Jubal Early

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Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician, and Confederate general. He was born in Franklin County, Virginia, into a prominent family and went to West Point, graduating in 1837. He served briefly in the U.S. Army, then left to study law and enter public life.

Early was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates as a Whig, serving from 1841 to 1842. He later served as Commonwealth’s attorney for Franklin and Floyd Counties. He fought in the Mexican-American War as a major with the 1st Virginia Volunteers. After the war, he practiced law and lived in various places. He had a relationship with Julia McNealey and acknowledged four children.

When the Civil War began, Early was initially skeptical about secession, but when Virginia joined the Confederacy he joined the Confederate Army. He rose quickly, commanding troops in the eastern theater and eventually leading a division and then a corps in the Army of Northern Virginia. His blunt, aggressive leadership earned him the nickname “Bad Old Man” from Robert E. Lee, and his soldiers called him “Old Jube” or “Old Jubilee.”

Early played major roles in many battles, including the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville campaigns, and he contributed to the Confederate efforts during the Gettysburg campaign. In 1864, he led Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley, conducting raids toward Washington, D.C., and into Pennsylvania. His raid into Pennsylvania included the burning of Chambersburg. After suffering heavy losses and facing growing doubts from other Confederate leaders, Lee reassigned and eventually relieved him in 1865. The Confederacy surrendered soon after.

After the war, Early fled to Mexico, then Cuba and Canada, before returning to the United States. He became a leading advocate of the Lost Cause, defending the Confederate cause. He helped found the Southern Historical Society and other memorial groups, and he wrote memoirs about the war. He also promoted white supremacy in his writings and speeches. Early died in Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1894 and was buried at Spring Hill Cemetery.