Lt. Gen. Jubal Early

Lt. Gen. Jubal Early

Jubal Anderson Early was a 19th‑century American lawyer, soldier, and Confederate general whose actions during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War and whose postwar writings shaped the Lost Cause of the Confederacy narrative. A native of Franklin County, Virginia and a graduate of Washington College, Early combined legal practice, political engagement with the Democratic Party, and military service under commanders such as Winfield Scott and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. His aggressive operations in the Valley Campaigns of 1864, advance on Washington, D.C. in July 1864, and later memoirs influenced contemporary leaders, journalists, and veterans aligned with figures like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee.

Early life and education

Born in Franklin County, Virginia, Early was reared in a family connected to the planter class and studied law under local practitioners before attending Washington College and later reading law in Lynchburg, Virginia. He was admitted to the bar and practiced alongside established Virginia attorneys while participating in community institutions such as the Virginia Bar Association and affiliating with the Democratic Party. Early’s antebellum civic role brought him into contact with contemporaries including John C. Calhoun, Thomas Jefferson Randolph, and regional leaders from Charlottesville, Virginia and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Military career

Early first saw active service with the United States Army during the Mexican–American War where he served under General Winfield Scott and interacted with officers including Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott Hancock. Returning to civilian life, he maintained militia ties with units from Virginia Militia structures and was active during tensions involving John Brown’s raid aftermath and the political crises of the 1850s involving leaders like Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. With the secession of Virginia in 1861, Early accepted a commission in the Confederate States Army and rose through commands linked with corps leaders such as James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, and A.P. Hill. He led brigades and divisions in campaigns that connected him to the strategic planning circles around Robert E. Lee at Army of Northern Virginia headquarters near Richmond, Virginia.

Role in the Civil War

During the Battle of Seven Pines and the Seven Days Battles Early’s units engaged alongside formations commanded by John Bell Hood and J.E.B. Stuart and were later present at Second Battle of Bull Run, where coordination with Stonewall Jackson’s forces shaped outcomes. Early commanded corps and conducted offensive maneuver warfare in the Valley Campaigns of 1864, opposing Union leaders such as Philip Sheridan, Ulysses S. Grant, and William T. Sherman. His July 1864 raid brought Confederate columns into contact with Washington, D.C. defenses at Fort Stevens and obliged President Abraham Lincoln and Secretary Edwin M. Stanton to respond, while figures like Oliver O. Howard and Horatio G. Wright organized defenses. Early’s operations also intersected with theaters involving George H. Thomas and campaigns around Petersburg, Virginia and Richmond, Virginia, and his tactics drew comment from contemporaries including Henry Heth and John S. Mosby. After suffering defeats and the collapse of Confederate strategic options, Early surrendered or dispersed elements as Confederate authority under Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee disintegrated.

Postwar life and Lost Cause advocacy

After the Confederacy’s collapse, Early fled to Mexico and later to Canada before returning to Winchester, Virginia and eventually settling near Richmond, Virginia, where he resumed legal practice and lecturing. He engaged with veteran networks such as the United Confederate Veterans and published memoirs, addresses, and essays that promoted the Lost Cause of the Confederacy interpretation, defending leaders like Robert E. Lee and criticizing Union figures including Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman. Early’s polemics intersected with journalists and editors at periodicals connected to Southern Historical Society and writers like Edward A. Pollard and influenced monuments and commemorative efforts tied to sculptors and committees in Richmond, Charlottesville, and other Southern municipalities. He testified in public debates alongside former officers such as John B. Gordon and historians including J. William Jones and spoke at reunions where veterans of Pickett’s Charge and the Army of Northern Virginia gathered.

Legacy and historiography

Early’s legacy is contested: nineteenth‑century supporters hailed him alongside figures such as Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and James Longstreet while critics pointed to his postwar vitriol toward Ulysses S. Grant and his role in perpetuating the Lost Cause of the Confederacy mythos alongside authors like J. William Jones and institutions like the Southern Historical Society. Modern historians including Gary W. Gallagher, James M. McPherson, Edmund L. Drago, and Alan T. Nolan assess Early’s tactical boldness during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 and his strategic limitations in the context of the Overland Campaign and the siege operations at Petersburg Campaign. Debates among scholars such as Drew Gilpin Faust, Eric Foner, William C. Davis, and Richard N. Current examine Early’s influence on Confederate memory, public monuments, and reconciliation politics in the eras of Reconstruction and the Jim Crow South. Archives holding Early papers, including repositories in Virginia Historical Society and Library of Congress, preserve correspondence with figures like Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and J.E.B. Stuart, which continue to inform research on Civil War command culture, Southern politics, and the memory of 19th‑century American conflicts.

Category:Confederate States Army generals Category:People from Virginia