Page 53 - 1951 VES Meteor

"Jeb Stuart"
It hasn't been too long ago in the oassing of time, but quite a long time n years since the battle of ' Yellow Tavern." Yea there are still a few of us left, who wore grey those days, and still wear it in our hearts. Some 258,000 up in heaven are still wear- 'ng it today, I am sure. I understand also that some 359,000 in blue are oeing raked over the coals daily, in
another place.
Take ''Jeb,' now he was a typical
man in grey. A man whose family comes from Scotland, to Virginia, a family that loved the South, and who +aught "Jeb" to love his state above nis country. They made their home here in Virginia along with us. That's why all of us that had a horse came to follow Stuart. I believe we would have followed him into Hell and out
again if he would have led us.
•. When horses were getting hard to t·nd, why we would skip into Penn- sylvania and round up some. After a few battles and scouting parties the
Black Horse" was famous. Yes suh when someone yelled the "Black Horse" was comin' those "Blue Bel- lies' headed back toward their mothers.
Yes suh, and that Stuart, he was really a mighty handsome man too. I remember once we were a ridin' through Richmond, it was all we could do to keep the women from mobbin' him and stealin' all his brass. Oh! now they didn't like him for his uni- form only, 'cause he had a great
physique and his stern shoulders and head were really somethin' to look at. His smile looked like a Carolina sun rise, and it was often that we saw him smile too, even if he was a busy man, he was always cheerful. And another thing too, and the most im- oortant, his heart was even bigger
than he looked. He really loved us men, and in return we gave him our best.
Somethin' that always bothered him was a man havin' to go to the infantry cause his horse had been killed. We took the yankee's horses, till it looked like there couldn't have been a horse ·n that northern waste land. Y et some
of us still had to turn to our feet. "Jeb" always did the best he could for us ihough. W e didn t have much of that fancy stuff, but maybe a pair of breeches a shirt or somethin'. The rest we took away from the 'Blue Bel-
SHORT STORY
lies.' Of course Stuart had the finest uniform, 'cause he was a general. It made us so proud to see him all dres- sed up. It seemed to put new life in us to see him outdoing the others. Those big black shiny boots. (I reckon the 'Buck Tails" make em) he kept 'em shined so the yankees could see their faces 'fore they died.
I remember one day when 'Jeb" lost his hat in a rough and ready charge. It had some maps and other things in it too, and J. E. B. was right sore about it. So as soon as possible he rode over and took a yankee general 's best dress coat. Ah, what a fine looking coat it was 'cept for being blue, and having yankee buttons on it. Soon after old "Jeb," he just offered an exchange for his hat. It wasn't much the old yankee buzzard could do but exchange.
When it comes to talkin' about surprise, "Jeb" could really surprise 'em. Why one night when the "Buck Tails" were just gettin' ready to bed down, the " Black Horse," thundered down on 'em. A feeble few, and I mean few, 'cause the rest had given up or was a runnin', tried to fight back, but shucks they had no chance. Talk about fancy stuff, Stuart really got it for us then. Most of us got new saddles, pistols that were un- common before were seen every- where, even Stuart's nigger orderly got a canteen, new blankets and shoes, not only all this, but the yan- kee's horses Md food too. And I tell ye that what we couldn't carry away we burned.
Another thing that always bothered 'Jeb" was, he was afraid we might get drunk while in one of those raids. As for 'Jeb" I guess it was a known fact that he didn't touch it. The closest he ever came to it was when his staff officer had a nip. and then
he only smelled it.
The only time I ever heard him
criticize someone was somethin' he said about Pope. Pope had too much pride to even take his wounded off the field under a white flag. Most of his wounded died ioo. Now not that I like for the "Buck Tails," "Blue Bel- lies" or what ever you want to call 'em, to live too long, but doesn't it seem bad to let them die that way?
Before almost every battle, that man of men, Stuart, would ride up and down the lines between his men, encouragin' them, rellin each one to
put his best ' hoot' in that great yell. That yell was of course "The voice once heard through Shilohs woods, and Chickamauga 's solitudes, the fierce South cheerin' on her sons. ' Yea and 'cause of things like this Stuart was loved by us like no other general, I bet. We would dash down into those "Buck Tails," and cut 'em to pieces. And "Jeb" always led us too, why most of the time he would be way ahead of everyone else.
The General he loved to sing, ridin' to and from a battle he always sang accompanied by his boy who played the banjo fer him.
Laughter was his most distinguish- in' characteristic. Everywhere he laughed, looked like he would fall off his horse sometimes he laughed so hard. 'Jeb" would pull some trick on the yankee general. some sur- prise attack, that would put the whole
yankee army into confusion, and be- fore he could take after 'em, he would have to laugh it off. Why I remem- ber once he wrote some big man in Washington, that he was dissatisfied with the horses and mules he had been +akin ' away from them, and would they plea:e start usin' better animals.
He was always the same, on the dance floor, the battle fields, and finally on his death bed, always calm and collected. Strange as it was I never saw him nervous, but instead darin' and brave. He would lead us into some fight that we surely couldn t get out of, and yet it was Jeb who got us out, to do the same thing again and aga in. His decisions were fast and hard. Hardly ever wrong, he would strike fast without reversin' his decisions and win. His Pennsyl-
vania attack has still got the "Blue Bellies" puzzled. The answer is a military genius. Stuart planned it so well that God would have been sur- prised to see hin in Penn., if he hadn t been prayin'. A t Chambersburg alone the destruction of supplies amounted to $250,000, the horses collected were some 1500, and the " Buck Tails" hardly knew we were
there.
Once as Jeb was ridin' by him- self he came upon forty-five green yankees. Ridin up with his saber
drawn he yelled to surrender or they would all be dead men, they threw down their rifles and surrendered.