The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1885-02-24 00:00:00

THE DEATH OF GENERAL

STEWART.

It I. with intense regret we have to announce the
death of this .gsrant • I, which took place at
Gab ml on Monday. Toe sad new. wen received In
Dorchester on Friday moroing. and OWID quite • gloom
over the tows., where, from his load connect' in, hie
'Ablaut caree, had be. n followed with unusual
toter:et, and not only here, but throughout the el mei°e
awl the country generally. the news that he be
saacumbe I caused • sensetton scarcely less than that
produce.] at the fell of Karoo= and G irdon'a creel
4 etb. From K we leer. the news of Sir ifeeeirt
St o wart's dl.ath caused the greatest react to eve-y-
-body in ...imp. Only thou who were with hint, &ay.
the Seed oaf onrruspnnsieflt. thronehout the march
&ADAM, the d t con folly appreciate his many rare
rinelities, his eeessiess energy. his are for the men,
readiness of rosourc, in an renirgency, an 1 hla
merit, sea leader. From the moment whoa he •a.
wounded fears were ettertsined ,d • fatal result. He
died at liakdul, always memorable in connection with
his first brilliant march. on his way back from the
Dunes of his two riot ivies.
Data. ibing the last earl eases of Sir Herbert
Stewart'. brilliant career, an offber of hi* staff
We hurled him in the hale British graveyard
near the (11.kaul Wells. It wee the wet impressive
scene euyous ever went through. We I rortil •
proa. "don in the valley, head et by the firing party
and bowl of the It .yal Sun. x. The pall-bearers were
Maj/I II Hon. C. Byng and Gould, Lieutenant. Lord
B-0 wiling, ug as, and Da we, ex and Captain
Rhode.. U keel Talbot read the service. I looked
up once. It is no exagger.tion to say that every on*
round the place had utterly broken down. I have
lost the kindest, beet friend man ever had, cod
England, I honestly think, one of her but °Moore.
It was • most trying time for him, that much out
from FA Gabel; but the doctors say nothing could
poesibly have saved him from the first. I fully believe
them. The 19th Hussars mad* a foetid march to be
in time fur the funeral, but arrived 'oat too late. This
morning they came sal asked to be allowed to do the
stonework round the grave, and have been working
all day."
In the 1100119 of Lords feeling 'lllusion to the
gallant soldier'. death wee made. In reply to Lord
Herding', the Esrl of Morley stated that he would
pet form the melanotio'y task of reading • telegram
from Lori Wolseley to the Secretary of State for
War, dated Koiti, 19th of February, 1885, &WI
receives! 19;,h February. Lord Wolseley said, "It is
my must pairful duty to &Disown* to you the death
of Sir H. Stewart, at live p.m. on the 16th Inst., fr
the effects of the wound received in the motion on the
19:h nit. Colonel 'Talbot, in reportinr thin sad event
to me, say.,' I beg to be allowed to *spread; the deep
grief of all ranks wh have had the privilege of urv-
,g under this diatingWehed officer, especially f those
who hare so lately followed him into action, and el..
their sense of the greet loss which they, the army
generally, awl the country have au.teined. lie mu
to be buried by the soldier" whom he so recently led
to victory at the entrance of the valley
leading to Gskdal Well No braver soldier,
no more brilliant leader of men, ever wore the Queen's
u..iforro. England one ill aff ird the hies of
thi. roans General, while his death robe we of the
ser•lasa of • dear friend and • dear comrade. All
the other eirk and wounded are well." fie (the Earl
of Morley) warn unwillinr by say words of his own to
mu the effect of swab a message, every wor I of which
would find an echo in the hearts of all who heard it.
In a very brief period the army had ti deplore
:ero of its bravest generals awl most elthful soldiers—
Generals Stewart sad 1611 e—each of whom had, how.
ever, died the death of • true British soldier, leading his
men to a victory egainst fearful odds, gained by his
own skilful deep *Rion of the troops under him, and
the heroic bravery which thou troops had displayed.
The country iuod the army had to mourn the toes of
two able commanders and gallant soldiers who could be
spared;lii but it wool.' be some consolation to those
who were phonged Into the deepest grief by these sad
events that the sense of their loss was appreciated by
all clays. of their c nontrytnen. (Hear, hear.)—The
Linke of Cambridge begged on behalf of the army and
himself to add the deep "epee they entail tamed of the
lose referred to. General Stewart had won by his
oen merit • prominent poeitioo not usually obtained
hy so young an officer. The loss anstnined by the
death of G,-wral Earle oho wen deeply felt. 'Tee
officers had served their Q wen and country w;th that
distinction which it was the aim of every soldi.!r to
achieve • hen the opportunity was aff irded. The
army and the country were proul of such men.
(,Theere.) N. wooll also Inks the opportunity of say.
inc • word as to General Tdon—be was afraid he
must say the late General G Aim. The men he had
thus natnedlwere three of the finest soldiers England
he I ever produced, and the nation could not but mourn
their loss. (fleas, hear.) Etch had &DIN his
duty. None bed done this more than Gordon, who
had displayed • power of i.flaencing and controlling
the people of the Ewa that WDA certainly mo.t
extranrdinary, and which he (the Duke of Cambridg.)
did not believe lied ever been equalled, and which
°ottani, bad never been surpassed. (Churn)

