Robert Tyler Jones (24 January 1843-18 May 1895) was an ensign of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Jones, the grandson of President John Tyler, served in the Army of Northern Virginia, and he was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
Biography[]
Jones at Gettysburg, 1863
Robert Tyler Jones was born in the District of Columbia, United States on 24 January 1843, the son of Henry L. Tyler and Mary Tyler Jones and the grandson of President John Tyler. After working as a farmer, Tyler enlisted in the 53rd Virginia Infantry Company K on 25 June 1861 at the start of the American Civil War, choosing to side with the Confederate States of America against the federal government. Jones was promoted to Sergeant on 1 June 1862, and he served in the color guard of the regiment when it, along with the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia, took part in the 1863 invasion of Pennsylvania. Jones was wounded on 3 July 1863 while carrying the colors of his regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg, and he was promoted to Color Sergeant for his gallantry two days later. On 9 April 1865, he was one of the soldiers who surrendered at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, and he died on 18 May 1895 at the age of 52. He was buried at the Chestnut Grove Cemetery in Herndon, Fairfax County, Virginia.