remarked for his courage and skill. Of medium height, square shoulders and large chest, he wore a long beard and moustache, turned up at the ends, in the manner of Charles I. The glance of an eagle flashed from his clear blue eyes. A lover of noise, movement, adventure, brilliant colours, Stuart had engaged in the strife with the ardour and passion which the hunter experiences in the pursuit of game. Young, ambitious, brave as his sword, joyous, laughing, and for ever joking, continually followed by a negro banjo player, hurling himself on the enemy while singing a lively refrain, Stuart was the beau-ideal of a cavalier, and was adored by his soldiers. It was with joyful alacrity he answered the appeal of his chief.

He assembled 1200 men, composed of the 1st, 4th, and 9th regiments of Virginian cavalry, under Colonels W. H. Fitzhugh Lee and Fitz Lee, the son and nephew of the general-in-chief, (both subsequently became generals), two squadrons of Davis's legion, and two pieces of horse artillery. The column left Richmond on the 12th of June, and moving northwards, encamped for the night near Hanover Court House, not far from the bridge over the South Anna. Stuart had taken this direction in order to make the enemy believe that he was moving from General Jackson's side. He was twenty-two miles from the town, and could from thence bear down directly on the rear of the Federal army. During the night Stuart sent up some rockets, to let them know at Richmond where he was. An answer was made to these signals from the city. Sentries posted on all sides watched against surprise. June 13th, at dawn, after a short meal, everybody was in the saddle. The most profound silence reigned in the ranks. Up to this moment nobody asked a question about the object of the expedition. Once in the enemy's lines, Stuart confided to his officers his orders and plans. Scouts brought back word that the Oldchurch road was open. This point is equidistant from New Bridge on the Chickahominy, and the Pamunkey, a river serving as the base of Federal operations. He thus found himself on the road leading

On

straight to MacClellan's centre. The column rapidly advanced in that direction.

At Hanover Court House, 150 Federal cavalry took flight towards Mechanicsville. They were not pursued; Stuart was in too great a hurry for that. At Hawe's Shop several of the enemy's sentries were seized. A little further on a whole regiment of cavalry (the 2nd Federal, General Lee's old regiment,) precipitately retired before Stuart's column. The pursuit continued to a little watercourse named Tottapotomy. A little further on, the Federals having been reinforced, halted at Oldchurch. There was no time to hesitate. Stuart threw on them a squadron in close column, occupying the width of the road. Captain Latané, who commanded it, was slain, but the Federal cavalry made no stand, and the 1st regiment of Virginian cavalry, under Colonel Fitz Lee, put it to the rout, capturing several prisoners and horses. The tents, waggons, and provisions were burnt.

Stuart had to choose whether he would return by the way he came, or, making a complete circuit of the hostile army, cross the Chickahominy lower down. His instructions left him free to act as he thought best. The railroad of the York River once crossed, he made sure of arriving at the Chickahominy, hazarding, if he met with infantry, his leaving it behind him, or if cavalry, his defeating it. He therefore decided for the hardiest plan, but in truth, the least dangerous, for it was probable that the enemy was watching with superior forces all the country he had just traversed, thus rendering his return very problematical. He started, therefore, in the direction of Tunstall's Station. On the road, his soldiers burnt everything that belonged to the Federal army-tents, waggons, supplies. Everywhere the inhabitants welcomed them with shouts of joy. At the sight of their grey jackets many an eye was filled with tears, and more than one old man counselled them to be prudent, "for the enemy," it was added, "surrounded them on all sides."

On the edge of New Kent County the squadron of the advanced

G

guard fell on a canteen establishment, well furnished with provisions. The famished horsemen halted and ordered a meal. When the canteen-keeper wished to be paid, great was his consternation at learning that he was a prisoner, and so it was with some Federal soldiers who were in the public-house. The rest of the column arriving, finished off the remaining victuals; a little further on Stuart reached the Pamunkey, and there set fire to two ships, loaded with provisions, moored to the bank. Here the column turned off on the railway. Some chosen men went on in advance

and surprised the Tunstall station, cutting the telegraph wires, making prisoners twenty men on guard, and obstructing the line. Hardly had this blow been struck before a long convoy of provisions was observed approaching by the road, on its way to the Federal army, under the escort of five squadrons of cavalry. To put these to flight, and obtain possession of the booty, was but the affair of a moment. Shortly after a train was heard coming from the Richmond side, bound for the White House on the Pamunkey. The Confederates stationed sharpshooters along the way, but the train passed very swiftly, without being stopped by the obstacles. Presently Stuart's soldiers rained down a perfect hailstorm of bullets on some open waggons full of Federal soldiers. Some were killed or wounded; others, terror-stricken, leaped from the train, and were made prisoners.

