October 2,1861 until july 15, 1862
He earned the nickname " The Fighting Parson " by his actions at 1st Manassas and on many other fields. He was born in Fairfax County, Virginia in May 1820. At fifteen, after attending local school, he began to feel called to the ministry. By 1843 he was junior preacher on the Stafford Circuit.
August 1863 until May 12, 1864.
Born in Sheperdstown, Virginia (now West Va.), on May 16, 1815, Alexander Robinson Boteler was the son of Henry Boteler and Priscilla Robinson.
In 1833 Boteler entered Princeton, graduating in 1835. While attending there, he met his future wife Helen Macomb Stockton. They married on April 26, 1836.
On April 30, 1863, the Confederate Congress approved a resolution for the adoption of a coat of arms, better known as "The Great Seal of the Confederate States of America." Boteler played an important part in the designing of this and introduced the resolution for its acceptance in congress.
April 1864 until May 12, 1864
These words were spoken by General Thomas J. Jackson during an interview with the officers of the newly formed "Ashby" Battery of Horse Artillery . Organized on November 11, 1861, the battery consisted of 36 officers and men and 3 guns. It was the first battery of horse artillery formed in the Confederate Army. Among the officers standing before "Stonewall" that day was the Captain of the battery, 19 year old, Roger Preston Chew.
He was born in Loudon County, Virginia on April 9, 1843. After completing his early education at the Charles Town Academy, he enrolled at the Virginia Military Institute on July 30, 1859, and but for the war would have graduated in 1862.
Stuart recognized in Chew the abilities that Ashby had seen and was quick to recommend him for the position of commander of the Stuart Horse Artillery when Beckham was promoted and transferred. The battalion never had another.
Voluntary aide, ordinance officer and assistant adjutant general
March 25, 1862 to May 12, 1864
He was a writer, he worked very hard at being a soldier, but he wrote all through the war, using his pen more frequently than his sword.
Born at "Amber's Hill" in Winchester, Va. on November 3, 1830, Cooke traced his lineage back to Hereford County, England.
He joined the "Richmond Howitzers" sometime in the 1850's. Cooke remained a member of the Howitzers until January 31, 1862, when he was discharged with the rank of sergeant. The next few months of his military service are sketchy. Records indicate that on March 25 and again on April 15 Cooke acted as Stuart's voluntary aide. Then on May 19,1862, Cooke was commissioned a Lieutenant and ordered to report to Stuart.
In the summer of 1886 his health began to fail. He contracted typhoid fever but refused to give in to the illness until he fainted in his chair. Put to bed, he died the next day, September 27, 1886. He is buried in the Old Chapel Cemetery in Clarke County, Virginia.
Adjutant and Quartermaster
June 24, 1862 to May 12, 1864
He was captured at Verdiersville on August 18, 1864, by the 1st Michigan Cavalry and incarcerated in Old Capital Prison in Washington, D.C. His time might have passed more slowly than it did had not a charming female prisoner occupied the next cell. She was the young, spirited Belle Boyd.They both were exchanged for Union soldiers on August 29.
Born December 8, 1831. His father died in September 1835, leaving a wife and four children. The loss of her husband and the strain of trying to raise a family by herself may have contributed to her own death in 1840. The four young children were raised either in a boarding school or by a member of the Vowell family. In any event, FitzHugh's early life could not have been too stable.
Signal officer
August 31, 1862 to May 12, 1864
He enlisted in the New Kent Light Dragoons on June 28, 1861. The Dragoons later became Company "F" of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry. Nothing in Frayser's records with the 3rd Va. indicate that he was anything special as a cavalry trooper; his life prior to the war is equally unimpressive. When an opportunity presented itself, however, Frayser showed that he had the kinds of abilities Stuart always looked for. In less than three months from his first contact with the cavalry's commander-in-chief, Frayser was on Stuart's staff.
Born in October 1830 in New Kent County, Virginia. He was orphaned at an early age and went to work in a country store to help pay his keep.
On May 12, 1864, Frayser's service with Stuart came to an end in two ways. Sometime during the confused fighting around Spotsylvania, Frayser was captured by the Federals for a second time. A great trial lay ahead for Frayser. After being incarcerated at Fort Delaware for three months. In mid August Frayser along with a large number of his fellow inmates boarded the steamer "Crescent City," but the plan soon turned around and 18 days later they were unloaded at Morris Island in Charleston Harbor, S.C. Here, 600 Confederate officers endured six weeks of a most unusual imprisonment. Frayser's deteriorating physical condition led to his exchange in Feb. 1865. He died on December 22, 1899 at 4:30am of a combination of illnesses, in Richmond, Virginia.
