William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones; The Life of a Cantankerous Confederate

Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2017. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Trade paperback. Format is approximately 7 inches by 10 inches. viii, 286 pages. Illustrations. Chapter Notes. Bibliography. Index. The author, who had a varied career that include Law Enforcement and Insurance, explored his inner writer and penned “William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones: The Life of a Cantankerous Confederate." This well researched and documented book chronicles a fellow Emory and Henry (and West Point) graduate from Southwest Virginia that has an ironic connection to his own Texas family. William Edmondson "Grumble" Jones (b. 1824) stands among the most notable Southwest Virginians to fight in the Civil War. The Washington County native graduated from Emory & Henry College and West Point. As a lieutenant in the "Old Army" between service in Oregon and Texas, he watched helplessly as his wife drowned during the wreck of the steamship Independence. He resigned his commission in 1857. Resuming his military career as a Confederate officer, he mentored the legendary John Singleton Mosby. His many battles included a clash with George Armstrong Custer near Gettysburg. An internal dispute with his commanding general, J.E.B. Stuart, resulted in Jones's court-martial conviction in 1863. Following a series of campaigns in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, he returned to the Shenandoah Valley and died in battle in 1864, leaving a heroic legacy. The Battle of Piedmont was fought June 5, 1864, in the village of Piedmont, Augusta County, Virginia. Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter engaged Confederates under Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones north of Piedmont. After severe fighting, Jones was killed and the Confederates were routed. Hunter occupied Staunton on June 6 and soon began to advance on Lynchburg, destroying military stores and public property in his wake. The Battle of Piedmont resulted from Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 initiative to keep U.S. forces on the offensive and prevent Confederates from shuttling troops from one region to another. In the Shenandoah Valley, Grant placed Maj. Gen. David Hunter in command of the United States Army of the Shenandoah on May 21. Hunter quickly regrouped his small army and ordered his troops to live off the bountiful farms of the Shenandoah Valley. He advanced up the Valley toward Staunton on May 26 against light opposition from the Confederates. Following New Market, only Brig. Gen. John D. Imboden's brigade and the Valley Reserves were left to confront Hunter. Hunter set his sights on Staunton, an important railroad and logistics center for the Confederacy. The quick Union advance upon the heels of their defeat at New Market caught the Confederates off guard. Closely engaged with the Army of the Potomac, Lee turned to Brig. Gen. William E. "Grumble" Jones, acting-commander of the Confederate Department of Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee for assistance, instructing him to open communications with Imboden. Jones soon went to the Shenandoah with roughly 4,000 infantry and dismounted cavalrymen. General Jones arrived at the Grattan House and assumed command of the hastily assembled Confederate Army of the Valley District. Imboden suggested that they move to Mowry's Hill in eastern Augusta to confront Hunter. According to Imboden, Jones agreed to march his infantry and dismounted cavalry to Mowry's Hill in Eastern Augusta where they would confront Hunter on June 5. Jones ordered Imboden to lead all of the mounted troops toward Mount Meridian, a few miles south of Port Republic on the Staunton or East Road. Jones added that Imboden was to delay Hunter's advance but instructed Imboden to avoid any serious confrontation when the Federals approached the next morning. Jones advanced a battalion of dismounted cavalry, convalescents, and detailed men several hundred yards in front of his left wing, backed by a section of horse artillery, and the Union advance was stopped. Jones deployed his two brigades of infantry (his left wing) along the edge of a woodlot that ran from the Staunton (or East) Road to the high bluffs of the Middle River that anchored his left flank. The Federals spotted the gap on the right flank of Jones's left wing, and Hunter ordered Thoburn's brigade to attack the vulnerable Confederate position. Thoburn quickly advanced and shattered the Southern flank. Jones attempted to retrieve the situation bringing up the Valley Reserves, who slowed Thoburn's advance but were unable to throw it back. Jones dashed up to a small group of rallying Confederates and then charged toward the oncoming Union infantry. A Union bullet struck him in the head, killing Jones instantly. Condition: Very good.

Keywords: Civil War, Battle of Piedmont, John Singleton Mosby, J.E.B. Stuart, Custer, Emory and Henry College, West Point, Migration, First Virginia Cavalry, Seventh Virginia Cavalry, Shenandoah Valley, Brandy Station, Gettysburg, Court-Martial, Stonewall Jack

ISBN: 9781476670768

[Book #80322]

Price: $65.00

See all items in Civil War, West Point
See all items by