James Patton Anderson was born on February 16, 1822, in Winchester, Tennessee, one of seven children of Colonel William Preston
Anderson, a veteran of the War of 1812, and Margaret L. Adair, also from a prominent military family. Anderson, who was always
known within the family as Patton, spent his early years on the family farm. After his father died in 1831, he moved with
his mother to his grandfather’s home in Kentucky. Five years later, his stepfather, Dr. Joseph Bybee, sent him to Jefferson
College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. His education was interrupted by financial difficulties and by his stepfather’s decision
to relocate the family to DeSoto County, Mississippi; however, Anderson eventually resumed his schooling and graduated from
Jefferson College in 1840. He read for law at Montrose Law School and passed the Mississippi bar. In 1847, he raised a company
of volunteers for the Mexican War, served as a captain, and eventually achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel in command
of the 1st Battalion, Mississippi Rifles. Following this service, he served one term in the Mississippi legislature, then
accepted an appointment as United States Marshall to the Territory of Washington in 1853. This was also the year of his marriage
to Henrietta (Etta) Buford Adair, his eighteen-year-old cousin. The couple departed for the Northwest and settled in Olympia.
Anderson’s political career continued and he served as a Democrat in the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855-March 3, 1857)
after which he was offered but declined an appointment as governor of Washington Territory. Instead, in 1857, he and Etta
move to Florida, where they agreed to take over the management of Casa Bianca plantation near Monticello. This plantation
was the property of Etta’s aunt, Ellen Adair White Beatty, well known in Florida as the widow of Florida’s congressional delegate
Joseph M. White. In a complicated legal agreement, Anderson bought Casa Bianca plantation but also agreed to pay a yearly
stipend to "Aunt Ellen" as part of the purchase price. This placed him under a heavy financial obligation, one that proved
hard to meet over the years.
With the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, Anderson joined ardent secessionists and gave his full support to the Confederacy.
He entered the Confederate Army as colonel of the 1st Regiment Florida (Infantry), received promotion to brigadier general
February 10, 1862 and to major general February 17, 1864. His war-time command started out in Pensacola, took him through
all the major campaigns of Tennessee and Georgia, and placed him for awhile in charge of the home front in Florida. He was
wounded at the Battle of Jonesboro, Ga., in August 1864 and retired from the field to recuperate. Even after the restoration
of the Union, Anderson remained unreconciled to the new order in the South, refusing to countersign his presidential amnesty.
His finances were ruined and he took his family to Memphis, Tenn., where he earned his living by editing a publication on
agriculture, working in insurance, and serving as a collector of delinquent taxes for Shelby County. He died of complications
from war-time wounds on September 20, 1872, and was interred in Elmwood Cemetery, Memphis. Anderson was survived by his widow,
Etta, and their children William Preston (b. 1856), Theophilus Beatty (b. 1858), James Patton, Jr. (1860), Elizabeth Cromwell
(1863), and Margaret Bybee (1866). The Anderson family returned to Florida in 1883 and settled in Palatka, where Etta became
the president of the local J. Patton Anderson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She died in 1917. Margaret
(Maggie) Anderson, the last of the Anderson children, served as the family historian and keeper of the family papers until
she passed away on May 7, 1965, at the age of 99.
The J. Patton Anderson Papers are significant for the information they shed on the life of the Anderson family before the
Civil War, particularly in the running of Casa Bianca Plantation, in Florida, for coverage of Anderson’s service with the
Army of Tennessee, and for the correspondence relating to the post-war South. The papers date from 1836-1976, with the bulk
dated between 1847 and 1909. The collection contains family papers, letters, and memoirs of J. Patton Anderson’s extended
family (including in-laws), as well as official battle reports from the battles of Shiloh, Murfreesboro (a.k.a. Stones River),
and Chattanooga, written by Anderson himself, and correspondence with former-Confederates after the Civil War. Also included
is an autobiographical sketch of Anderson’s life, a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about the family, and several photographs.
The bulk of the collection is arranged chronologically, each item being stored in its own folder. Undated material, along
with correspondence between Etta Adair Anderson and the family of Jefferson Davis, has been placed at the end of the collection.
The collection contains one folder of miscellaneous bills, receipts, and business papers, dating from 1847 to 1872.
Items of interest include legal agreements and lists of slaves and equipment pertaining to Casa Bianca; official reports and
personal letters concerning major battles with the Army of Tennessee; correspondence with Braxton Bragg about postwar life
in and around the Mississippi River Valley; and an exchange of letters between Etta Adair Anderson and Jefferson Davis.