Assistant adjutant and inspector general
December 7, 1863 to May 12, 1864
Like Dabney Ball and L.T. Brien, Freaner had to make a choice between remaining with his state in the Union or siding with the South. Freaner's political belief's made this choice clear. Born in Hagerstown, Maryland on January 20, 1831. Freaner entered Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1848 but left in 1851 before receiving his degree. He was admitted to the bar of Washington County in 1853. He then moved to California, settling in Oakland, where he established a law practice. His business did not flourish, and he accepted the position of editor for The Times and Transcript.After that venture he returned to Hagerstown , where he resumed his law pratice until the outbreak of the war.
According to records he joined the 1st Virginia Cavalry in the fall of 1861 and received an appointment as first lieutenant and adjutant from Virginia on October 4, 1862, to date from August 8. Freaner met Stuart in september of 1861. Stuart's admiration for Freaner led to the following letter, which stated in part:
General:
I have the honor to recommend the following officers as Brigade Inspectors for my command viz:
George Freaner (now adj.1st Va. Cav.) now of Fitz Lee Br.
Jono M. Lee(already appt)- W.H.F. Lee's Br.
I desire to have the first name (George Freaner) appointed additional Division Inspector with the rank of Major as he is an officer of decided ability and merits and as my command is so extensive as to require another Inspector.
These selections have been made with a view to the peculiar ability and fitness of those recommended.
The Government responded so slowly to Stuart's request that it was not until November 20, 1863, Freaner received his commission as major and orders to report to R.E. Lee for assignment to the cavalry corps.
Freaner's death on November 10, 1878, was unexpected. Though he was not well, his condition had not been diagnosed as life threatening. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Hagerstown, Maryland. One of his pallbearers was Henry Kyd Douglas. Freaner left a wife and two daughters.
Clerk, courier, and aide-de-camp
January 27,1864 to May 12, 1864
Garnett was born on October 28, 1844, in Richmond, Virginia. Before Garnett was ten, the family moved to hanover County, Virginia. He enrolled in the Episcopal High School near Alexandria, Virginia. He was still enrolled there at the outbreak of the war. Hurrying back to Hanover, the fifteen year old Garnett enlisted in a light artillery battery that became known as the Hanover Artillery. But when he arrived in at Richmond with the battery, the enrolling officer refused to accept him, stating that he was too young. Instead he ended up as a clerk in the Navy Department, a post that did not exactly coincide with how he had envisioned his role. For more than eighteen months he toiled in this capacity. But it turned out to be the skills he developed during this period that eventually led to a post with Stuart.
Garnett's "fast and flowing hand" made him the leading candidate to fill General Stuart's request for an individual to assume the position of clerk on his staff. Garnett joined Company "F," 9th Virginia Cavalry on May 15, 1863, and found himself immediately assigned to duty at Stuart's headquarters. Stuart may have wanted a clerk, but he soon discovered he had received much more. While Garnett did indeed write with a beautiful hand, Garnett quickly demonstrated that he knew how to handle a saber and pistol as well. Soon he was one of Stuart's most trusted couriers, a post that gave Garnett all the action and adventure he could have desired.
The Battle of Yellow Tavern brought Stuart his mortal wound. Garnett was one of the staff who assisted in transporting the General to Richmond. He left Stuart's ambulance at Mechanicsville to ride ahead and see that a bed was prepared at Dr. Brewer's home. Here, according to his own account, he felt Stuart's pulse until the general was aroused by a commotion in the street. Stuart sent Garnett to investigate. The lieutenant quickly discovered that yet another price had been extracted for the defense of Richmond. Gen. James B. Gordon, one of Stuart's brigadiers, had been mortally wounded near Meadow Bridge and was on his final journey through the city. He would die on May 18.
When Garnett returned to Stuart, he did not tell him of Gordon's wounding. At approximately 7:38p.m. on May 12, 1864, Stuart died. Garnett took the loss of his chief very hard, but the war continued, and he still had duties to perform.
In the later years of his life, he received many honors. His years were cut short by an occurrence that today would be considered most rare. Garnett was having trouble with one of his teeth and visited a dentist during the latter days of February 1915. It was necessary to extract a tooth, and blood poisoning developed. He died at his home at 11:00 a.m. on April 27, 1915, at the age of seventy-one. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia.
