Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-12-31


ne have had their breath almost taken ava
2; by this extraordinary spectacle OF M tl
4 famous Gen. Stuart, commanding All III
n cavalry of Gen. Lees army, moving
n the head of his hard fighting corr
4 with a banjo player rafting D,
~ hind him. But Stuart cared hil
y for the 'sgrave people. II
!. fought harder than they did, and ehos
= To annuse himself in his own way. Lee
- Johnston, and Jackson had listened !
~ that banjo without regarding II as frlVC
= lous and more than once IL had prove
= n relaxation after the eXhausting care
! Of command. So it ratified on still, an
= stuart continued TO laugh, without car
y ing much about "the serious family
/, class. He had on his side, Lee, Jackson
n and the young ladies who danced ava
. gayly to Sweeny's music-wbat mai
tered it whether Aminadab Sleek, Esq
\ approved or disapproved.
4 That "young lady" element was al
: | important one with Stuart. Never nav
a | seen purer, more knightly, or NOR
, charming gallantry than his. He wa
here, as in all his life, the Christian gen
+ tlemsn, the loyal and consistent professo
OF religion; but with this delieaey Of tn
D chevalier, was mingled the gayety o
the boy. He was charmed, and charmed
r in return. Ladies were his warmest ad
mireFs-fOr they saw that under hi
, laughing exterior was an earnest nature
: and a warm heart. Everything drew
them toward him. The romance Of hi:
hard career, the adventurous character
OF the man, his mirth, wit, gallantry, en-
thusiasm, and the uncOncealed pleasure
which he showed in their society, made
him their prime favorite. They tioclled
around him, gave him flowers, and de-
l clared thatifthey could they would follow
his feather and fight with him. With
all this, Stuart was delighted. He gave
them places on his staff, placed the
flowers in his button hole, kissed the fair
hands that presented them, and if the
cheek was near the hand, he would laugh
and kiss that too. The Sleek family
cried out at this, and rolled up their eyes
in horror-but it j. hard 10 please the
Sleek family. Stuart was married, "a
great public character, had fought in de-
tense Of these young ladies upon hum
dFed battle fields, and was going to die
for them. 1t does not seem so huge an
enormitv as the Sleeks everywhere called
il; that while the blue eye flashed, the
ewes of women should give back their
splendor; while the lips we're warm
they should not shrink from them.
! Sob.s tne eyes were TO grow dim, and the
I NE cod.
stuart was best loved by those who
! knew lim best; and it may here be ac
corded that his devotion toward his
Young wife and children attracted the
attention of every one. His happiest
/ hours were spent in their society, and he
/ never seemed so well satisfied as when
+! they were in his tent. To lie upon his
camp couch and play with one of his
children appeared to be the summit Of
| felicity with him and when, during the
/ hard falling back near Upperville, in the
| fall of eighteen hundred and siXty-twO,
| the news came Of the death Of
/ his little daughter, Flora, he seemed
| almost overcome. Many months after
/ wards, when speaking of her, the tears
/ gushed to his eyes, and he murmured IN
| a broken voice, I" / viii never get over
! it-neverp % He seemed rough and hard
/ 10 those who only saw him now and
! then: but the persons who lived with
| him knew his great kindness Of heart.
| Under that careless, iesting, and often
curt demeanOr, was a good, true heart.