Anderson’s autobiography, written while recuperating from a wound her received in the Battle of Jonesboro, Ga., (August 31,
1864) appears in several forms in the collection. Additionally, his wife Etta composed a memoir about Anderson that recounts
how he saved the life of Ulysses S. Grant during his time in the Washington Territory as U.S. Marshall. The collection also
contains copies of the agreement made between Joseph E. Johnston and William T. Sherman at the close of the Civil War; photographs
of Patton Anderson, Etta Adair Anderson, Ellen Adair White Beatty, and the plantation of Casa Bianca; a copy of the Ku Klux
Klan Constitution and Bylaws, dated 1870; a revised copy of the Constitution of the United Confederate Veterans, dated 1891
and signed by Captain J.J. Dickison; and Anderson’s military appointments during the Civil War; and pardons from the post-bellum
period.
Collection is open for research.
Other copies of Anderson’s autobiography exist, including a copy at Special Collections at Florida State University. The Putnam
County Public Library has placed several of the letters exchanged between Patton and Etta online as part of its digital collections.
For related resources on Anderson, see: John Hoffman, The Confederate Collapse at the Battle of Missionary Ridge, Dayton: Morningside, 1985. James W. Raab, J. Patton Anderson, Confederate General, Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc., 2004. Larry Rayburn, "'Wherever the Fight is Thickest': General James Patton Anderson
of Florida," Florida Historical Quarterly 60(3) (Jan. 1982): 313-336. Margaret Anderson Uhler, The Floridians, Lincoln: Writers Club Press, 2003. Margaret Anderson Uhler, "Major General James Patton Anderson: an Autobiography," Florida Historical Quarterly 65 (3) (Jan. 1987): 335-356.
The James Patton Anderson Papers have been digitized and are available as part of the University of Florida Digital Collections:
http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?s=jpa.
[Identification of item], James Patton Anderson Papers, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries,
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
The J. Patton Anderson Papers were donated by Margaret Anderson Uhler. J. Patton Anderson’s field binoculars and campaign
chair, along with a photograph of him in his Mexican War uniform, were donated to the collection by Cromwell Anderson.
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Anderson Papers
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Box 1 |
1. Transcription (typed) of J. Patton Anderson autobiography.
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2. Reminiscence (Etta A. Anderson) |
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3. Etta A. Anderson Personal Account of Her Experiences as a Pioneer in the Territory of Washington 1853-1856, ed. Margaret
Anderson Uhler
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4. Copy of Will: Joseph M. White - Sep. 28, 1836 |
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5. Adair, Etta A. (mother) to Etta A. Anderson (daughter) - Dec. 31, 1850 - Oakland |
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6. Adair, Etta A. (mother) to Etta A. Anderson (daughter) - May 10, 1851 - Oakland |
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7. Stevens, Isaac I. to Arthur A. Denny - Apr. 18, 1853 - Washington D.C. |
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8. Wright, C.S. to I.S. Clendenin - May 4, 1854 - Yazoo City |
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9. Wallace, William to B.F. Shaw - Apr. 23, 1854 - Crescents Harbor |
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10. List of Slaves on Casa Bianca - Dec. 31, 1855 |
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11. List of slaves belonging to Ellen A. Beatty - Jan. 7, 1856 |
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12. Agreement: Ellen A. Beatty and J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 7, 1856 |
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13. Beatty, Ellen A. to J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 12, 1856 - Casa Bianca |
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14. Clisby, A.W. to J. Patton Anderson - Dec. 31, 1857 - Marianna, FL |
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15. Agreement: Ellen A. Beatty and George Brainerd - May, 20, 1859 |
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16. Agreement: J. Patton Anderson and Dr. Robert Scott and Cromwell Adair - Nov. 16, 1859 |
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17. Agreement: J. Patton Anderson and Cromwell Adair - Nov. 17, 1859 |
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18. Cousin Shea to J. Patton Anderson - Sep. 15, 185* - Jefferson Academy |
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19. Agreement: Ellen A. Beatty and J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 17, 1860 |
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20. Perkins, Thomas J. to J. Patton Anderson: $12,000 to Ellen A. Beatty - Jun. 17, 1866 |
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21. Agreement: J. Patton Anderson and A.G.A. Godwin - Feb. 21, 1860 |
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22. Deed: Ellen A. Beatty to Robert W. Williams for “Casa Bianca” - Jan. 10, 1860 |
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23. Bill of Sale: Ellen A. Beatty to J. Patton Anderson - Feb. 28, 1860 |
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24. Power of Attorney: Ellen A. Beatty to J. Patton Anderson - May 1, 1860 |
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25. Financial Memorandum of J. Patton Anderson - Apr. 1, 1861 |
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26. Appointment: Addley H. Gladden as Colonel by Governor Thomas O. Moon - Mar. 22, 1861 - Louisiana |
