Civil War Travels with Ms. Rebelle - Tiger John McCausland, the Unreconstructed Rebel

Tiger John McCausland, the Unreconstructed Rebel

“Burnt by Rebel Cavalry” are the words etched in concrete above the door of the Franklin County Courthouse in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. To be more specific, the words are: Built 1842, Burnt by Rebel Cavalry, July 30, 1864, Rebuilt 1865. There is no mention of the name of General John McCausland, who under orders from General Jubal A. Early, asked for a ransom of $100,000.00 from the town of Chambersburg. If no ransom was paid he would burn the town in retaliation for the burning of the Shenandoah Valley by Union General David Hunter, and especially in McCausland’s mind, Hunter’s burning of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia.

On my first visit to Chambersburg there was a historical sign in the town Diamond saying about the same thing as the attached photo but without the name of General McCausland. On subsequent trips there, a new historical sign does mention the name of McCausland. There is also a monument stone in the Diamond that does not mention his name. Feelings ran deep in Chambersburg for many years after the burning of the town. However, on the 100th anniversary of the burning in July, 1964, the general’s grandson, Dr. Alexander McCausland, from Roanoke, VA was asked to be present at a memorial event. Dr. McCausland, son of John III, accepted and was treated very kindly by the citizens of Chambersburg.

The interest in General McCausland was started by correspondence between a fellow graver and findagrave.com contributor, the late Joe Ferrell and Ms. Rebelle about the whereabouts of General McCausland’s grave in West Virginia. Joe lived in Charleston, WV and had been to McCausland’s grave which is located in the Smith Family Cemetery atop a “mountain” in Henderson, WV. Joe kindly offered to show me where his grave was located. Little did I know that nine years ago we would be climbing that mountain (no roads) to find his grave. Not only did Joe help me find the grave, he found the grandson of the general, Smith McCausland, who was willing to show us Grape Hill, the general’s home in Pliny, WV. Both of us enjoyed so much talking to Smith who was very humble, soft spoken, and extremely proud of his grandfather. Smith still farms the land his grandfather owned and is the son of Alexander McCausland.

Grape Hill is a huge 19 room stone house with an octagonal belvedere on top of the roof. McCausland had installed dumb waiters in the house as well as a central collection device for collecting ashes from the fireplaces. The house was built in 1885 and he had one of the first telephones in Mason County. After the war when McCausland bought the land in Mason County, it was swampy. Using his engineering skills learned at VMI, he designed tiles to divert the water which are still in use today. McCausland built the house after he married Charlotte Hannah. They had met at the Greenbrier Hotel for a reunion with General Fitzhugh Lee. They had four children, Samuel, Charlotte, John, and Alexander.

John McCausland, Jr. was born to John & Harriet McCausland in St. Louis, Missouri on September 13, 1836. His neighbors were the Dent family. Julia Dent would later marry Ulysses S. Grant. His father devised a tax system for the city of St. Louis which is still in use today. In 1843 he became an orphan when his parents died within a month of each other. He was taken by his Uncle Alexander to Henderson, WV to live with his maiden Aunt Jane Smith. When he was 16 he entered the Virginia Military Institute and graduated first in the class of 1857. He became an assistant professor at VMI alongside future general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Jackson, McCausland, and a group of VMI Cadets acting as guards around the scaffolding witnessed the execution of John Brown in Charles Town in 1859.

When the Civil War began McCausland was commissioned a colonel and commanded the 36th Virginia Infantry Regiment. His men gave him the sobriquet of Tiger John. Most of McCausland’s time was spent in western Virginia with faceoffs between him and General David Hunter. When General Albert Gallatin Jenkins died at Cloyd’s Mountain, McCausland was given command of the Confederate forces. He was instrumental in saving the city of Lynchburg from General Hunter. The city gave him a gold sword inscribed “The City of Lynchburg to General John McCausland, June 18, 1864.” He was given a new horse, accoutrements, and solid silver spurs. The city sent him telegrams for years on his birthday in appreciation. On the 61st anniversary of the battle, the mayor of Lynchburg sent the following telegram: “On this sixty-first anniversary of the attack on Lynchburg, which you so ably repelled with troops under your command, permit me to remind you of the grateful remembrance of our people and express the wish you are this day enjoying the satisfaction that must be yours through having served God and your fellowmen.”

McCausland was also with General Early in July 1864 in Early’s attempt to take Washington. McCausland got close to Washington as Georgetown and could see the unfinished dome of the Capitol.

Now we come back to Chambersburg. General Early ordered him to go north into Pennsylvania, demand $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in greenbacks from the prosperous town of Chambersburg for Hunter’s burning of the Valley. He arrived about 8:00 a.m. and set up headquarters at the Henry Greenawalt house west of town. He ate breakfast with his staff at the Franklin Hotel while the town’s elders decided what to do. The elders thought the ransom demand was a joke and said they would not pay. The town was torched destroying 550 buildings including 278 homes and businesses, 271 barns, stables, and outbuildings. 2,000 inhabitants were left homeless. The inhabitants hid where they were able including the local cemetery. The entire center of town was totaled. Only one local resident died and three Confederates. The monetary loss to the town was estimated to be $915,137.24 which is enumerated on the monument stone on the Diamond. General Hancock issued an order: “The President directs that you cause the rebel General McCausland to be arrested and held until application is made for this person by the civil authorities of Pennsylvania.” New York papers called him the “hun of Chambersburg.”

He also fought at Fort Donelson, the Valley Campaign (3rd Winchester, Fisher’s Hill, Cedar Creek), Siege of Petersburg, and the Battle of Five Forks. He was present at Appomattox when he asked General Fitzhugh Lee what was happening. Lee replied that “Uncle Bobby has surrendered.” Like Colonel John Singleton Mosby, rather than surrender, he and his men left Appomattox and disbanded in Lynchburg. He became known as the “Unreconstructed Rebel.” When asked about his sons becoming soldiers, he said: “I rather see my boys dead, than to wear the blue uniform.”

With a price on his head at age 29, he left the country and travelled in Europe and Canada. He carried letters of introduction from prominent friends and the faculty of VMI. General Grant declared in 1867 that Chambersburg should be forgotten and forgiven. McCausland returned to West Virginia but remained a recluse and farmer the rest of his life. His grandson Smith told us the story of President Grant stopping by his house on the Great Kanawha River and wanting to visit. McClausand declined to see him. He died of a stroke on January 22, 1927 at the age of 90 in his rocking chair at his home in Pliny. Due to the swollen condition of the Great Kanawha River, his coffin was floated down the river on a large barge to Henderson, and then pulled on a sled up the mountain to the Smith Family Cemetery for burial. The Daughters of Confederacy handled the funeral. The coffin was draped with the Confederate Star and Bars. He was the next to the last Confederate General to die. General Felix Robertson of Texas would survive him by 13 months.

Thanks to the late Joe Ferrell and his wife Pam. This trip would not have been possible without him. Pam kindly sent me all of Joe’s cemetery maps for finding generals after his death which I am still using to this day.

NOTE: Ms. Rebelle’s hobby is travelling the country finding and honoring the graves of our 1,008 Civil War generals. So far she has located and photographed 385….169 Confederate and 216 Union.

Ms. Rebelle is a member of The Bull Run Civil War Round Table which meets every second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Centreville Regional Library. The public is invited to attend at no cost and visit the website www.bullruncwrt.org for additional activities (tours, etc.)