J.E.B. Stuart Papers

1864

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"I have never been cast down":

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Letter to William Alexander Stuart, January 19 1864

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Looking on the bright side, as always.
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"'Tis then I ask that thou wilt turn confidingly to me":

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Lines to Georrge, January 28 1864

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This poem appears in a keepsake album in which Stuart wrote some of his own poetry and also copied down some poetry by others.  He signed it "Sxxxxx," the X's being his version of an asterisk.  On occasion, when he did not want to commit something to paper, he used these asterisks in his poetry (such as a poem he wrote at West Point and dedicated to "Mxxx Cxxxxx Lxx," or Mary Custis Lee), and also sometimes his letters (in one of his sweet letters to Flora, he said he "would step quietly into such a house and xxxxxxxxx.")  So, for whatever reason, he did not want to commit his name to this.
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Questions abound.  Who was George?  What's with the misspelling of the name in the poem's title?  Who was Ellen, and why did he scratch out her name in the 9th line and insert George instead?  The name "George" could well be a nickname for Georgia, Georgina, Georgette or the like.  (Stuart did call his sister Victoria "Vic.")

Additionally, as has been mentioned before, this is the fourth time Stuart dedicated this same poem to someone.  The others were an unnamed girlfriend in 1854, a Miss Bell Hart in 1862, and Robert E. Lee's daughter Agnes in 1863.

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"'The majority are a worthless rabble":

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Letter to William Alexander Stuart, January 30 1864

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Stuart minces no words in giving his opinion of the typical guerrilla/partisan ranger, although he thinks highly of John S. Mosby.  Also, his brother still seems to be thinking of joining the army.

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"'Kinsfolk are very nice to visit to live near &c but living with is another matter"":

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Letter to Flora, January 31 1864

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Some rather plain talk in this letter.  It's been two weeks since Stuart has heard from Flora, and he's been worried.  He has now received a letter from her, and from his response here, she seems to have told him that she was satisfied to have caused him worry, and that he isn't writing enough to her, either, because he spends all his time "in the society of refined ladies."  He tells her that she has more time and opportunity to write than he does because he's always on duty, in a room full of people, or asleep in bed, and that he isn't up to any shenanigans with these refined ladies, and he wants to know who it is who's carrying tales to her.  And then, without drawing breath, he suddenly launches into the house-hunting subject.  Emory Thomas described Stuart's letters as "stream-of-consciousness" and this is an excellent example.
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The discussion of living arrangements brings him yet again to the objectionable idea of Flora living with the Brewers, a subject which apparently will not die.  Not only is the Brewer house not stylish enough, but it seems that little Jimmy is likely to get on the nerves of "some people," which will in turn cause "a little body" (Flora, one would guess) to be annoyed, and "you know the rest."
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Money is a concern, as it was to everyone in the south at this time.  Stuart, for reasons unknown, has purchased 48 pounds of butter at $4.75 per pound, sucking up all the money he had besides the $100 he's about to send to Flora.  He still has $5,000 in the bank in St. Louis which he received for selling the patent for his saber attachment invention to the US government in 1859, but he can't get to it.  In fact he is going to contract with an agent to get it for him.  He says the $5,000 is worth $100,000 in Confederate money, another sign of the incredible inflation of the times.
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Flora seems to have asked Stuart if he could borrow money from his brother Alexander Stuart to loan to the Brewers, and Stuart makes several objections.  One, he points out that Dr. Brewer's pay is higher than his, a rather startling statement.  (According to Mark M. Boatner's The Civil War Dictionary, a Confederate major general made less than $450 per month, and even so, actual paydays were few and far between: "[Union] soldiers were supposed to be paid every two months in the field, but they were fortunate if they got their pay at four-month intervals (in the Union Army) and authentic instances are recorded where they went six and eight months. Payment in the Confederate Army was even slower and less regular.")
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Secondly, Stuart says that he has borrowed so much money from Alexander already that he cannot ask for money for others; and thirdly, Stuart's own mother has asked him for money.  Times are tough.
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Contemplation of all these grim subjects seems to have depressed Stuart, because the last quarter of the letter consists of one resigned-sounding, shoulder-shrugging complaint after another: The hooks on his cape are ruining the wreath and stars on his collar; the secretary of war claims that Stuart's command is not technically a corps (even though it consists of three divisions) thereby creating yet another reason why Stuart can't get promoted; Dr. Brewer not only makes more money than Stuart but gets to spend half his time with his family; Stuart can't get rid of a cold; and he didn't get to go to church because of a false alarm on the front lines.  One rarely sees such a sad tale of woe in a Stuart letter.
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He also suggests to Flora that she not be too formal with the people he considers his friends, but be extra friendly towards them because she's a person of high social standing, being the wife of a major general.  The letter ends rather abruptly with kisses to the kids.  
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This is an unusual letter full of unusual subjects, giving off an unusually negative tone all the way through, possibly because, as Stuart says, he was not well when he wrote it.  The gripey letter he wrote to his mother in early 1860 about the John Brown raid has a similar depressed tone, and he was sick when he wrote that, too.  As well as when he got into the big dispute with Col. Sumner in 1857.  Stuart rarely had anything physically wrong with him, but when he did, he was an unhappy camper.

