United States Army Lt. Col. D. Jonathan White has always enjoyed reading history books and learning about the past. But now, he’s getting a firsthand taste of what life was like for one of the Civil War’s most well known generals – Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.

Nearly a month ago, White began walking through Virginia’s Shenandoah

Valley, following the same 400-mile route that Jackson and his troops took during the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. The walk will end on June 9 in Port Republic, Va.

Decked out in Civil War-era attire, with a rifle over his shoulder and a knapsack on his back, White is following the route laid out in a diary by Charles Winder, commander of the Stonewall Brigade.