Augusta County: "The Life Hotchkiss. Stonewall Jackson Camp Places on Record a Splendid Paper," by Thomas D. Ranson, John N. Opie, Carter Berkley, March 9, 1899
Summary: This is a glowing biography of Major Hotchkiss.
At a recent meeting of Stonewall Jackson Camp Confederate Veterans the following admirable paper on the life of the late Major Hotchkiss, was adopted and ordered spread upon the minutes.
Comrade Jed Hotchkiss has gone to join the silent majority. Many resolutions, adoped by other bodies with which he was identified, have told the story of his well spent life. For right well had our friend rounded out the measure of his three score years and ten.
In adding its tribute to his memory this camp has mainly to do with his valuable military service, his loyalty of devotion, unshaken by defeat, to the cause and the people of the Confederate States, his strong attachment to the camp, of which he may well be called the founder, his untiring zeal for its advancement, his fidelity of comradeship in our personal intercourse, and his sturdy vindication, always and everywhere, of the truth and principles which animated the Southern volunteer soldier in the mighty struggle of 1861 65.
Hotchkiss is gone from us, but his work lives after him. It was for others rather than himself. What he has done for Virginia cannot be told in resolutions. Nor can we do justice to the man in a few passing sentences.
The multitude attending the beautiful and touching service, which fitly closed his well spent life, bore testimony that the community mourned his loss as a citizen. It was a loss as well to his country and his generation, for he was a greater man than we recognized him to be when he walked among us, and the future will better judge him. In war and in peace few men of his day have done more work or better to the purpose. He was the very genius of labor and impersonation of energy. A student of books always, a toiler by night and by day, he was also a student of nature, of men and affairs and equally at home in many provinces of science. Able as he was he took all truth for his province. His mind was a treasure house of information, and in his special field of engineering, he was an accomplished scholar, historian, public speaker, writer and teacher. And familiar as he was with the processes and the mighty forces of nature, all such knowledge served with him to confirm his faith in his religion. He was "a faithful soldier and servant of Christ unto his life's end," and as men serve here and go hence, we believe he has gone to his reward.
As we followed him to his resting place in Thornrose Cemetery, which he had done so much to beautify, we felt that every member of this camp had lost a friend in him, "by his adoption tried." His interest in and fidelity to this organization was only the expression of his unfailing faith in the principles for which we took the field in 1861. With him it was the conviction born of intelligent study of the conditions in the South, from the standpoint of an unbiased Northern man. In none but a righteous cause could one with his antecedents and environments have become so pronounced in his opinions. Self reliant as his great leader himself, frank, open, decided in every conviction, every inch a man, he stood an argument, and an intelligent argument, for the justice of the Southern cause, ready at all times and in all places to give a reason for the faith that was in him, and presenting, as occasion offered, in the centres of education and influence throughout the North, and before leading men and learned societies abroad, (for his reputation was more than national), the facts about this section as we know them and would have them known. And for this he had exceptional opportunities as a lecturer before scientific bodies and institutions of learning, and as a prominent member of the American Society, (founded by Benjamin Franklin), of the Scotch-Irish Society, of the Southern Historical Society, of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, of the Society or Mining Engineers, of the Geographical and Geological Societies, as Commissioner at the Columbian Exposition and that at New Orleans, &c.
Being one of the charter members of this camy, it happened that the army record of Comrade Hotchkiss is not on file. It is, however, sufficiently well known to be stated as follows:
The commencement of hostilities in 1861 found him a resident of Augusta county, conducting the Loch Willow School near Churchville, one of the two high schools for young men founded by him, the other being known as Mossy Creek Academy. He had devoted himself to this work upon coming to Virginia twelve years previously from native State, New York, and with marked success. He was of an old English family, first settled at New Haven, Conn., about 1641, and of Revolutionary stock, Captain Gideon Hotchkiss, his ancestor, having served in the French war as well as in the Continental Line.
In the fourteen companies which took the field from this county prior to the close of his session (last of June) were many of his pupils, his assistant, Oswald Grinnan, taking command of one. And no sooner had its termination freed him from this duty than he hastened to the front, taking with him his outfit for surveying and map making, and riding 120 miles to join Gen. Garnett, then opposing Gen. McClellan at Laurel Hill, a region with the topography of which, as indeed of Virginia generally, he had familiarized himself. And he proved himself a friend in need. In the record of the Field and Staff Officers of the Confederate States Army he is mentioned as engineer to Lt. Col. J. M. Heck, July 14, 1861; CaptE. O. to Lt. Gen. R. S. Ewell, July, 1863; Capt.Top. Eng. 2nd Corps Army of Valley district, 1864. Thus faintly appears the important part he played in the drama of war on the fields of Virginia. To his knowledge of the country, to his bold and quiet reconnoisancy, to his celerity and skill in drafting military maps, to his presence when intelligence or direction in the line of his work was needed, and to the skill and promptitude with which he executed important orders, we believe was due, to a large extent, the successes achieved by our troops in the Shenandoah Valley and some of those in Eastern Virginia. His first experience, the conduct of the retreat of those of Garnett's men who came through from Rich Mountain in single file over seven mountain ranges, was as difficult as it was creditable, and arriving at Monterey he was assigned for the time as adjutant to Heck's regiment. Gen. Lee recognized the services he had rendered in this emergency, and assigned to him the preparation of maps upon which he based his movements against Rosecrans. In March, 1862, he was called to Woodstock by a brief but comprehensive order from Gen. T. J. Jackson: "Prepare a complete map of the Valley showing every point of offence and defence, from the Potomac to Lexington."
