Alfred E. Jackson
Encyclopedia
Alfred E. Jackson was a Confederate States Army
brigadier general during the American Civil War
. Before the war, he was a farmer, produce wholesaler, miller, manufacturer and transporter of goods by wagon and boat. After the war, he was a tenant farmer in Virginia
until he regained some of his property in Tennessee
.
. He attended Washington College (presumably Washington College Academy
, a predecessor of Tusculum College, both of which were founded by Samuel Doak
) and Greeneville College, now Tusculum College
. He became a farmer and merchant of produce and manufactured goods. He set up an extensive transportation network of wagons and boats to distribute his goods from North Carolina to the Mississippi River.
service as a major on September 11, 1861. Taking advantage of his experience, he served as quartermaster on the staff of Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer
until Zollicoffer was killed at the Battle of Mill Springs
Jackson then served as a paymaster at Knoxville, Tennessee
under the command of then Major General E. Kirby Smith. Jackson's original appointment as a brigadier general on October 29, 1862 was canceled. He was subsequently promoted to brigadier general on February 9, 1863.
After his promotion to brigadier general, Alfred Jackson was given command of a brigade in the Confederate Department of East Tennessee in April 1863. The brigade had both cavalry troopers and infantry soldiers and the men in the brigade were rotated in and out at various times. In May 1863, the brigade briefly was attached to the Army of Tennessee
. Jackson's brigade took part in several minor battles and skirmishes, pursued deserters, raided into eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia and fought Union loyalists and bushwackers. They captured the 100th Ohio Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Telford's Station, Tennessee.
Jackson's brigade was assigned to Major General Robert Ransom Jr's.
Division in the Confederate Trans-Allegheny Department
between October 1863 and February 1864, Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division in that department in February and March 1864, and Major General Simon Buckner's
division in that department in April and May 1864. General Braxton Bragg
criticized Jackson in a May 1864 report because his men were in "miserable order."
Jackson and his men spent most of the war fighting guerrilla actions and small battles in East Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, far southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina. They supported Brigadier General John S. Williams in his retreat after the Battle of Blue Springs
and helped guard the winter quarters of Lieutenant General
James Longstreet's
corps at Knoxville during their detachment to the western theater of the war. They also fought minor engagements with Union Army
Major General
Ambrose Burnside's
men along the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad.
Jackson and his brigade were ordered to assist in the defense of Saltville, Virginia
in the Confederate Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia
, successor to the Trans-Allegheny Department from September 30, 1864. Jackson was assigned to light staff duty under Major General John C. Breckenridge in the same department on November 23, 1864. Historian John Stanchak states that this implies the 57-year old Jackson was in poor health.
Andrew Johnson
granted Jackson a special pardon on November 16, 1865 because of kindness shown by Jackson to Johnson's family in East Tennessee during the war. Because of the pardon, Jackson gradually regained enough of his property to return to Jonesboro, Tennessee.
Alfred Eugene Jackson died October 30, 1889 at Jonesboro, Tennessee and is buried at Jonesborough.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
brigadier general during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Before the war, he was a farmer, produce wholesaler, miller, manufacturer and transporter of goods by wagon and boat. After the war, he was a tenant farmer in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
until he regained some of his property in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
Early life
Alfred Eugene Jackson was born on January 11, 1807 in Davidson County, TennesseeDavidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
. He attended Washington College (presumably Washington College Academy
Washington College Academy
Washington College Academy is a private Presbyterian-affiliated educational institution located in Limestone, Tennessee. Founded in 1780 by Doctor of Divinity Samuel Doak, the Academy for many years offered accredited college, junior college and college preparatory instruction to day and boarding...
, a predecessor of Tusculum College, both of which were founded by Samuel Doak
Samuel Doak
Samuel Doak was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator, a pioneer in the movement for the abolition of slavery.He was born in Augusta County, Virginia, graduated from Princeton in 1775, studied theology, and was licensed to preach in 1777. He then migrated to the Holston valley, where he...
) and Greeneville College, now Tusculum College
Tusculum College
Tusculum College is a coeducational private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church , with its main campus in Tusculum, Tennessee, United States, a suburb of Greeneville...