Medical director October 20, 1863, to May 12,1864
Fontaine was only twenty-four years old when he suffered the fate of so many of his fellow soldiers and friends. On numerous occasions he had stood by helplessly and watched them die, unable to save them or ease their sufferings. In the end, his friends had been equally powerless to alleviate the anguish of his final moments. As a doctor he knew that his wound was mortal, and the soldier in him faced that truth with a calm courage. In his few short years he had risen rapidly and had demonstrated his remarkable abilities as a surgeon and soldier under the most trying of circumstances. At the age of twenty-three he had became the cavalry corps medical director under Stuart, caring for more than six thousand men as well as their horses. His death could be directly attributed to his intense devotion to duty and his desire to fulfill his Hippocratic oath.
Born at the Fontaine home near Beaver Dam Station on April 1, 1840, John Boursiquot Fontaine was one of eleven children. Fontaine's training for a career in medicine began on April 1, 1858, when he enrolled in the Richmond Association of Medical Instruction. On October 5, 1858, Fontaine entered the Medical College of Virginia at Richmond. He completed the course in March 1859 and journeyed to New York City, where he enrolled at New York University for the summer. He successfully completed his education on March 8, 1860.
Fontaine offered his services to the Confederacy and received an assignment as assistant surgeon to the 5th Virginia Regiment of Volunteers on May 21, 1861. This order was almost immediately countermanded and on May 29 he reported to Major Harrison's cavalry command "Hanover Light Dragoons" at Manassas. Fontaine continued his affiliation with the Hanover Light Dragoons after the company became part of the 4th Virginia Cavalry on September 4, 1861. Assigned to the regiment and promoted to surgeon (equal to a major's rank) on February 14, 1862, the young physician began to attract the attention of his senior officers. By November 1862 he had become surgeon to Gen. Fitz Lee's entire brigade, which included the 4th Virginia. His new position brought him to the attention of Stuart, who witnessed the doctor's courage at the Battle of Kelly's Ford on March 17, 1863, where Fontaine's horse was severely wounded beneath him.
Despite all his obligations, Fontaine still managed to find time to court the lovely Elizabeth Winston Price of "Dundee" near Richmond. Sometime in January 1863 the young couple was married. Fontaine had a few weeks away from the war but was back by March 2.
In the aftermath of the Gettysburg Campaign, Stuart's medical director, Talcott Eliason, began to suffer from an illness that frequently made him incapable of remaining on duty at cavalry headquarters. At those times, Stuart called on Fontaine to assume Eliason's post. By October 9 Fontaine was in fact the cavalry corps medical director, and on December 17 Stuart finally moved to make the position permanent. He continued as Stuart's medical director until the general's death. It was Fontaine who first examined Stuart's wound while the general lay in an ambulance. The surgeon knew the wound was mortal, but nevertheless called in other doctors after Stuart was in bed at the home of Dr. Charles Brewer, Stuart's brother-in-law. Fontaine's diagnosis was confirmed, and the surgeon made his patient as comfortable as possible and waited for the end.
Little is recorded of Fontaine's service from May 12 until August 11, 1864, on which date he received orders to report to Gen. Wade Hampton for assignment. until his death on october 1, he held the post of chief medical director of the cavalry corps. He was buried in the family plot on the plantation near Beaver Dam Station.
Born on December 8, 1833 at "Ridgeway", his mothers former home in Albermarle County, Va. He was reared at the Grattan family's home, "Contentment," near Mount Crawford in Rockingham County, Va. He pursued a career in law and entered the University of Virginia in 1853. His education was interrupted from time to time for reasons that are not entirely clear, though the death of his father in 1855 probably caused him to miss that year. In 1859 he was elected to the state legislature from Rockingham County. He was reelected for a second term in 1861.
On October 27, 1863, Grattan became ordnance officer with Stuart's cavalry corps. Just how or why the cavalry's commander-in-chief chose grattan as a replacement for John Esten Cooke, who had moved into the assistant adjutant's post, remains a bit of a mystery. Perhaps Grattan was just in the right place at the right time. On November 29 Grattan had his horse killed beneath him.
Upon his return to civil life, Grattan entered into farming in Augusta County, Va. He had married Elizabeth Crawford Finely on January 6, 1864. They had seven children, all girls. He died at 11:30a.m. on June 20, 1902, at the age of sixty-eight, of heart disease and kidney failure. He was buried in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton. One of his pallbearers was Major J. Marshall Hanger, once quartermaster of Stuart's Cavalry.
