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 I 
 

 
MAJOR GENERAL J. E. B. STUART 
 
 from life that is extant 
 
 
MAJOR-GENERAL J. E. B. STUART 
 
J. E. B. STUART 
 
 (MAJOR-GENERAL) 
 
 Commander of the Cavalry Corps, Army 
 of Northern Virginia, C. S. A. 
 
 AN ADDRESS 
 
 Delivered at the Unveiling of the Equestrian Statue 
 
 of General Stuart, at Richmond, Virginia, 
 
 May 30, IQ07 
 
 BY 
 
 THEODORE S. GARNETT 
 
 HIS AIDE-DE-CAMP 
 
 New York and Washington 
 
 THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 1907 
 
4&T 
 
 UBflARY of C0N3RE3S 
 Two Copies Rocatved 
 
 DEC 18 1907 
 
 ttc f /<?* 7 
 
 CLASS 4 jtfc, L 
 
 COPY B/ 
 
 Copyright, 1907, by 
 THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 .F/n* published in December, igoy 
 
d 
 
 TO 
 
 The Veteran Cavalry Association 
 
 of THE 
 
 Army of Northern Virginia 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 On the 30th day of May, 1907, the 
 equestrian statue of Major-General J. E. 
 B. Stuart was unveiled in the city of 
 Richmond, Virginia. 
 
 The Veteran Cavalry Association of 
 the Army of Northern Virginia, to whose 
 efforts the erection of this monument is 
 due, and under whose auspices the im- 
 pressive ceremonies were held, was or- 
 ganized in the year 1891. The main pur- 
 pose of the Association is now happily 
 accomplished. The city of Richmond, in 
 fulfilment of its pledge given immedi- 
 ately after the death of General Stuart, 
 generously aided the Association by a 
 large contribution of money and donated 
 the site for the statue on Monument 
 Avenue. 
 
 The artist and sculptor, Mr. Fred 
 Moynihan, designed and executed the 
 [7] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 work and well deserves praise for this 
 striking example of his great art. 
 
 The occasion was most appropriate, 
 being the first day of the Seventeenth An- 
 nual Reunion of the United Confederate 
 Veteran Association, bringing together 
 an immense concourse of people and 
 large numbers of the veteran survivors of 
 the armies of the South. It was a notable 
 gathering, graced by the presence of 
 many distinguished persons, among them 
 Mrs. General J. E. B. Stuart and Mrs. 
 General Stonewall Jackson. 
 
 The granddaughter of General Stuart, 
 little Miss Virginia Stuart Waller, un- 
 veiled the statue. 
 
 Major Andrew R. Venable presided; 
 kev. Walter Q. Hullihen offered the 
 prayer, and Judge Theodore S. Garnett 
 delivered the address. All of these of- 
 ficers were members of General Stuart's 
 staff in 1864, the last named being chosen 
 by the Veteran Cavalry Association to 
 make the address. The speaker was 
 [8] 
 
Major-General J . E. B. Stuart 
 
 Stuart's aide-de-camp, having been pro- 
 moted by him from the ranks, in which 
 he had served as a courier to the General. 
 He was with him in the battle of Yellow 
 Tavern, May n, 1864, and assisted in 
 bringing him, mortally wounded, from 
 the battlefield to Richmond, where, on 
 the day following, the General died. 
 
 The official records and reports of the 
 campaigns of the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia mention the name of General J. E. 
 B. Stuart as prominent in every great bat- 
 tle and in the numberless engagements 
 between the opposing cavalry corps. 
 " The Campaigns of Stuart's Cavalry," 
 written by his Adjutant-General, the late 
 Major H. B. McClellan, is a valuable 
 military work as well as memoir of the 
 General. It is out of print and not easily 
 accessible to the present generation. No 
 adequate life of General Stuart has yet 
 been produced, but the address delivered 
 by Judge Garnett, which is now published 
 by his authority, may be taken as a cor- 
 [9] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 rect outline of his career and a faithful 
 tribute to the great commander of Lee's 
 cavalry. 
 
 It may yet form the basis and prove the 
 inspiration for a more elaborate work 
 which, it is hoped, the author may soon 
 undertake. 
 
 The Publishers. 
 
 [io] 
 
The Veteran Cavalry Association of 
 the Army of Northern Virginia 
 
 From the Richmond Times-Dispatch 
 of May 30, 1907, the following con- 
 densed account of the organization of this 
 Association is made: 
 
 To the untiring efforts of a body of 
 men known as the Veteran Cavalry Asso- 
 ciation of the Army of Northern Virginia 
 is due the noble equestrian figure which 
 graces the intersection of Franklin and 
 Lombardy Streets, and which is sacred to 
 the memory of General J. E. B. Stuart, 
 the dashing cavalry leader of the Army 
 of Northern Virginia. 
 
 On October 3, 1891, the Association 
 was organized. Its purpose at that time 
 was simply to mark the grave of General 
 Stuart with a suitable monument, but it 
 was finally determined that the Associa- 
 tion, with the aid of the city of Rich- 
 mond, would erect this equestrian statue. 
 [11] 
 
Major-General 7. E. B. Stuart 
 
 The Association was formed with the 
 following officers: General Fitzhugh 
 Lee, president; Captain Charles A. 
 Taylor, secretary, and Mr. E. A. Catlin, 
 treasurer. Upon the death of Captain C. 
 A. Taylor, Lieutenant W. Ben Palmer be- 
 came the secretary of the Association, and 
 to his faithful and efficient service is due 
 much of the success of the undertaking. 
 
 The following officers were vice-presi- 
 dents: Generals Wade Hampton, L. L. 
 Lomax, M. C. Butler, William H. 
 Payne, William P. Roberts, Thomas T. 
 Munford, and Major H. B. McClellan. 
 
 The following executive committee 
 served with faithfulness and devotion: 
 Thomas W. Sydnor, John Lamb, A. R. 
 Venable, M. J. Dimmock, E. C. Minor, 
 James R. Werth, Jos. W. Thomas, 
 Charles Selden, L. B. Vaughan, Joseph 
 Bryan, Theodore S. Garnett, John W. 
 Gordon, Frank T. Sutton, P. H. Mayo, 
 Charles T. O'Ferrall, and James Vass. 
 
