146
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
a number of officers belonging to his staff,
the general's personal baggage, despatch
book and other valuable papers, and a large
sum of money, horses and other property.
'J he princijml depot of the Federal army was
at Manassas Junction, and Stuart lost no
time in attacking and successfully carrying
off a large amount of booty. At Second
Bull Run Stuart's cavalry was conspicuous,
and in the Maryland raid which followed,
led in advance of "Stonewall" Jackson's
corps. At Sharpsburg he rendered valuable
service, guarding with his artillery an im-
portant eminence on Jackson's left, upon
which depended the security of the Con-
federate forces, and also led the movement
by which General Sumner and his troops
were repulsed. On October 9, after a brief
rest. General Stuart led the celebrated raid
on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, at the head
of eighteen hundred picked cavalry. When
this force was assembled to start. General
Stuart thus addressed them, "Soldiers, you
are about to engage in an enterprise which
to insure success, imperatively demands at
your hands, coolness, decision and bravery,
implicit obedience to orders wathout ques-
tion or cavil, and the strictest order and so-
briety on the march and in bivouac. The
destination and extent of this expectation
had better be kept to myself than known to
you. Suffice it to say, that with the hearty
cooperation of officers and men, 1 have no
doubt of its success — a success that will re-
flect credit in the highest degree upon your
arms." The men responded enthusiastically
to his address and all through the march the
orders of their general were strictly obeyed.
Nothing was disturbed in the state of Mar}-
land, but once they entered Pennsylvania
the ca])ture of horses was systematically and
diligently pushed. The entire raid was a
wonderful instance of the control he had
over his men. Colonel Alexander K. Mc-
Clure, who was one of the committee of
three citizens who surrendered the town of
Chambersburg, thus wrote. "General Stuart
sat on his horse in the centre of the town,
surrounded by his staff', and his command
was coming in from the country in large
squads, leading their old horses and riding
the new ones they had found in the stal)les
thereabouts. General Stuart is of medium
size, has a keen eye and wears an immense
sandy whiskers and moustache. His de-
meanor to our people was that of a humane
soldier. In several instances his men com-
menced to take private property from stores,
but they were arrested by General Stuart's
}irovost guard." General Stuart was over-
joyed by the complete success of his raid,
and his return march from Chambersburg
was one of the most remarkable on record.
Within twenty-seven hours he had covered
eighty miles, notwithstanding the fact that
lu was encumbered with his artillery and
the horses that had been captured, and had
forced a passage of the Potomac in the face
ot the enemy. During the entire march the
only casualties met with were the wounding
of one soldier, and the capture by the enemy
of two more who had dropped out of
line. Railroad and public property had been
destroyed in Chambersburg, valued at $251,-
000 ; thirty United States government offi-
cials and prominent citizens were captured
and forwarded to Richmond to be held for
the exchange of imprisoned Confederate
citizens ; two hundred and eighty-six
wounded prisoners were paroled and about
twelve hundred horses captured. A still
more important result of the raid was the
demoralizing effect it had on the Federal
cavalry. This was succinctly described by
General ^^IcClellan in his report: "It was
necessary to use all my cavalry against
Stuart, and this exhausting service com-
pletely broke down our horses, rendering
a remount necessary before we could ad-
vance on the enemy." At Fredericksburg
Stuart guarded the extreme Confederate
right. He was with "Stonewall" Jackson
at Chancellorsville, and on the nights of the
second and third of ]\Iay the command of
the corps devolved upon (leneral Stuart, as
(ieneral A. P. Hill, the senior in rank, had
been disabled shortly after Jackson was
mortally wounded. There he displayed
characteristic valor, and personally led the
charges that resulted in carrying Hazel
Green Ridge, the strategic point that com-
manded the situation. His battle cry,
"Charge and remember Jackson," roused his
men to their greatest efforts, and after re-
peated charges followed by rej^eated re-
pulses, the Confederates finally forced back
the r^ederal centre and turned their own
guns on them as they retreated.
General Stuart bore an important part in Lee's advance into Pennsyhania, crossing the Potomac and guarding the flanks of the advance columns. lie met and repulsed
