Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 3.djvu/112

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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 Hood superseded Gen.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-