 At a meeting held in Mechanics' Insti- 
 tution the ioth of May, 1904, from cer- 
 [12] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 tain models on exhibition there the 
 design submitted by Mr. Fred Moynihan 
 was accepted, subject to some changes 
 suggested by the Committee on Statue, 
 which committee was composed of Gen- 
 eral Fitzhugh Lee, Major A. R. Venable, 
 Judge Theodore S. Garnett, and Captain 
 M. J. Dimmock. The work of casting 
 the bronze from this model was assigned 
 to the Gorham Manufacturing Company 
 of Providence, R. L, and was most suc- 
 cessfully done. 
 
 The base of the monument was de- 
 signed and erected by Captain M. J. Dim- 
 mock, of Richmond, Virginia. 
 
 On April 28, 1905, the Association suf- 
 fered severe loss in the death of its Presi- 
 dent, General Fitzhugh Lee, to whom no 
 successor has yet been elected, but it is 
 proposed to continue the organization for 
 social and beneficial objects, although the 
 principal intention of its founders has 
 now been happily accomplished. 
 
 A photograph of the monument is here 
 published. 
 
 [13] 
 
Address Delivered at the Unveiling 
 of the Equestrian Statue of Gen- 
 eral J. E. B. Stuart at Richmond, 
 Virginia, May 30, 1907, 
 
 By Theodore S. Garnett, his A. D. C. 
 
 Comrades of the Veteran Cavalry Asso- 
 ciation of the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia, United Confederate Veterans, Fel- 
 low Citizens of Richmond, Ladies and 
 Gentlemen : 
 
 In response to a call as inspiring as the 
 bugles of Stuart on the field of battle, I 
 am here to attempt the impossible task 
 which has been assigned me by my old 
 comrades. 
 
 Forty-three years, to this same flowery 
 month of May, have passed away since 
 
 The cannon of his country pealed Stuart's funeral 
 knell, 
 
 [15] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 and that same period has elapsed since 
 the city of Richmond registered its high 
 resolve to place a monument here to his 
 undying name. 
 
 To the honor of this city, and in proof 
 of her gratitude for his sacrifice of life 
 in her behalf, the city of Richmond, com- 
 ing to the aid of the Veteran Cavalry 
 Association of the Army of Northern 
 Virginia, sees to-day the realization of 
 hopes so long cherished by his faithful 
 followers. 
 
 On the 14th day of May, 1864, at a 
 meeting of the City Council of Rich- 
 mond, General Randolph, after announc- 
 ing to the Council the death of General 
 Stuart, submitted the following reso- 
 lution : 
 
 Whereas, The people of Richmond, in common 
 with their fellow-citizens of the Confederate States, 
 have to deplore in the death of Major General J. E. 
 B. Stuart, not only the loss of one of the first mili- 
 tary characters of the age, but also of a citizen whose 
 eminent patriotism and pure life gave the best guar- 
 
 [16] 
 
{East Side) 
 
 MAJOR GENERAL J. E. B. STUART 
 
 Commanding Cavalry Corps, Army of 
 
 Northern Virginia 
 
 This Statue Erected by his Comrades and 
 
 the City of Richmond 
 
 A..D. 1907 
 
 ( West Side) 
 
 Born in Patrick County, Va., February 6, 
 
 1833 
 
 Died in Richmond, Va., May 12, 1864 
 
 Aged 31 Years 
 
 Mortally Wounded in the Battle of Yellow 
 
 Tavern May 11, 1864 
 
 "He gave his life for his country and saved this 
 
 city from capture." 
 
 {South Side) 
 • • Tell General Stuart to act on his own judgment 
 and do what he thinks best; I have implicit 
 confidence in him."- General T. f. {Stone- 
 wall) Jackson on turning over the command 
 of his troops to Stuart, after being wounded at 
 Chancellorsville, May 2, 1863. 
 
 '-}-, {North Side) 
 l1 coi 
 
 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 R. E. Lee announcing the death of 
 General Stuart to his Army, May 20, 1864. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 " 
 
 j 
 
 - 
 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 antee that his great military capacity would never 
 be otherwise employed than in the cause of freedom 
 and for the welfare of his country; and 
 
 Whereas, They not only recognize this their great 
 misfortune, in common with the rest of their coun- 
 trymen, but bearing in mind that he 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, they are profoundly 
 moved with sentiments of gratitude for his great 
 services and of benevolent feeling for his glorious 
 memory, and are desirous to express and to record 
 their sense of peculiar obligation in a permanent and 
 emphatic manner; therefore be it 
 
 Resolved, That the Council of the city of Rich- 
 mond, in behalf of the citizens thereof, tender to the 
 family of General Stuart the deepest and most heart- 
 felt condolence, and earnestly request that the re- 
 mains of their great benefactor may be permitted to 
 rest under the eye and guardianship of the people of 
 Richmond, and that they may be allowed to com- 
 memorate by a suitable monument their gratitude 
 and his services. 
 
 A further resolution was adopted ap- 
 pointing a committee of three, Messrs. 
 Randolph, Denton, and Hill, 
 [17] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 To report a design for a suitable monument and 
 inscription at some future meeting of the body. 
 
 War, with its relentless fury, swept on- 
 ward over every foot of Virginia soil. 
 The enemy, in ever-increasing hosts, en- 
 compassed you about and sat down over 
 against this devoted city — the Capital of 
 the Confederacy — and within a twelve- 
 month the bitter fate that had been 
 averted from you by Stuart and his 
 troopers, swiftly and suddenly descended 
 upon you. 
 
 The days of our years of destruction 
 and reconstruction have been many and 
 full of sorrow, but to-day we behold a 
 resurrection and ascension as marvelous 
 as it is glorious. Your city is not only 
 rebuilt, but it has expanded beyond 
 imagination. Where we now stand was 
 then the open country. The triumphant 
 march of progress has opened up this 
 magnificent Monument Avenue, crowned 
 as it is by the imposing statue of General 
 [18] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 Lee and the memorial to President Jeffer- 
 son Davis. Into this goodly company we 
 come now to place the heroic statue of a 
 man who, 
 
 Take him for all in all 
 
 We ne'er shall look upon his like again. 
 
 James Ewell Brown Stuart was 
 born in Patrick County, Virginia, on the 
 6th day of February, 1833. 
 
 He was the youngest son of Archibald 
 Stuart and Elizabeth, his wife; and 
 whether or not our democratic simplicity 
 attaches any significance to his alleged 
 descent from the royal line of Scotland's 
 kings, we who knew this true son of Vir- 
 ginia make bold to declare that no prince 
 of the blood ever did more honor to an 
 illustrious ancestry. Strong in mind and 
 body, educated in the three cardinal vir- 
 tues of Virginia youth, he grew up to 
 manhood a splendid specimen of the 
 hardy young mountaineer, and fresh from 
 the meadows and pinnacles of the Dan, he 
 [19] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 took his place among the boys at West 
 Point, and there learned the science that 
 
 Teacheth the hands to war and the fingers to fight. 
 