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27. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Jan. 8, 1862 - Winchester, TN |
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28. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Jan. 11, 1862 - Shelbyville, TN |
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29. “History of Patton’s Pipe” - Apr. 6, 1862 |
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30. Anderson, J. Patton to Captain R.M. Hood - Apr. 17, 1862 to Corinth, MS - Report on the Battle of Shiloh |
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31. Anderson, J. Patton to Captain R.M. Hood - May 15, 1862 - Corinth, MS |
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32. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 7, 1862 - Sparta, TN |
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33. Anderson, J. Patton to Major D.E. Huger - Jan. 26, 1863 - Shelbyville, TN—Battle of Murfreesboro a.k.a. Battle of Stones
River
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34. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Mar. 19, 1863 - Shelbyville, TN |
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35. Payne, John I.W. to J. Patton Anderson - Aug. 28, 1863 - Montgomery, AL |
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36. Unit Strength Report (J. Patton Anderson) - Aug. 31, 1863 |
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37. Beard, W.K. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 1, 1863 - Chattanooga, TN |
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38. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Oct. 5, 1863 - Chattanooga, TN |
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39. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Nov. 9, 1863 - Missionary Ridge (TN) |
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40. Tucker, Col. W.F. to Major J.P. Wilson - Dec. 4, 1863 - Dalton, GA |
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41. Deas, Z.C. to Major J.P. Wilson - Dec. 8, 1863 - Dalton, GA |
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42. Manigault, General Arthur M. to Major J.P Wilson - Dec. 8, 1863 - Dalton, GA |
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43. Reynolds, General A.W. to Major J.W. Matthews - Dec. 15, 1863 - Dalton, GA |
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44. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Dec. 18, 1863 - Dalton, GA |
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45. Vaughan, General A.J. Jr. to “Captain” - 1863 (Battle of Missionary Ridge) - Dalton, GA |
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46. Withers, Jonathan to J. Patton Anderson - 1863 - Richmond, VA |
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47. Note: John Adair to J.P. Anderson - 1863 |
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48. Anderson, Archer to J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 1, 1864 |
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49. ________ to J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 9, 1864 - (Near Dullin) |
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50. Ellarwell, A. to J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 31, 1864 - Richmond, VA |
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51. Bragg, Braxton to J. Patton Anderson - Feb. 28, 1864 - Richmond, VA |
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52. Newspaper Clipping: Confederate Officer Appointments - Mar. 13, 1864 |
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53. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - Apr. 21, 1864 - “In Camp” |
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54. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - May 3, 1864 - “In Camp” |
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55. Anderson, J. Patton to Etta A. Anderson - May 19, 1864 - Camp Milton |
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56. Larson, L.B. to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 3, 1864 - Aucilla |
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57. Anderson, J. Patton to General S. Cooper - Jun. 28, 1864 - Lake City, FL |
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58. Anderson, J. Patton to Major P.W. White - Jul. 15, 1864 - Lake City, FL |
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59. Bragg, Braxton to J. Patton Anderson - Jul. 23, 1864 - Columbus, GA |
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60. Newspaper Clipping Re: J. Patton Anderson - Aug. 15, 1864 |
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61. Lee, S.D. to J. Patton Anderson - Oct. 22, 1864 - Gadsden, AL |
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62. Stringfellow, General Charles to J. Patton Anderson - 1864 - Charleston, SC |
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63. Gamble, Carey B. to J. Patton Anderson - Jan. 25, 1865 - Macon, GA |
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64. Anderson, J. Patton to Major J.W. Ratchford - Feb. 9, 1865 - Monticello, FL |
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65. Anderson, J. Patton to General N.B. Forrest - Apr. 14, 1865 - Hillsboro, NC |
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66. Agreement: General Joseph E. Johnston and Major William T. Sherman - Apr. 18, 1865 - Military Convention |
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67. Agreement: General Joseph E. Johnston and Major William T. Sherman - Apr. 26, 1865 - Military Convention |
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68. Military Convention: Supplementary Terms - Apr. 26, 1865 |
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69. Kinchloe, D.A. to J. Patton Anderson - Apr. 28, 1865 |
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70. Anderson, J. Patton to General Israel Vodges - Jun. 5, 1865 - Monticello, FL |
