University of Virginia Library

2. II.

Let us return now to the small party asleep on the porch of
the house in Verdiersville.

They did not awake until day, when Stuart was aroused by
the noise of hoofs upon the road, and concluding that General
Fitz Lee had arrived, rose from the floor of the porch, and,
without his hat, walked to the little gate. The column was not
yet discernible clearly in the gray of morning; but in some
manner Stuart's suspicions were excited. To assure himself of
the truth, he requested Captain Mosby and Lieutenant Gibson,
who were with him, to ride forward and see what command was
approaching.

The reception which the two envoys met with, speedily decided
the whole question. They had scarcely approached
within pistol-shot of the head of the column, when they were
fired upon, and a detachment spurred forward from the cavalry,
calling upon them to halt, and firing upon them as they retreated.
They were rapidly pursued, and in a few moments the
Federal cavalry had thundered down upon the house, in front
of which General Stuart was standing.

The General had to act promptly. There was no force within
many miles of him; nothing wherewith to make resistance;
flight or instant capture were the alternatives, and even flight
seemed impossible. The Federal horsemen had rushed at full
gallop upon the house; the horses of the General and staff were
unbridled, and the only means of exit from the yard seemed to
be the narrow gate in front, scarcely wide enough for a mounted
man to pass, and right in face of the enemy. In addition to
this, the little party had just been aroused; the General had
even left his hat and cape upon the floor of the porch, so complete
was the feeling of security; and when Mosby was fired on,
he was standing bare-headed at the gate.

What followed all took place in an instant. The General and
his party leaped on their horses, some of which had been hastily
bridled, and sought for means of escape. One of the staff officers
darted through the narrow gate with his bridle-reins hanging
down beneath his horse's feet, and disappeared up the road
followed by a shower of balls. The rest took the fence. Stuart,
bare-headed, and without his cape, which still lay on the porch,
throw himself upon his unbridled horse, seized the halter, and
digging his spurs into his sides, cleared the palings, and galloped
off amid a hot fire. He went on until he reached a clump of
woods near the house, when he stopped to reconnoitre.

The enemy did not at once follow, and from his point of observation
the General had the mortification of witnessing the capture
of his hat and cape. The Federal cavalrymen dashed up
to the porch and seized these articles, which they bore off in
triumph—raising the brown hat, looped up with a golden star,
and decorated with its floating black feather, upon the points of
their sabres, and laughing at the escapade which they had thus
occasioned.

Major Fitz Hugh, at the head of the main column, and beside
the Federal Colonel, witnessed all, and burst into laughter and
sobs, such was his joy at the escape of his General. This attracted
the attention of the Federal officer, who said:

“Major, who was that party?”

“That have escaped?”

“Yes.”

The Major looked again and saw that, on his fleet “Skylark,”
Stuart was entirely safe by this time, and unable to contain his
triumph, exclaimed:

“Do you really wish to know who that was, Colonel?”

“I do.”

“Well, it was General Stuart and his staff!”

“General Stuart!” exclaimed the officer; “was that General
Stuart?”

“Yes, and he has escaped!” cried the overjoyed Major.

“A squadron there!” shouted the Colonel in great excitement;
“pursue that party at once! Fire on them! It is General
Stuart!”

The squadron rushed forward at the word upon the track of
the fugitives to secure their splendid prize; but their advance
did not afford the General much uneasiness. Long experience
had told him that the Federal cavalry did not like woods, and he
knew that they would not venture far for fear of a surprise.
This idea was soon shown to be well founded. The Federal
squadron made a very hot pursuit of the party until they came
to the woods; they then contented themselves with firing and
advancing very cautiously. Soon even this ceased, and they
rapidly returned to Verdiersville, from which place the whole
column hastily departed in the direction of the Rapidan. The
Colonel carried off Major Fitz Hugh to serve as a guide, for he
had lost his way, and stumbled thus upon Verdiersville. If you
wish to laugh, my dear reader, go and see Major Fitz Hugh, and
ask him what topographical information he gave the Federal
commandant. It very nearly caused the capture of his command;
but he got back safe to Pope's army, and took our friend,
the Major, with him.

Such was Stuart's narrow escape at Verdiersville. He succeeded
in cluding them, but he lost his riding cape and hat,
which the enemy had seized upon, and this rankled in the mind
of the General, prompting him to take his revenge at the earliest
practicable moment.

That moment soon came. Just one week afterwards, when

General Lee had pressed on to the Rappahannock, and General
Pope had hastily retired before him, Stuart made an expedition
to the enemy's rear, and struck the Orange and Alexandria Railroad
at Catlett's.

It was one dark and stormy night that the attack was made—
the column plunging forward at full speed, through ditches and
ravines, without light enough to see their hands before them;
and by a singular chance Stuart came on Pope's headquarters,
which was at Catlett's. The Federal commander fled with his
staff, and Stuart captured all his official papers containing the
fullest information of his strength, position, and designs. Those
papers were transmitted to General Lee, and probably determined
him to send Jackson to Pope's rear.

In addition to the papers Stuart made a capture which was
personally soothing to his feelings. In his flight, General Pope
left his coat behind! and when the leader of the Southern cavalry,
so recently despoiled of his cape and bat, left Catlett's, he
bore off with him the dress uniform coat of the Federal commander,
who had prophetically announced to his troops upon
taking command, that “disaster and shame lurked in the rear.”

The account was thus balanced. Catlett's had avenged Verdiersville!

And so, my dear reader, you know why I always glance at
that little house in the village as I pass. The dilapidated porch
is still there, where Stuart slept, and the fence which he leaped
still stands, as he pointed it out to me one day, when we rode
by, describing with gay laughter his adventure. All these inanimate
objects remain, but the noble figure which is associated
with the place will never more be seen in the flesh—the good
knight has been unseated by a stronger arm than that of man.
He passed unscathed through this and a thousand other perils;
but at last came the fatal bullet. At the Yellow Tavern he fell
in front of his line, cheering on his men to the last, and on a
beautiful slope of Hollywood Cemetery, above the city which
he died defending, he “sleeps well.”

Thus passed away the “flower of cavaliers,” the pearl of chivalry.
Dying, he did not leave his peer.