| John Echols was born in Lynchburg, Virginia,
on March 20, 1823. After graduating from Washington College in Virginia, he
studied law at Harvard, and was admitted to the bar. He served as
commonwealth attorney, and as a Virginia state legislator.
Echols was a physically imposing man, at 6 feet, 4 inches
tall and 260 pounds. When Virginia seceded from the Union, Echols worked to
recruit volunteers in western Virginia. Appointed lieutenant colonel of the
27th Virginia, he led his regiment in the First Battle of Bull Run, joining
four other Virginia regiments in winning fame as the "Stonewall Brigade."
Echols took part in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, and
was seriously wounded at Kernstown in March of 1862. On April 16, while
recuperating, he was commissioned a brigadier general. He took over a
brigade in the Army of Western Virginia, then became commander of the Army
of Southwest Virginia.
In the summer of 1863, he served on the court of inquiry
to examine the July surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi. His troops were
defeated at Droop Mountain in November of 1863. After serving under Maj.
Gen. John C. Breckinridge at the Battle of Newmarket, he and his brigade
went east and fought at Cold Harbor.
He took command of the District of Southwest Virginia,
then took over Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early's position as commander of the
Department of Western Virginia. On his way to east to join with Gen. Robert
E. Lee's army, he found out about the surrender at Appomattox. Marching to
North Carolina, he joined Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army, then surrendered
in Augusta, Georgia.
After the Civil War, Echols went back to his legal
practice. He became a wealthy lawyer and businessman, involved in banking
and railroads. Echols died on May 24, 1896, in Staunton, Virginia. |