Born on April 6, 1821, in Braddock Heights, Maryland, Hagan moved with his family to Shepherdstown, Virginia when he was still quite young. By 1847 he had married Hester Ann Lemen and settled in Cumberland, Maryland. They returned to Shepherdstown sometime later. Hagan joined Company "F" of the 1st Virginia Cavalry on April 18, 1861. He served 3 months and on July 24, 1861, he was attached as a corporal to Stuart's headquarters. He was given the post of commander of Stuart's escort. He frequently earned his commander's praise over his conduct in the face of the enemy. The position of commander of Stuart's escort would not be given to just anyone, the post required a responsible, intelligent individual whom Stuart could count on in emergencies. Hagan apparently had those qualifications.
After the war he and his wife continued to live as a respected couple in Shepherdstown for many years. No records exist of their ever having children. He died on June 18, 1895. He was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown.
Marshall Hanger, as he preferred to be called, was born near Waynesboro in Augusta County, Virginia on November 12, 1833. He studied law at University of Virginia, after graduating he returned to Augusta and settled in Staunton, forming the firm of baylor and Hanger.
By May 1862 Hanger's name appeared on the rolls of the 1st Virginia's Company "E". On October 4, 1862 he received a promotion to captain and assigned as assistant quartermaster to the 17th Virginia Battalion, but almost as soon as they were issued, they were cancelled, leaving Hanger in limbo. On October 31 he was appointed captain and assistant quartermaster from Virginia with orders to report to Stuart. During the Confederacy's final months, he was transferred twice. Hanger accompanied Lee's retreating army to Appomattox, where Lee surrendered on April 9.
He remained a bachelor for the rest of his life. He entered King's Daughters Hospital around August 20, 1912, with what was diagnosed as intestinal paralysis followed by gangrene. He died just past 11:00 a.m. on August 26, 1912. Major Hanger is buried in Thornrose Cemetery in Staunton.
Born on February 3, 1828 in Louisa County, Virginia. William J. Johnson, according to one account, did not venture far from his native county until his involvement in the war. He enlisted as a private in Company "C", 1st Virginia Cavalry, in Lexington, Va. On April 18, 1861, by May 12 Johnson was quartermaster sergeant. Johnson remained with the 1st Va. until Dabney Ball resigned his position as the cavalry's commisary officer on July 15, 1862. Stuart wasted little time having Johnson assigned to his staff. Commissioned Major on August 1, Johnson took over for Ball almost immediately.
He was captured on or around May 3, following his brief stay in prison, Johnson continued as Stuart's chief of subsistence. After Yellow Tavern, he was transferred to Hampton's staff and later served with Gen. Fitzhugh Lee.
He settled in Richmond after the war and formed a wholesale grocery business-- W.J. Johnson & Co.--. He died October 4, 1895 of heart trouble. Richard E. Frayser, Andrew R. Venable, and Francis H. Deane, all of Stuart's staff were pallbearer's at Johnson's funeral. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
At the start of the war, McClellan had received letters from his family and relatives in the North urging him to return home. Disinheritance was threatened, but McClellan remained with the Confederacy despite all their efforts. He had fallen in love with the region and it's people. His choice made, he never looked back. He was born October 17, 1840, in Philadelphia, Penn., where he spent his childhood. At age 13 he entered Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. McClellan graduated in 1858 at the age of seventeen. He enlisted in Ashland, Va. as a private in Company "G", 3rd Va. Cavalry on June 14, 1861. On March 31 Maj. Samuel H. Hairston, Stuart's quartermaster, resigned. The postion had to be filled quickly, and Stuart assigned the post to FitzHugh. Price received a majority and became the cavalry's chief adjutant , and Stuart wasted little time requesting McClellan's service.
He married Catherine Macon Matthews on December 12, 1863, together they had nine children. He was among those at Stuart's bedside the day he died. He served on Gen. Lee's staff for 3 months McClellan surrendered at Greensboro, N.C. and was paroled on April 26, 1865. He died on October 1, 1904 of a stroke at approximately 10 p.m. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery, Lexington, Kentucky.
A descendant of Pocahontas, Francis Smith Robertson, better known as Frank, was born in Richmond on January 3, 1841. His early years were marked by a consuming interest in horses. this practice in the saddle at an early age was what enabled many a southern cavalryman to ride circles around his Union counterpart in the early years of the war when horses were plentiful. In December 1860 Robertson and two of his intimate friends, William B. Tabb and W. Page McCarthy, decided to form a military company. It became known as the "Sons of Liberty." The company drilled in preparation for a war that Robertson hoped would never come. After the firing on Sumter and Lincoln's call for troops, Virginia seceded, and the "Sons of Liberty" were soon marching off to Harper's Ferry. After only four days, the governer ordered the "Sons of Liberty" back to the University.
