Confederate Military History/Volume 3/Biographical/S
Brigadier-General James E. Slaughter, a native of Virginia, entered the military service of the United States in April, 1847, as second lieutenant of Voltigeurs. He was transferred to the First artillery in June, 1848, and was an officer of that command until the formation of the Confederate States, with promotion in 1852 to the rank of first lieutenant. He received a commission as first lieutenant, corps of artillery, Confederate States army, and became inspector-general on the staff of General Beauregard after the transfer of the latter to the department of Alabama and West Florida. After the bombardment at Pensacola, in which Lieutenant Slaughter rendered valuable service under fire, General Beauregard reported that to him, probably more than to any one else in the command, he was indebted for patient labor and unceasing vigil given to the organization and instruction of the troops. Beauregard earnestly recommended his promotion to brigadier-general, which was bestowed in the spring of 1862. In May he was appointed chief of the inspector-general's department of the army of the Mississippi, under General Bragg. In this duty he continued through the Kentucky campaign, and was then assigned to the charge of the troops of Mobile, that port being threatened by Federal invasion. Thence he was transferred in April, 1863, to Galveston, Tex., as chief of artillery for General Magruder. Later in the year he was given charge of the eastern sub-district of Texas, and command of all the troops of the Second division. During the remainder of the war period he played an important part in Confederate affairs in Texas, for some time performing the duties of chief of staff.
Brigadier-General William E. Starke went to the assistance of Gen. R. S. Garnett at Laurel hill, early in July, 1861, as colonel, and served as his aide-de-camp in the disastrous retreat on the Cheat river. His coolness and judgment in the midst of the confusion that followed the death of General Garnett were highly commended by Colonel Taliaferro, who succeeded to command. Subsequently he was put in command of the Sixtieth Virginia regiment, and sent to Lewisburg, to the support of General Floyd, whence, in December, he was ordered to accompany General Donelson's brigade to Bowling Green, Ky. It appears, however, that he was instead, attached to General Wise's command, stationed at Goldsboro, N. C. During the Seven Days' campaign in Virginia he commanded his regiment in Field's brigade, and was commended for gallantry, and his promotion to brigadier-general followed early in August, 1862. Reporting for duty to General Jackson, he was assigned to command of the Second Louisiana brigade and marched with it to Manassas. In that campaign he took command of the Stonewall division, after General Taliaferro was wounded on the 28th. He was with Jackson at the capture of Harper's Ferry, and at Sharpsburg was called on again to take command of the division, after the fall of J. R. Jones. Soon afterward he himself fell mortally wounded, pierced by three minie balls, and survived but an hour. Gen. Bradley T. Johnson, in reporting the battle of Second Manassas, said: "I cannot forbear doing but scant justice to a gallant soldier now no more. It was my fortune during the two days of battle, during which he commanded the division, to be thrown constantly in contact with Brigadier-General Starke. The buoyant dash with which he led his brigade into the most withering fire on Friday, though then in command of the division; the force he showed in the handling of this command; the coolness and judgment which distinguished him in action, made him to me a marked man, and I regretted his early death as a great loss to the army and the cause." His name deserves lasting remembrance in association with the Stonewall division.
