Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/448

436 magnetic power by which he could impress himself upon, and control other men.

To Archibald Stuart, of Patrick, and his wife, Elizabeth Letcher Pannill, of Pittsylvania, was born a family of four sons and six daughters. Among these our general was the seventh child and youngest son. Of his brothers, William Alexander Stuart, of Russell county, Va., alone survives.

Stuart's early boyhood was passed at the old homestead amid the mountains of Patrick county, close to the North Carolina line. At the age of fourteen he was placed in school at Wytheville, and in 1848 he entered Emory and Henry College, Washington county, Va. During a revival of religion among the students Stuart professed conversion and connected himself with the Methodist church. His mother was a member of the Episcopal church; and ten years later, in 1859, he was confirmed in that church by Bishop Hawks in Saint Louis. Throughout his life he maintained a consistent Christian character.

In 1850 he was appointed cadet at West Point, on the nomination of the Hon. T. H. Averett, of Va., and entered the Academy in June of the same year. During his career at West Point, he applied himself diligently to study; held successively nearly all the cadet offices up to the rank of cavalry sergeant and second captain; and graduated thirteenth in a class of forty-two. He was immediately commissioned brevet second lieutenant in the regiment of Mounted Rifles then serving in Texas, but owing to the prevalence of the Yellow fever in New Orleans was unable to join his regiment until December of that year, when he was engaged in the expedition against the Apachee Indians, which was commanded by Major John S. Simonson.

In October, 1854, he was promoted to be second lieutenant in the Mounted Rifles, and in May, 1855, was transferred, with the same rank, to the First Cavalry regiment, which was organized at Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, and was afterwards moved to Fort Leavenworth, at which post Stuart was appointed regimental quartermaster and commissary. In September and October of this year, the First Cavalry was engaged in an expedition against the Indians which entailed severe marching but no fighting. Returning to Leavenworth, Stuart was married at Fort Riley, on the 14th November, to Miss Flora Cooke, daughter of Colonel Philip St. George Cooke, commandant of that post. In December, 1855, he received promotion to be