 Noted in this famous school as the most 
 daring and skillful horseman among all 
 his fellows, he sought and obtained active 
 duty as a lieutenant in the Second U. S. 
 Cavalry, then engaged in an arduous ex- 
 pedition against the Indians of the South- 
 west. 
 
 In close encounter with this subtle 
 enemy he received a severe wound — the 
 only injury he ever suffered until his 
 fatal wounding in his last battle. Soon 
 recovering, he was sent to the plains of 
 Kansas, where his command vainly strove 
 to keep the peace between the warring 
 factions of Northern and Southern set- 
 tlers — the first mutterings of the storm 
 which soon broke upon our country in the 
 whirlwind of civil war. 
 
 In October, 1859, as aide-de-camp to 
 Colonel Robert E. Lee at Harper's Ferry, 
 [20] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 he bore the summons to John Brown to 
 surrender himself and his fanatic follow- 
 ers to the authority of the United States 
 and to Virginia, whose peace and dignity 
 they had criminally violated. With grim 
 humor old Ossawattomie Brown told the 
 young man how easily he could have 
 taken his life, as he felt tempted to do, 
 when Lieutenant Stuart approached the 
 engine-house door and demanded his sur- 
 render. 
 
 Such, in brief, was his preparation for 
 the great career on which he entered in 
 1861. 
 
 To his old comrades here, and to most 
 of those who were in other arms of the 
 service, it is a thrice-told tale to recount 
 his mighty deeds, his prowess in battle, 
 his sleepless vigilance, his unerring judg- 
 ment in strategy and attack, his faith in 
 our cause, and his devotion to duty. But 
 it is right, on this historic occasion, when 
 his memory rises for the coronation of 
 this hour, to take brief note of the 
 [21] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 achievements of this great commander of 
 the cavalry of the Army of Northern 
 Virginia. 
 
 Identified with that army from its first 
 skirmish to the day of his death, he knew 
 no other duty nor any loftier ambition 
 than to serve 
 
 The cause of freedom and the welfare of his 
 country. 
 
 With all his soul he loved his country. 
 No patriot in all the tide of time ever 
 worshiped at the pure shrine of Liberty 
 with nobler devotion than he. As we 
 were bringing him mortally wounded off 
 the field at Yellow Tavern, he exclaimed 
 with intense feeling to some who were re- 
 treating by him : " Go back, my men, go 
 back! and do your duty as I have done 
 mine, and our country will be free." 
 
 Bear with me, then, while I hasten 
 through the thrilling record of his won- 
 derful and brilliant career. 
 
 From the day when, with a small force, 
 
 [22] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 he captured an entire company of the ene- 
 my's infantry near the Potomac, to the 
 hour of that fatal charge in which he re- 
 ceived his death-wound, there was not a 
 moment of his life which lacked the in- 
 spiration of his high ambition or the tire- 
 less energy of his zealous soul. 
 
 Pressing forward his handful of cav- 
 alry, through byways and difficult paths, 
 he passed from rear to front of Johnston's 
 column on the march from the Valley to 
 first Manassas, eager to be in at the death 
 of McDowell's army. There, at the 
 crucial moment, he led a mounted charge 
 into the midst of the Federal infantry, 
 breaking their lines and precipitating the 
 disorder which soon became a panic and 
 a rout more complete than any ever after- 
 ward seen on the field of battle. Of this 
 movement General Early, in his official 
 report, says: 
 
 Stuart did as much toward saving the battle of 
 First Manassas as any subordinate who participated 
 in it. 
 
 [23] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 From Manassas to the Peninsula, now 
 as a brigade commander, he served Gen- 
 eral Johnston with such indefatigable 
 skill as to merit that great General's 
 heartiest acknowledgment, and wrung 
 from him, afterward, when separated, the 
 deep lament: " How can I eat or sleep 
 in any peace without you on the out- 
 post!" 
 
 The crossing of sabers at Williamsburg 
 was the beginning of the long list of cav- 
 alry battles in which Stuart's genius for 
 war shone so conspicuously bright, and in 
 which he taught his troopers the lessons 
 from which the cavalry of Europe now 
 seek their inspiration and education. 
 
 The engagements along the Chicka- 
 hominy made manifest the superiority of 
 Stuart's cavalry over McClellan's, and 
 here, for the first time, a feat then un- 
 paralleled in war was accomplished, 
 which it is doubtful whether any other 
 man than Stuart would have dared to at- 
 tempt. This first raid around McClel- 
 [24] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 lan's army, not only made him famous as 
 a cavalry leader, but blazed the way for 
 that grand strategy of General Lee which 
 brought Jackson from the Valley and 
 overwhelmed McClellan in the Seven 
 Days' battles. 
 
 The march of General Stuart in June, 
 1862, with 1200 men and two guns under 
 Lieutenant Breathed of the Stuart Horse 
 Artillery, making the entire circuit of 
 McClellan's army, with the loss of one 
 officer, the gallant Captain William Lat- 
 ane, of the Essex Troop, was an achieve- 
 ment not only unique in war, but the in- 
 formation thus obtained was the moving 
 cause of the defeat of McClellan's entire 
 campaign. 
 
 Speedily assembling his command in 
 July of that year, when his well-won com- 
 mission as major-general was conferred 
 upon him, he hastened to the assistance of 
 Jackson in the campaign against Pope, 
 and again in the rear of the enemy he 
 captured Manassas and played havoc 
 [25] 
 
Major-General J . E. B. Stuart 
 
 with the supplies and communications of 
 Pope's army. 
 
 An English military critic has recently 
 recorded this opinion : 
 
 Without the help which Stuart was able to give, 
 the flank march around Pope's army by Jackson's 
 corps and the concentration of the two Confederate 
 wings on the battlefield of Manassas, would not 
 have been possible — Crisis of the Confederacy," 
 p. 392. 
 
 Then crossing the Potomac, Stuart oc- 
 cupied the rich pastures of Maryland 
 and protected the cantonments of General 
 Lee as his army rested at Frederick, re- 
 cuperating its strength for the fierce en- 
 counter at Sharpsburg. Here he took 
 position on the left of Jackson's corps and 
 held off the masses which threatened to 
 envelop and destroy our exposed left 
 wing, thus rendering possible the bloody 
 repulse inflicted upon McClellan's pre- 
 ponderant forces. 
 
