Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

See the University of Virginia Library’s use policy.

Preferred Citation

Papers of Jedediah Hotchkiss, Accession #2822, 2907, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.

Acquisition Information

This material was purchased for the Coles collection from Mr. William P. Tannehill of Staunton, Virginia, on December 2, 1947, and from Mrs. R. E. Christian of Deerfield, Virginia , on March 23 and July 1, 1948.

Biographical/Historical Information

One of the most famous mapmakers of the Civil War was Major Jedediah Hotchkiss, a topographical engineer on Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's staff. Some historians believe that Hotchkiss' accurate maps ensured the success of Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign.

Born in New York in 1828, Jed Hotchkiss moved to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia in 1847 where he earned his living as a schoolteacher. Hotchkiss also supplemented his income as a mining geologist and - though never formally trained as a cartographer - by making maps. He married a Pennsylvanian named Sara Ann Comfort in 1853 and they had two daughters. In 1859, Jed Hotchkiss and his brother Nelson founded the Loch Willow Academy, a school for boys, in Churchville.

Hotchkiss closed his school in June 1861 and began his military career drawing maps for Confederate General Robert Garnett in western Virginia. In 1862, he secured an appointment on Jackson's staff. "I want you to make me a map of the Valley, from Harpers Ferry to Lexington," Jackson ordered Hotchkiss, "showing all the points of offence and defence in those places." There were very few maps for Hotchkiss to use as a base for his own work, and he usually rode out on horseback to survey the land himself. The Hotchkiss-Jackson combination bred success, for the general's lightning strikes depended heavily on making the most of the terrain. After Jackson's death in 1863, Hotchkiss continued as a topographical engineer with the Confederate forces, traveling with General Richard Ewell to Gettysburg and then, back in Virginia, serving under General Jubal Early. It was one of Hotchkiss' maps that enabled Early to surprise the Federals at Cedar Creek in October 1864.

After the war ended in 1865, Hotchkiss returned to the Shenandoah Valley, opening an engineering firm and teaching school in Staunton, Virginia. In 1867, he wrote a book with a friend, Jackson's former chief of ordnance William Allen, entitled The Battlefields of Virginia: Chancellorsville. Hotchkiss died in January 1899 after a successful post-war career as a geologist and engineer.

Scope and Content

The papers of Jedediah "Jed" Hotchkiss contain ca. 1550 items (8 Hollinger boxes, ca. 3 linear feet), and consist largely of personal correspondence, bound volumes, and business records dating from 1846 to 1912. Included in the collection is material pertaining to Hotchkiss' career as a teacher and schoolmaster, his period of service under General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson as a scout and map-maker during the Civil War, his later involvement in the mapping and development of West Virginia coalfields, and the settling of his estate. The collection also includes material pertaining to Hotchkiss' son-in-law, Samuel Thomas McCullough, who was a noted veteran of the Confederate States of America Army . These documents include correspondence, notes, and a set of diaries detailing McCullough's experiences in the Civil War. Other subjects of possible interest include the papers of the Confederate Monument Association of Staunton, Virginia and Augusta County, Virginia documents concerning a 1746 exploration of the Shenandoah Valley , and papers pertaining to Loch Willow School and Mossy Creek Academy.

Early correspondence in the collection is chiefly from members of Hotchkiss' immediate family, who remained in Windsor, New York , when he came to Virginia in 1847. In these letters, his mother and sisters discuss family matters and frequently express their disbelief that Hotchkiss could enjoy his life as a private tutor in the "uncivilized" South. Also among the early correspondence are several poems written by Hotchkiss, dated January 1, 1847; 1854; 1858; and August 7, 1859. The poems appear to be original, and are often addressed to friends.

In 1853, Jedediah Hotchkiss opened a private school in Augusta County, Virginia called Mossy Creek Academy , and married Sarah Comfort. In 1855 Ellen May "Nellie" Hotchkiss was born, and Anna Lydia Hotchkiss followed in 1857. Hotchkiss seems to have maintained a close relationship with his daughters (particularly with Ellen May, called Nellie) throughout his life. In September of 1859, Hotchkiss opened a second academy, Loch Willow School, near Staunton, Virginia. Correspondence and other records from this period are somewhat scanty, although some documents pertaining to Mossy Creek Academy and Loch Willow School have survived and may be found in a single folder along with other school records.

