General Jubal Early / SOLD

Original Carte De Visite Photogrpah of Confederate General Jubal Early / SOLD

Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a lawyer and Confederate general in the American Civil War.  He served in the Eastern Theater of the war for the entire conflict, as a division commander under Stonewall Jackson and Richard Stoddert Ewell, and in later actions commanded a corps.  He was the Confederate commander in key battles of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, including a daring raid to the outskirts of Washington, D.C.  The articles written by him for the Southern Historical Society in the 1870s established the Lost Cause point of view as a long-lasting literary and cultural phenomenon.

Early was a Whig and strongly opposed secession at the April 1861 Virginia convention.   However, he was soon roused by the actions of the Federal government when President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion.  He accepted a commission as a brigadier general in the Virginia Militia. He was sent to Lynchburg, Virginia, to raise three regiments and then commanded one of them, the 24th Virginia Infantry, as a colonel in the Confederate army.

Early was promoted to brigadier general after the First Battle of Bull Run (or First Manassas) in July 1861.  In that battle, he displayed valor at Blackburn's Ford and impressed General P.G.T. Beauregard.   He fought in most of the major battles in the Eastern Theater, including the Seven Days Battles, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and numerous battles in the Shenandoah Valley. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Early's Division occupied York, Pennsylvania, the largest Northern town to fall to the Rebels during the war.

Early was trusted and supported by Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia.  Lee affectionately called Early his "Bad Old Man", because of his short temper.  He appreciated Early's aggressive fighting and ability to command units independently.  Most of Early's soldiers referred to him as "Old Jube" or "Old Jubilee" with enthusiasm and affection.  His subordinate generals often felt little affection.  Early was an inveterate fault-finder and offered biting criticism of his subordinates at the least opportunity.  He was generally blind to his own mistakes and reacted fiercely to criticism or suggestions from below.

Early was wounded at Williamsburg in 1862, while leading a charge against staggering odds.

While in Maryland, Early demanded $300,000 from the residents of the city of Frederick, Maryland, who were unwelcoming towards the Confederates, threatening to raze their town if they did not. The city's residents paid the ransom and the city is now home to a Confederate army monument.

Inventory Number: CDV 157 / SOLD