. He became a farmer and merchant of produce and manufactured goods. He set up an extensive transportation network of wagons and boats to distribute his goods from North Carolina to the Mississippi River.
American Civil War
Alfred E. Jackson began his Confederate States ArmyConfederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
service as a major on September 11, 1861. Taking advantage of his experience, he served as quartermaster on the staff of Brigadier General Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Zollicoffer
Felix Kirk Zollicoffer was a newspaperman, three-term United States Congressman from Tennessee, officer in the United States Army, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
until Zollicoffer was killed at the Battle of Mill Springs
Battle of Mill Springs
The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in Confederate terminology, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads in Union terminology, was fought in Wayne and Pulaski counties, near current Nancy, Kentucky, on January 19, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It...
Jackson then served as a paymaster at Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
under the command of then Major General E. Kirby Smith. Jackson's original appointment as a brigadier general on October 29, 1862 was canceled. He was subsequently promoted to brigadier general on February 9, 1863.
After his promotion to brigadier general, Alfred Jackson was given command of a brigade in the Confederate Department of East Tennessee in April 1863. The brigade had both cavalry troopers and infantry soldiers and the men in the brigade were rotated in and out at various times. In May 1863, the brigade briefly was attached to the Army of Tennessee
Army of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
. Jackson's brigade took part in several minor battles and skirmishes, pursued deserters, raided into eastern Kentucky and southwestern Virginia and fought Union loyalists and bushwackers. They captured the 100th Ohio Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Telford's Station, Tennessee.
Jackson's brigade was assigned to Major General Robert Ransom Jr's.
Robert Ransom, Jr.
Robert Ransom, Jr. was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. His brother Matt W. Ransom was also a Confederate general officer and U.S. Senator.-Early life:...
Division in the Confederate Trans-Allegheny Department
Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia
The Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia was a Confederate Army command in the Trans-Allegheny Theater during the American Civil War. This department existed in two previous forms during the war.-Department of Southwestern Virginia:...
between October 1863 and February 1864, Brigadier General Bushrod R. Johnson's Division in that department in February and March 1864, and Major General Simon Buckner's
Simon Bolivar Buckner, Sr.
Simon Bolivar Buckner fought in the United States Army in the Mexican–American War and in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He later served as the 30th Governor of Kentucky....
division in that department in April and May 1864. General Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
criticized Jackson in a May 1864 report because his men were in "miserable order."
Jackson and his men spent most of the war fighting guerrilla actions and small battles in East Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, far southwestern Virginia and western North Carolina. They supported Brigadier General John S. Williams in his retreat after the Battle of Blue Springs
Battle of Blue Springs
The Battle of Blue Springs was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on October 10, 1863, in Greene County, Tennessee.Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook an expedition into East Tennessee to clear the roads and passes to Virginia, and, if...
and helped guard the winter quarters of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
James Longstreet's
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
corps at Knoxville during their detachment to the western theater of the war. They also fought minor engagements with Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Ambrose Burnside's
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
men along the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad.
Jackson and his brigade were ordered to assist in the defense of Saltville, Virginia
Saltville, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,204 people, 909 households, and 660 families residing in the town. The population density was 273.7 people per square mile . There were 1,003 housing units at an average density of 124.5 per square mile...
in the Confederate Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia
Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia
The Department of East Tennessee and West Virginia was a Confederate Army command in the Trans-Allegheny Theater during the American Civil War. This department existed in two previous forms during the war.-Department of Southwestern Virginia:...
, successor to the Trans-Allegheny Department from September 30, 1864. Jackson was assigned to light staff duty under Major General John C. Breckenridge in the same department on November 23, 1864. Historian John Stanchak states that this implies the 57-year old Jackson was in poor health.
Aftermath
After the war, Jackson was impoverished and rented land in Washington County, Virginia, which he cultivated with his own hands. PresidentPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
granted Jackson a special pardon on November 16, 1865 because of kindness shown by Jackson to Johnson's family in East Tennessee during the war. Because of the pardon, Jackson gradually regained enough of his property to return to Jonesboro, Tennessee.
Alfred Eugene Jackson died October 30, 1889 at Jonesboro, Tennessee and is buried at Jonesborough.