Battle of Yellow Tavern-11 May 1864-Jeb Stuart mortally wounded.Six miles north of Richmond Jeb and his cavlry faced the Federal raiders of Philip Sheridan.Stuart fell from his horse mortally wounded.
Whoa! Excuse me there sir! I did NOT fall from my horse! I slumped forward, my hat came off and my officers removed me from the immediate skirmishing area, by leading my horse's reins. If you read the account of the Michigan Sergeant that shot me, it says, "I fired at a senior officer mounted on a large gray horse. That officer was seen to slump forward in his saddle." Sgt John Huff then had to high tail out of there to avoid being captured. He was on foot. He didn't survive the war either. He was killed in battle about ten days later. After being removed from the area, I was helped down from the horse and put into an ambulance for the trip into Richmond. I was taken to my brother-in-law's house in Richmond. He was a doctor. In fact I was buried in their family plot in Hollywood Cemetery, in Richmond, were I remain. Excuse me, but I was one of three men who once portrayed JEB Stuart in the US. I have been to Yellow Tavern, Hollywood Cemetery and made many trips to Gettysburg as Stuart. you'll find if you do so checking that I was also NOT using my LeMat at Yellow Tavern. In the fall of 1863 it broken on me and had not been repaired by the time of the Yellow Tavern battle. I was using my other revolver which was a 36 Caliber Whitney Navy. It is on display at the museum of the Confederacy. You are right sir, May the 11, 1864. One last note, It took Sheridan and Custer most of the day fighting to break my line at Yellow Tavern. It wasn't until the afternoon that they did.
12 May 1864-The Cavalier of Dixie died.Darryl,your link said the page could not be found.Also on this day,Johnston evacuates Dalton Georgia.Also one of the murderous days of the war:Federals killed,wounded and missing are put at around 6800.Confederates lost around 5000 killed and wounded.This occured at Spotsylvania.
Gen. Stuart, in the photo of you seated with your wife Flora, I see what appears to be a Star of David on your hat. Is this authentic, sir, and could you explain it in more detail?
The star you see on my hat is a star called a "Chavrac or Cheverac" I can never get the spelling right. What that is, is the insignia that goes on the saddle cover of a cover for senior officers. If you watch in movies you will see gnerals riding horses with a dark blue swallowtailed cover that goes over the sides of a horse's flank. On that would go an eagle or Chavrac insignia and then one or two or three stars below it on each side to show the person's rank. The Confederate generals, some, used a similiar arrangement only with a gray cloth covering instead of dark blue. It is authentic to JEB Stuart as I saw his hat, the reverse side on the cover of an old "Civil War Times" magazine. I also checked with Robert Trout, who outside of the Stuart fanily, is the leading authority on the general and the Musuem of the Confederacy which has one of the general's hats. All have the chavrac on them. "Dirty Billy" a noted Civil War hat maker made the hat for me. Over the years I have had to replace the plume. Thanks to several gracious ladies that wasn't problem. Answer the question for you? There is added references to the "Chavrac" in "Francis Lord's Civil War Collector's Volume I."
After responding to that question I came home from my daughter's, I was at her house, and did some checking on the Chevrac. The Chevrac was the star used under the eagle on the general officer's saddle cover. When I returned home I checked in my CW tack and found the saddle cover an old friend had given me years ago. It has the eagle and two stars under it which are the chevracs. He gave the cover but the eagle and stars had been missing and I replaced them. It was NOT cheap! Each eagle cost me 49.95 and two pairs of Chevracs were 56.00 dollars. And they go on both sides! I haven't portrayed the General since 2003, and all the uniforms and equipment have been put in storage. I had my McClellan saddle out and cleaned and oiled it last year, when I did a lecture on CW saddlery. The wife and I will be out this year with my cousin who portrays Lincoln. I was making some extra tent stakes and tent ropes and sliders yesterday afternoon. first event the end of the month.
13 May 1864(fri)Around Resaca Ga,Joseph E Johnston had taken up new positions,joined by Polks reinforcements,and faced the advance of Shermans full army.Fighting broke out at Tilton,Resaca and near Dalton during the course of realignment.Grant fails to break Lees line at Spotsylvania.
