8R
VIRGIX'IA BIOGRAPHY
graduated at the United States ^Military
Academy in 1838, and as second lieutenant
was assigned to the Fifth Infantry. His
first service was in the Florida war, and the
occupation of Texas. In the Mexican war
he won distinction in the battles of Palo
Alto and Resaca de la Palma, and in 1847
was promoted to captain. After the war, he
was an duty as aide-de-camp to Gen. Brady,
in Mississippi, and on frontier duty at Fort
Gibson, Indian Territory and Fort Belknap,
1 exas, and was engaged against the Apache
Indians, with the Pacific railroad explora-
tion, lie took part in the Seminole war of
1856-57, and was with the Utah expedition.
In i86i he tendered his services to his native
state, and became colonel of the Fifty-third
X'irginia Infantry Regiment, and later was
promoted to brigadici -general, on the recom-
mendation of Gen. Beauregard. In March,
1862, he was placed under Gen. Huger, on
the Weldon railroad, but was soon after
transferred to the west and given command
ot a division in East Tennessee, and served
in conjunction with Kirby Smith, in the
movements culminating in the return to
Murfreesboro. In December, 1862, he was
sent by Gen. Bragg with ten thousand troops
to reinforce Gen. Pemberton, at Vicksburg.
He subsequently commanded a division
under that officer, and with which he with-
stood the fiercest attack of the enemy at
Champion Hills. During the siege of Vicks-
burg, he commanded the Confederate right.
He was paroled, with the surrendered garri-
son, and joined the army at Chattanooga,
where he was given command of a division
in Hardee's corps. He had occupation of
Lookout Mountain, from which he with-
drew to Missionary Ridge, and bore a part
in the great battle there. He was thencc-
f( rward with the .\rmy of Tennessee until
the end of the war, in command of a divi-
sion. In the Atlanta campaign he served
under Gen. Hood, in the battles of Resaca
and Kenesaw Mountain, and after Gen.
Hood superseded Gen. Johnston, Gen.
Stevenson temporarily commanded Hood's
corps. In the Nashville campaign he com-
manded a division in Gen. Stephen D. Lee's
corps, and held the centre of the Confed-
erate line in front of Nashville, and, after
Lee was wounded, his division covered the
retreat. His division, now reduced to about
twenty-five hundred men, took part in the
operations against Sherman, in the Caro-
hnas, and, under Johnston, surrendered in
April, 1865. After the war, Gen. Steven-
son was occupied as a civil and mining engi-
neer, until his death, in Caroline county,
\'irginia, August 15, 1888.
Stuart, James Ewell Brown, soldier, was born in Patrick county, Virginia, February 6, 1833 ; son of Archibald and Elizabeth Letcher (Parmill) Stuart, and a descendant of Archibald Stuart, who emigrated from Ireland in 1726, and settled in Pennsylvania. His maternal ancestor, Giles Letcher, emi- grated from Ireland prior to the revolution- ary war, and settled in Virginia. James Stuart attended school at Wytheville, Vir- ginia ; Emory and Henry College, Virginia, 1848-50; was graduated from the United States Military Academy, and brevetted sec- ond lieutenant of mounted riflemen, July i, 1854, and served on the western frontier, 1854-59, being severely wounded at the combat on Solomon's Fork, Kansas. He was promoted second lieutenant, October 31, 1854: was transferred to the First Cav- alry, March 3. 1855 : was married, Novem-