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Stuart, William Dabney - Colonel, 56th Virginia Infantry
William Dabney Stuart, the eldest son of Thomas Jefferson Stuart and Martha M. Stuart, was born in Staunton, Virginia, on September 30, 1830. He was descended from a Scotch-Irish family, which settled in Augusta County in 1738. Their progenitor, Archibald Stuart, having been engaged in one of the rebellions in Ireland, was compelled to fly for safety to America. He remained secluded in the western part of Pennsylvania for seven years, when, in consequence of some act of amnesty, he was enabled to send to Ireland for his wife and children. Shortly afteiVards he removed to Augusta, then a wilderness, and acquired large landed estates. Archibald Stuart died in 1761, leaving four children, viz., Thomas, Benjamin, Alexander, and a daughter, Mary, who married Benjamin Hall. This Benjamin Hall was the father of Judge John Hall, of North Carolina, and of Dr. Isaac Hall, an eminent physician of Petersburg.
Alexander Stuart left a number of children, among them Judge Archibald Stuart, of Staunton, who was the grandfather of Colonel William D. Stuart. Another son, Judge Alexander Stuart, of Missouri, was the father of the Hon. Archibald Stuart, of Patrick, who was often in public life, as member of House of Delegates, State Senate, Conventions of 1829-30 and 1849-50, and also served several terms in Congress. This Archibald Stuart was the father of General James Ewell Brown Stuart, commonly known from his initials as Jeb Stuart, the cavalry officer.
The father of the subject of this memoir, Thomas J. Stuart, was a man of fine abilities, and served frequently as a member of the Legislature from the county of Augusta.
William D. Stuart received his early education at the Academy at Staunton, and at the age of seventeen, in July, 1847, entered the Military Institute. In his studies here he distinguished himself throughout the course, standing third in his class on general merit when he graduated, July 4, 1850. After his graduation he was appointed assistant professor in the Institute. While acting in this capacity he was closely associated with General T. J. Jackson, and a firm friendship sprang up between them, which continued during life.
About the year 1853, Mr. Abbott, of Georgetown, D. C, who had been in charge of a large classical school in that city, died, and Mr. Stuart was invited by the patrons of the school to take charge of it. He accepted the appointment, and went to reside in Georgetown. Whilst there he formed the acquaintance of Miss Frances Harris, a native of Loudoun County, and soon afterwards married her. The fruits of this union were three children, two daughters and a son. After spending two years in Georgetown, Mr. Stuart was invited to take charge of a classical school in Richmond, Virginia. Desiring to return to his native State, he removed to Richmond, and continued in charge of a flourishing school in that city until the commencement of the war.
In May, 1861, he was appointed first lieutenant in the Provisional Army of Virginia, and in the course of a few weeks promoted lieutenant-colonel in Colonel Thomas P. August's regiment. While he held the office of lieutenant-colonel the command of the regiment devolved on him, in a great measure, as Colonel August's health disqualified him generally from active service. While in command of that regiment, he participated gallantly in the fight on the Peninsula, when Butler was repulsed at Big Bethel.
When the 56th Regiment was formed, as it was made of companies and fractions of companies from a number of counties, Governor Letcher felt at a loss to select a colonel for it, and allowed the officers to designate the man of their choice. With almost perfect unanimity they chose Colonel Stuart, and he was appointed. He remained in command of that regiment until his death, and shared all its perils, and participated in all its triumphs.
It is proper to add that, when General Jackson was appointed to his first command, he immediately wrote to Colonel Stuart, who was then in charge of his school in Richmond, offering him a place on his staff as quartermaster. In his letter he stated that he was sorry he could offer nothing better, but said that whenever an opportunity occurred he would look to his promotion. He further stated that, when he (Jackson) was called into service, Colonel Stuart was the first man to whom he looked for assistance.
After the battle of Antietam, in which Colonel Stuart had greatly distinguished himself, General Jackson was very desirous of having him promoted to the office of brigadier, and he would have received the appointment but for the fact that his health had given way under the exposure, privations, and fatigue of the first Maryland campaign, and he was compelled to go to his home in Staunton to recruit. The necessity for having a brigadier was so urgent, that it was indispensable to make the appointment before Colonel Stuart was sufficiently restored to take the field, and thus he failed to receive it
His military history, from the time of his recovery till the battle of Gettysburg, is simply that of the army of Northern Virginia. In this great battle, July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, he was mortally wounded, was carried to Staunton, where he died in about three weeks. On the day of his burial a letter came addressed to him, the object of which was to ascertain whether his condition was such as to enable him to accept the office of brigadier-general, and enter at an early day upon active service.
We close this meagre and imperfect sketch with an extract from a letter of his uncle, the Hon. Alexander H. H. Stuart. He says,—
“It only remains to say that a purer, braver, nobler gentleman never lived. I watched over him from his infancy, and if there was anything in his conduct or his character, from his childhood to his death, which was unbecoming a high-toned gentleman, I certainly never saw it or heard of it. He was universally esteemed and beloved, and, though a man of positive character, of high spirit, and outspoken, he had no enemies. He was to me almost as a son, and I shall never cease to mourn his untimely end. Had he lived, he would have established a reputation which would have been a rich legacy to his family."
