J. William Jones

J. William Jones (1836–1909) was an American Southern Baptist preacher, writer, and Confederate chaplain who became the most influential promoter of the Lost Cause narrative after the Civil War.[1][2] He served as a chaplain in Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, conducting mass revivals and ministering to troops, and later wrote influential books including biographies of Lee and Jefferson Davis.[2] Jones is remembered as 'the evangelist of the Lost Cause' for his extensive work defending the reputation of Confederate leaders and promoting the ideology that the South's secession and defense of the Confederacy were justified and righteous.[2][3]