Adopting upon this work he utilized afterwards a system of sketching rapidly on horseback in his note book the topographical features of the country, to be developed in shape of maps at night in camp.
When Jackson attacked Shields at Kernstown, he entrusted to Hotchkiss the selection of a line of defence, for which he chose Stony Creek at Edinburg, a position held from the 1st to the 19th of April. Upon the retreat and in reconnoitering for the attack upon Banks, with the Massanuttan as a post, Hotchkiss established a code of signals most useful at the time. In the advance against Milroy and return to the Valley, not only in map making but in directing skirmishes, locating artillery, selecting roads, and blockading mountain passes between the forces of Fremont and Banks, he rendered yeoman service. For his reward he rode with Jackson through the streets of Winchester, on the memorable 25th of May, 1862.
He led the movement of Taylor's brigade to flank the Federal left at Port Republic. Later he was assigned for the preparation of much needed military maps for the use of the corps and division commanders, especially covering the routes to Washington. He was in the engagement at Chantilly, was occupied in constructing and destroying bridges, and guided Gen. J. E. B. Stuart from Sharpsburg to Shepherdstown on the night of September 18. On the 29th of the same month Hotchkiss was recommended for promotion by Gen. Jackson to the Secretary of War.
On the 12th of December he rode with Jackson to Gen. Lee's position at Fredericksburg, and in the battle of the day following performed staff duty. Part of the engineering work done by Gen. Jackson's direction in the winter quarters at Moss Neck was his proposition, under charge of strick secrecy, of a complete map from our Rappahannock river front to Philadelphia, which was utilized for the Gettysburg campaign. He made the maps for the Chancellorsville movements, and by an all night reconnoisance found the route for the remarkable flanking march around Hooker's front which surprised and eventually stampeded his right wing (Howard's corps). Hurrying to report his successful exploration to Jackson, he found him at dawn in bivouac near the old Tabernacle Church, engaged in earnest conference with Gen. Lee, and after a few moments' consultation upon his intelligence Jackson put his corps in motion, and parted with his chief for the last time. After he was shot that night, Hotchkiss helped to take him to the rear, by a detour, avoiding the Federal line, and was sent by him to Gen. Lee, for whom he prepared maps of the locality-the basis of all since published. As engineer officer on the staff of Gen. Ewell he rendered similar service during the Gettysburg campaign, accompanying him in the battle of the first day, and then observing and reporting to him movements from Seminary Ridge. On the retreat he selected the position near Hagerstown where Lee offered battle to Meade. At Orange C. H., with other staff duty, he was engaged in mapping out Meade's movements and the Mine Run campaign. In the spring of 1864 Gen. Lee sent him to select lines of defensive operations in Southwestern Virginia, where the enemy were destroying furnaces and nitre works.
In the Wilderness campaign he was active in staff and topographical work, and at second Cold Harbor he performed for General Lee the difficult task of mapping, in one day, during skirmish fire, the line of some ten miles held by our force from Chickahominy to Totopotomoy and its approaches, giving him the map the same day.
In June, 1864, General Early took command of the Second Corps, and Captain Hotchkiss accompanied him on the ardous expedition to Maryland and forced the march to meet Hunter at Lynchburg also in his Valley campaign against Sheridan. With General Gordon he made the daring reconnoisance of Sheridan's position, and the sketches from which Cedar Creek was fought, and led the attacking force by a mountain pass in single file to fall at daybreak like a thunderbolt on the enemy's flank.
Corps headquarters was at Staunton the winter following, and Hotchkiss's maps were seized by order of General Grant, upon the surrender, with the view of using them in connection with his official report. But when Hotchkiss insited upon going to Washington with his maps, offering to copy them, Grant kindly ordered their return and paid for the work of copying them.
As a military man Hotchkiss was as fearless as he was efficient. It may be mentioned that he had two horses shot under him. As a Confederate veteran he never ceased to vindicate the cause and achievements of that army. As an author his works on Chancellorsville and the Valley campaign are valuable contributions to history. He has also done much technical work for the general government pertaining to the war.
In June, 1896, he was, by General John B. Gordon, commander-in-chief of the United Confederate Veterans, commissioned upon his staff in that organization brigadier-general and chief of engineers.
Comrade Hotchkiss was the pioneer, adviser and acknowledged leader of the mineral development of the Virginias, after the war, and his publications on that line are of permanent value.
Physically and mentally he was a man of mark among his fellows, of distinguished appearance, pleasing address, broad and liberal views, exceptionable cultivation, cheerful and hopeful disposition, and genial hospitality.
Thus esteeming our departed friend it is ordered by Stonewall Jackson Camp of Confederate Veterans, No. 25, of Staunton, Virginia, that this memorial minute be entered upon our records, and a copy, furnished by the Adjutant to the family of the deceased with the expression of our sincerest sympathy.
THOMAS D. RANSON,
JOHN N. OPIE,
CARTER BERKLEY,
Committee.
Bibliographic Information: Source copy consulted: Eleanor S. Brockenbrough Library, The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia
