Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early

Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early

Jubal Anderson Early was a 19th‑century American soldier, lawyer, and Confederate general known for his aggressive commands during the American Civil War and his postwar role in promoting the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. A Virginia native and United States Military Academy alumnus, he served in the Mexican–American War, rose to prominence under generals such as Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee, and later became an influential apologist and author associated with figures like William Mahone and Zachariah Chandler's era opponents. Early’s reputation remains controversial due to his wartime actions, postwar advocacy, and political alliances with veterans' organizations like the United Confederate Veterans.

Early life and education

Early was born in rural Franklin County, Virginia near Fincastle, Virginia to a family tied to the First Families of Virginia and planter society linked to Thomas Jefferson’s cultural milieu. He attended local academies influenced by curricula similar to those at Washington College and won admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point. At West Point he overlapped with classmates connected to later figures such as George B. McClellan, George Pickett, and Winfield Scott Hancock, receiving training rooted in doctrine from Sylvanus Thayer and others who shaped antebellum professional officer education. After resigning his commission, Early read law and established a practice in Lexington, Virginia near institutions like Washington and Lee University and became active in regional Whig and later Democratic politics alongside leaders such as Henry A. Wise.

Military career

Early’s early military service included combat in the Mexican–American War as a volunteer aide and staff officer under commanders linked to Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor’s campaigns, where he encountered officers who later served on both sides of the Civil War. Returning to civilian life, he continued legal practice while maintaining militia connections with Virginia units similar to those commanded by George H. Steuart and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. With secession and the formation of Confederate forces, Early accepted a commission in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States and quickly advanced under the patronage of leaders such as Joseph E. Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard. His corps and division commands interacted operationally with formations under James Longstreet, Ambrose Powell Hill, and the cavalry operations of Jeb Stuart.

Role in the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, Early participated in major campaigns of the Army of Northern Virginia including the Seven Days Battles, Seven Pines, and the Gettysburg Campaign where his division fought against commands like Winfield S. Hancock and Oliver O. Howard. Elevated to corps and wing commands, he operated in theaters intersecting with the forces of Ulysses S. Grant and George G. Meade and later led an independent raid toward the Washington, D.C. defenses in 1864, contesting Philip Sheridan's operations in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 and engaging at the Battle of Monocacy and the Battle of Fort Stevens. Early’s controversial actions included aggressive rearward maneuvers that threatened the United States Capitol and forced responses from commanders such as Horatio G. Wright and Lew Wallace. At the Battle of Cedar Creek his forces initially routed troops under Horatio G. Wright before being counterattacked by Sheridan, producing a decisive Federal victory that intersected with broader strategic campaigns of William T. Sherman in the south and Grant’s Overland Campaign. Early’s command decisions were debated by contemporaries including Robert E. Lee and postwar historians such as J. Tracy Power and Douglas Southall Freeman.

Postwar activities and politics

After surrender in 1865 and brief exile to Mexico and Canada with other Confederates like Jefferson Davis’s associates, Early returned to Virginia where he resumed legal work and became an active voice in Confederate veterans’ networks such as the United Confederate Veterans and commemorative groups influenced by Jefferson Davis’s sympathizers. He authored memoirs and polemical essays defending Confederate strategy and leadership, criticizing figures like James Longstreet for postwar political realignments toward the Republican Party during Reconstruction. Early engaged with politicians including Alexander H. Stephens allies and opposed Reconstruction policies championed by leaders such as Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner, and he contributed to print dialogues with editors of periodicals associated with Southern Historical Society and proponents of Lost Cause of the Confederacy literature like Edward A. Pollard. His lectures and pamphlets influenced memorialization initiatives tied to monuments and cemeteries alongside contemporaries such as John B. Gordon.

Personal life and legacy

Early married into Virginia gentry and his family connections included ties to regional elites of Rockbridge County, Virginia and social circles overlapping with R. E. Lee’s acquaintances; his private correspondence engaged with writers like Edgar Allan Poe’s literary heirs and local clergy. He died in Richmond, Virginia in 1894 and was interred in cemeteries that became focal points for Confederate remembrance alongside graves of figures such as Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis. Early’s legacy is contested: historians from the 20th century such as Emory M. Thomas and Gary Gallagher have reassessed his military competence and ideological role, while public historians, preservationists at sites like Appomattox Court House National Historical Park and interpretive programs at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park continue to debate his place in American Civil War memory. His name appears in studies of Civil War command, Lost Cause historiography, and debates about public monuments associated with Confederate leaders.

Category:Confederate States Army generals Category:People from Virginia Category:1816 births Category:1894 deaths