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"'I am very much exercised about a home for Flora"":

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Letter to William Alexander Stuart, February 1 1864

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So the next day, Stuart wrote to his brother about the house situation.  Unlike most of his letters, this one sticks to one subject: Get Flora and the kids fixed in a house.  He tells his brother of the plan to get the money from St. Louis and asks to borrow enough to purchase a house, and for Alexander to help with the search.  Stuart's primary concern is what will happen to his family if something happens to him -- winding up in Yankeeland with Flora's parents or having no home at all?  He seems to view both possibilities with equal alarm.

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"'Write or telegraph something to her as soon as you receive this"":

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Letter to William Alexander Stuart, February 1 1864 (#2)

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Dated the same day as the previous letter, this one is more chatty, with war news, discussion of mutual acquaintances and an invitation to visit, but also some urging to get the house purchase off the ground.

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"'If Genl. Hampton should apply for a change, it might help the matter"":

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Letter from George Washington Custis Lee, February 2 1864

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Addressed to "Beaut" and signed "Growls," this letter makes full use of their old West Point nicknames.  It is a reply to a letter from Stuart about matters concerning the cavalry.  Stuart particularly is trying to find a way to gracefully get rid of Hampton, and now is considering switching him out with Stephen Dill Lee.  Custis also makes a brief reference to something Stuart has done to get Custis into the Army of Northern Virginia (he held a general's commission, but as aide to President Davis, he had no army command).  As it turned out, Custis would not lead troops in battle until Sayler's Creek in April 1865, right before the end of the war, whereupon he was promptly defeated and captured.

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"'Gen'l Lee's Pennsylvania report went in some time ago & mine with it"":

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Letter to Member of Confederate Congress, February 10 1864

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Partial letter, found online.  Stuart has another theory as to why he can't get promoted: He hasn't been wounded in action.
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"My command did gallant and highly important service wherever the enemy appeared"":

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Letter to William Alexander Stuart, March 7 1864

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This letter is not in Stuart's handwriting, so apparently was dictated by him.  Stuart's command is spread all over the place trying to obtain enough forage for the horses to get through the winter.  He makes reference to the Dahlgren affair in which his cavalry played a primary role.  He asks about the house-hunting project.  He asks his brother about the Confederate government's continuing efforts to nationalize Stuart, Buchanan & Co.'s salt production.
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Alexander seems to be harboring some feelings that he is not doing his duty by not enlisting (or by purchasing a substitute, or whatever he's been doing).  Stuart assures his brother that he would do his country better service by managing its salt production than by shouldering a musket.  In his view, joining the army would only be in Alexander's selfish interest, whereas remaining in his position of supplying salt to the army is where he really serves the cause.  Stuart does, however, advise his brother to find some prominent men who agree, and have them put it in writing, so that Alexander will not be faced in the future with accusations about shirking one's duty.
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In war news, Stuart's horses are dying off again at an alarming rate.  A major general was allowed five horses at any one time.  Three of Stuart's have come down with "the farcy" (which is now called strangles or equine distemper); one died, one seems to be dying, and one recovered.  A fourth horse is also dead, and the fifth has somehow managed to have its hooves come off and can't be ridden.  Stuart had to purchase another horse to even be able to get around during the recent fighting, and borrowed money from his brother to buy it (at an inflated price).
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On the bright side, Flora is visiting.

