John Marshall Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1820-07-20)July 20, 1820 Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | May 5, 1864(1864-05-05) (aged 43) Spotsylvania County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Place of burial | Maplewood Cemetery Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance | |
| Service |  United States Army Confederate States Army |
| Years of service |
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| Rank | |
| Unit | 7th U.S. Infantry |
| Commands | Jones' Brigade |
| Battles / wars | |
John Marshall Jones (July 20, 1820 – May 5, 1864) was abrigadier general in theConfederate States Army during theAmerican Civil War. He fought at theBattle of Gettysburg and was killed in action at theBattle of the Wilderness.
Jones was born inCharlottesville, Virginia. AtWest Point, he was nicknamed "Rum" Jones for his fondness for alcohol. He graduated in 1841, ranking 39th in a class of 52. Nineteen of his classmates would become Civil War generals, includingJohn F. Reynolds,Nathaniel Lyon,Robert S. Garnett,Richard B. Garnett,Amiel W. Whipple, andIsrael B. Richardson, all of whom would also die in combat.
Assigned as asecond lieutenant to the7th Infantry, he was onfrontier duty before returning to the U.S. Military Academy in 1845 as an assistant instructor of infantry tactics, serving until 1852. From 1854 until 1855, he served on a board commissioned to reviserifle andlight artillery military tactics, and received a promotion tocaptain on March 3, 1855. Jones performed garrison duty at various forts across the country for a short period before participating in theUtah War from 1858 until 1860.
With the outbreak of the Civil War andVirginia'ssecession, Jones resigned his commission in theUnited States Army on May 27, 1861, to enter the Confederate service as a captain of artillery. He was appointed acolonel of infantry and served in what became theArmy of Northern Virginia. He participated as a staff officer inStonewall Jackson'sShenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862,Front Royal, theSeven Days Battles, theSecond Battle of Bull Run,Fredericksburg, andChancellorsville. In May, Jones was promoted tobrigadier general inEdward "Allegheny" Johnson'sdivision to replaceJohn R. Jones (not related). During Johnson's assault onCulp's Hill atGettysburg, Jones suffered a severe wound to his thigh that put him out of action. Some sources say that it was a head wound, but in his official report, Jones cites extreme hemorrhaging of his thigh. In August,Robert E. Lee called Jones "a good commander" when he assigned him to lead the brigade vacated byWilliam "Extra Billy" Smith, who had returned to Virginia as governor. In November he returned to command of his old brigade, replacingBradley T. Johnson. He was wounded again during the subsequentMine Run Campaign.
In the early days of theOverland Campaign of 1864, Jones was killed at theWilderness while attempting to rally his wavering men. His brigade had taken a position on the south side of the Orange Turnpike. Shortly before 1:00 p.m., it was hit hard by Brig. GeneralJoseph J. Bartlett'sV Corps brigade, which began pushing back the Confederates, many in disorder. Jones and hisaide-de-camp Robert Early were killed while desperately trying to restore order. Jones's body was eventually returned home and buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Charlottesville.[1]
Lt. Gen.Richard S. Ewell wrote of Jones's death in his official report on the Wilderness, "I considered his loss an irreparable one to his brigade."
Jones's sister was married to famed Confederate generalA.P. Hill's older brother Thomas.
