General Lee’s order to the army announcing the death of Stuart was as follows: “Among the gallant soldiers who have fallen in the war, General Stuart was second to none in valor, in zeal, and in unflinching devotion to his country. His achievements form a conspicuous part of the history of this army, with which his name and services will be forever associated. To military capacity of a high order, he added the brighter graces of a pure life guided and sustained by the Christian’s faith and hope. The mysterious hand of an all-wise God has removed him from the scene of his usefulness and fame. His grateful countrymen will mourn his loss and cherish his memory. To his comrades in arms he has left the proud recollection of his deeds and the inspiring influence of his example.”
General Wade Hampton’s order to his cavalry corps was also an eloquent tribute to the great cavalry leader. It was as follows:
“In the midst of rejoicing over the success of our arms, the sad tidings come to us from Richmond of the death of our distinguished Chief of Cavalry. Death has at last accepted the offering of a life, which before the admiring eyes of the Army, has been so often, so freely and so nobly offered, on almost every battlefield of Virginia. In the death of Major-General J. E. B. Stuart the Army of Northern Virginia has lost one of its most brilliant, enthusiastic and zealous military leaders, the Southern cause one of its earliest, most untiring and devoted supporters, and the Cavalry arm of the service a chieftain who first gave it prominence and value, and whose dazzling achievements have attracted the wonder and applause of distant nations. His spirit shone as bright and brave in the still chamber of death, as amid the storm of the battlefield, and he passed out of life the same buoyant hero he had lived. Blessed through a short but glorious career with many instances of almost miraculous good fortune, it was his great privilege to die with the consciousness of having performed his whole duty to his country. To his children he leaves the rich legacy of a name which has become identified with the brightest acts of our military history and, when the panorama of our battles shall be unfolded to posterity, in almost every picture will be seen the form of our gallant leader. His name will be associated with almost every scene of danger and of glory, in which the Cavalry of the Virginia Army has borne a part, and they will recount the exploits of Stuart with the pride which men feel in their own honorable records.
“The Major General commanding hopes that this division will show by their own noble conduct their high appreciation of the character of their lost commander, and when the danger thickens around them and the cause of their country calls for heroic efforts they will remember the example of Stuart. No leader ever set a more glorious example to his soldiers on the battlefield than he did, and it becomes the men he has so often led, while they mourn his fall, to emulate his courage, to imitate his heroic devotion to duty and to avenge his death.”
While General Lee and his army continued to wrestle with the hosts of Grant, the city of Richmond was in deep gloom and mourning. Once more the tide of battle had come near her gates; and this time the beloved and gallant Stuart had fallen. He had been the pride of her heart, her brave and chivalrous defender. But Stuart was to sleep his last long sleep upon her bosom, in beautiful Hollywood around whose promontories sweep the waters of the James as they rush onward to the Chesapeake and where the tall pine trees whisper of the life eternal. The city aroused herself from her grief to do homage to the noble dead.
The City Council of Richmond passed resolutions of respect and sympathy for the family of General Stuart and asked that the body of him who “yielded up his heroic spirit in the immediate defense of their city, and the successful effort to purchase their safety by the sacrifice of his own life,” might “be permitted to rest under the eye and guardianship of the people of Richmond and that they might be allowed to commemorate by a suitable monument their gratitude and his services.”
At five o’clock on the afternoon of May 13, the funeral of General Stuart took place from old St. James Church in Richmond. The coffin containing the remains of the brave soldier was carried up the aisle and, covered with wreaths and flowers, was placed before the altar.
The funeral service was conducted by Reverend Dr. Peterkin who had been with General Stuart during his last hours. The church was filled with officials of the Confederate government and citizens of Richmond. President Davis sat near the front, with a look of great sadness upon his careworn face. His cabinet officers were around him and on either side of the church were the senators and representatives of the Confederate Congress. But the cavalry officers and soldiers who loved and followed Stuart were all absent. They were on the firing line, either in the Wilderness or on the Chickahominy,—fighting in defense of Richmond which he had died to save.
MONUMENTMarking Stuart’s grave in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va.
MONUMENTMarking Stuart’s grave in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Va.
No military escort could be spared from the front to accompany the funeral procession to Hollywood or to fire the usual parting salute to the dead commander. But as the body was lowered into the grave, the earth trembled with the roar of artillery from the battlefield where his old troops were obeying his last command and driving back the Federals. No better salute could have been given the gallant leader.
