Arnold Elzey

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Arnold Elzey Jones was born on December 18, 1816, at "Elmwood" in Somerset County, Maryland, descended from one of Maryland's oldest families. After graduating from West Point in 1837, used his middle name, belonging to his paternal grandmother, as his last name, and stopped using "Jones." There were a multitude of Joneses in the army, but not so many Elzeys, and he wanted to set himself apart. Elzey was assigned to the 2d artillery and served with credit during the Seminole uprising in Florida, in the Canada border disturbances and in the war with Mexico, being twice brevetted for gallant and meritorious action at Contreras and Churubusco, and was also at Fort Brown, Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, San Antonio, Molino del Rey, Chapultepec, and the capture of the City of Mexico, earning the respect of his superior officers. In 1847 the General Assembly of Maryland offered official thanks to Elzey for "gallantry, bravery and good conduct" as an American soldier. When the Civil War began, Elzey was a captain of artillery in the US Army. He led the arsenal at Augusta, Georgia, and surrendered it to Confederate forces in April of 1861; then he conducted his troops to Washington where he resigned his commission and traveled to Richmond, Virginia. There he was commissioned colonel of the 1st Maryland in the Confederate armed forces and placed in command of a brigade in General Kirby Smith's division. He was a senior colonel at the First Battle of Manassas, and resumed command of his brigade when its temporary commander was wounded. With his young soldiers Elzey broke and routed the almost victorious army of McDowell. A letter in the Richmond Dispatch described Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard rushing up to Elzey and proclaiming him the "Blucher of the day". Eventually, he was promoted on the field to a brigadier generalship by Jefferson Davis to date from July 21, 1861. In the campaigns of 1862, he led a brigade under Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, fought well in the Shenandoah Campaign and was wounded in the leg and had his horse shot out from under him at Port Republic. But his fighting spirit had not waned, and he continued in active duty through the early weeks of the Peninsular campaign. Elzey was severely wounded in the head and face at Gaines' Mill, during the Seven Days' Campaign - a minié ball stroke him just above the mouth and passed out behind his left car. When he returned to duty, he had been promoted to major general, to date from December 4, 1862. Elzey was given leadership over the Department of Richmond, responsible for defending the Confederate capital. After being relieved of command, he organized the Local Defense Brigade of government clerks. Elzey helped organize the Virginia reserves, then served as chief of artillery of the Army of Tennessee. He was not present, however, at the invasion of Tennessee in 1864. Relief from duty came on February 17, 1865. The man, once hailed as the "Blucher" of the Confederacy no longer had a place in the army. He was paroled in Washington, Georgia, in May of 1865, then returned to Maryland. Elzey worked as a farmer until his death in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 21, 1871. Colonel J. R. Herbert, of Baltimore, called General Elzey "a gallant soldier and loved by all who served under him." General Beauregard wrote that he was "brave, zealous and intelligent." Bradley Johnson called him "the soul of chivalry," "a superb soldier, " and "the centre and the soul of our [Maryland troops] patriotic day-dreams."