Jedediah Hotchkiss

Jedediah Hotchkiss

Virginia Historical Society

Quick Facts

Significance:

Civil War Cartographer

Place of Birth:

Windsor, N.Y.

Date of Birth:

November 30, 1828

Place of Death:

Staunton, Va.

Date of Death:

January 17, 1899

Place of Burial:

Staunton, Va.

Cemetery Name:

Thornrose Cemetery

Jedediah Hotchkiss was one of the Civil War’s most famous topographic engineers. His accurate maps helped win numerous Confederate victories, in the Shenandoah Valley and elsewhere.

Born in Windsor, New York, Hotchkiss moved to Page County, in the Shenandoah Valley, in 1847. There he established a school and married Sarah Ann Comfort, from Pennsylvania, in 1853. The couple eventually had two daughters. Shortly after the Civil War began, Hotchkiss enlisted in the Confederate army, siding with his adopted state.

Although he had no formal cartography training, Hotchkiss had a reputation for mapmaking and topography, something he had taught himself as a hobby. These skills quickly became known and Hotchkiss was soon put to good use by the Confederacy. Hotchkiss’s knowledge of the terrain and his attention to detail gave Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and other Confederate commanders a huge advantage over their Union adversaries, who had little knowledge of the area and very poor maps.

Hotchkiss participated in numerous campaigns and battles, including the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign (including Cedar Creek) and many others. Throughout his service Hotchkiss created hundreds of maps and charts, most of which are now preserved in the Library of Congress.

Following the war, Hotchkiss remained in Virginia, working as an engineer and promoting the development of Virginia’s mineral resources.