In June of 1861, Hotchkiss volunteered for the Confederate army, but was forced to return home a few months later when he became ill with typhoid. When, by March of 1862, he was recovered, Hotchkiss volunteered his services as a scout and map-maker to General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. Correspondence of the Civil War period is limited mostly to letters written by Hotchkiss to his young daughter Nellie. Of particular interest is a letter dated December 17, 1862, in which Hotchkiss describes the Battle of Fredricksburg and includes a detailed map of troops and terrain. Other letters written to Nellie during the war vividly describe life in the Confederate camps, and are dated January 25, March 27, and October 25, 1863. Included in the collection is a letter written to Brigadier General Edward Johnson by General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, dated May 4, 1862 and dealing with map-making commissions. Also included in the correspondence is a copy of a set of field notes made by Captain J. K. Boswell of the Confederate Army on May 1, 1863, at the Battle of Chancellorsville. These notes were taken from Boswell's body by Hotchkiss after the officer was killed in the fighting.

After the war, Hotchkiss returned to his family and briefly re-opened Loch Willow School, also teaching at Augusta Female Seminary, before becoming involved in business ventures involving the development of rich coal-fields in West Virginia. Hotchkiss also published a mining journal, The Virginias, in the hopes of generating interest in the natural resources of the region.

Later correspondence includes many letters to his daughter Nellie, as well as letters from friends and associates concerning his great interest in geology and geography. It was during this period that Hotchkiss was commissioned to make maps for many government and private organizations. Three letters from General Robert E. Lee, dated December 16, 1868; October 20, 1869, and December 24, 1869 are included in this material. They deal with Hotchkiss' maps of areas in Virginia. Later private correspondence often deals with reminiscences of the Civil War, and a letter dated July 5, 1895, written by Hotchkiss to the widow of "Stonewall" Jackson, concerns a biography of the late General. Also relating to the Civil War is an extensive series of correspondence between Hotchkiss and fellow veteran Dr. Hunter McGuire. These letters were mostly written between 1893 and 1898, and often deal with books and articles on Civil War battles, especially those in which General Jackson's forces were involved. This correspondence has been grouped together into one folder.

Other correspondence includes that of the family of Hotchkiss' second daughter Anna Lydia Hotchkiss, who marrried Allan M. Howison. Cards, some limited correspondence, various theatrical programmes, and two certificates, dated July 2, 1879 and June 7, 1881 concerning Howison's military career, make up this series. Allan Howison was later employed by Hotchkiss' mining company, "The Grottoes." Jed Hotchkiss died on January 17, 1899, and the final group of correspondence deals with the settlement of his estate.

The financial and legal records of the Hotchkiss papers consist largely of documents pertaining to post-war business ventures, including map-making commissions, attempts to open up the coal regions of West Virginia, involvements in The Grottoes Company, two business trips to England in 1872 and 1873, The Virginias journal, and the settlement of Hotchkiss' estate, as well as general records of purchases and sales.

One folder contains the records of the Confederate Monument Association of Staunton and Augusta County. This group was organized in 1906 with the purpose of establishing a memorial to local men who had been killed in the Civil War. Hotchkiss' daughter Anna Lydia was the recording secretary for the organization. The records include a 1906 circular letter explaining the purposes of the group, pamphlets of by-laws, various advertisements from monument companies and masons, and letters and souvenirs concerning fundraisers and statue unveilings. Photographs of Confederate monuments and statues, possibly from the organization's files, are located in a separate folder.

The Hotchkiss papers also includes a typed transcript entitled "Running the line from the head of the Rappahannock to the head of the Potomac" of the 1746 diary of Thomas Lewis concerning the establishment of the Fairfax line. There is a note by Hotchkiss signed an dated Oct. 1889 that states the transcription was "copied and verified from original." The papers include a letter from William Cabell Rives, 1883 April 27, to Hotchkiss discussion Thomas Walker's journal; there is also a document [in Rives' hand?] summarizing Walker's journal from March 16 though July 12, 1750. There is also a typescript of a speech by Col. Stoddard Johnston on Walker's journal read before the Filson Club November 3, 1893.

One folder contains miscellaneous historical essays and speeches which appear to have been written mainly by Jed Hotchkiss and Dr. Hunter McGuire on such topics as "Stonewall Jackson's Cap, ""The Seven Day's Fighting Around Richmond, "The Shenandaoh Valley, The Form of Government in Virginia -A Geographical and Political Summary, and a memorial address delivered at London Park Cemetary, Baltimore, Maryland in 1875.