Brigadier-General Walter Husted Stevens, whose Confederate service was rendered in Virginia, was born at Penn Yan, N. Y., August 24, 1827. He was appointed from New York to the United States military academy, where he was graduated fourth in the class of 1848, and promoted in the army to brevet second lieutenant, corps of engineers. After a short service at Newport harbor, R. I., he was assigned to the repair of fortifications, defending the approaches to New Orleans until 1853, when he was put in charge of the survey of the rivers and harbors of Texas. From 1853 to 1857 he served as lighthouse inspector on the coast of Texas, with the rank of second lieutenant until 1855, when he was promoted first lieutenant. He was superintending engineer of the construction and repair of fortifications below New Orleans, 1854-60, superintended the construction of the custom house and the fortifications at Galveston, and was a member of the special board of engineers for Gulf defenses. Entering the service of the Confederate States in May, 1861, he accompanied General Beauregard to Virginia, as a member of his staff, and with the rank of captain, corps of engineers. He served with the advance forces at Fairfax Court House for some time before the battle of Manassas, and laid out the works there in an admirable manner. General Beauregard reporting that he had "shown himself to be an officer of energy and ability." General Bonham commended him for his indefatigable labors, and constant attention to execution of orders, in camp and field, and Gen. J. E. Johnston especially mentioned his valuable services during the battle of July 21st. He was promoted major, and appointed chief engineer of the army of Northern Virginia, under Johnston, and was commended for his skillful and devoted services both in his own profession and as a member of the general staff at Seven Pines. After General Lee came into command of the army, he was succeeded by Colonel Gilmer, and with promotion to colonel was given charge of the defensive works around Richmond. In command of the troops and defenses of Richmond in 1863-64, he participated in the operations against Kilpatrick's and Dahlgren's raid, and rendered valuable assistance to General Beauregard when the city was threatened by Butler. In August, 1864, he was promoted brigadier-general and assigned to his former position of chief engineer of the army of Northern Virginia. After the close of the war he went to Mexico and became superintendent and constructing engineer of the railroad from Vera Cruz to the capital, the property of which he skillfully preserved from damage during the war of that period. He died at Vera Cruz, November 12, 1867.Major-General Carter L. Stevenson, a Virginian distinguished in the western armies throughout the war, was a graduate of the National military academy, of the class of 1838. He went into the United States army with the rank of second lieutenant, and was assigned to the Fifth infantry. He served on frontier duty in Wisconsin, and was promoted first lieutenant September 22, 1840. His principal service after this was rendered in the Florida war and in the military occupation of Texas, until the Mexican war. He participated with distinction in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma as well as other events of this struggle, and in June, 1847, was promoted captain in the Fifth infantry. He served for a time as aide-de-camp to Brigadier-General Brady; was in garrison at East Pascagoula, Miss.; on frontier duty at Fort Gibson, I. T., and Fort Belknap, Tex.; and while engaged in Pacific railroad exploration, skirmished with the Apache Indians. He took part in the Seminole war of 1856-57, fighting at Big Cypress swamp and near Bowleytown, and marched in the famous Utah expedition; subsequently continuing on frontier duty until 1861, when, obeying the call of his State, he tendered his services for her defense. He received the commission of lieutenant-colonel, corps of infantry, C. S. A., and with the rank of colonel took command of the Fifty-third Virginia infantry. When Beauregard was transferred to the west, he recommended the promotion of Stevenson, among others, to brigade and division command of the western troops, and Stevenson was accordingly made brigadier-general in February, 1862. On March 15th, he was ordered to report to General Huger for assignment on the Weldon railroad, but soon after was transferred to the department of East Tennessee, and given command of a division of troops. After the Federal General Morgan seized Cumberland Gap, he was in command of the Confederate force which threatened that position and compelled Morgan's withdrawal. After July 17th he pursued the Federal forces into Kentucky, and there made a junction with Kirby Smith, with whom he served during the return to Murfreesboro. In October he was promoted major-general. In December, 1862, he was sent by Bragg from Murfreesboro with 10,000 men to reinforce Pemberton at Vicksburg, already threatened by the Federal army. He reached the field of battle at Chickasaw bluffs just after the repulse of Sherman, and by reason of his rank was assigned to the command of the forces in front of the enemy. He was subsequently in command of a division under Pemberton, and during the unfortunately planned operations against Grant, bore the brunt of the battle at Champion's hill, and after the defeat at Big Black bridge was left in charge of the retreating columns, while Pemberton hastened to Vicksburg. During the long siege he took a conspicuous part as commander of the right of the Confederate lines. After the surrender of Vicksburg he was for a time under parole, but he returned to the army before Chattanooga and was given a division of Hardee's corps, with command on the right, including Lookout mountain, from which he withdrew just before the battle of Missionary Ridge to reinforce the main line on the ridge. He took part in this battle, and was subsequently identified with the army of Tennessee as a division commander until the close of the war. During the Atlanta campaign he had a division of Hood's corps, and led his troops in brilliant action at Resaca, Kenesaw mountain and elsewhere. After the promotion of Hood he held temporary command of the corps. During the Tennessee campaign he commanded a division of the corps of S. D. Lee, which, holding the center of the line before Nashville, earned distinction by stubborn fighting despite the general disaster, and after the wounding of Lee he had the immediate command of the division covering the retreat, a trust which was ably performed. With his division of the army of Tennessee, reduced to 2,600 men, he participated in the operations in the Carolinas against Sherman, and surrendered with Johnston in April, 1865. After the war he was occupied as a civil and mining engineer until his death in Caroline county, Va., August 15, 1888.