Thank you Wildave, my wife made a scrapbook of me as the general and some of my travels. I'll have to dig it up, I don't know where she stahed it at the moment. It was a quite an experience doing the general. One of my close friends is Steve Alexander of monroe, Michigan, who is considered the premier Custer protrayer in the country. If you've seen any of the History Channel, A&E's programs about Custer you've seen Steve. We would discuss the two men and how they functioned. I learned a very great deal about Stuart and many of the portraits and modern statements made about him, just don't ring true. They don't really consider the accurately, because they don't really understand the nineteenth century life style and how the people really lived. They try too hard to compare it with things and the world now. You can't do that with these people. They were product of their times and world. you have to understand that before you can judge or make statements about the lives of these men. Second you have to have a military frame of mind. To understand how the military men and women think, not like civilians! Military history, you have to know it extremely well! If not, forget it! It goes hand in hand with the nineteenth century live style. There are those who call Stuart a momma's boy? According to what standard? Twenty-first century or ninetenth? He was arrogant and liked to see his name in print all the time. Hey, I don't seem to remember any famous CBS or CNN anchor personalities from back them? I'm getting wordy and have to stop. Its unfortunate that these people go to such links to write a biography, then embarrass them selves because they have missed the person totally. As my late stepfather said, "It takes all kinds to make a world." QED!
14 May 1864(Sat)Battle for Resaca Ga.Federals had moderate success but the real struggle would have to wait.It was still primarily a campaign of movement and probing.Also prospects of renewed action in Virginias Shenandoah Valley.Franz Sigel with 6500 union men moved south,facing only Confederate John D Imbodens cavalry.But Gen.Breckinridge was bringing in 5000 Confederate defenders at Rudes Hill gave indication that things would be different.
Originally posted by JPope: The star you see on my hat is a star called a "Chavrac or Cheverac" I can never get the spelling right. What that is, is the insignia that goes on the saddle cover of a cover for senior officers. If you watch in movies you will see gnerals riding horses with a dark blue swallowtailed cover that goes over the sides of a horse's flank. On that would go an eagle or Chavrac insignia and then one or two or three stars below it on each side to show the person's rank. The Confederate generals, some, used a similiar arrangement only with a gray cloth covering instead of dark blue. It is authentic to JEB Stuart as I saw his hat, the reverse side on the cover of an old "Civil War Times" magazine. I also checked with Robert Trout, who outside of the Stuart fanily, is the leading authority on the general and the Musuem of the Confederacy which has one of the general's hats. All have the chavrac on them. "Dirty Billy" a noted Civil War hat maker made the hat for me. Over the years I have had to replace the plume. Thanks to several gracious ladies that wasn't problem. Answer the question for you? There is added references to the "Chavrac" in "Francis Lord's Civil War Collector's Volume I."
Well, that would explain why I have often seen that same design in photos of the uniforms worn by many Civil War officers. However, there is one other thing that also strikes me as curious. That same design or a variant of it may also be found carved into the seats used by the US Congress. One must look carefully, but if one can find a clear, detailed picture of the main chamber of the Congress, that same design may be seen carved into the seats in that chamber.
I was told by an "old" Army vet that alot of the officers didn't like the hat badge, embroderied one that went on the Hardee hat. It was a modified eagle like the metal one for the enlisted, same type hat, so they used the Chevrac to pin the side of the hat up. I asked him why the six sided star was chosen to put on the saddle cover and not the five sided one? He was 94 when I spoke to him about some of this stuff. That was in 1976 in Arizona. He shrugged his shoulders and said "I guess they liked the six sided one better." Some of us in a blackpowder club were gearing up to do cavalry in the Arizona Territory and he was life long, except Army time,resident of Arizona.He had joined the Army when he was 18 and served in the Southwest and Far West before going to WWI. He retired with 28 years in 1928. God! He was fun to talk to! He died at age 98.
Darryl,noticed that you said" was quite an experience doing the general"does that mean you no longer do him?Get those pictures out of moth balls and get busy.Man it seems real strange telling a general what to do.
I'm afraid so Dave. Its gotten extremely hard to portray a man in his thirties when I'm in my mid and late fifties. I gave up after the cinnamon in the beard started turning very quickly to silver. I remarried about 11 years ago and Rae (Mrs Stuart in the picture) has been the best thing to come along in quite awhile. so I'm added a few pounds on the old waistline. I am a cardiac patient and hold a 100% disability, my health is not the greatest either. I'm going to do some limited campaigninig this summer with my cousin who does Lincoln. I once did Colonel Lafayette Baker, head of the National Detective Police with my cousin. I still get invitations from people to events. Re-enactors who remember me from awhile back still call me General or I get saluted at events. I guess they liked my portrayal. It was a very good experience and it brought me closer to the real man in a lot of ways. When Rae and I visited Stuart's grave in Hollywood Cemetery about 8 years ago, there was no one with in a mile of us and the air was dead still. I knelt beside the stone and spoke to the General. As I did I could smell fresh coffee brewing! JEB didn't drink spirits ,but there better be coffee on the fire when he wanted some! Rae smelled it too. OKAY? I feel it was a way for me to know he was okay with my portrayal. The stories I could tell about people meeting and talking with me! Wow!
