Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/447

Rh illness, commanded the regiment at the battle of Guilford Court-house. Two horses were killed under him in this action, and he himself, dangerously wounded, was left upon the field, and was captured by the enemy. He was subsequently exchanged, and his sword was returned to him. This valued relic is now in the possession of his grandson, the Hon. Alexander H. H. Stuart, of Va.

Judge Alexander Stuart, the youngest son of Major Alexander Stuart, was a lawyer by profession, and resided at various times in Virginia, in Illinois, and in Missouri. He held many honorable and responsible offices in each of these states. He died and was buried in Staunton, Va. His eldest son, the Hon. Archibald Stuart, of Patrick, the father of our general, was an officer in the war of 1812. He embraced the profession of law, and throughout his long and eventful life was actively engaged in the practice of his profession, and in political life. He represented first the county of Campbell, in the Virginia legislature, and was afterwards repeatedly elected from Patrick county to the same body. He was a member of the famous Convention of 1829-30, and of the Convention of 1850, in which he was actively associated with the Hon. Henry A. Wise. He represented the Patrick District in the Federal Congress during the Nullification period, and was a strong supporter of Mr. Calhoun in that crisis. Concerning his personal character I quote the words of another:

It is not wonderful that such an ancestry should have produced the hero whom to-night we honor. Rightfully did he inherit the stern devotion to duty and principle which caused Archibald Stuart to seek refuge in the wilds of Pennsylvania, rather than endure tyranny and oppression in his native land. Rightfully did he inherit the constancy and gallantry of the major who led his regiment at Guilford Court-house, and who yielded his sword only when disabled by wounds and deserted by his men. Rightfully did he inherit that joyous temperament which made his father the delight of the social circle, and that