John Williamson Palmer (1825 - 1906)

John Williamson Palmer (4 April 1825 - 26 February 1906) was an American poet, doctor, and journalist. After giving up his career as a physician, he traveled throughout Asia, which inspired his journalism. Most notably, he wrote the poem "Stonewall Jackson's Way" during the Civil War. Miller & Beacham, who published the song in 1862, stated that the song was found on the body of a Confederate sergeant after the First Battle of Winchester, May 25, 1862. It is possible this alternative origin story was concocted to prevent Palmer, from Baltimore, from being arrested as a Confederate sympathizer.