Major-General James Ewell Brown Stuart, chief of cavalry of the army of Northern Virginia, was born in Patrick county, Va., February 6, 1833. His ancestry in America began with Archibald Stuart, who sought refuge from religious persecution in western Pennsylvania in 1726, and subsequently removed with his family to Augusta county, Va., about 1738. The next generation was distinguished by the services of Maj. Alexander Stuart, who fell dangerously wounded while commanding his regiment at Guilford Court House. John Alexander, son of the latter, spent part of his life in the West, serving as Federal judge in Illinois and Missouri, and as speaker of the house in the latter State. His son, Archibald Stuart, lawyer, soldier of 1812, representative in Virginia legislatures and conventions, married a descendant of the distinguished Letcher family, and their son became the brilliant Virginia cavalry leader. General Stuart pursued his youthful studies at Emory and Henry college, and then entering the National military academy, was graduated in 1854, and was commissioned second lieutenant in October of that year. He served in Texas against the Apaches with the mounted riflemen until transferred to the new First cavalry in May, 1855, with which he served at Fort Leavenworth. November 14, 1855, he was married at Fort Riley to the daughter of Col. Philip St. George Cooke, and in the following month he was promoted first lieutenant. He remained on the frontier and in Kansas, and was wounded at the Indian battle of Solomon's River in 1857. At Washington, in 1859, he carried secret instructions to Col. R. E. Lee, and accompanied that officer as aide, against the outbreak at Harper's Ferry, where he read the summons to surrender to the leader, theretofore known as "Smith," but whom he recognized at once as "Ossawatomie" Brown of Kansas. Lieutenant Stuart received a commission as captain from Washington in April, 1861, but he had decided to go with Virginia, and tendered her his services as soon as his resignation was accepted, May 7th. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of Virginia infantry. May 10, 1861, with orders to report to Jackson at Harper's Ferry, and was promoted colonel July 16th. With about 350 cavalrymen he at once assumed the duties which distinguished his service throughout the war. He became the eye of the army under Jackson and Johnston, so effectually that Johnston afterward wrote him from the West: "How can I eat, sleep or rest in peace without you upon the outpost." He screened Johnston's movement to Manassas, and in the fighting of July 21st made an effective charge, of which Early wrote: "Stuart did as much toward saving the battle of First Manassas as any subordinate who participated in it." He pursued the Federals twelve miles and subsequently held the heights in sight of Washington, with headquarters on Munson's hill. September 24, 1861, he was promoted brigadier-general in the Confederate army. He encountered the enemy before Munson's hill and at Dranesville, and being transferred to the Peninsula early in 1862, covered the retreat from Yorktown, opening the fighting at Williamsburg; and after the Federals had approached Richmond he won the admiring attention of both nations by his brilliant ride around McClellan's army. On July 25, 1862, he was promoted major-general. There followed his raid to the rear of Pope's army, capturing a part of the staff of the Federal general and his headquarters at Catlett's station; the raid in conjunction with General Trimble, in which the Federal depot at Manassas Junction was destroyed. Subsequently he was in command before Washington, screening the movement into Maryland, his gallant troopers being engaged in frequent skirmishes and fighting most gallantly in the battles at the South Mountain passes. At Sharpsburg he covered the left flank, and with his famous horse artillery repulsed the advance of Sumner's corps. In October occurred his daring raid to Chambersburg, Pa., returning between McClellan's army and Washington, evading numerous Federal expeditions against him, and losing but one