Two folders contain miscellaneous school and lecture notes for classes taught by Hotchkiss at Mossy Creek and Loch Willow schools. These are undated and deal with a wide variety of subjects. Also included are lectures for Sunday School classes and sermons. A third folder contains school records and related material, including documents pertaining to the education of Jed Hotchkiss at Windsor Academy in New York, and of Sarah Comfort Hotchkiss at the Wyoming Seminary. Also included are papers concerning Hotchkiss' career as a schoolmaster.

Photographs are to be found in two folders, one of which consists mostly of pictures of family members. The second folder contains photographs of statues and monuments associated with the Confederate Monument Association. Additional photographs (often of better quality) are located in the Prints File under such categories as "Hotchkiss," "Staunton" and "Augusta County." Of special interest are photographs, of Hotchkiss, his wife and daughters, their Staunton home "The Oaks", Loch Willow School, Mossy Creek Academy, and the Augusta Female Seminary, and a daguerrotype of Hotchkiss and his two daughters.

Material relating to Confederate soldier Samuel Thomas McCullough is to be found among the collection's correspondence and bound volumes. The correspondence has been grouped into one folder and dates from 1862 to 1865. This material consists largely of letters written by Lieutenant McCullough of Company D, 2nd Maryland Infantry Regiment, to his father and brother during his service in the Confederate Army and while a prisoner of war at Johnson's Island Prison in Ohio. Also included are items such as pay-master's receipts, authorization for leaves of absence, and documents from the prison on Johnson's Island. In addition to this material, the collection also includes a seven-volume set of diaries, which record McCullough's experiences as a soldier from August 11, 1862 to June 22, 1865. These diaries have been microfilmed (M-2373), and a separate, more detailed guide is available. Also in the collection are three small notebooks in which McCullough details an 1878 expedition to revisit many of the campsites and battlefields of his Civil War days. These notebooks are among the bound volumes of the Jed Hotchkiss papers.

Bound volumes make up a large percentage of the collection, consist mainly of miscellaneous hand-written notes. Three large letter-press books include business correspondence from 1891 to 1898. Four volumes of map-making notes, including a report on Buffalo Creek, Fayette County, West Virginia, and a book of maps of Augusta County, Virginia are included. Seven books contain business-related notes, and two of these volumes consist of subscription lists for The Virginias, ca. 1882. Eight additional bound volumes include personal notes such as diaries for the years 1845, 1895, and 1897, as well as Hotchkiss' Index Rerum (ca. 1854) and a notebook detailing the building of an addition to "The Oaks" in 1888. Six scrapbooks are part of the collection, and include a pressed-flower album, a forestry album, a small booklet of Virginia railway charts, and an album of newspaper clippings dating from approximately 1864 to 1885. Other scrapbooks include two albums belonging to Hotchkiss' wife Sarah Comfort Hotchkiss, and his daughter Nellie Hotchkiss McCullough. The former volume consists mainly of pictures and newspaper clippings, while the latter is an album of embroidery patterns. The seven Samuel Thomas McCullough Civil War diaries and three notebooks of his 1878 battlefield tour are among the bound volumes of the Hotchkiss collection.

An oversize folder contains several items related to the collection, including blueprints of Hotchkiss' Staunton home, "The Oaks," architectural drawings, maps, large documents, and broadsides. A complete listing appears later in this guide.

Items of memorabilia include twenty-three souvenir ribbons relating to Confederate Veteran's Association functions and other events. Other items include an 1866 watercolor paint box belonging to Nellie Hotchkiss McCullough, a souvenir spoon from the birthplace of "Stonewall" Jackson, the Confederate belt-buckle and spur of an unidentified soldier killed at Fisher's Hill, Virginia, a pocket-knife used by Jed Hotchkiss from 1862 to 1868, an embroidered handkerchief belonging to Sarah Comfort Hotchkiss, and a lapel-pin featuring a mining symbol. The remainder of the memorabilia in the collection consists of eleven souvenir coins and medals ranging in date from 1883 to 1898. These coins and medals are from events such as Confederate monument unveilings and World's Fairs. A complete listing appears later in this guide.

Arrangement

The Jed Hotchkiss and Samuel Thomas McCullough papers from collection 2907 have been interfiled in collection 2822. The material is arranged alphabetically by topic and chronologically within individual folders. Bound volumes are boxed with the collection and are organized by subject matter and date.