 Returning to Virginia, he conceived 
 and executed a second expedition around 
 [26] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 McClellan's host, via Chambersburg and 
 the enemy's rear, recrossing the Potomac 
 into Virginia after inflicting great losses, 
 capturing prisoners, horses, and transpor- 
 tation, and putting to flight all McClel- 
 lan's dreams of conquest. So great, in- 
 deed, was the effect of this movement that 
 President Lincoln indulged his sarcastic 
 humor at the expense of McClellan, 
 laughing to scorn the alleged brokendown 
 condition of his cavalry, and placing on 
 record the President's own testimony to 
 the fact that Stuart's cavalry had " out- 
 marched and outfought " its opponents, 
 and was still ready for battle. This fact, 
 so plain to Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Stanton, 
 after the Chambersburg raid, caused the 
 loss of McClellan's official head, and 
 Burnside supplanted him. 
 
 The long march to Fredericksburg 
 soon followed, and great credit must be 
 awarded to Stuart for the masterly hand- 
 ling of his small forces in protecting the 
 exposed flank of our army as it marched 
 [27] 
 
Major-General J . E. B. Stuart 
 
 eastward to interpose between Richmond 
 and the heavy advancing columns of 
 Burnside. Day after day our cavalry met 
 the enemy's in severe and incessant com- 
 bat, while the army pursued the even 
 tenor of its way, undisturbed by the dis- 
 tant thunder of our guns and the shock 
 of charging squadrons. 
 
 So was it ever with us, my comrades, 
 and our brethren of the infantry and artil- 
 lery. While the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia slept in peace, Stuart on the outpost 
 made their rest secure. If the men com- 
 posing Stuart's Cavalry Corps were not 
 worthy of the best troops of any army, 
 then it is vain to seek for soldiers in any 
 part of this world. 
 
 Brother Cavalrymen! I salute you, sur- 
 vivors of a body of horsemen worthy of 
 King Arthur, Richard Coeur de Leon, 
 Godfrey de Bouillon, Prince Rupert and 
 his Cavaliers, Cromwell and his troopers, 
 or the greatest of all cavalrymen, Robert 
 E. Lee! 
 
 [28] 
 
Major-General J . E. B. Stuart 
 
 FREDERICKSBURG 
 
 What a splendid panorama was un- 
 folded to your steady gaze as the fog 
 lifted above the snowy canopy of that 
 rolling plain, disclosing in vast array the 
 long blue lines of battle. On the right 
 near Hamilton's crossing, Stuart attacked 
 the enemy, and with impetuous dash he 
 led his horse artillery, under the gallant 
 Pelham, into the jaws of death, ham- 
 mered the flank of Meade's grand divi- 
 sion, and with two guns, far to the front, 
 opposed a multitude of batteries, break- 
 ing their lines and aiding most materially 
 the victory won by Jackson and his in- 
 domitable veterans. 
 
 CHANCELLORSVILLE 
 
 Chancellorsville followed with the 
 first breath of spring, and in its wonder- 
 ful story is found the climax of Stuart's 
 glorious career. 
 
 History and Art are fond of portray- 
 . [29] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 ing the last meeting of Lee and Jackson. 
 To those immortal names the great heart 
 of the South instinctively adds, by com- 
 mon and universal consent, the name of 
 Stuart as worthy to ride with them down 
 the ages. In that last meeting the hand 
 of Stuart clasped the hand of Jackson in 
 a long farewell as Stuart moved in front 
 to clear the way for the last great triumph 
 and tragedy of Jackson's life. And when 
 Lee's " right arm " was stricken help- 
 less by that fearful accident, and Jackson 
 lay bleeding on the fatal field, who of all 
 that host could dare to grasp and wield 
 the fallen chieftain's sword? Night had 
 closed in upon the halting lines, and con- 
 fusion worse confounded threatened to 
 turn back the tide of victory. With the 
 wounding of General A. P. Hill, and 
 the noble self-denial of General Rodes, 
 the command of Jackson's corps de- 
 volved upon General Stuart — the most 
 trying responsibility that was ever forced 
 upon any officer in any battle of the war. 
 [30] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 " Send for General Stuart/' said Jack- 
 son, and with this last order ever uttered 
 by him on the field of his great glory, he 
 added the noble sentence inscribed upon 
 this monument: 
 
 Tell General Stuart to act upon his own judg- 
 ment and do what he thinks best — I have implicit 
 confidence in him. 
 
 With that message ringing in his ears, 
 and inspired with superhuman energy, 
 the young cavalryman spent the dark 
 hours of that eventful night in ceaseless 
 activity, restoring order out of chaos ; and 
 when the day dawned every man was in 
 his place, the lines well drawn, and with 
 a spirit as indomitable as Jackson's own, 
 he hurled his troops in fresh onset upon 
 the bristling ranks of the astonished foe. 
 Crowning Hazel Grove with massed ar- 
 tillery, he swept away Hooker's last 
 refuge, joined his right wing to the ad- 
 vancing troops under the eye of General 
 Lee, and burst over the plateau of Chan- 
 [31] 
 
Major-General J . E. B. Stuart 
 
 cellorsville with shouts of victory louder 
 than the roar of battle. 
 
 You, his old troopers, who knew and 
 loved him so well, need no other reason 
 for your faith and pride in him than the 
 fact that the names of Lee, Jackson, and 
 Stuart are indissolubly linked together in 
 the f)roud record which history has in- 
 
 ribed for him in the temple of fame. 
 
 A distinguished officer of the artillery 
 of Longstreet's corps (General Alex- 
 ander) has placed on record this tribute 
 to Stuart, as true as it is generous, when 
 he wrote: 
 
 Altogether, I do not think there was a more 
 brilliant thing done in the war than Stuart's extri- 
 cating that command from the extremely critical 
 position in which he found it, as promptly and 
 boldly as he did. We knew that Hooker had at 
 least 80,000 infantry at hand. . . . The hard 
 marching and the night fighting had thinned our 
 ranks to less than 20,000. But Stuart never seemed 
 to hesitate or doubt for one moment. . . . He 
 decided to attack at daybreak, and, unlike many 
 planned attacks that I have seen, this one came off 
 
 [32] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 promptly on time, and it never stopped to draw its 
 breath until it had crashed through everything, and 
 our forces stood united around Chancellor's burning 
 house. 
 
