So through the years, even though I was not a fan of the Confederacy, because of the slavery issue, I have been more fascinated and interested in its generals than those of the north. Most of the biographies that I have read about Civil War generals have been about Confederate Generals, like Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, JEB Stuart and the General whose birthday it is today Jubal Anderson Early who would have been 198 years young today, if not for climate change after Noah’s Flood (Pat Robertson: People Don’t Live To Be 950 Anymore Because Of Climate Change. Right! Anyway, Early served first under Stonewall Jackson and then Robert E Lee. He rose from regimental command to lieutenant-general and the command of an infantry corps in the Army of Northern Virginia From me the most interesting event in the War that Early took part in was in the summer and fall of 1864 in the Valley Campaigns….. from Wikipedia:
….when he commanded the Confederacy’s last invasion of the North. As Confederate territory was rapidly being captured by the Union armies of Grant and Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, Lee sent Early’s corps to sweep Union forces from the Shenandoah Valley and to menace Washington, D.C., hoping to compel Grant to dilute his forces against Lee around Richmond and Petersburg, Virginia. Early delayed his march for several days in a futile attempt to capture a small force under Franz Sigel at Maryland Heights near Harpers Ferry.[5] He rested his men from July 4 through July 6.[6] Although elements of his army would eventually reach the outskirts of Washington at a time when it was largely undefended, his delay at Maryland Heights prevented him from being able to attack the capital. During the time of Early’s Maryland Heights campaign, Grant sent two VI Corps divisions from the Army of the Potomac to reinforce Union Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace. With 5,800 men, he delayed Early for an entire day at the Battle of Monocacy, allowing more Union troops to arrive in Washington and strengthen its defenses. Early’s invasion caused considerable panic in Washington and Baltimore, and he was able to get to the outskirts of Washington. He sent some cavalry under Brig. Gen. John McCausland to the west side of Washington. Knowing that he did not have sufficient strength to capture the city, Early led skirmishes at Fort Stevens and Fort DeRussy. The opposing forces also had artillery duels on July 11 and July 12. Abraham Lincoln watched the fighting on both days from the parapet at Fort Stevens, his lanky frame a clear target for hostile military fire. After Early withdrew, he said to one of his officers, “Major, we haven’t taken Washington, but we scared Abe Lincoln like hell. Read More;
And yes, Lew Wallace is the author that Charlton Heston can thank for the book and subsequent movie Ben-Hur A Tale of Christ….
Lewis “Lew” Wallace (April 10, 1827 – February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is best known for his historical adventure story, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880), a bestselling that has been called “the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century! Read More
So Happy Birthday to Jubal Early and a big thank you to Lew Wallace, for thwarting his plans!!