Mo. Archibeld Forte* the well-known war cores-
pondent, writing in the Daily N. of Fridey. says :—F r
t•.l months In the tesonnluit of the Zak' aaaninig•
Herbert Stewart and I shared the ram, t nt Theall dupe
are not yet four years past, aad then the men who ii
already the veteran of six eempaigui • M.C.B. and a
full rusks-minors% wee • somowhat fort utn carafe of
°every who might expect, with luck, inch good fortune
al his regimental mejority in two or three yews. It had
beau • piece of unexpected good fortune for him that he
tad received the staff appointment of brigade-major to
General Fred. Marshall's cavalry brigade: and thirr *imply
because of hia good r,eord at the S-aff Coles. and es •
regimental Aim,, for he had no Interest I have seen
it stated that Wolaeleg had been acquainted with
Stever t's merits long before the Z its campaign and had
been steadily keeping his eye upon him Thit is .-
error. Stewart was einem outside of what has been called
the 'gems.' I question, indeed, if he had ever exolsenaed
words with Lord Wolieley. Of Stewart's efficiency se
Marshell'e braids-major levity officer of that forcer must
have • vivid recollection ; hot the Z compiler', (re
reasons which need not be Snow dwelt upon, wee est
the reg ilar cavalry'. day. I remember well now Stewart
chafed in his fetters. When ti May the brigade rode up
to where the dead lay on the slope at the foot of the
Daudlwans mountain, curbed by orders that forbid,
them to go farther, I remember Stowart's repressed
PUSIOII of fury. He in cemmand, with his head loose,
the carry expetienge would not have occurred of the
igaomialous retirement of a brigade of British rests,
(lined by twister esti dropping shot. from a handful a
Z iln tribesmen. Poor Cerey and Stewart lied been at
the staff Cellos* tmether, and when the former was
preparing f. r his court-martial Stewart confronted the
feeling of the camp, and gave him valuable &Watson* in
drawing up his defence. When the advance on Ulundi
was made the regular cavalry were relegated, save one
res twirom to frontier work; and so St ,wart, with many
soother eager soldier, was hindered from the light for
which he had longed, He wee the first man I met at
Lal:l4/TQLIIII.II Drift when I rode in with the news of the
victory, and if ter the first flush of happiness at the good
tidings, he turned away gad wag silent for a brief epees,
wrestling momentarily with hi. sense of disappointment,
I have no • Army List' here ti refer to, but it ill my
impression that the general brevet for the julu oampeiga
did not include Stewart's name, and that he wee not
promoted till later. Be thLs as it may. no good billet fell
to hie lot when the form wan broken up, and eager
always for work, so matter how arduous or bow °bemire,
be wee content to accept from the late General Clifford
the charge of a section of the line of the communication
from Zululand to the TIMM'S \I. It was while fagging at
this leberlous service, stimulating luy tranitextsidere,
flogging sluggish oxen, and thr melee himself Into his
hountrum duty with as much energy as if the work had
been • campaign, in which ev,ry day might Varnish a
bettle, that the turning point of his carer arrived. On
hi. way to P., toria, W role the line of stommoni.
ration, eta lying its working as he ride, •itle o eye that
dale into the hearts of rust and thing*. S•swart
peeled him over his section, and the result of that d
ride wee that for St.arart there was to be no more
Neaten among lines of cooraunfe %tints_ In the quiet,
modent, ready invalrymen the chief reeminsteed • soldier
after his own heart. Stewart role on into Pretoria with
Wolwley. He had taken that commander's shilling ; he
bad been recruited Into the • gang.' The oomp'emont
ot Woleeley's gerseroally in banding rto Bak,r
R smell the e induct of the attack on Sok ukun 'a Mounteln
wet the meisnment to him of Stewart as his staff •(Boer.
M so dashing fighting man that the thruetine C donel of
the nth iblesats the Briti eh army does note retain ; hot
he la the first to confess the value to him of melba Feel
arestance in the clkttile of °resonation Over and over
uein in hie hearty blast. r out rumen' r he has waxed
el. fluent in my hiring m to the service which Herbst
St 'wart rendered in the elaborate letting in order of the
paiticularly neat combination which made that operstlon
• moves. so clue and brilliant Stewart his no right to
he alive after his conduct at Majuht bill. There is •
time for thing under the sun, and it Is the time for
running away when every ethane, has gone to dc any good
by standing feet. Weerart may have done well to he
angry at what he th, ri sal" around him aril behind hire.
hut it is • plc' of euip dole self.indolgroce for • man to
`a. c,adad by wrath, icor., and shame intro seeking death.
Faitunately for other' as well se for himself, Stewart
inked what pror C Bev fount, ant not the lead inter,
owing eplo le of hie I fe Gen time genii among the
Boer' as their prlerner of war. Just before he left
Dvnrola for Kart' he wrote me a lout letter, which
rrceivret the other city. It this ronclodee WV,It IMO
11l good a .11110111 r breathed (ha then ripe-tel to have
the Llaht C•rnel Octet if I cannot do something crett•.
eh* should the chant* offer, I give you full pirmivion
to lomat in the heaviest available pair oi booM to kick
me wherewithal when I return to Eusland.'

