Andrew Jackson Grigsby (November 2, 1819 – December 23, 1895) was a

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

officer in the famed

Stonewall Brigade The Stonewall Brigade of the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, was a famous combat unit in United States military history. It was trained and first led by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, a professor from Virginia Military In ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. Grigsby was also known as both "A. J. Grigsby" and "Arnold J. Grigsby". Grigsby was born in

Rockbridge County, Virginia Rockbridge County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,650. Its county seat is the city of Lexington. Rockbridge County completely surrounds the ...

. He attended Washington College (later, Washington & Lee University). He became a farmer and served in the Mexican War. When the Civil War erupted, he became a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the

27th Virginia Infantry The 27th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Stonewall Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. The 27th Virgi ...

in the Stonewall Brigade in 1861 and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

later that year. After the regiment's commander, Col.

John Echols John Echols (March 20, 1823 – May 24, 1896) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early and family life John Echols was born in Lynchburg, Virginia. He joined the Virginia Military Institute in 1840 ...

, was wounded at Kernstown on March 23, 1862, Grigsby got command and led the regiment throughout the remainder of the Valley Campaign, the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

, and the Northern Virginia Campaign. When Col. William Baylor, the acting commander of the Stonewall Brigade, was killed at

Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, Grigsby took over the brigade. Grigsby then led the Stonewall Brigade into the Maryland Campaign. At

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union ...

, Grigsby, despite being merely a colonel, succeeded to division command when Brig. Gen

John R. Jones John Robert Jones (March 12, 1827–April 1, 1901) was a Virginia educator who became a Brigadier general (United States), brigadier general in the Confederate States Army, Confederate army during the American Civil War, during which he twice ...

was wounded and Brig. Gen William E. Starke was killed. He was brevetted

Brig. Gen. Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed to ...

and so served, but was apparently never confirmed. After the battle was over,

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

named two staff officers to fill the vacated command positions. Brig. Gen

Raleigh Colston Raleigh Edward Colston (October 1, 1825 – July 29, 1896) was a French-born American professor, soldier, cartographer, and writer. He was a controversial brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Cols ...

got division command and Brig. Gen Elisha Paxton got command of the Stonewall Brigade. Grigsby, who had led the brigade in two major battles, felt that he fully earned a promotion to brigadier general and was outraged at Jackson demoting him back to regimental command. One theory why Grigsby was passed over for promotion was his use of profane language, which displeased the devout and sober Jackson. Grigsby resigned his commission in disgust that November. Jackson did not explain why he was not promoted, but it has been suggested that he disliked the hot-tempered, profane Grigsby and preferred instead to appoint Elisha Paxton, a somber, religious man who was close to him. Grigsby is reported to have had a testy encounter with

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

, when he went to

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, to protest being passed over for promotion. This resulted in his remaining at home, unemployed in further service, for the rest of the war. After his resignation on November 14, 1862, he served in the CSA House of Representatives for the Kentucky delegation. He died in

Stony Point, Virginia Stony Point is an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia. The region acknowledged as Stony Point includes the historical villages of Proffit and Rosena. The physical core of Stony Point is thStony Point Volunteer Fire Company

, and is buried there in the Gross family cemetery.

References

* Freeman, Douglas S., ''Lee's Lieutenants: A Study in Command'' (3 volumes), Scribners, 1946, vol. 1 & 2. . * Apperson, John Samuel, ''Repairing the "March of Mars": the Civil War diaries of John Samuel Apperson'', Mercer University Press, November 2001, . * Sifakis, Stewart, ''Who Was Who in the Civil War'' (New York: Facts on File, 1988).
Antietam on the Web biography

Reference to Colonel Arnold J Grigsby

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grigsby, Andrew J. 1819 births 1895 deaths Stonewall Brigade Confederate States Army officers Farmers from Virginia American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Virginia in the American Civil War People from Rockbridge County, Virginia Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Virginia 19th-century American politicians