It was night, and time was becoming precious. The convoy they had taken was burnt, as well as the railway bridge at Black Creek, thus intercepting the highway of communication between the Federal army and the Pamunkey. These precautions taken, it was necessary to set out again. The burning waggons gave light to the departing of the hardy Confederates. The roads were abominable; they had all the difficulty in the world to drag their cannon through the mud. Some of the men wandered on the road. A delay of three hours and a half was therefore necessitated at Talleysville, in order to rally the stragglers. A Federal hospital, with 150 sick men in it, fell into the hands of the

Southerners, but suffered no damage. At midnight the march was resumed, and on the morning of the 14th the column reached the Chickahominy at Forge Bridge, where Stuart hoped to find a ford. But Colonel Fitzhugh Lee, having tried to cross, found the river there very deep and the current very rapid. The situation became critical. The Federal sentries were so near that one could almost hear them, and numerous columns of Federal cavalry scoured the country in all directions to cut off the retreat of Stuart's troopers, whose audacious exploits had awakened all the energy of General MacClellan. Before them flowed an impassable river; on all sides they were beset by a swarm of enemies bent on their destruction. It seemed impossible that, on the return of day, they would not be made prisoners. Over and over again men threw themselves into the water, seeking a ford, but in vain. The only resource was to construct a bridge. Happily, at this moment, the ruins of an old bridge were discovered, destroyed by the Confederates some weeks previously. These they could make use of. With the aid of some boards found in a house, and some trees felled on the banks of the river, they succeeded in repairing the bridge, and before day all the column had crossed the Chickahominy and re-entered the Southern lines.

Without speaking of the intelligence, precious and precise, which had been gained relative to the position and strength of the Federal army, General Stuart led back 165 prisoners, 260 horses and mules with their accoutrements, and a considerable quantity of arms. He had likewise destroyed provisions and war-materials valued at several million dollars. This magnificent result had cost the life of only a single man, the brave Captain Latané. The soldiers' conduct was worthy of all praise. Except a very short halt on Thursday evening, they had not left their saddles from Thursday morning till Saturday night, stopping neither to rest nor eat, and amid a thousand dangers accomplishing with success one of the most brilliant feats of arms that have ever rendered the cavalry of a country illustrious.

Thanks to the intelligence which Stuart brought back, General Lee saw that the Federal right could be easily turned, for, so to speak, it was unguarded. He resolved to profit by this circumstance. His first care, on assuming the command, had been to construct along his lines works of defence sufficiently strong for a part of his army to hold them against all the Federal army, leaving the rest of the Confederate troops free to take the offensive. The time was favourable. Jackson, the conqueror of Shields and Fremont, was in a situation to join his soldiers with the Confederate army under Richmond. He was, therefore, recalled, with the recommendation to operate this movement as secretly as possible, so that the enemy might not know he had left the Valley.

To this end recourse was had to a stratagem. On the 11th of June, Whiting's division of Lee's army were loaded in several trains at the terminus of the Danville railroad at Richmond. They were made to cross the river at a point near Belleisle, where there were, at that moment, a considerable number of Federal prisoners, about to be released and sent down the James River. The trains loitered a long time, and the prisoners were able to convince themselves that all these Confederate soldiers were sent by Lee to reinforce Jackson, who was only waiting for them to march on Washington. MacClellan, in effect, believed this report of the liberated prisoners. The trains set out in the direction indicated, but returned the same night. Jackson, on his part, by a clever combination of marches and countermarches, made believe that he was descending the Valley towards the upper Potomac, and disappeared suddenly. ignorant whither he was leading them. not to ask the names of the villages they passed through, and to reply to all questions: "I don't know." So well, that Jackson, having surprised a soldier stealing cherries, and asking him his name and regiment, could get him to say nothing else but "I don't know."

Even his soldiers were

They had received orders