JENKINS-L Archives

From: jenkins <>
Subject: Gen. A.G. Jenkins, CSA
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 21:37:26 -0400

A while back, I thought that I remembered that someone was looking for
information on Gen. Jenkins of the Confederacy. I found this on a
hyperlink of Civil War biographies from the Virginia Civil War homepage.
It is on the server noted in the heading/body of the text.

"THE CIVIL WAR RIVER.

February 1st, 1997

THE BUMBLING JENKINS

DEAD POLITICIAN OF THE DAY

By

"Cookie"

Reb

Jenkins, Albert Gallatin (1830 - 1864) Born at Greenbottom Plantation
near Huntington, Virginia, now West Virginia. Member of United States
House of Representatives, 1858 - 1861. Reorganized Border Rangers, later
becoming Co. E, of 8th Virginia Cavalry.

As a Captain, he participated in the first skirmish in the Kanawha alley
at Scary Creek, July 17, 1861. After managing to control his run away
horse, he returned to the battle and called a retreat at Scary as the
Federals called a retreat.

In January, 1862, he was elected to the rank of Lt. Col. In August of
that year, he was appointed as Brig. Gen. in command of the 8th and 14th
Virginia Cavalry. In the spring of 1861, he led a raid of horseless
cavalrymen from Salem, Virginia, across the mountains over 200 miles to
Pt. Pleasant, Virginia. He was detained at Hurricane, Virginia, in a
useless 5 hour fire fight with the Federals. On March 30, he raided Pt.
Pleasant, which resulted in miserable failure.

In June, 1863, he was chosen to lead the Confederate vanguard into the
North. One of his notable accomplishments on the way to Gettysburg was
at Chambersburg. On June 15, he ordered him men on a midnight charge
through the streets. When some of the men's horses ran into a dug out
area for street repair, their horses fell and one of the men's pistols
discharged. The sound convinced Jenkins that a force of Union soldiers
was present. He was about to call a retreat when someone pointed it
out to him that it was merely a hole in the paving.

Finally making it to Gettysburg on late on July 1st, he discovered that
the fighting had finished for the day. On July 2nd, he was ordered to
the York Pike to relieve Smith's and Gordon's divisions.

Instead, he took his staff to Blotcher's Hill (Now Barlow's Knoll).
Apparently, disoriented or lo the fourth or fifth shot from Cemetery
Hill, he was wounded by a shell fragment. For some unknown reason, his
brigade never reached Smith's and Gordon's divisions, which left them
stranded for the better part of the day watching for the enemy and
unavailable to Ewell.

Jenkin's unusual career came to an end on May 9, 1864, when he was
wounded in the arm while attempting to rally his poorly placed troops at
the battle of Cloyd's Mountain/Dublin Depot, Virginia. Unable to make it
to his retreating troops, he was captured. His arm was amputated by a
Union surgeon, but complications set it, and he died May 21.

Perhaps he should have remained in politics.

Reb

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