Leaving the body of their brave defender beneath the pines of Hollywood, the officials and citizens of Richmond returned to their homes to meet other sorrows. Before a year passed, the devoted city was overtaken by the fate which Stuart had so ably aided Lee in averting. Richmond fell into the hands of the Federals, General Lee surrendered, and the southern Confederacy was no more.
When the city arose from her ashes and again put on the garb of peace, one of her first works was to erect memorials in honor of the men who had fought so nobly in her defense.
In 1888, a monument was erected by some of Stuart’s comrades to mark the place at Yellow Tavern where he received his mortal wound. Governor Fitzhugh Lee was the orator of the occasion. He had been one of Stuart’s most trusted brigadier generals, and had known him since they were cadets together at West Point. In beautiful and touching language, he reviewed the chief events of Stuart’s life, his brilliant campaigns, and his last hours.
MONUMENT AT YELLOW TAVERNMarking the place where Stuart was wounded
MONUMENT AT YELLOW TAVERNMarking the place where Stuart was wounded
The shaft at Yellow Tavern is twenty-two feet high and stands on a knoll about thirty feet from the spot where Stuart was wounded. Upon it are the following inscriptions:
Face: Upon this field, Major-Genl. J. E. B. Stuart, Commander Confederate Cavalry A. N. Va., received his mortal wound, May 11, 1864.Right: He was fearless and faithful, pure and powerful, tender and true.Left: This stone is erected by some of his comrades to commemorate his valor.Rear: He saved Richmond, but he gave his life. Born Feb. 6, 1833, died May 12, 1864.
In 1891, the “Veteran Cavalry Association of the Army of Northern Virginia” was organized for the purpose of marking the grave of General Stuart with a suitable monument; but it was afterwards decided that, with the aid of the city of Richmond, the association would erect an equestrian statue. The city donated the site on Monument avenue, near the equestrian statue of General Lee, and also contributed a large sum of money, so that the association was enabled to erect the statue.
The sculptor, Mr. Fred Moynihan, designed and executed a statue, which is an excellent likeness of General Stuart and a striking example of the sculptor’s skill. In 1907, the memorial was unveiled in the presence of an immense concourse of people, including large numbers of veterans from all parts of the South. Chief among the guests of honor were Miss Mary Custis Lee, Mrs. Stonewall Jackson, and Mrs. J. E. B. Stuart.
Fully ten thousand men marched in the column which took over an hour to pass a given point. Veterans who were too feeble to endure the fatigue of the march went early to the monument, and joined the great multitude that crowded the sidewalks and even the housetops.
When the parade reached the monument, the crowd was so dense that it was with difficulty that the police made way for the orator and distinguished guests. The multitude was called to order by Major Andrew R. Venable, of Farmville, Virginia, a member of the staff of General Stuart, who introduced Rev. Walter Q. Hullihen, of Staunton, Virginia, another member of Stuart’s staff, who made the dedicatory prayer. Major Venable then introduced the orator of the day, Judge Theodore S. Garnett of Norfolk, Virginia, another member of the staff of General Stuart.
It was indeed a remarkable incident that three of General Stuart’s staff officers presided at the unveiling of his statue forty-three years after his death.
Judge Garnett in an eloquent speech reviewed the life and campaigns of Stuart, paying glowing tributes to the general, to the “ever-glorious and gallant” Stuart Horse Artillery, and to his comrades of Mosby’s Battalion. He closed with these words: “To the city of Richmond, as its faithful guardian, we commit this monument, in whose care and keeping it will henceforth stand in token of a people’s gratitude and in perpetual memory of his heroic name.”
STUART STATUEOn Monument Avenue, Richmond, Va.
STUART STATUEOn Monument Avenue, Richmond, Va.
The veil was then drawn from the monument by the hand of little Virginia Stuart Waller, General Stuart’s granddaughter. As the canvas fell from the heroic figure of General Stuart mounted on his powerful horse, the guns of the Howitzers boomed a salute and the cheering of the vast throng arose in billows of sound.
“Stuart was again riding with Lee.”
Give three incidents to prove that Stuart inherited his spirit of patriotism and devotion to duty.
Tell an interesting story connected with his grandmother, Bethenia Letcher Pannill.
What do you know of Stuart’s life at Laurel Hill?
Tell what you can about his early education.
Give an account of his life at West Point.
What do you know of his religious feelings and convictions?
