John Thomas Lewis Preston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Thomas Lewis Preston
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J. T. L. Preston. 1907 portrait based on 1855 photo.
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| Born | April 25, 1811 Lexington, Virginia |
| Died | July 15, 1890 (aged 79) Lexington, Virginia |
| Buried |
Oak Grove Cemetery
Lexington, Virginia |
| Allegiance |  Virginia Confederate States |
| Service/ |
 Virginia Militia Confederate States Army |
| Rank |  Colonel (Virginia Militia) Lieutenant Colonel (CSA) |
| Unit | Virginia Military Institute 9th Virginia Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Lyle Caruthers Margaret Junkin |
| Other work | Founder and faculty member, Virginia Military Institute |
John Thomas Lewis Preston (born April 25, 1811 – died July 15, 1890) was an American teacher and military leader from Virginia. He is best known as a main founder of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He was also one of the first two teachers there. Later, he served in the Confederate army during the American Civil War.
Contents
Early Life and Education
J. T. L. Preston was born in Lexington, Virginia, on April 25, 1811. He grew up in Lexington and Richmond. In 1828, he earned his first college degree from Washington College. Today, this school is known as Washington and Lee University.
After college, Preston took advanced classes at the University of Virginia and Yale University. He then studied law and became a lawyer. He started his own law practice in Lexington. In 1881, Washington and Lee University gave him an honorary law degree.
Founding the Virginia Military Institute
After the War of 1812, Virginia built places called arsenals. These were used to store weapons for the state's citizen army, called the militia. This was in case of an invasion or uprising.
In the 1830s, Preston was part of a debate club in Lexington. In 1836, he suggested a new idea. He thought the Lexington arsenal could be used better. He wanted it to be a school that taught practical subjects. It would also offer military training for future officers in the militia.
His idea was discussed and changed a bit. The debate club then voted to support Preston's plan. Preston worked hard to get public support. He met with important business, military, and political leaders. He also wrote letters to newspapers using a fake name. Other supporters, like Norwich University founder Alden Partridge, also wrote letters.
In 1836, the Virginia legislature passed a law. This law allowed the new school to be created at the Lexington arsenal. The Governor signed it into law.
The people organizing the school formed a board. Preston was on this board. They chose Claudius Crozet to be their president. The board asked Preston to name the new school. He came up with the name Virginia Military Institute.
Preston also had to hire the school's first leader, called the superintendent. He believed that Francis Henney Smith was the best person for the job. Smith had graduated from West Point and was an army officer. Preston convinced Smith to become VMI's first superintendent and tactics professor.
After Smith agreed, Preston applied to teach at VMI himself. He was hired as a Professor of Languages. Classes started in 1839. Preston taught Latin, English, and other modern languages.
Early Years of VMI
Francis Henney Smith was a colonel as the commander of VMI's student body, called the Corps of Cadets. Preston was made a captain and soon became a major. He was also the Corps' quartermaster, which meant he managed supplies. He often took charge when Superintendent Smith was away.
In 1859, after John Brown was tried and sentenced, Smith was put in charge of his execution. Most of the Virginia Militia, including the VMI Cadets, went to Charles Town to provide security. Preston was there as quartermaster and saw the execution. He wrote a detailed letter to his wife about what happened. This letter was printed in newspapers and gave an important firsthand account of the event. People at the time said that Preston was the one who spoke first after Brown died. He said, "So perish all such enemies of Virginia! All such enemies of the Union! All such enemies of the human race!"
Civil War Service
During the American Civil War, Preston supported the Confederacy. He became a lieutenant colonel in the 9th Virginia Infantry. Francis Henney Smith was the colonel and commander of this unit. Preston served with the 9th Virginia in different battles in the Shenandoah Valley. He also worked on the staff of Stonewall Jackson as an aide-de-camp, which means he was a personal assistant to the general.
After the Civil War
After the war, Preston continued to teach at VMI. He retired in 1882. He was promoted to colonel in the militia. He was also offered a promotion to brigadier general, but he did not accept it.
Church Leadership
Preston was very involved in the Presbyterian Church. He was a "ruling elder" at the Lexington church for almost 50 years. He also attended many state and national church meetings.
For more than 20 years, before and after the Civil War, Preston, Stonewall Jackson, and others led a Sunday school. This school was for African-Americans in Lexington, including both slaves and free people.
Retirement and Death
After retiring, Preston continued to live at his home in Lexington. He died there on July 15, 1890. He was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Lexington.
Family Life
Preston was married two times. In 1832, he married Sarah Lyle Caruthers. After she passed away, he married Margaret Junkin in 1857. He had seven children with his first wife and two with his second wife.
Margaret Junkin Preston was the daughter of a former president of Washington College. She became a famous writer in the 1800s. People across the country knew her as the "Poetess of the South" and "The Poetess of the Confederacy." Margaret Junkin's sister, Elinor, was the first wife of Stonewall Jackson.
Legacy
The Preston Library at Virginia Military Institute is named after him. His old home, Blandome, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2002.
A book about Preston was published in 2014. It is called The Father of Virginia Military Institute: A Biography of Colonel J.T.L. Preston, CSA, by Randolph P. Shaffner.