man wounded. His success demoralized the Federal cavalry, and did much to render halting and impotent the subsequent movements against Lee, in opposition to which his command was almost constantly engaged. About midnight of May 2d, after Jackson and Hill had fallen, Stuart took command of the First corps of the army, at Chancellorsville, and on the 3d, with splendid personal courage and brilliant generalship, continued to drive the Federals by an audacious attack of 20,000 against 80,000, until he had gained Chancellor's house and a safe position. He remained in command of the corps until Hooker had retreated across the river. After several brilliant encounters with the enemy's cavalry during the subsequent maneuvers, he set out again between the Federal army and Washington, with orders to meet Early at York, Pa. After eight days and nights of steady marching, and the last three in almost constant fighting, he reached Gettysburg with a large train of Federal supplies, and on the third day of the battle made a fierce attack upon the enemy's right. His cavalry saved the Confederate trains at Williamsport, on the retreat. In the spring of 1864 he conducted the advance of A. P. Hill's corps against Grant on May 5th, and giving Lee notice of the movement to Spottsylvania, hastened to throw his cavalry before the enemy's advance. Then being called southward by Sheridan's raid, he interposed his cavalry between the Federals and the Confederate capital at Yellow Tavern, where, on May 11th, he received a wound from which he died at Richmond on the following day. The death of Stuart produced a gloom in the South, second only to that which followed the loss of Jackson. His characteristics were such as to make him a popular hero. Personally he was the embodiment of reckless courage, splendid manhood, and unconquerable gayety. He could wear, without exciting a suspicion of unfitness, all the warlike adornments of an old-time cavalier. His black plume, and hat caught up with a golden star, seemed the proper frame for a knightly face. A laugh was always at his lips, and a song behind it. He would lead a march with his banjo-player thrumming at his side. As he rode down the lines at Chancellorsville, the commander of an army, and the successor of Stonewall Jackson, whose fall had torn the hearts of his soldiers, he sang in a rollicking way: "Old Joe Hooker, come out of the Wilderness." As a soldier he was a born leader. He demonstrated his ability to direct an army after the wounding of Jackson, and Jackson, who knew before the trial, sent word to him: "Tell General Stuart to act on his own judgment and do what he thinks best. I have implicit confidence in him." On other fields he had shown the brilliancy of a Napoleon in the management of artillery. Thus in all arms of the service he had won the highest honors. In emergency he was calm, quiet, and perfect master of all his resources. A boy in camp, and a lover of fun, he was a daring sabreur in the fight, and always fully awake to the demands of duty. He had the instinctive knowledge of the situation that belongs to the soldierly genius, and the constant readiness to act on the instant that wins battles against inertia and slothfulness. But he was never known fully while he lived. He was careless of how lightheartedness and gayety may be misjudged, and it was left to his friends after his death to tell that he indulged in none of the vices supposed to be habitual with soldiers, was never profane, and even abstained from card-playing. He was a faithful husband and father, and altogether one of the purest of men, as well as the bravest. One of these true friends, John Esten Cooke, in describing his last moments, has written: "As his life had been one of earnest devotion to the cause in which he believed, so his last hours were tranquil, his confidence in the mercy of heaven unfailing. When he was asked how he felt, he said, 'Easy, but willing to die, if God and my country think I have done my duty.' His last words were: 'I am going fast now; I am resigned. God's will be done.' As he uttered these words he expired."