Robert E. Rodes


Robert Emmet Rodes
Born(1829-03-29)March 29, 1829
Lynchburg, Virginia
DiedSeptember 19, 1864(1864-09-19) (aged 35)
Winchester, Virginia
Buried
Presbyterian Cemetery, Lynchburg, Virginia
Allegiance Confederate States of America
Service/branch Confederate States Army
Years of service1861–1864
Rank Major General (CSA)
CampaignsAmerican Civil War
Relations
  • David Rodes (father)
  • Martha Ann Yancey Rodes (mother)
  • Virginia Hortense Woodruff (wife)
  • Robert Emmet Rodes, Jr. (son)
  • Bell Yancey Rodes (daughter)
Signature

Robert Emmett (or Emmet) Rodes[1] (March 29, 1829 – September 19, 1864) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and the first of Robert E. Lee's divisional commanders not trained at West Point. His division led Stonewall Jackson's devastating surprise attack at the Battle of Chancellorsville; Jackson, on his deathbed, recommended that Rodes be promoted to major general. Rodes then served in the corps of Richard S. Ewell at the Battle of Gettysburg and in the Overland Campaign, before that corps was sent to the Shenandoah Valley under Jubal Early, where Rodes was killed at the Third Battle of Winchester.

  1. ^ Rodes's tombstone spells his middle name as "Emmet", as does the VMI website. The other references to this article spell it "Emmett". Collins, his most recent biographer, p. 5, refers to discrepancies on the tombstone, which was erected years after his death. The name of the general's grandson, Lt. Col. Robert Emmet Rodes, indicates that the family supports that spelling of the name. A similar dispute relates to his date of birth, with the tombstone and VMI reporting March 30, the other references March 29, 1828.