Vulcan Contract and Improvement Co. Signed by John Echols - 1884 dated Autograph Stock Certificate

Stock signed by Jno. Echols as president. Certificates #4, 5, 6 or 7 available!

John Echols (March 20, 1823 – May 24, 1896) served as a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, he enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute in 1840 but resigned the following year, later being honored as an honorary graduate in 1843. He furthered his education at Washington College and Harvard College. Standing at an impressive 6 feet 4 inches, Echols quickly emerged as a prominent leader among his contemporaries. He was married twice; his first wife was a sister of Senator Allen T. Caperton, who was also associated with what would become West Virginia. Following her passing, he wed Mrs. Mary Helen Cochran Reid, a widow from New York City. After becoming a lawyer in 1843, he established his practice in Union, Monroe County (now part of West Virginia). Echols served as a representative for Monroe County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1852 to 1853 and participated in the Virginia Secession Convention in 1861.

General Robert E. Lee noted that Echols' Brigade was recalled to rejoin the Army of Northern Virginia near Cold Harbor during the Siege of Petersburg. On August 22, 1864, he was appointed to oversee the District of Southwestern Virginia, and on March 29, 1865, he took command of the western department of Virginia, succeeding General Breckinridge, who had joined President Jefferson Davis's staff. On April 2, Echols commenced a rapid march with nearly 7,000 troops to join forces with Lee. He arrived in Christiansburg, Virginia, on April 10, where he received a telegram informing him of Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. In a grave council of war, Echols resolved to march south to unite with Johnston's army, leading two brigades toward North Carolina. He later accompanied President Davis to Augusta, Georgia.