Tell about his choice of a profession and his equipment for it.
How did Stuart win distinction in his first military service?
What good qualities for a soldier and leader did he show in this adventure?
What two events of deep personal interest happened to Stuart in the fall of 1855?
Tell about the political trouble in Kansas at this time.
Who was “Ossawatomie” Brown?
Tell about Stuart’s being wounded in a fight with Indians.
What qualities did he show in leading the party back to Fort Kearny?
What was the reason for his visit to Washington in 1859?
What interesting and important outcome did this visit have?
What feelings were aroused in the country by the John Brown Raid and the hanging of Brown?
What was Stuart’s first cavalry commission under the Confederate government?
What kind of troops did he have, and what was his work?
Tell about his wonderful capture at Falling Waters.
What did General Joseph E. Johnston say about Stuart?
Tell about Stuart’s part in the First Battle of Manassas.
Tell about the visits paid Stuart by his family at his outpost near Washington.
What did General Longstreet write President Davis about Stuart?
See if you can paint a word-picture of Stuart when he was made a brigadier general.
Why did the soldiers still keep their confidence in Stuart after his defeat at the battle of Dranesville?
What was the Peninsular Campaign? What was Stuart’s part in it, up to the time that General Lee was made commander of the Army of Northern Virginia?
Describe the Chickahominy Raid. Why is this raid one of the most wonderful cavalry achievements in history?
Tell two interesting incidents connected with the capture of the Federal supply depot at the White House.
Tell about the close of the Peninsular Campaign.
What was Stuart’s reward for his services in the Peninsular Campaign?
Tell about the reörganization of the cavalry.
Give an account of life at Dundee. What brought it to a close?
Tell about the capture of Stuart’s hat.
Give an account of the adventure in which he “made the Yankees pay for that hat.”
What was Stuart’s part in the Second Battle of Manassas?
Tell about the capture of Fairfax Courthouse.
Tell a story to show how the people of this section felt toward General Stuart and the cause for which he fought.
Describe the crossing of the cavalry into Maryland.
Do you think the Maryland people were glad to welcome the Confederates into their State? Why?
Tell about the ball at Urbana.
How did the Confederates treat the Unionists in Frederick?
Describe Stuart’s retreat from Frederick to South Mountain.
What were the principal mountain passes and why was it necessary for the cavalry to hold them until the capture of Harper’s Ferry?
What did General Jackson say about General Stuart at the battle of Antietam?
How did the cavalry help General Lee to get his army back safely into Virginia?
Tell about “the girl of Williamsport.”
Tell about Stuart and Von Borcke’s narrow escape from being captured on a reconnoitering expedition.
Tell about Bob Sweeny and camp life at The Bower.
Would you have been proud of being one of the soldiers chosen by Stuart to accompany him on the Chambersburg Raid? Why?
Give a brief account of the raid.
To whom did Stuart assign all the glory and honor?
What was the effect of the raid on the North? On the South?
Why was Stuart sometimes called “Knight of the Golden Spurs?”
Tell about McClellan’s campaign in the autumn of 1862 and the retreat of the cavalry toward Culpeper.
What exciting adventure did Stuart have at Ashby’s Gap?
What qualities as a man and a soldier did Stuart show during the illness and after the death of his “little Flora”?
When and how did Stuart lose a part of his mustache?
What was the condition of Stuart’s cavalry at the time that Burnside took McClellan’s place as commander of the Federal army?
Tell about the snowball fight in the Confederate camp at Fredericksburg.
What part did Stuart and his cavalry take in the battle of Fredericksburg?
How did Pelham, the young chief of the Stuart Horse Artillery, distinguish himself in this battle?
Tell about the Dumfries Raid and the joke that Stuart played on the Federal quartermaster at Washington.
Tell about the friendship between Stuart and Jackson.
What changes took place in the Federal army in the early spring of 1863?
Tell about the death of young Pelham and Stuart’s love for him.
Give an account of Stuart’s encounters with the Federal cavalry just before the battle of Chancellorsville.
How did Stuart and his cavalry assist Jackson in surprising the Federal left flank?
When Jackson was wounded, what did he say about Stuart?
How did Stuart fulfill Jackson’s trust?
Tell about Stoneman’s raid and its result.
Describe the Culpeper cavalry review.
Draw a diagram showing how the Federals gave Stuart a double surprise in the battle of Fleetwood Hill, or Brandy Station, attacking him from both the front and the rear.
