The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-05-31

sadcs OF 1'ltz Lce's division, wickham
and I.orunx. leaving orders for Gordon.
with his North Carolina brigade, to
follow fast A severe fight with
sherIdan's rear guard took place that
evening. and next day we pressed the
rapidly moving enemy until Stuart
succeeded In pncing his two brIgadcs
In close contact with Slierldnns i'm
inensc force and boldly gavc him bat
tie at Yellow Tavern
For several hours Shcridnn's whole
column was checked. Gord6n's bril-
gadc had attacked his rear many miles
distant on the Mountain Road and so
was separated from Stuart In the hour
of his greatest need. Towards even
ing, after much Fighting. with nearly
our whole force dismounted Sheridan,
confident in the Overwhelming num-
hers OF his mounted troops. threw his
heavy regiments squadron after squad
, ron, In mounted charge upon our
exposed left flank and broke through
our artillery with resistless force.
Capturing three of our guns. the head
of the enemy's column became engaged
with our dismounted men and were
suddenly checked in their advance.
| They had passed by General Stuart,
who had empticd his pistol at them and
was sitting quietly on his horse as
they hhstened 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,
llrcd the fatal bullet and FASTENED
away. The general was taken from
| his horse by Captain Gus Dorsey. OF
Maryland. of Company X. First vir-
ginia Cavalry, Stmart's old regiment,
| ana then reyiving a little from thu
| shock he was placed on the horse of
Private Fred l.. Pitts. or that company.
and led to an ambulance in the rear of
| the line.
| Saved From Capture.
| In this connection the names of Cor
poral Robert Bruce and Private Charles
| Wheatley are mentioned by Captain
Dorsey as having rendered gallant SER
| vice In removing the general to tho
ambulance. thus saving him from cap
ture by the enemy. Thus safely brought
off the field by the assistance OF some
of his staff. he reached Richmond by
way of Mechnnicsvlllc about III O'Clock
| that night. He died here on the even
| Ing of May IL. 1864. Death never
claimed a nobler victim.
| Thus fell the matchless leader OF
| the Veteran Cavalry OF the Array OF
| Northern 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 fellowship 10 commence
| rate his service in this enduring and
/ fitting monument
| The sculptor Moynihan has shared
| with us the inspiration of Stuart's ca
reer, and has fashioned both horse and
rider with the spirit that animated his
| great soul.
| localized 1t may be to degree that
| speaks eloquently OF the superb horse
man, the alert. active, dashlng leader
| Of brave men, 1t is at the same time a
| likeness of the man just as he was
when General Sedgwick. his old COM
mander, in rude appraisement, e&-
| claimed:
stuart is the best cavalry officer
| ever foaled in North America
| Use of Cavalry Arm.
| The military student of Great Brit
ain and the continent is never weary OF
| studying tho campaigns OF stuart. Ono
| OF them has recently written:
/ ITO Stuart belongs the credit of ilav-
| ing brought to perfection use of the
| cavalry arm, which had been fore
| Swallowed by the Dragons of MARI
boroughs epoch. but which had not
| been seen during the intervening great
u
| been successfully initiated"
| In the bold combination of fire and
shock at the right moment Stuart's
! Cavalry stands pre-eminent among the
| nations of the world. What loftiet
| tribute can be paid TO the heroes of
| our corps, living and dead, whose
| proudest boast. either in the triumphs
! of life or in the aSonies OF DEATH Is
Stuart's great name.
Drilled and disciplined by him, they
learned the severe lessons Of outpost
duty, sleepless vigilance, patient en-
durance and skill In battle until they
became the steady reliance of General
Lee in all his comprehensive eyes and
ears of the Army OF Northern Nir-
gnia. Day after day the bravest and
/ best were slain IN battle. Innumerablo
| skirmishcs 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 Stuart Horse Artillery.
| Attached to the Cavalry Corps was
one of the bravcst and most efficient
organizations that any army ever
possessed The Stuart Horse ARTILLERY,
from single company commanded by
4 the gallant Pelham, grew into several
4 battaiions under Beckhum, Brcathed.
i Hart, McGregor, Chew and Thompson.
/ whose distinguished services are wor-
4 thy of the most brilliant pages of our
i history. Would that time permitted
me to render to the officers and men of
\ those splendid horse batteries the tr-
butte they so we'll deserve.
The honor Of firing the first gun at
4 Fort Sumter is no longer In doubt.
The proud distinction OF firing the last
4 gun at AppomattoN is claimed by many,
but the command that fired the most
shot and shell, first, last and all the
time, is perhaps without doubt the ever
glorious and gallant Stuart Horse AR
Itillery.
Welcome also my comrades of Mos
1 bys Battalon!
\ In close afliliation with Stuart. nur-
tured and encouraged by him. valued
and praised by him beyond measure,
Continued on Fifth Page.)
Il.