 And General Alexander adds: 
 
 I always thought it an injustice to Stuart and a 
 loss to the army that he was not from that moment 
 continued in command of Jackson's corps. He 1 id 
 won the right to it. I believe he had all of Jack- 
 son's genius and dash and originality. . . J Stuart 
 possessed the rare quality of being always' equal to 
 himself at his very best. 
 
 FLEETWOOD OR BRANDY STATION 
 
 I have said that Chancellorsville was 
 the climax of Stuart's glory. It con- 
 vinced the army of Stuart's power to 
 handle large bodies of infantry and ar- 
 tillery in action, under desperate circum- 
 stances and against desperate odds. 
 
 We come now to the battle of Fleet- 
 wood, as he called it, but better known 
 by his men as Brandy Station, June 9, 
 1863, m which we see him as the victor 
 [33] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 in the greatest cavalry battle of the nine- 
 teenth century. 
 
 General Pleasanton's twenty-four regi- 
 ments of cavalry were supported by ten 
 regiments of Federal infantry, while 
 only fifteen regiments of Stuart's com- 
 mand were actually engaged in the bat- 
 tle, unsupported by any infantry what- 
 ever. Pleasanton's plan of battle was ad- 
 mirable. Under the gallant Gregg one 
 division was thrown directly in rear of 
 our line at Fleetwood Hill, while Buford 
 with two divisions of his cavalry and one 
 brigade of infantry assaulted our whole 
 front at St. James' Church. By all the 
 laws of war and chances of battle, Stuart 
 should have been crushed and utterly 
 destroyed. But by a rapid change of 
 front to rear Stuart hastened to Fleet- 
 wood with regiment after regiment of 
 Jones's and Hampton's brigades, and by 
 a succession of most gallant and desperate 
 charges wrested victory from the jaws of 
 defeat and drove Gregg and Kilpatrick 
 [34] ' 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 from the vantage ground of Fleetwood 
 Hill. 
 
 No more brilliant spectacle was ever 
 witnessed than the brave Hampton lead- 
 ing on his gallant Carolinians, as with 
 flashing sabers they plunged into the 
 masses of Gregg's troopers and scattered 
 them far and wide. Nor will the saber 
 ever play a more glorious part in battle 
 than did that day the shining blades of 
 the Virginians under Harman, Elijah 
 White, Lindsay Lomax, and Flournoy, 
 and of the North Carolinians under Law- 
 rence Baker, the South Carolinians under 
 Black, the Georgians under Young, and 
 the Mississippians under Waring. I 
 mention these glorious names not because 
 they excelled in valor the steady work of 
 W. H. F. Lee's brigade and the Seventh 
 Virginia Cavalry and others, who held 
 back the two divisions of Buford, but be- 
 cause it was vouchsafed to them to show 
 the world that the saber is, after all, the 
 weapon for grand cavalry battle. 
 [35] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 For partisan warfare, or Indian and 
 cowboy skirmishes, let the pistol and 
 carbine hold undisputed sway; but for 
 the fields on which thousands of cavalry 
 strive for mastery in the shock of great 
 battle, may the sabers of Stuart, of For- 
 rest, and of Hampton ever lead the 
 charging squadrons to victory or death. 
 
 GETTYSBURG 
 
 The campaign of Gettysburg com- 
 menced with a series of cavalry fights in 
 Loudoun and Fauquier. For five days 
 Stuart was constantly engaged with Pleas- 
 anton's whole corps, who, supported by 
 the infantry, assumed the offensive and 
 displayed an energy and audacity which 
 would otherwise never have been ex- 
 hibited. The resulting losses were severe, 
 and when we commenced the long march 
 to the enemy's rear, threatening Wash- 
 ington City, our men and horses were 
 already worn and jaded. 
 
 The fact that it took Stuart one day 
 [36] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 longer than he expected to fight his way 
 to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, arriving on 
 the field of Gettysburg on the second day 
 of the battle, has been used to account for 
 the failure of the Army of Northern Vir- 
 ginia to keep up its unbroken score of 
 victories. 
 
 To say that the battle would have been 
 won if Stuart had arrived a day earlier 
 is a tribute to him greater than his most 
 ardent admirers could claim. General 
 Lee believed that if Stonewall Jackson 
 had been there the victory would have 
 been assured. But Stuart was as blame- 
 less for his march to Carlisle as Jackson 
 was for his absence in another and better 
 world. The charge that Stuart's march 
 from the Potomac to the Susquehanna 
 was not warranted by his orders or by the 
 best military judgment at that time, has 
 been completely refuted by the masterly 
 pens of Colonel John S. Mosby and 
 Major H. B. McClellan, based on the 
 official records. 
 
 [37] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 General Lee's letters to Stuart on the 
 22d and 23d of June, 1863,* establish the 
 fact that General Lee authorized Stuart 
 to use his discretion as to crossing the 
 Potomac by way of the enemy's rear, and 
 General Longstreet, who communicated 
 to him those instructions, distinctly ad- 
 vised General Stuart to choose that route. 
 Two brigades of cavalry (Robertson and 
 Jones) were left on the Blue Ridge to 
 watch Hooker's army on the Potomac and 
 keep General Lee advised of Hooker's 
 movements, while Stuart with his other 
 three brigades moved on through Mary- 
 land. A cavalry fight at Hanover took 
 place on June 30th with Kilpatrick's 
 division. It caused a wide detour, in the 
 course of which we crossed the trail of 
 Early's division. General Early heard 
 our guns at Hanover and rightly conjec- 
 tured that they were Stuart's Horse Ar- 
 tillery. Strangely and unhappily he 
 failed to communicate with Stuart or 
 
 * See Appendix 
 
 [38] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 leave any intimation that he was on the 
 march for Cashtown. 
 
 Napoleon's guns at Waterloo were 
 heard by Grouchy on the road to Wavre, 
 and if he had crossed over to the Emper- 
 or's assistance the story of Waterloo 
 would have been differently told. But 
 no sound of Ewell's battle on the ist of 
 July at Gettysburg reached Stuart's ears 
 as he pressed on to Carlisle, where he 
 expected to find the right wing of Gen- 
 eral Lee's army. Therefore it happened 
 that the cavalry attacked Carlisle, and 
 there, near midnight, by the glare of the 
 burning Barracks, Stuart read the dis- 
 patch announcing the victory of Ewell 
 and Hill over the Federal forces. In- 
 stantly the attack on Carlisle was aban- 
 doned, and by a hard night march we 
 pressed south to Gettysburg, arriving just 
 as Ewell was beginning his assault upon 
 Culp's Hill on the evening of the second 
 day's battle. 
 