! The fiber of the man was tough under
! an strain, and his whole organization was
/ masculine; but he exhibited, sometimes,
| a softness Of feeling which might almost
/ be called tenderness. A marked trait Of
| his character was this: that if he
I had offended anybody, or wounded
! their feelings, he could never rest
until he had in some way made
amends His temper was iraseibie at
times, and he would utter harsh
words: but the flaming eyes, soon soft
eued, the arrogant manner disappeared
In ten minutes his arm would probably
be- upon the shoulder or around the neck
.4Uu,n 4 AaT.s .Hfsfa
would become what the French call
curCssdRte This was almost amusing,
and showed his good heart. Like child
ne must make upn with people he had
unintentionally offended, aud he never
rested until he succeeded. Let it not be
understood, however, that hisplacability
/ Of temperament came into play IN his
a official " affairs There Stuart was as
/ hard as adamant, and nothing moved
I him. He never fOrgave opposition TO
/ his will, or disohedience Of his orders,
/ and though never bearing malice, was q
/ thoroughly good hater. His prejudices
were strong, and when once he had made
up his mind deliberately, nothing would
I change him. He was immovable and
/ implacable; and against these offenders
/ he threw the whole weight of his power
/ ful viii and his high position, determined
/ to crush them. That, however, was IN
public and official matters. In all the
! details Of his daily life, he was thoroughly
'"vaable, as many persons still living can
.,.ify. He was the most approachable
( of Maior-Generals, and joked with the
private soldiers Of his command as jo-
! yis,i,y as though he had been one of
! themselves. The men were perfectly
/ unconstrained in his presence, and treated
/ him more like tle chief huntsman Of a
! hurting party than as a Major General.
I Iisstaff were greatly attached to him, for
he sympathized In all their attabs as
warmly as q brother, and constantly
I doing them some good turn When
with them off duty, he dropped every
indication OF rank, and was as much a
boy As the Youngest Of them-playlng
marbles, quoits or snowfall with perfect
abandon and enjoyment. Most charm
ing of all in the eyes of those gentlemen
was the fact that he would not hesitate
to decline invitations TO entertainments
on the plainly stated ground that . has
staff were not included, after when l
need give myself nO further trouble to
explain why he was the most beloved OF
generals
[ have spoken of his reckless exposure
of his person in battle. 1t would convey
q better idea Of his demeanor under fire
to say that he seemed unaware Of the
presence of danger. This air Of indiffer-
ence was unmistakable. When brave
men were moving restlessly, or uneon-
. sciously "ducking" 70 avoid the bullets
showering around them, Stuart sat his
horse, full front to the fire, with head up,
. form unmoved-a statue Of unconscious
ness. 1t would be difficult TO conceive OF
a greater GOODNESS and indifference than
he exhibited. The hiss of balls, striking
down men around him, or cutting oil
, locks OF his hair and piercing his clothes,
rs at Fredericksburg did not seem 70 at
, tract his attention. With shell bursting
right in his face and maddening hishorse,
he appeared 10 be thinking Of something
else. Ia other men what Is called gal
antry' is generally seen 10 be tle etiecl
of a strong will in Stuart it seemed the
result Of indifference. \ stOuter hearted
cavalier could not be imagined; and il
his Indifference gave way, it was gen
orally succeeded by gayety. Sometimes
, however al ths tiger was aroused IN
. him. His face fiushed his eses daftec
, flame; his voice grew hOarse and strin'
gent. This occurred in the hot fight o
, Fleetwood Hill. in June, eighteeI
hundred and sixty-three, when he wa
! almost surrounded by the heavy masses o
r the ensLay's cavalry, and very nearly GU
/ of; and again near near UPpetville; latel
! in the same year, when he was driver
! back, foot by foot, 10 the Blue Ridge
, Stuart's face was stormy at such mo
! ! ments, and his eyes like "a devourins
: fire.n His voice was curt, harsh, impe
, ! rious, admitting no reply. The veins il
, his forehead grew blsck, ana the plaI
r looked odsngerous" If snyoffi aer faileC
, him at such moments ne never forgav'
4 him, az the men who attracted his atten
: tioD. or who volunteered for a forloTr
! hope. were never forgotten. In his tena
4 eious memory, Stuart registered every
I bodv and in his command, his word
' lad or gooq, largely 81 Up or pulled
r down.
: To dwell still for few moments upor
= the private and personal character Of th'
, nan-he possessed some accomplish
/. inents unusual IN famous soldiers, HI
4 was an excellent writer, and his genera
a / orders were frequently very striking TO
# their point and eloquence. Thatin whicl
( ne called on his men after the ridi
! around Mcclellan 10 Z aysBSe Iafane y
Is and that on the death Of Maj. Pelham
: I,is Chief Of Artilley, are good examples
e fhefe Sss something Of the Napoieol
> fervor IN these competitions, and
- / though daghad. off rauidlV. the