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"Will endeavor to demean myself becomingly"":

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Letter from William Alexander Stuart, March 14 1864

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The government continues to take over the saltworks.  I wonder who Shackleford is?  And it seems like Flora, who was with Stuart a week ago, will soon be visiting her brother-in-law at Saltville.

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"A happy combination of excellencies and beauty"":

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Letter to "Coyota," March 16 1864

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Written on official cavalry corps stationery (which was printed in Mt. Holly, Pennsylvania!), this is not exactly a letter and not exactly a poem.  If it was meant to be a poem, it is free verse, a form of poetry Stuart did not otherwise write.  What seems most likely is that it might have been a cover letter for a present.  And who was "Coyota"?
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"A place in one or other of the departments, which are now being filled by ladies"":

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Letter from Lavinia Callis Price Minor, March 24 1864

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A letter from a lady who may have been a relation of Stuart's, since she's got Price in her name and writes from Dundee.  She does not know Stuart well, but someone at Dundee has told her to ask for his help in getting a job in the treasury department so she can support her family.  She seems to be either a widow or a lady whose husband is in the army.  (Part of this letter is torn away.)

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"Military Dispatch"":

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Letter to Flora, April 5 1864

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Stuart wrote this on an official military dispatch form, so it's worth reproducing as a photo.  Addressed to "My Dear Little Wife" from the Headquarters Wigwam, it claims to be dispatch #1,000,000 and is a brief request for Flora to send Stuart her $5 notes so that he can change them into 50 cent notes.  He also plans to show up in the afternoon.

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"No news"":

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Letter to Robert E. Lee, April 5 1864

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In this brief note, Stuart says he is sending Lee a rock, and also wants Lee's approval on an order that Stuart wants to publish to the cavalry.  The "rock" was really a watermelon, as was revealed by Lee's letter back to Stuart on April 6 (see below).  
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"You know I clip my words very much"":

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Letter from Robert E. Lee, April 6 1864

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Lee thanks Stuart for the watermelon, and invites him over to help eat it.  He also concurs with Stuart on the policy that Stuart wanted to publish to his cavalry, which had to do with instructions to Confederate soldiers if they were captured by the Yankees: They were to give only their name, company, and regiment, to say nothing about what brigade, division, or corps to which the regiment belonged, not to discuss military matters with fellow prisoners, and to basically keep quiet about everything.  On April 7, Lee issued an order to the entire Army of Northern Virginia with these instructions.
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"These are serious considerations"":

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Letter to George Washington Custis Lee, April 9 1864