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71. McHenry, S.L. to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 11, 1865 - Jacksonville, FL |
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72. Gamble, Carey B. to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 14, 1865 - Tallahassee, FL |
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73. McCaughan, John S. to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 15, 1865 - Tallahassee, FL |
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74. Application of J. Patton Anderson for Pass and Safe Conduct to Virginia - Jun. 18, 1865 |
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75. Anderson, J. Patton to Captain S.L. Mattenry - Jun. 28, 1865 - Monticello, FL |
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76. McDonald, Edward to J. Patton Anderson - Oct. 1, 1865 - Platte City, MO |
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77. Hill, Daniel Harvey to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 28, 1866 - Charlotte, NC |
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78. Buckner, S.B. to J. Patton Anderson - Oct. 9, 1866 - New Orleans, LA |
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79. Adair, John to sister to Dec. 7, 1866 - Washington City |
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80. Bragg, Braxton to J. Patton Anderson - Apr. 10, 1867 - New Orleans, LA |
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81. Murray, D.H. to J. Patton Anderson - Apr. 10, 1867 - New Orleans, LA |
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82. Bulkley, H.D. to J. Patton Anderson - Apr. 27, 1867 - Memphis, TN |
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83. Catalogue of Books - J. Patton Anderson (Recorded by Morris and Schackelford) - May 26, 1868 |
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84. Morris, George D. to J. Patton Anderson - May 30, 1868 - Monticello, FL |
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85. Pleasants, M. F. to J. Patton Anderson - 1868 |
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86. Lease of House - Apr. 7, 1869 - Memphis, TN |
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87. Cushman, Joseph to J. Patton Anderson - Oct. 15, 1869 - Olympia |
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88. Fundraising Letter (Jefferson Davis) - Nov. 17, 1869 - New Orleans, LA |
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89. Bragg, Braxton to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 20, 1870 - Memphis, TN |
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90. Ku Klux Klan Constitution and Bylaws - 1870 |
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91. Breckenridge, John C. to J. Patton Anderson - Mar. 7, 1871 - Georgetown, KY |
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92. Jones, Charles C. to J. Patton Anderson - Aug. 2, 1871 - New York, NY |
Box 2 |
93. Butler, E.G. to J. Patton Anderson - Feb. 10, 1872 - Pass Christian, MS
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94. Wilson, Ellen M. to Etta A. Anderson - Mar. 6, 1872 - Palatka, FL |
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95. Harker, A.T. to J. Patton Anderson - Apr, 4, 1872 - Okolona, MS |
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96. Brown, John A. to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 1, 1872 - Pulaski, TN |
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97. Anderson, J. Patton to mother - Aug. 2, 1872 - Beersheba Springs, TN |
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98. ____, Julia to Etta A. Anderson - Aug, 20, 1872 - Monticello, FL |
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99. Neills, Lizzie to Etta A. Anderson - Aug. 24, 1872 - Monticello, FL |
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100. Murray, N.B. to sister - Sep. 1, 1872 |
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101. Fraser, D. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 18, 1872 - Atlanta, GA |
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102. Walthall, Edward C. to ** - Sep. 20, 1872 - Grenada, MS |
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103. Scott, Robert to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 21, 1872 - Monticello, FL |
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104. Bridges, Rowan to cousin - Sep. 22, 1872 - Prentiss, MS |
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105. Dubose, John to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 24, 1872 - Glasgow, KY |
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106. Boggs, William E. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 26, 1872 - Columbia, SC |
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107. Tucker, W. F. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 26, 1872 - Okolona, MS |
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108. McDonald, Edward M. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 27, 1872 - Platte City, MO |
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109. Walthall, Mary D. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 29, 1872 - Grenada, MS |
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110. Payne, J.W. to Etta A. Anderson - Oct. 1, 1872 - Riverside, TN |
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111. Oliver, Hettie E. to Etta Anderson - Oct. 4, 1872 - Americus, GA |
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112. Pleasants, J. Adair to Etta A. Anderson - Oct. 14, 1872 - Richmond, VA |
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113. ____, Julia to Etta A. Anderson - Oct. 20, 1872 - Monticello, FL |
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114. Wright, M.S. to Etta A. Anderson - Mar. 18, 1873 - Memphis, TN |
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115. Bragg, Braxton to Etta A. Anderson - Jun. 15, 1873 - Mobile, AL |
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116. Campbell, William P. to Etta A. Anderson - Sep. 25, 1873 - Kenneh, Egypt |
