James S. Jackson
Encyclopedia
James Streshly Jackson (September 27, 1823 – October 8, 1862) was a U.S. Representative
from Kentucky
and a brigadier general
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
, Jackson pursued classical studies at Centre College
, Danville, Kentucky
. He was graduated from Jefferson College
, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
, in 1844, and from the law department of Transylvania University
, Lexington, Kentucky
, in 1845. That same year he was admitted to the bar
and began the practice of law in Greenupsburg, Kentucky
.
During the Mexican-American War, Jackson enlisted as a private in the 1st Kentucky Cavalry, June 9, 1846; he was commissioned third lieutenant on July 9, 1846. Jackson participated in a duel with Captain Thomas Francis Marshall, but fearing a court martial, he resigned October 10, 1846.
Jackson moved to Hopkinsville
in 1859. He was elected as a Unionist to the Thirty-seventh Congress
and served from March 4 to December 13, 1861, when he resigned to enter the Union Army
.
Jackson raised a troop of cavalry
men and was commissioned colonel
of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry
on December 13, 1861. He became a brigadier general of volunteers on July 16, 1862. Jackson commanded the 10th Division in the Army of the Ohio
and was killed at the Battle of Perryville
on October 8, 1862. He was first buried in Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery and reinterred March 24, 1863 in Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Biography
Born in Fayette County, KentuckyFayette County, Kentucky
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 295,083 in the 2010 Census. Its territory, population and government are coextensive with the city of Lexington, which also serves as county seat....
, Jackson pursued classical studies at Centre College
Centre College
Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...
, Danville, Kentucky
Danville, Kentucky
Danville is a city in and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,218 at the 2010 census.Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Boyle and Lincoln counties....
. He was graduated from Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
Canonsburg is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802....
, in 1844, and from the law department of Transylvania University
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
, Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, in 1845. That same year he was admitted to the bar
Admission to the bar in the United States
In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...
and began the practice of law in Greenupsburg, Kentucky
Greenup, Kentucky
Greenup is a city in Greenup County, Kentucky, at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Sandy Rivers. The population was 1,198 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Greenup County. Greenup is named in honor of Christopher Greenup....
.
During the Mexican-American War, Jackson enlisted as a private in the 1st Kentucky Cavalry, June 9, 1846; he was commissioned third lieutenant on July 9, 1846. Jackson participated in a duel with Captain Thomas Francis Marshall, but fearing a court martial, he resigned October 10, 1846.
Jackson moved to Hopkinsville
Hopkinsville, Kentucky
Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...
in 1859. He was elected as a Unionist to the Thirty-seventh Congress
37th United States Congress
The Thirty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1861 to March 4, 1863, during the first two...
and served from March 4 to December 13, 1861, when he resigned to enter the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
.
Jackson raised a troop of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
men and was commissioned colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry
3rd Regiment Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry
The 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 3rd Kentucky Cavalry was organized at Calhoun, Kentucky and McLean County, Kentucky and mustered in for a three year enlistment on December 13, 1861 under the...
on December 13, 1861. He became a brigadier general of volunteers on July 16, 1862. Jackson commanded the 10th Division in the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
and was killed at the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
on October 8, 1862. He was first buried in Louisville's Cave Hill Cemetery and reinterred March 24, 1863 in Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
- Kentucky in the American Civil War
External links
- "Union General James S. Jackson: Fateful Day at Perryville" — Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush