O A
MONDAY. JUNE 11. 1962
MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
TStS
CI VIL WAR
'I,
Stuart's Great 'Ride Around'
By MERTON T. AKERS
UPI Correspondent
On June 10, 1862, Gen. Rob
ert E. Lee called to his head
quarters north of Richmond,
Va., the Army's dashing 29-year-old
cavalry leader-Brig.
Gen. James Ewell Brown (Jeb)
Stuart.
It was imperative (or Lee
to know how strongly Maj.
Gen. George B. McClellan's
Federal troops held the terri
tory north of the Chickahom
iny river. McClellan's 100,000
man Army of the Potomac
was laying siege to the Con
federate capital. Lee was new
, on the jcb. Only 10 days be
fore he had taken command
of the Confederate army be
cause of the wounding of
Gen. Joseph E. Johnston in
the battle of Seven Pines.
To break McClellan's grad
ually tightening hold on the
city, Lee had to strike before
the Federals. Even discount
ing McClellan's well known
caution, time was running out,
But before Lee could attack,
he had to have Information.
That was where Stuart came
in. Lee ordered him to moke
a cavalry reconnaissance on
the right flank of the Federal
army.
The young cavalry com
mander caught fire as Lee
outlined his plan for the ma
neuver three times he call
ed it an "expedition," a word
which Stuart would stretch
to its limit.
Much Imagination
Sluart was a leader with
much imagination. Later he
wrote that he had suggested
to Lee that he "pass around"
the Federal army. His mind
probably raced ahead of Lee's;
Perhaps he could "ride
around" the enemy, even de
stroy its supply base and force
a retreat. That would be one
for the history books.
S Lee's reaction is not record
ed but he never was one to
discourage enterprise.
The next day Stuart receiv
ed his orders and picked his
troops.
The 1st Virginia Cavalry,
commanded by Col. Fitzhugh
Lee, the general's nephew,
would lead. Four companies
of the 4th Virginia were add
ed. Lee's second son, "Roo
ney" (W.H.F.) would lead part
of his 0th Virginia and the
rest of the 4th. The best of
the Jeff Davis Legion and the
South Carolina Boykin Ran
gers were Included.
Lt. Jim Brealhcd, a protege
of Stuart, would command the
two-gun artillery force. All
told, 1,200 men with scouts
and staff.
The expedition started on
June 12, riding 22 miles north
of Richmond to Winston
Farm, near Tayorsvllle, Va.
The next day, when the. col
umn turned cast toward Han
over Courthouse, the troopers
had their first brush with the
Federals.
Cavalry Sighted
Scouts sighted the Federal
cavalry just outside of town.
Fitz Lee led his regiment
around the village. Stuart
waited until Lee got into posi
tion and then ordered a
charge. The column swept into
the villnge and the Federals,
about 150, fled south.
One of Stuart's stuff offi
cers was LI. John Esten
Cooke, a cousin by marriase
and a part time novelist.
Cooke described his com
mander that day:
". . . He was a gallant fig
ure to look at. The gray cont
buttoned to the chin; the light
French sabre balanced by his
pistol In its black holster;
the cavalry boots above the
knee, and the brown hat with
its black plume floating above
the bearded features, the bril
liant eyes and the huge mous
tache, which curled with
laughter at the slightest prov
ocation these made Stuart
the perfect picture of a gay
cavalier. . . ."
Later in the day the gray
troopers clashed with part of
the 5th U. S. Cavalry near
Haw's Shop, seven miles
southeast of Hanover C. H.
All the Federals escaped ex
cept a few guards and dis
mounted men.
About 3 p.m. Stuart ran
Into more serious trouble.
At Old Church, about four
miles southwest of Haws
Shop, his troopers attacked
Federal cavalry, estimated to
be about a regiment, charg
ing straight along the road
from the north.
The fight lasted only a few
minutes but it was a hot one.
Expected More Troublt
Old Church was the cross
roads for Federal wagon
trains supplying the far right
wing of the Army of the Po
tomac and Stuart had expect
ed more trouble. Col. Fitz Lee
pursued and burned the Fed
eral camp. Among the loot
was a keg of hospital whiskey
destined to serve as more than
a beverage.
Then Stuart broke the news
to his officers that he pro
posed to "ride around" Mc
Clellan's army. He quietly
called them off the road and
explained that the expedition
had obtained information that
the right flank of the Union
army was lightly held along
the Pamunkey river and that
this was the intelligence Gen
eral Lee desperately needed.
They now had two choices,
he explained. One was to re
turn the way they came with ;
chances good that the aroused ;
Federals would cut mem on. i
The other was to continue i
across the Chickahominy riv-
cr and then west along the
James river back to Richmond.
That route would complete
ly encircle the Federal army
and, he reasoned, Union cav
alry would not be looking lor
the expedition to go thai way.
Might Deal Blow
Furthermore, at Tunstall'j
Station, nine miles ahead, they
would hit the York river rail
road, one of McClellan's chief
arteries of supply. To tear up ,
a section of the line and halt j
supplies, even for a short
time, might deal a severe
blow to the enemy.
The officers were skeptical i
but all said thoy would follow. J
The expedition hit Tunstall's j
Station shortly before dark,
scattering a few Federal
guards.
By 8:30 p.m. the expedition
arrived at Talleyvillc, a four
house hamlet five miles south
of Tunstall's Station.
Here the Federals had a big
hospital but the Confederates
rode by without molesting it.
A sutler's store did not fare
so well. It was cleaned out
by the famished troopers who
had not eaten much In two
days.
Now the expedition rode in
the bright moonlight toward
the Chickahominy, seven
miles away, 'there, if any
where, would come the test.
Federal cavalry now was
aroused. It was commanded
by Gen. Philip St. George
Cooke, father-in-law of Stuart
and uncle of Lieutenant
Cooke. Unless Stuart's timing
was precise, relative might be
fighting relative on the Chick
ahominy. Stuart's forces arrived at
the river at dawn on June 14.
A scout had said that a ford
at Sycamore Springs was a
short cut the Federals would
overlook but the river there
waa too high for crossing.
Only a few daring ones made
it.
Stuart seemed worried for
the first time and dispatched
I courier to General Lee, ask
ing that a demonstration be
made to divert pursuit.
Then he ordered his force
a mile downstream to the
ruins of Forge Bridge. There
they tore down an old ware
house and laid a shaky bridge
across the river on the piers
of an earlier span.
The job took three hours of
feverish work by all the
troopers, laboring under the
lash of expected Federal pur
suit. Appearance of a consid
erable Union force would
have meant failure.
As the last Confederates
crossed the makeshift bridge
and set it afire. Federal cav
alry caught up and opened
fire too late.
The expedition was safe.
His work done, Stuart turn
ed the command over to Fitz
Lee and started (or Richmond,
35 miles away.
Information Obtaintd
He rode alone the rest of
the day and all night, stop
ping three times for coffee.
He reported to General Lee
on June IS that he and his
troopers had ridden all the
way around McClellan's army
and had obtained the informa
tion Lee wanted all this
in three days and about 100
miles, with one casualty.
For Stuart, the "ride
around" put him in the mili
tary textbooks until gasoline
engines replaced horseflesh.
For Lee, the expedition
gave him the information he
needed to trigger the Seven
Days' battle and save Rich
mond. For the troopers, one "lib
erated" keg of hospital whis
key, a prize for lifting one of
the expedition's guns out of
a mudhole. and the plaudits of
the Confederacy.
71-STROKE HOLE
Cocorro, N. M. - (UPB -Fred
Silva won the El Fuego Baca
golf shoot Sunday with a 71
for one hole and don't
scoff. The tee is on a 7,000
foot mountain and the green
is in a valley, three miles
away.
Police Search for
Masked Gunman
Seattle - OITD - Police are
searching for a masked gun
man that robbed a supermar
ket here Saturday of about
$18,000.
Randall West, 31, manager
of the Food Giant store said
the man forced him at gun
point to remove the money
from the store's sae.
West told police the man
apparently had hidden in the
store until it closed, and then
made his bid for the money.
A security guard and an
other store employee were
forced into a large refriger
ator by the bandit.
Second Escapee Is Arrested Saturday
Tacoma - UPB - The second
of three escapees from the
Yakima county jail was ar
rested here Saturday.
Don L. Southern, 28, was
picked up by police acting on
a tip Southern was trying to
pass a stolen money order.
Police said Southern was
carrying a .38 caliber revol
ver when he was arrested. It
was not determined if the
weapon was the same one stol
en by the trio when they es
caped last week.
Southern admitted stealing
a car in Salem, police said.
Another of the trio, Earl
Taylor, 22, was arrested last
Monday while hitchhiking
nnrth nf Yakima.
The third escapee, James
Leroy Cooper, 32. has not yet
been apprehended.
100
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