West Point, NY, United States
In 1842 Jones became a cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point, where he showed special ability in horsemanship and fencing.
West Point, NY, United States
In 1842 Jones became a cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point, where he showed special ability in horsemanship and fencing.
David Rumph Jones was born on April 5, 1825, in Orangeburg District, South Carolina, United States. He was a descendant of Lewis Jones who emigrated from England and settled in Massachusetts about 1635. His father, Donald Bruce Jones, a native of Hartford, Connecticut, moved to South Carolina and later, to Georgia; his mother, Mary Elvira, was the daughter of Brigadier-General Jacob Rumph, a famous Revolutionary captain of South Carolina.
After attending common schools, in 1842 Jones became a cadet at the United States Military Academy, West Point, where he showed special ability in horsemanship and fencing. In 1846 he graduated, ranking forty-one in a class of fifty-nine, and was appointed second lieutenant, 2nd Infantry.
In 1846 David Rumph Jones participated in the siege of Vera Cruz and was active in the campaign ending in the capture of the city of Mexico. For gallant and meritorious conduct he was reverted the first lieutenant. In 1853 he was transferred to the adjutant-general's department and served on the Pacific coast and at St. Louis.
He resigned from the United States Army on February 15, 1861, and, proceeding to South Carolina, was appointed major and chief of staff to General Beauregard, then besieging Fort Sumter. He visited Sumter, offered the terms of surrender, and is supposed to have hauled down the national colors. On June 17, he was commissioned brigadier-general and assigned to a brigade which he led in the battle of Bull Run on July 21.
It had been intended to have Jones play a prominent part in this engagement, but owing to mismanagement for which he was not responsible the fortunes of the battle were decided before he attacked, late in the afternoon, only to be forced back by artillery fire.
In March 1862 he was assigned to a division and on April 5 he was appointed major-general, but the appointment was not confirmed until the following November. Temporarily commanding Magruder's division, he successfully withdrew it from the trenches at Yorktown. He was present during the Peninsular campaign but without having an active part therein until the Seven Days' Battles.
On June 29, he attacked the retreating Federals near Savage Station, but because of a lack of cooperation, he failed to obtain any success. His command next formed part of Longstreet's corps in the Second Bull Run campaign. By excellent judgment and activity, on August 27, 1862, he seized Thoroughfare Gap, enabling Longstreet to arrive in time to assist Jackson in defeating the Federal army three days later. In this engagement, Jones had a leading rôle in the counter-attack ordered by General Lee. His division was prominent in the ensuing invasion of Maryland. Recalled in haste from Pennsylvania, he arrived on September 14, at South Mountain Pass, in time to aid in repulsing the Federals.
On September 17, at the battle of Antietam, he was posted on the extreme right of the Confederate army, in front of Sharpsburg. No serious effort was made against him until about 1 P. M. when his advanced troops were forced from Burnside's bridge. After this initial success, the enemy launched an overwhelming attack about 4 P. M., and Jones's division was driven into Sharpsburg. The critical situation which resulted, threatening the safety of Lee's entire army, was relieved by the opportune arrival of General A. P. Hill, who, oriented by General Jones, assisted in a counter-attack, which turned the scales in favor of the Confederates.
David Jones's major achievement came on March 10, 1862, when he was promoted to major general and led a division with solid competence throughout the Peninsula Campaign and the Seven Days battles under Magruder. Prior to his promotion he took an active part and commanded with success the 5th South Carolina regiment, 17th, and 18th Mississippi regiments, as well as the Army of Northern Virginia.
Jones had two daughters by his marriage to Sarah Rebecca Taylor, a niece of President Zachary Taylor.
