CSA Bios: Kelly, Jordan

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. John H. Kelly (b. 1840, d. 1864) The brief, but shining star of John Herbert Kelly flamed out Sept. 2, 1864, when he was mortally wounded in a clash with Federal troops near Franklin, Tennessee. Kelly was the youngest general officer in the Confederate Army when he received his promotion to brigadier general Nov. 16, 1863, aged just over 23 1/2 years old. Kelly was born in Carrollton in Pickens County, Alabama, March 31, 1840. Orphaned at the age of six, he was brought up by his maternal grandmother in Pineapple, Alabama. He received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy in 1857, but left West Point Dec. 29, 1861. Going south, he received an immediate commission as a second lieutenant of artillery in the Regular Confederate Army. One of his earliest assignments was on the staff of Gen. Hardee with the rank of captain. On Sept. 23, 1861, he received a promotion and transfer to the 14th Arkansas. He led the Ninth Arkansas Battalion at Shiloh and earned promotion to colonel for his gallantry. He led the Eighth Arkansas through battles at Perryville and Murfreesboro. At Chickamauga, he led a brigade in Buckner’s Division, earning endorsement for promotion to general. He received that promotion to rank from Nov. 16, 1863. He commanded a division of cavalry in Wheeler’s Corps during the Atlanta Campaign and played a role in Wheeler’s raid on Federal communications in the late summer of 1864. Kelly was wounded on a raid at Franklin, Tennessee, and left in the care of the family of William H. Harrison five miles south of town. He died there a couple of days later, likely Sept. 4. Buried in the yard of the Harrison home, his remains were later moved to Mobile, Alabama.

Brig. Gen. Thomas Jordan (b. 1819, d. 1895) Thomas Jordan was a frequent contributor to “Battles and Leaders of the Civil War” in his later years. And Jordan had some stories to tell. He led Confederate troops and later was the leader of a band of Cuban revolutionaries. In 1870, the Spanish government went so far as to place a $100,000 bounty on Jordan’s head. Jordan was born in Luray, Virginia, Sept. 30, 1819. He attended the U.S. Military Academy, where his roommate was William T. Sherman. He was an 1840 graduate of West Point. Jordan fought the Seminole Indians and served in the Mexican War. When the Civil War approached, Jordan resigned his commission as captain and assistant quartermaster May 21, 1861. Compared to Jordan’s earlier war service and his later exploits in Cuba, his Confederate service was rather boring as he served in staff capacity. At First Manassas, he was adjutant general of the army under Gen. Beauregard. He was assistant adjutant general under Gen. A.S. Johnston at Shiloh. After Johnston was killed, he returned to Beauregard’s staff. For gallantry at Shiloh, Jordan received promotion to brigadier general to rank from April 14, 1862. In July of 1862, Jordan was Braxton Bragg’s chief of staff. During the siege of Charleston, Jordan was back with Beauregard. During the final months of the war, he commanded the Third Military District of South Carolina. A capable writer, Jordan became editor of the Memphis Appeal in 1866. In 1869, he took up the cause of Cuban freedom and went to the island, becoming chief of staff of the revolutionary force. He later commanded the troops, bringing the bounty on his head. When the movement collapsed, Jordan came home and went back to literary pursuits. He founded and edited the Financial and Mining Record of New York, a publication devoted to free silver. He died Nov. 27, 1895, and was buried near Hastings-on-Hudson.

Next: Keeping Up with the CSA Joneses! (BTW, are any of them done already, Gil?)

[Battleline]

My research shows only "Neighbor" Jones has been done. I'll work on the rest.

[wzh55]

Bill "Battleline" Battle:

Howdy! Quick question: where do you get your info for the bio's from?

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: Battleline

My research shows only "Neighbor" Jones has been done. I'll work on the rest.

Correct. And thanks for the new bios.

[Battleline]

Bill,
My main sources are:
Ezra Warner's "Generals in Gray"
Ezra Warner's "Generals in Blue"
Both are good starting points for bios. You'll find most of the major information on their lives. It does happen to be a little short about what happened during specific battles though.

"Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War" edited by Patricia L. Faust
I've had this in my library for some time. It has a lot of the battle-type information that Warner tends to leave out. A lot of times, I can find details on items Warner leaves a bit murky.

"Encyclopedia of the American Civil War" edited by David and Jeanne Heidler. Often referred to as "Heidler's," this new work is huge and has some extra details and the latest research. Unfortunately, it doesn't have everyone. Those mentioned in the work are treated very well.

www.civilwarhome.com
A lot of the official records, orders of battle, etc., are on this site. If I want to beef up a bio with units commanded, regiments in a brigade, brigades in a division, etc., this is pretty good.

Of the books, Warner's works can be found at major chains. I believe I bought mine at Borders. Heidler's is the most expensive (and heaviest) but can be found in stores or at amazon.com as well.

I don't know where the Historical Times work can be found any more. There should be similar works on the shelves, though.

I hope that helps you,
Thanks,
Battleline

[Gil R.]

I'd add that one should always Google and look at the non-Wikipedia web (in addition, of course, to Wikipedia, which is often very useful (but also has some errors!). Many generals, even the more obscure ones, are the subject of fascinating write-ups by groups that have some sort of link to them, such as reenactors. Also, many state historical societies have sites devoted to major Civil War figures from their states. Sites like the ones I mention tend to be highly reliable, I find.

[jkBluesman]

Fascinating to read and very useful for quotes and general's ratings are Edward Porter Alexander's "Fighting for the Confederacy" for the Army of Northern Virginia and Charles Wainwrights's "Diary of a Battle" for the Army of the Potomac. Not to forget that there is a bunch of good bios out there though they are mostly about the better known generals and are of course pretty detailed. Well-known auhtors are e.g. Craig L. Symonds and Jeffry D. Wert.

[wzh55]

I found a couple of other books at the library that seem very helpful to me.

"Who Was Who in theCivil War" by Stewart Sifakis

and

"The Generals of Gettysburg: The Leaders of America's Greatest Battle" by Larry Tagg


Has anyone heard of these pubs and are they reliable to use?