Robertson's experiences during the march north included helping a wounded Von Borcke from the field near Upperville, crossing the Potomac at Rowser's Ford, chasing the Federal supply train, fencing with Judson Kilpatrick's Cavalry at Hanover, and comforting a frightened Carlisle family during the cannonade on the city. The strain of the entire Campaign proved too much for Robertson's constitution. After Surgeon Talcott examined him and found that his shoulder was severly injured, he immediately issued Robertson a two month furlough. Two days later accompanied by Dabney Ball and his wife, who were travelling to Salem, Va., he began his journey home. A resurgence of his old physical problem, which this time was diagnosed as rheumatic endocarditis, prohibited Robertson from ever rejoining Stuart on the front lines.
By January 1864 Robertson was in Richmond and recovered enough that he could accept map-drawing assignments from Stuart. From that time until Stuart fell at Yellow Tavern. Robertson arrived at Dr. Brewer's house in time to bid farewell to his chief and friend.
In 1868 he married Stella Wheeler of Rockville, Maryland. They had four children, all girls. He died on August 10, 1926. He is buried in Abingdon.
A native Virginian, he was born on May 27, 1839, in Cumberland County. He received his formal education in his home county, but no records exists of his having attended a college. He enlisted for one year on May 14, 1861, in the Cumberland Light Dragoons. this unit became Company "G" of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry. On December 24, 1861 he was commissioned a 2nd Lt. ,on August 5, 1862, Ryals participated in the Battle of Baton Rouge, but his unit is unknown. On September 10, 1862 he was ordered to report to Gen. R.E. Lee. Upon reaching the Army of Northern Virginia, Lee sent Ryals to Stuart, who sent the Lt. to Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. From about September 10, 1862 to April 1863, Ryals served as ordnance officer and then as provost marshal with Lee. By June 24,1863 he was on Stuart's staff serving as the cavalry's provost marshal. On December 8, 1863 he received his commission as captain, he became a major on January 5, 1864.The provost marshal's job could be difficult and complicated. Ryals's performance must have pleased
He married Elizabeth Kennedy in Charlottesville, Va. on Feb. 14, 1864 and after the war they settled in Nelson County, Virginia. Where he engaged in farming and the mercantile business. In 1868 he moved his family to Savannah, Ga. 1869 brought tragedy: Ryals's wife of 5 years died. He met Anne B. Ware from Greenville, S.C. and they were married on October 21, 1870 and had 4 children, 3 sons and one daughter. He died on September 13, 1904 from complications due to diabetes. He is buried in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah along with his wife, Anne, who died May 17, 1912.
The marriage of Maj. A.R. Venable, was odd to say the least, he was probably the only Confederate soldier to have a Phildelphia wedding while the war was still being fought. He was born at "Vineyard" in Prince Edward County, Va. on December 2, 1832. Venable entered Hampden-Sidney College in 1849 and graduated in 1852. He settled in St. Louis, where he became involved in the commission business. While in St. Louis he met two people who were to play important roles in his life. One was his future wife, Ariadne Stevens, and the other was 2nd Lt. "JEB" Stuart, who was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, where his new regiment, the 1st U.S. Cavalry was organized. In those few months during the spring of 1855, Stuart and Venable began a friendship that lasted until Yellow Tavern.
When Lincoln called for troops he rushed home, and joined the 3rd Battery of Richmond Howitzers. On December 24, 1861 he received a captains commission and was assigned as assistant commissary of subsistence in the 1st regiment of Va. Artillery under Col. John Thompson Brown, the distinguished artillerist. On May 16, 1863 he was appointed major and assistant adjutant general, he was ordered to report to Stuart, who had been able to add him to the staff because of Channing Price's death. Venable was with Stuart on the morning of May 10 when the general visited his wife at Beaver Dam. As they rode away, Stuart confided in his friend that he did not want to survive the war if the South lost. The next day Stuart received his death wound. His chieftan left Venable one of his horses - the gray, named "General" - as he lay dying.
After the war he became a farmer on his estate "Milnwood" near Farmville, Virginia. He initiated the movement to construct a statue of Stuart. His goal was achieved with the unveiling of Stuart's monument in Richmond on May 30, 1907. Following a brief illness, he passed away quietly at his home on October 15,1909. He was buried in Hampden - Sidney the next day.