 It is needless to tell you of the severe 
 [39] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 cavalry fight on July 3d between Stuart 
 and Gregg on our extreme left — a posi- 
 tion which we held as the battle closed, 
 and which was of critical value if the 
 charge of Pickett and Pettigrew had re- 
 sulted as General Lee expected. 
 
 To those who know General Stuart's 
 character as we knew it, the bare sugges- 
 tion that he was capable of disobeying any 
 order of General Lee, either in letter or 
 in spirit, is not only incredible, but abso- 
 lutely untrue. General Lee himself, in 
 his official report, makes not the slightest 
 intimation of such a monstrous impos- 
 sibility. 
 
 Colonel Mosby, in righteous indigna- 
 tion, has exclaimed: 
 
 How could Stuart join Ewell on the Susque- 
 hanna, guard the gaps of the Blue Ridge in Vir- 
 ginia, watch and impede Hooker's crossing of the 
 Potomac, and then place himself on the right of our 
 column as it advanced into Pennsylvania, unless he 
 was inspired with ubiquity? Even Hercules could 
 not perform all of his twelve labors at the same time. 
 
 [40] 
 
Major-General J . E. B. Stuart 
 
 The last word has not yet been said 
 about Gettysburg. It will be discussed 
 long after Waterloo has been forgotten, 
 but history will not permit the fame of 
 Stuart to be tarnished by the false claim 
 that he disobeyed any order ever received 
 by him from General Lee. 
 
 His conduct in reaching the battlefield 
 as soon as he did is as praiseworthy as his 
 invaluable service on the retreat to the 
 Potomac. Of this service the author of 
 the " Crisis of the Confederacy," a 
 trained military critic, says: 
 
 That Lee brought his forces out of this dilemma, 
 not only without serious loss but with an air of 
 reluctantly relinquishing the theatre, was due to the 
 skill of his dispositions and to the admirable co- 
 ordination of the movements of his lieutenants; but 
 the march was only possible, thanks to the bold and 
 skillful handling of the cavalry by Stuart, who ex- 
 celled himself in these dark days of misfortune. 
 
 And the same excellent authority says : 
 
 Stuart's indefatigable horsemen could be counted 
 on to render valuable help in delaying the enemy's 
 
 [41] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 advance and guarding the left, which was the ex- 
 posed flank, if the enemy should venture to attack. 
 All day on July 8th, while the cavalry was fighting, 
 the Confederate army rested after the feat of march- 
 ing which had brought it from Gettysburg to the 
 Potomac. 
 
 Bear in mind that in this retreat Stuart 
 was suffering from the loss of many of his 
 best officers killed, and among the severely 
 wounded was the gallant Hampton, 
 whose services for many days were lost to 
 the cavalry. 
 
 Time does not permit, nor will your 
 patience allow, even a brief outline of 
 Stuart's further service in the last year of 
 his life. Twice more on the field of 
 Brandy Station he encountered the 
 enemy's cavalry, and each time drove him 
 back across the Rappahannock. And in 
 the Bristoe campaign he scattered the 
 command and well-nigh ruined the repu- 
 tation of General Kilpatrick at the 
 " Buckland races." The Mine Run cam- 
 paign with its intense cold and suffering 
 [42] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 soon followed, and after Meade's retreat 
 from Mine Run with an army more than 
 double that of General Lee, we settled 
 down in winter quarters at Orange, await- 
 ing the final struggle in northern Vir- 
 ginia. 
 
 The official records give no sign of the 
 tremendous effort put forth by Stuart to 
 overcome the disparity of force then ex- 
 isting and daily increasing between 
 Stuart and Sheridan. With less than half 
 his cavalry mounted, General Stuart 
 moved against the twelve thousand cav- 
 alry of Sheridan, and in the Wilderness, 
 at Todd's Tavern, and Spottsylvania 
 Court House he neutralized the vast body 
 of cavalry attending Grant's army. 
 
 On Monday, May 9, 1864, -Sheridan 
 with 10,000 well-mounted and equipped 
 cavalry and several batteries of artillery, 
 flanking our extreme right at Spottsylva- 
 nia Court House, marched rapidly south 
 to capture and destroy the city of Rich- 
 mond. Promptly Stuart moved with two 
 [43] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 brigades of Fitz Lee's division, Wickham 
 and Lomax, leaving orders for Gordon 
 with his North Carolina brigade to fol- 
 low fast. A severe fight with Sheridan's 
 rearguard took place that evening, and 
 next day we pressed the rapidly moving 
 enemy until Stuart succeeded in placing 
 his two brigades in close contact with 
 Sheridan's immense force, and boldly 
 gave him battle at Yellow Tavern. 
 
 For several hours Sheridan's whole 
 column was checked. Gordon's brigade 
 had attacked his rear many miles distant 
 on the Mountain road, and so was sepa- 
 rated from Stuart in the hour of his great- 
 est need. Toward evening, after much 
 fighting, with nearly our whole force dis- 
 mounted, Sheridan, confident in the over- 
 whelming numbers of his mounted troops, 
 threw his heavy regiments, squadron after 
 squadron, in a mounted charge upon our 
 exposed left flank and broke through our 
 artillery with resistless force. 
 
 Capturing three of our guns, the head 
 [44] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 of the enemy's column became engaged 
 with our dismounted men and were sud- 
 denly checked in their advance. They 
 had passed by General Stuart, who had 
 emptied his pistol at them and was sit- 
 ting quietly on his horse as they hastened 
 back by him on their return. Man after 
 man fired upon him without hitting him, 
 until nearly the last one of them dashed 
 past, and putting his pistol close up to his 
 side fired the fatal bullet and hastened 
 away. The General was taken from his 
 horse by Captain Gus Dorsey, of Mary- 
 land, of Company K, First Virginia 
 Cavalry, Stuart's old regiment, and then 
 reviving a little from the shock, he was 
 placed on the horse of Private Fred L. 
 Pitts of that company, and led to an am- 
 bulance in the rear of the line. In this 
 connection the names of Corporal Rob- 
 ert Bruce and Private Charles Wheatley 
 are mentioned by Captain Dorsey as hav- 
 ing rendered gallant service in removing 
 the General to the ambulance, thus sav- 
 [45] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 ing him from capture by the enemy. 
 Thus safely brought off the field by the 
 assistance of some of his staff, among 
 them Major A.R.Venable,his gallant and 
 devoted Inspector-General, he reached 
 Richmond by way of Mechanicsville 
 about eleven o'clock that night. He died 
 here on the evening of May 12, 1864. 
 Death never claimed a nobler victim. 
 