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117. Bragg, Braxton to Etta A. Anderson - Apr. 3, 1876 - Galveston, TX |
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118. Finley, J.J. to William Scott - Apr. 25, 1876 - Washington D.C. |
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119. Turnbull, Thomas to J. Patton Anderson - Nov. 15, 1876 - Monticello, FL |
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120. Walthall, Edward C. to Etta A. Anderson - Mar. 4, 1878 - Grenada, MS |
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121. Oliver, Hettie E. to Etta A. Anderson - May 6, 1878 - Americus, GA |
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122. Perry, Belmont to Etta A. Anderson - Jan. 4, 1881 - Woodbury, NJ |
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123. Walthall, Edward C. to Etta A. Anderson - Aug. 18, 1883 - Grenada, MS |
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124. Walthall, Edward C. to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 5, 1884 - Grenada, MS |
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125. Anderson, Etta A. to Mr. Earle - Apr. 11, 1889 - Palatka, FL |
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126. Perry, Belmont to Etta A. Anderson - Jun. 24, 1889 - Woodbury, NJ |
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127. Perry, Belmont to Etta A. Anderson - Dec. 2, 1889 - Woodbury, NJ |
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128. Anderson, T.B. to Belmont Perry - Jan. 3, 1890 - Palatka, FL |
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129. Revised Constitution of United Veterans 1891 (Gift of J.J. Dickison) |
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130. Clarke Engraving Co. to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 11, 1892 - Atlanta, GA |
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131. Clarke Engraving Co. to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 17, 1892 - Atlanta, GA |
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132. Fleming, F.P. to Etta A. Anderson - Mar. 4, 1892 - Tallahassee, FL |
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133. Lee, S.D. to Etta A. Anderson - Mar. 21, 1893 - Agricultural College, MS |
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134. Brown, Hugh A. to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 3, 1897 - Saxe, VA |
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135. Perry, Belmont to T.B. Anderson - Feb. 20, 1892 - Woodbury, NJ |
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136. Anderson, W.P. to Clarke Engraving Co. - Mar. 6, 1893 |
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137. Brown, Marian to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 4, 1897 - Saxe, VA |
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138. _______ to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 28, 1899 - Jacksonville, FL |
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139. Fleming, F.L. to R.A. Patterson - 189* - Richmond, VA |
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140. Anderson, T.B. to sons - Jul. 17, 1906 - Gainesville, FL |
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141. Carter, T.C. to Etta A. Anderson - Nov. 25, Meridian, MS |
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142. Rogers, J.H. to Etta A. Anderson - Feb. 13, 1909 - Ft. Smith, AK |
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143. Newspaper Clipping Re: J. Patton Anderson--Seattle Post Intelligencer-- Aug. 24, 1919 |
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144. Uhler, Margaret to Elizabeth Alexander - Aug. 23, 1976 - Milledgeville, GA |
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145. Anderson, Etta A. to Jefferson Davis - Mar. 25, 1876 - Monticello, FL |
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146. Davis, Jefferson to Etta A. Anderson - Apr. 17, 1876 - Memphis, TN |
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147. Davis, Varina Jefferson to Etta A. Anderson - 1906 - New York, NY |
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148. MacKale, W.W. - Letter (Includes Map) |
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149. Unidentified map - Near Beersheba Springs, TN |
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150. Jones, Charles C. to J. Patton Anderson |
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151. Wedding Invitation - Jun. 11 - Monticello, FL |
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152. Newspaper Clipping: “Capitulation of Lee’s Army” |
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153. Excerpts from official reports of the Battle of Chickamauga (copied by Margaret Uhler) |
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154. Passes: Railroad and Health passes |
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155. Latin Exercise: Willie P. Anderson |
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156. Anderson, Etta A. to a friend |
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157. Possibly Cromwell Adair to Etta A. Anderson (sister) - Aug. 21 - Morganfield |
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158. Hill, Mrs. D.H. to J. Patton Anderson - Aug. 29 - Charlotte, NC |
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159. Sharp to J. Patton Anderson |
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160. P____, E.A. to J. Patton Anderson - Jun. 10 |
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161. “Florida White” Sketch of Ellen Adair Beatty - NY Fashion Bazaar |
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162. Bills, Receipts, Accounts: J. Patton Anderson - 1847-1872 |
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163. Misc. Envelopes |
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164. Undated diary entries (2 pages): Etta Anderson (?) |