Describe the final combat for the possession of the hill.
Why did Lee’s plan prevent Stuart’s following up Pleasanton’s retreat?
Why did not Stuart follow the route of the remainder of the army when he started into Pennsylvania to join Early at York?
Describe his march from Seneca Ford to Carlisle.
In the light of what he knew, would it have been wise for Stuart to abandon his captured wagons? Give a reason for your opinion.
How long did his saving the wagons delay his march?
Do you think that he would have kept the wagons if he had known what was happening at Gettysburg?
What part did Stuart and his cavalry take in the third day’s battle?
Tell about the work of Stuart and his cavalry in covering the retreat of General Lee’s army.
Tell the incident about Stuart and the hard-boiled eggs. Explain his conduct on this occasion.
Tell about General Lee’s position and Stuart’s encounter with Buford and Kilpatrick at Jack’s Shop.
What was the “Bristoe Campaign?”
Tell how Stuart drove the Federals a second time from Fleetwood Hill.
What narrow escape did Stuart and his cavalry have near Catlett’s Station?
Tell about Virginia Pelham Stuart.
What northern general took command of all the Federal armies in the spring of 1864?
Tell about the Battle of the Wilderness. What interesting anecdote is told about Stuart when he was on his way to this battle?
Tell about the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse.
How did General Stuart try to save Major McClellan from danger in this battle?
Describe the cavalry raid that General Grant planned in order to take Richmond.
How did Stuart beat Sheridan in the race to Yellow Tavern?
Tell about Stuart’s being wounded and borne from the field.
What was his last command to his men?
What impressed you most when you read the account of Stuart’s death?
Why is such a death as this glorious and inspiring?
Repeat the lines from “Horatius” that apply to the death of Stuart.
What tribute did Fitz Lee pay his dead commander?
What private and public tributes were paid by General Robert E. Lee?
How did the city of Richmond show her grief at the time of Stuart’s death?
What later tributes has she given to her hero and defender?
The Federal and Confederate armies in the War of Secession were organized in practically the same way. There were a few points of difference, and in active service the numbers and arrangement of military forces varied and were changed.
When infantry regiments are combined into brigades, brigades into divisions, and divisions into army corps,—cavalry, artillery, and certain other auxiliary troops, such as engineers, signal corps, etc., are joined with them in such proportions as are necessary. Every unit, from the company up, has its own supply and ammunition wagons, field hospitals, etc.
Ab o li′tion party: a political party, founded by Garrison about 1833, the object of which was to free all slaves in the United States.
ad vănçe′: forward movement of a military force.
advance guard: troops which march in front, in order to secure a military force against surprise.
āid′-dē-cămp: an officer who assists a general by sending orders, collecting information, etc.
āide: a military or naval officer who assists a superior officer.
A pä′che: a warlike Indian tribe originally located in New Mexico and Arizona.
är′se nal: a place for the storage or manufacture of arms and military equipment.
ar tĭl′ler y: cannon, large or small; that branch of the service which handles the cannon.
as sa̤ult′: attack of a military force on the works or position of an enemy, in the effort to carry it by a single charge.
bāse: a place from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.
bat tăl′ion: Seepage 210.
bat′ter y: Seepage 210.
bĭv′ouac(-wăk): a temporary encampment of soldiers, usually without tents.
bri gāde′: Seepage 210.
brŭnt: the shock of an attack or onset.
bṳoy′ant: cheerful, light-hearted.
cāis′ son: a strong four-wheeled wagon, consisting of two parts, the body and the limber, that carries ammunition chests or boxes.
căn′is ter: cannon shot consisting of a metal cylinder which bursts when fired, discharging the bullets with which it is filled.
cär′bine: a short, light rifle used chiefly by cavalry.
căs′ca bel: a knob or projection in the rear of the breech of a muzzle-loading cannon.
căv′al ry: that part of the army consisting of mounted soldiers.