 Thus fell the matchless leader of the 
 Veteran Cavalry of the Army of North- 
 ern Virginia. 
 
 We come not now to mourn his loss. 
 That has been one long lamentation 
 throughout the years which have crowded 
 out the recollection of his brave deeds. 
 But we, his brothers-in-arms, partakers 
 of his glory, assemble here in loving fel- 
 lowship to commemorate his services in 
 this enduring and fitting monument. 
 
 The sculptor, Moynihan, has shared 
 
 with us the inspiration of Stuart's career, 
 
 and has fashioned both horse and rider 
 
 with the spirit that animated his great 
 
 [46] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 soul. Idealized, it may be, to a degree 
 that speaks eloquently of the superb horse- 
 man, the alert, active, dashing leader of 
 brave men, it is at the same time a like- 
 ness of the man just as he was when Gen- 
 eral Sedgwick, his old commander, in 
 rude appraisement, exclaimed: " Stuart 
 is the best cavalry officer ever foaled in 
 North America! " 
 
 The military student of Great Britain 
 and the Continent is never weary of study- 
 ing the campaigns of Stuart. One of 
 them has recently written : 
 
 To Stuart belongs the credit of having brought 
 to perfection a use of the cavalry arm which had 
 been foreshadowed by the dragoons of Marl- 
 borough's epoch, but which had not been seen dur- 
 ing the intervening great wars of Europe, nor has 
 it ever yet been successfully imitated. 
 
 In the bold combination of fire and 
 shock at the right moment, Stuart's cav- 
 alry stands pre-eminent among the nations 
 of the world. What loftier tribute can 
 [47] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 be paid to the heroes of our corps, living 
 and dead, whose proudest boast, either in 
 the triumphs of life or in the agonies of 
 death, is Stuart's great name! Drilled 
 and disciplined by him, they learned the 
 severe lessons of outpost duty, sleepless 
 vigilance, patient endurance and skill in 
 battle, until they became the steady reli- 
 ance of General Lee in all his campaigns 
 — the eyes and ears of the Army of North- 
 ern Virginia. 
 
 Day after day the bravest and best 
 were slain in battle. Innumerable skir- 
 mishes diminished our numbers as sorely 
 as the losses of our infantry in many 
 pitched battles, until our weary men 
 with starving horses could scarce disguise 
 the fact that we were fighting against 
 hope. 
 
 The late Colonel Henderson, of the 
 British Army, the brilliant author of 
 " The Life of Stonewall Jackson," has 
 left this tribute to the veteran cavalry of 
 both armies: 
 
 [48] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 It may, however, be unhesitatingly admitted that 
 no cavalry of the nineteenth century, except the 
 American, could have achieved the same results. . . 
 
 And it may be just as unhesitatingly declared that 
 the horseman of the American war is the model of 
 the efficient cavalryman. 
 
 THE STUART HORSE ARTILLERY. 
 
 Attached to the cavalry corps was one 
 of the bravest and most efficient organiza- 
 tions that any army ever possessed. The 
 Stuart Horse Artillery, from a single 
 company commanded by the Gallant 
 Pelham, grew into several battalions 
 under Beckham, Breathed, Hart, Mc- 
 Gregor, Chew, and Thompson, whose 
 distinguished services are worthy of 
 the most brilliant pages of our history. 
 Would that time permitted me to ren- 
 der to the officers and men of those 
 splendid horse-batteries the tribute they 
 so well deserve! 
 
 The honor of firing the first gun at 
 Fort Sumter is no longer in doubt. The 
 
 T49] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 proud distinction of firing the last gun 
 at Appomattox is claimed by many, but 
 the command that fired the most shot and 
 shell, first, last and all the time, is per- 
 haps, without doubt, the ever-glorious and 
 gallant Stuart Horse Artillery. 
 
 Welcome, also, my comrades of Mos- 
 by's Battalion! In close affiliation with 
 Stuart, nurtured and encouraged by him, 
 valued and praised by him beyond meas- 
 ure, was the Forty-third Battalion of Vir- 
 ginia Cavalry, under the brave, skillful, 
 and distinguished commander, Colonel 
 John S. Mosby. Their heroic deeds form 
 part of the glory achieved by the army, 
 and we link their names with the cavalry 
 corps in loving fellowship and everlasting 
 honor. 
 
 And now, my Comrades, our task is 
 done. This day, so long expected, has 
 come at last to bless our vision and rejoice 
 our hearts. Again Stuart rides with his 
 great Commander who himself wrote the 
 epitaph of his Chief of Cavalry. In offi- 
 [50] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 rial orders announcing his death to the 
 army, May 20, 1864, General Lee said: 
 
 Among the gallant soldiers who have fallen in 
 this 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 and to the nobler virtues of 
 the soldier 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. 
 
 And he added these words, carved upon 
 this monument and graven in our hearts : 
 
 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. 
 
 Once more Stuart rides with Lee, and 
 again I see him, as on the plains of 
 Brandy, the phantom horsemen pass him 
 [51] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 in review — their survivors, on the eve of 
 life's last battle, exclaiming now as then, 
 " Te morituri salutamus! " 
 
 Some of Stuart's pupils in the art of 
 war have grown wiser, they think, than 
 their master, and some have made bold 
 to write themselves down as critics after 
 the event. General Lee once wrote that 
 even as poor a general as he himself was 
 could see what might have been done after 
 the battle was over. It has been truly- 
 said that the general who never made a 
 mistake never fought a battle. 
 
 But now, waiving all controversy and 
 comparison, Stuart stands upon the record 
 inscribed upon this monument. The testi- 
 mony of two witnesses is true: the wit- 
 nesses are Stonewall Jackson and Robert 
 E. Lee. 
 
 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. 
 [52] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 STUART 
 
 I've called his name, a statue stern and vast, 
 It rests enthroned upon the mighty past, 
 Fit plinth for him whose image in the mind 
 Looms up as that of one by God designed. 
 Fit plinth, in sooth ! the mighty past for him, 
 Whose simple name is Glory's synonym. 
 E'en Fancy's self in her enchanted sleep 
 Can dream no future which may cease to keep 
 His name in guard, like sentinel, and cry 
 From Time's great bastions: ' It shall never 
 die!"' 
 
