born nearMount Meridian inAugusta County, Virginia on August 27, 1832. He attended private schools as a youth and attended theVirginia Military Institute. In 1852, while in the class of Natural and Experimental Philosophy under then-MajorThomas Jackson, Cadet Walker perceived that Jackson was challenging his integrity. He therefore refused to follow a directive of Jackson to sit down and "stop talking" unless Jackson would also stop talking. Jackson excused Walker from class and charged him with disobeying an order. Cadet Walker, a cadet officer who would have graduated in only weeks, challenged Jackson to a duel to defend his honor. Walker was court-martialed and expelled from the Institute for insubordination to an officer.

Following his expulsion from VMI, Walkerstudied law at theUniversity of Virginia in 1854 and 1855, where he was a member ofPhi Kappa Psi fraternity, before being admitted to the Virginia state bar the following year. He established a successful law practice in Newbern inPulaski County. In 1858 he married Sarah A. Poage ofAugusta County, Virginia. The couple would have six children. He became an attorney for theCommonwealth in 1860.

With the outbreak of the Civil War and Virginia's eventualsecession, Walker entered the Confederate Army in April 1861 ascaptain of the "Pulaski Guards", which soon became Company C of the4th Virginia Infantry. In July 1861, he was promoted tolieutenant colonel and assigned to the13th Virginia Infantry. Walker was again promoted, this time tocolonel, in March 1862, leading his regiment in several actions. AtGaines Mill, he assumed brigade command after Brig. GenArnold Elzey was wounded. However, after only four days, Walker was replaced by the more experiencedJubal Early, who was just returning to action after a wound suffered at Williamsburg two months earlier. His regiment became a part of theSecond Corps under command of Lt. Gen. Thomas Jackson. During theMaryland Campaign Walker was acting as brigade commander for the woundedIsaac Trimble; but he was wounded himself at theBattle of Antietam. At theBattle of Fredericksburg he acted as brigade commander forJubal Early. General Jackson, on his deathbed after being shot by friendly fire at theBattle of Chancellorsville, requested that Walker be given command of theStonewall Brigade, which Jackson had formed and led first. Walker was promoted tobrigadier general and assigned to the Stonewall Brigade in May 1863.

He led it during theGettysburg campaign, where the brigade participated in the attacks onCulp's Hill. For his actions Walker was given the nickname "Stonewall Jim" by his troops. He was badly wounded at theBattle of Spotsylvania Court House in 1864 and sent home to recuperate. After the death of Brig. Gen.John Pegram during thePetersburg Campaign, Walker was assigned command of the division. He led it until the surrender atAppomattox.

When the war ended in 1865, Walker returned to his law practice and political career, being elected as aDemocrat to the House of Delegates of Virginia in 1871 and 1872. VMI granted him an honorary degree in 1872 in recognition of his Civil War service. Five years later, he was elected the 13thLieutenant Governor of Virginia, serving from 1878 to 1882 under GovernorFrederick W.M. Holliday.

In 1890, Walker was a charter member of TheVirginia Bar Association. In 1893, Walker switched allegiances and joined theRepublican Party. He was elected to theFifty-fourth andFifty-fifth Congresses, serving from 1895 until 1899. During his second term, Walker served as chairman of the Committee on Elections.

In 1898, Walker was defeated for re-election byWilliam F. Rhea. In the subsequent contest of that election, a shootout occurred at a deposition, and Walker was wounded. In 1900, Walker ran again against Rhea and lost. Walker's contest of the 1900 election was abated by his death in 1901.

Walker died inWytheville, Virginia on October 21, 1901; and was buried in the town's East End Cemetery. He was the great-grandfather ofM. Caldwell Butler.

Walker was the first of two Virginia Military Institute graduates to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Virginia; the second isRalph Northam, Class of 1981, who went on to serve as the 73rd Governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022.

• List of American politicians who switched parties in office
• List of American Civil War generals (Confederate)

• United States Congress."James A. Walker (id: W000056)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-13
• Caldwell, Willie Walker.Stonewall Jim: A Biography of General James A. Walker, C.S.A. Elliston, VA: Northcross House, 1990.ISBN 978-0-9617256-4-8.
• Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher,Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Evans, Clement A., ed.Confederate Military History: A Library of Confederate States History. 12 vols. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899.OCLC 833588.
• Sifakis, Stewart.Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988.ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959.ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.

• Media related toJames Alexander Walker (general) at Wikimedia Commons
• James A. Walker atFind a Grave

• 1832 births
• 1901 deaths
• Stonewall Brigade
• Confederate States Army brigadier generals
• Lieutenant governors of Virginia
• Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
• Virginia lawyers
• Virginia Democrats
• American duellists
• Virginia Military Institute alumni
• University of Virginia School of Law alumni
• People of Virginia in the American Civil War
• Republican Party United States representatives from Virginia
• People from Augusta County, Virginia
• 19th-century American lawyers
• County and city commonwealth's attorneys in Virginia
• 19th-century United States representatives
• 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Commons category link from Wikidata