Çheȳ ĕnne′: an Indian tribe formerly inhabiting South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nevada.
com man dänt′: the commanding officer of a place or of a body of men.
cóm′pa ny: Seepage 210.
corps(cōr): Seepage 210.
coun′ter movement: a movement by which a body of troops marches back over ground it has recently occupied or marched over.
cŭl′mi nat ed: reached a final result.
di vĭ′sion: Seepage 210.
en cămped: formed a camp.
en trĕnch′: fortify with defensive works as with a trench or ditch and a wall.
en trĕnch′ments: fortifications consisting of a parapet of earth and the ditch or trench from which the earth was taken.
flănk: the side of an army, either in column or in line.
grāpe′shot: a cluster of iron balls arranged in an iron framework to be discharged from a cannon. Formerly grapeshot was inclosed in a canvas bag so quilted as to look like a bunch of grapes.
guī′dons: small flags carried by cavalry and field artillery.
hăv′er sack: a bag or case in which a soldier carries provisions on a march.
Ho rā′tius: a hero of ancient Rome who with two others defended the bridge across the Tiber against an advancing army. Read Lord Macaulay’s poem “Horatius.”
how′itz er: a cannon for throwing shells.
ĭm′ mi nent: threatening; dangerous and close at hand.
in dŏm′i ta ble: unyielding; unconquerable.
ĭn′fan try: foot soldiers armed with rifles and bayonets; one of the three chief divisions of an army, the other two being cavalry and artillery.
in vĕst′ing: surrounding with troops; laying siege to.
ir rĕp′a ra ble: not capable of being repaired or remedied.
lăr′i at: a long, small rope used for catching or for picketing cattle or horses.
lĭm′ber: the fore part of a gun carriage, consisting of a chest mounted on two wheels and having a pole for the horses. Seecaisson.
ma neū′vers: movements or changes of position of troops or war-vessels for tactical purposes or for display.
ma rïnes′: naval troops; soldiers serving on war-vessels.
mär′tial law: the military administration which when proclaimed takes the place of civil law in time of war or disorder.
mĭl′i ta ry law: the laws by which an army and its affairs are governed. Military law differs from martial law in that the former is a permanent code for the government of the army and the latter is the application of the laws of war to all the people in a certain district.
mīne: an explosive charge, sunken in the earth or under water, for the purpose of destroying an enemy passing over it,—formerly exploded by contact or by a fuse, but now usually exploded by electricity.
ôrd′nance: military supplies.
ŏr′i flămme: a standard or ensign in battle, especially the ancient royal banner of France.
out′post: a post or station outside the limits of a camp, for observation or to guard against surprise.
pa rōled′: set at liberty on parole, or word of honor not to bear arms against the captors.
pĕr′emp to ry: authoritative; not admitting of debate or question.
pĭck′ets: soldiers stationed on the outskirts of a camp to warn against the enemy’s approach.
pīkes: soldiers’ weapons, consisting of wooden staves with steel points. In recent warfare, pikes have been superceded by bayonets.
pla tōōn′: Seepage 210.
pon tōōn′: a vessel, such as a flat-bottomed boat or a canvas-covered frame, used in the construction of a floating bridge.
pre dĭc′a ment: a difficult or trying condition or situation.
prō′vost(vō)guard: a body of soldiers detailed for police duties.
qua̤r′ter master: a staff officer of a regiment or other body of troops, whose duty it is to provide quarters, arrange transportation, and provide and issue food, clothing, and other supplies.
rănk: grade of official standing in the army or navy.
rēar guard: troops which march in the rear of a body of forces in order to protect it.
re᷵ cŏn′na᷵is sănçe: an examination of territory or of an enemy’s position for the purpose of gaining information,—sometimes involving an attack for the purpose of discovering the enemy’s position and strength.
rĕg′i ment: Seepage 210.
re trēat′: the withdrawal, especially in an orderly manner, of troops from an exposed or dangerous position.
rī′fled: having the bore rifled, or grooved spirally, in order to give a rotary motion to the bullet.
shĕll: a hollow projectile for cannon, which contains an explosive charge.
sīde arms: weapons worn at the side or in the belt, as sword, pistol, bayonet, etc., especially sword.
Sĭd′ney, Sir Philip: a famous English soldier and author of the sixteenth century, the model of unselfish courage. He was mortally wounded in battle of Zulphen, in 1586.
sī mul tā′ne ous: happening at the same time.
spȳ: a soldier not in uniform who penetrates the enemy’s camp or zone of operations, for the purpose of gaining information.
tăl′ma: a style of long cape or cloak worn by men and women during the first half of the nineteenth century.
un lĭm′ber ed: removed from the limber. Seelimberandcaisson.
Zoṳ äves̝′: infantry wearing a brilliant oriental uniform, consisting of leggins, baggy trousers, short jacket, and tasselled cap or turban.