 [53] 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 Headquarters, June 22, 1863. 
 Major-General J. E. B. Stuart, 
 Commanding Cavalry. 
 General: — I have just received your note of 
 7 145 this morning to General Longstreet. I judge 
 the efforts of the enemy yesterday were to arrest oui 
 progress and ascertain our whereabouts. Perhaps 
 he is satisfied. Do you know where he is, and what 
 he is doing? I fear he will steal a march on us, and 
 get across the Potomac before we are aware. If you 
 find he is moving northward and that two brigades 
 can guard the Blue Ridge and take care of your 
 rear, you can move with the other three into Mary- 
 land, and take position on General Ewell's right, 
 place yourself in communication with him, guard his 
 flank, keep him informed of the enemy's movements, 
 and collect all the supplies you can for the use of 
 the army. One column of General Ewell's army 
 will probably move toward the Susquehanna by the 
 Emmittsburg route; another by Chambersburg. . . 
 I am very respectfully your obedient servant, 
 
 R. E. Lee, 
 General. 
 [55] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 At 3 130 P. M. on the same day General 
 Lee writes to General Ewell as follows : 
 
 I also directed General Stuart, should the enemy 
 have so far retired from his front as to permit the 
 departure of a portion of the cavalry, to march with 
 three brigades across the Potomac, and place himself 
 on your right and in communication with you, keep 
 you advised of the movements of the enemy, and as- 
 sist in collecting supplies for the army. I have not 
 heard from him since. . . . 
 
 Headquarters, Millwood, 
 
 June 22, 1863, 7 p. m. 
 Major-General J. E. B. Stuart, 
 Commanding Cavalry. 
 
 General: — General Lee has enclosed to me this 
 letter for you to be forwarded to you, provided you 
 can be spared from my front, and provided I think 
 that you can move across the Potomac without dis- 
 closing our plans. He speaks of your leaving by 
 Hopewell Gap, and passing by the rear of the enemy. 
 If you can get through by that route I think you 
 will be less likely to indicate what our plans are, 
 than if you should cross by passing to our rear. I 
 forward the letter of instructions with these sug- 
 gestions. 
 
 Please advise me of the condition of affairs before 
 
 [56] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 you leave, and order General Hampton — whom I 
 suppose you will leave here in command — to report 
 to me at Millwood, either by letter or in person, 
 as may be most agreeable to him. 
 
 Most respectfully, 
 
 James Longstreet, 
 
 Lieutenant-General. 
 N. B. — I think that your passage of the Potomac 
 by our rear at the present moment will, in a measure, 
 disclose our plans. You had better not leave us, 
 therefore, unless you can take the proposed route in 
 rear of the enemy. 
 
 Having sent this letter to Stuart, Gen- 
 eral Longstreet writes as follows to Gen- 
 eral Lee: 
 
 Headquarters, June 22, 1863, 7:30 p. m. 
 General R. E. Lee, Commanding, etc. 
 
 General: — Yours of 4 o'clock this afternoon is 
 received. I have forwarded your letter to General 
 Stuart, with the suggestion that he pass by the 
 enemy's rear if he thinks that he may get through. 
 We have nothing from the enemy to-day. 
 Most respectfully, 
 
 James Longstreet, 
 Lieutenant-General Commanding. 
 
 [57] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, 
 
 June 23, 1863, 5 p m. 
 Major-General J. E. B. Stuart, 
 Commanding Cavalry. 
 
 General: — Your notes of 9 and 10:30 A. m. 
 to-day have just been received. As regards the pur- 
 chase of tobacco for your men, supposing that Con- 
 federate money will not be taken, I am willing for 
 your commissaries or quartermasters to purchase this 
 tobacco, and let the men get it from them, but I can 
 have nothing seized by the men. 
 
 If General Hooker's army remains inactive, you 
 can leave two brigades to watch him, and withdraw 
 with the three others ; but should he not appear to be 
 moving northward, I think you had better withdraw 
 this side of the mountain to-morrow night, cross at 
 Shepherdstown the next day, and move over to 
 Fredericktown. 
 
 You will however be able to judge whether you 
 can pass around their army without hindrance, doing 
 them all the damage you can, and cross the river 
 east of the mountains. In either case, after crossing 
 the river, you must move on, and feel the right of 
 Ewell's troops, collecting information, provisions, 
 etc. 
 
 I am very respectfully and truly yours, 
 
 R. E. Lee, 
 
 General. 
 
 [58] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 This correspondence shows that Gen- 
 eral Lee gave General Stuart full discre- 
 tion as to where he should cross the Poto- 
 mac River into Maryland — either east or 
 west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The 
 eastern crossing necessarily involved his 
 going " by the enemy's rear," thus passing 
 between Hooker's army and Washington. 
 It was impossible to pass between Hook- 
 er's position and Harper's Ferry. So im- 
 plicit was Gen. Lee's confidence in Stuart 
 that he finally tells him to determine this 
 question for himself. 
 
 When General Stuart, after passing 
 through the gap in the Bull Run Moun- 
 tains, struck the rear of Hancock's corps 
 and attacked it, he found that corps mov- 
 ing north toward Leesburg. The way to 
 the Potomac was clearly open via Fairfax 
 Court House, and he chose that route. 
 
 The only alternative then presented to 
 
 Stuart's mind was to retrace his steps by a 
 
 long march and follow Longstreet's corps, 
 
 then moving northward through the Val- 
 
 [59] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 ley. This would have practically de- 
 prived the army of any aid from Stuart 
 for several days, and left the enemy's cav- 
 alry free to attack General Lee at any 
 point along his line of march. 
 
 The course adopted by General Stuart 
 rendered Meade's cavalry of little use to 
 him, two divisions of it having been sent 
 off to look for Stuart. They found him at 
 Hanover, Pa., on June 30, where a sharp 
 encounter took place; but the march to 
 Carlisle, as contemplated in his instruc- 
 tions from General Lee, was resumed and 
 he reached that place on July 1, much 
 sooner than he could have done by any 
 other route. 
 
 Meantime, General Lee changed his 
 mind and determined to concentrate his 
 army near Cashtown ; orders so to do were 
 in process of execution when Heth's divi- 
 sion advanced toward Gettysburg, and 
 contrary to orders brought on the engage- 
 ment of July 1. But for this action the 
 
 whole army would have been assembled 
 
 [60] 
 
Major-General J. E. B. Stuart 
 
 at Cashtown — infantry, artillery and cav- 
 alry — and the battle would never have 
 been fought at Gettysburg. Nothing 
 would ever have been written or said of 
 General Lee's lack of information by rea- 
 son of Stuart's absence on his long march, 
 and it is more than probable that a great 
 battle near Cashtown would have been a 
 complete victory for General Lee. 
 
 T. S. G. 
 
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