The story below is an excerpt from our Sept./Oct. 2014 issue. For the rest of this story and more like it subscribe today, view our digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early was a cantankerous fellow who vehemently opposed secession, yet volunteered for the Confederate Army and was cited for bravery during his raid on Washington. Affectionately called “Bad Old Man” by General Robert E. Lee for his temper, Early fled to Texas after the surrender in Appomattox, hoping to join Confederate forces still holding out. He lived in Canada the next three years and remained an unreconstructed rebel, even after a presidential pardon.
Folks hoping to better understand Early can visit his newly opened homeplace, where he grew up on a 4,000-acre tobacco plantation in foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains near Rocky Mount. Early hid out here immediately after the Confederate surrender, disguised as a farmer, while Union soldiers scoured the countryside for him.
The 200-year-old home is open for visitors on weekends. Portraits and artifacts, such as the Early spittoon, give a glimpse of his life. The home also will be open during the Franklin County Civil War Days, September 5-7, for living history and a Sunday barbecue. To arrange weekday tours, email gvia@swva.net.
To make a Confederate general home place swing through southwest Virginia, visit the last homes of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee in Lexington or drive 90 minutes south to the homeplace estate of J.E.B. Stuart near Ararat, possibly sipping the local Stanburn wine named after Stuart’s war horse, Highfly.