Friday night's Court eirmalor contains ths folkwlng
int to %lion 14.1. Majesty r 'noised with deep ernacrrn
on Wedgy night front Lord Wolealey tho md
of tha de di) of that most diat'ngnishaii dater, 0 ..... I Sr
Horbest Masan."
. _

--lie-;7l:arliii-sTriti was kr re Jon. SO, 1813, to that he died
in his alai year. He wee the eon f the R Ilward
Stewart. end of hit wife, Lulls& Ann, of if °mimosa,
teethe Kerry. ant was a near reiative to the Hirt of
Galloway. Whoa in hit Illot yese, Sttwart, he porehsse,
•ao appointed ',else in the Vtla Fcr it, an I heeagee a,
jot, 17th, DM. Ile ached ila gilk,da-eme to
th.• Mei tr•fl moral entetnantllnr In the Bengal Fireeideney
15i470. From I,:f and 1873 he nerved it D pity.
A. iesant Q tarterussatertGeneral In Nava In October.
1873, he on d the :Iri D-44,1111 (1.14-da he acted as
hrtgarle major of eava're dotting the Z du war : bectionoe
lieutreant•eolonol in July, 141: an.l r ceired his mi_
mental m .I,titv In July, 141. 11, seem' to
At I:e in 1871 80. tok'ng port in the Boer war. For
serest months of 143 it • acted as aid • le•etree ti the
Larrl.Ll-ottteset of Ireland. to that year ha Was
dil,patChad to Eypk. Sal we. present at WI De enrage.
' meet.. For hi, services he was appointal etre el/41.-je.
estop to the Queen, Red received the Order of Oiei.
marider rf the Rath, the mods' with clasp, the Khedive..
Star, and the etas, of the o.4er of Otreataleb. In 1877
Its deceased gee tel married Georgina J met, dee/Ater of
the late Admiral Sr James Stlrlfer, by whom he has
tcc none. Geoffrey awl Soeneer Oteerat Stewart, in the
~.s nen ef lett yes,. embarked for the Nils to reeve under
lora Wolseley. When the Intelligente* of his wooed
"ache% Ensland it drew forth • zorseelons of oympathy
and regret from all clew., and Go Q moo tolegraphed •
....No to Ism, throuala Lord Wolseltoy. promoting him
to the rank of Majtr,o r .1.
It mar not he lemma'y known that the late General
Stewart was at one time a stedent of law at the Inner
Temple. Although he kept all lila "tome," the genre%
Soar was never railed to the Ur.