People
Learn about the Civil War in the Valley from the stories of the men, women, soldiers, and civilians that lived through it
Thomas Garland Jefferson
VMI Cadet (CSA)
January 1, 1847 – May 18, 1864
Thomas Garland Jefferson was born in Amelia County, Virginia on January 1, 1847. He was one of 14 children, the oldest son of John and Otelia Garland, and the great-grand nephew of Thomas Jefferson. At the age of 16, he entered the Virginia Military Institute and was distinguished for “sobriety, integrity, firmness, fidelity, and piety.”
In May of 1864, Confederate General John C. Breckinridge was facing a Union force under Union General Franz Sigel, and he rushed to gather whatever force he could to meet the threat. His small army numbered only about 4,100 including 257 Cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. The two forces would meet in battle at New Market, Virginia on May 15, 1864.
Breckinridge never intended to use to Cadets in the fight, but as Union artillery on Bushong’s Hill devastated the Confederate ranks and opened a dangerous gap in the line. Breckinridge reluctantly ordered the Cadets forward with the command, “Put the boys in, and may God forgive me for the order.”
As the Cadets made their charge, Jefferson was struck in the chest by a bullet and collapsed. When his comrades stopped to help him, he pointed to the front line saying, “That is the place for you; you can do me no good.”
Fellow Cadet Moses Ezekiel found Jefferson after the battle and found him lying on the floor of a hut. He was taken to the home of Lydie Clinedinst who recounted Jefferson’s final moments:
“When we laid him down, he looked up at me, and said: ‘Sister, what a good, soft bed.’ Mother had an old-time feather bed, and it must have felt soft to him after lying on the hard ground…He was about sixteen years of age, was blue-eyed, and had golden hair. I will never forget him and his sweet, boyish face...Cadet Ezekiel nursed him very tenderly. His own mother could not have done more for him.”
“The evening before he died, he called Cadet Ezekiel to read for him. He read the fourteenth chapter of St. John: ‘Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you.’…”
“I went to smooth his pillow and he said, ‘Sister, what beautiful hands.’ He called: ‘Duncan, come and light a candle; it is growing dark.’ The blindness of death came over him…”
Jefferson died in Moses Ezekiel’s arms on May 18th and was buried in the cemetery of St. Matthew’s Church on the grounds where the cadets fought. His remains were later re-interred at the New Market Monument at the Virginia Military Institute.
