William Edmondson Jones ( William Edmondson Jones ), also known as Grumble Jones ( May 3, 1824 - June 5, 1864 ) - American planter, staff officer of the American army and cavalry general of the Confederate army during the Civil War . He died in the battle of Piedmont.
| William Edmondson Jones | |
|---|---|
| English William Edmondson Jones | |
 William Jones in 1862 | |
| Nickname | Grumbler |
| Date of Birth | May 3, 1824 |
| Place of Birth | Washington County, ( Virginia ), USA |
| Date of death | June 5, 1864 (aged 40) |
| Place of death | Augusta County, Virginia |
| Affiliation |  KSA (KSA) |
| Type of army | cavalry |
| Years of service | 1861-1864 (KSA) |
| Rank | Brigadier General (KSA) |
| Battles / wars | U.S. Civil War
|
Content
The early years
Jones was born in Washington County, Virginia. In 1844, he graduated from Virginia “College of Emory and Henry” and in 1848 he graduated from West Point Military Academy with the 12th of 48 cadets [1] . He was determined in the interim rank of second lieutenant in the regular army. For some time he fought with the Indians in the west, and in 1857 he retired from the army and became a farmer. His nickname "Grumbler" reflected his irritable character, which was further complicated after his wife died during the shipwreck, shortly after their wedding.
Civil War
At the beginning of the war, Jones joined the 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment with the rank of captain and began to command the company, which he independently recruited and in which he then served as an ordinary John Mosby . On May 9, he received the rank of Major of the Virginia Army, and a month later the regiment was included in the Confederate army. In July 1861, Jones took part in the first battle of Bull Run , where the regiment was commanded by Jeb Stewart . A month later, the cavalry was reorganized, Stuart led the brigade, in Jones received the rank of colonel and became commander of the 1st Virginia Regiment.
At the end of 1861, the army underwent a reorganization, during which ordinary soldiers re-elected their officers. Jones was not re-elected commander of the 1st Virginia, and instead he was transferred to the 7th Virginia Cavalry Regiment. He served with this regiment in West Virginia, and in March 1862 he began to command the entire cavalry in the district of the Shenandoah Valley (the so-called "Valley District").
During a campaign on the peninsula, Jones participated in a Stuart raid around McClellan’s army , then participated in the North Virginia campaign and was wounded on August 2 at Orange Courthouse. September 19, 1862 he received the rank of brigadier general. In October 1862, Stuart drew him to participate in the Chambersberg raid , and on November 8 began to command the 4th brigade in the Stuart cavalry division.
In the spring of 1863, Jones and General John Imboden raided the Baltimore-Ohio railway line , west of Cumberland. Returning from the raid, they connected with other Stuart brigades in time for the start of the battle at Brandy Station . The Jones brigade joined the battle one of the first to fall under the blow of the federal division of John Buford .
During the Gettysburg Campaign, Jones and Robertson brigades defended the aisles leading to the Shenandoah Valley . On June 24, 1863, before going into the raid on the enemy’s rear, Stewart assigned three brigades for the raid, leaving only the Jones and Robertson cavalry brigades with the army. Longstreet wanted Stewart to leave someone more experienced, like Hampton , in his place, but Stewart refused - mainly because of his difficult relationship with Johnson. Johnson was entrusted with the general command of the two teams, but Robertson was superior to him in rank, which somewhat complicated the situation.
When the North Virginia Army launched an invasion of Pennsylvania on June 25, the Robertson and Jones brigades were in the rear guard, and the right flank was open, although it was Jones and Robertson who were now responsible for covering the army. They were unable to provide reconnaissance and detect the displacement of the Potomac Army, and as a result, when General Lee found out about the enemy’s advance on June 28, the Jones and Robertson brigades were far behind in the rear without contact with headquarters. They were ordered to urgently join the army, as a result, only on July 1, Jones crossed the Potomac River with Williamsport, leaving one regiment to guard the crossing and monitor the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry. On July 3, Lee instructed Jones to guard the Hagerstown Road, which led to the Battle of Fairfield , where the Jones brigade defeated the 6th Regiment of the US Cavalry, capturing Major Starr, the commander of this regiment. During the retreat of the army from Gettysburg, Jones cavalrymen conducted rearguard battles, in particular, participated in the battle in the Monterrey Gorge .
In October, Jones' conflicts with Stuart led to the fact that Stuart put him under tribunal for insults. The tribunal found him guilty, but General Lee intervened personally and the case ended up with Jones being transferred to the Trans Allen Department in West Virginia. There, Jones recruited a cavalry brigade and with it took part in the fighting in eastern Tennessee in the winter and spring of 1864. In May, he took command of units of the Confederation in the Shenandoah Valley and fought with units of Federal General David Hunter during the latter's offensive on Lynchburg. June 5, 1864 in the battle of Piedmont, he led the attack and was killed on the spot by a bullet in the head.
Jones is buried in the Presbyterian cemetery of Old Glade Spring Church in Glade Spring, Virginia.
Notes
- ↑ It is often mentioned that he was a classmate of John Beauford, although Beauford only entered in 1848.
Literature
- James Buchanan Ballard, William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones: The Life of a Cantankerous Confederate. McFarland, 2017. P. 294 ISBN 1476670765