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The first part of the letter is a formal discussion of Stuart's decision about being moved to the western theater to replace General Holmes.  He's reluctant, but willing to do it if President Davis thinks it's best for the country (and, Stuart adds subtly, if it means he'll get his long-overdue promotion).  
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The second part of the letter is much longer.  Stuart wants to stay in Virginia because, among other reasons, he's well-loved there, whereas in the west, Sterling Price is the man.  As always, Stuart wants "harmony & thorough co-operation" in his command, and if taking over from a popular commander will jeopardize that, he thinks it's not for the best.  He does not want to step into what sounds like a hornet's nest of rivalry and discontent (the same reason U.S. Grant refused command of the Army of the Potomac).  
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The accompanying question, of course, is who would take over the cavalry if Stuart were moved to the west.  Stuart strongly feels that Hampton is not a good choice.  He describes Hampton as "a gallant officer, a nice Gentleman, and has done meritorious service, but there you must stop," which is the most accurate one-sentence summary of Hampton I've ever seen.  (Who was in charge of the cavalry when Grant moved his entire army across the James River and no one knew about it for three days?  Hampton.)
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For some months, Hampton had been trying to whine his way out from service with Stuart and be reassigned somewhere in the west.  Stuart suggests that if he himself is going to be promoted, it'd be best to send Hampton to command the District of the Mississippi first (which is not where Stuart is contemplating going), and then, once Stuart is promoted to Lieutenant General and transferred, Fitz Lee would move up to take Hampton's vacated place.  This avoids the awkward situation of having Hampton become de facto senior cavalry general upon Stuart's transfer, whereupon he might be much less likely to want to be transferred himself (there was no love lost between Hampton and Fitz Lee).  It might be called scheming to ensure that Hampton is moved out of the way so that Fitz would become the senior upon Stuart's potential transfer, but as Stuart views the two men, it's for the good of the service.  Stuart believes Fitz can do the job Stuart wants done better than Hampton can.
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Regarding something else about Fitz, though, Stuart makes a puzzling comment.  As the war dragged on, Stuart's letters began to contain more orthographical errors probably stemming from weariness, and this one does too.  In the midst of singing Fitz's praises, Stuart writes, "We must making stop drinking for the war."  This is the only instance I've read where someone thought Fitz Lee had an alcohol problem (aside from his party-hearty days at West Point).   Stuart was, of course, a strict temperance man, but this is food for thought.
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He also says that Robert E. Lee has made it clear that he wants to get rid of Hampton.  Lest one think this is a biased belief or wishful thinking on Stuart's part, Mary Chesnut reported this sentiment in her famous diary, saying that Lee had told Hampton that he could take his whole command back to South Carolina if he didn't like the way things were being done in the cavalry.  Stuart also says that Lee has been irritated by Gen. Lafayette McLaws (Lee did take McLaws to task for unresponsiveness at Chancellorsville).  Commanders in other theaters had been asking to have Hampton transferred there the previous winter, including Longstreet (then temporarily in Tennessee) and Joe Johnston.  Hampton had been using this threat as leverage to prevent his cavalry units being given assignments in Virginia that he didn't agree with.  (Here is some more information on all of this; you may need to scroll back a few pages to get the gist.)
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Rooney Lee is newly released from being a prisoner of war, and Stuart wants him to be promoted.  He also wants to give him one of Hampton's four brigades.  This will leave Hampton with three, the usual number of brigades in a division, but Stuart expects that Hampton still won't like it and will complain about being unsatisfied under Stuart's management -- and what a great opportunity that would be to offer him an independent command in the west!  
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"A scheming fellow" is what Stuart's friend Dorsey Pender called him.  I prefer "thoughtful."  "Scheming," to me, implies selfish actions with harm being done to someone, whereas Stuart's intentions are to benefit everyone, not only himself, but also the men under his command, his command itself -- and by extension, his country.

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"More than one half our ills in this life are imaginary"":

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Letter to Flora, April 24 1864

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In this truncated letter, Stuart seeks to reassure Flora that he is not some "forlorn half-starved soldier," but in fact perfectly happy.  He's glad to hear that she is feeling more cheerful, and the only thing she ought to do now, he says, is quit wearing black.  It's been almost 18 months since Little Flora died, time enough, in Stuart's mind, to take off the mourning wear.  

Stuart also refers to the repair of his headquarters flag, which had fallen into the fire.  Flora made it originally, so he sent it to her for repairs.  More house-hunting discussion, plans to meet, and news of family and friends is followed by the mysterious statement, "Tell Lucy not to put it off."

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"Please to restore it to him untouched"":

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Letter to Flora, April 28 1864

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The first part of this letter is taken up with outraged ranting about somebody named Carson, who Stuart has crowned the bigget bore, biggest liar, and biggest rascal in the Confederacy.  The crime committed by this triple threat was to send his love to Flora, touching off a wave of what sounds a lot like jealousy in Stuart.  

Stuart refers to someone named John who was "sent for to Dundee," apparently because his wife was having a baby there.  Not knowing yet if the child is a boy or a girl, Stuart paraphrases an ancient joke about the new father being "either a Pa or a Ma."  (I knew this was a hoary old gag, but I never guessed it was this old!)  And in other baby news, both Dabney Ball and Lt. Powers have named their kids after Stuart.

Stuart also refers to Mr. Harbaugh, the agent who is about to leave for St. Louis to try to get Stuart's saber-hook patent money out of the bank.  He's also sending a toy automaton dancer to Jimmy which is like one Fitz Lee has.  These must have been popular in 1864 because here is an ad for one that sounds exactly like what Stuart describes.

Flora's flag repair efforts continue; she has been unable so far to find fringe for the edges, and Stuart wants her to add the names of the battles his cavalry distinguished itself in.

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