He wrote: “May 11th, 1864, 6:30 A. M. Fighting against immense odds of Sheridan—my men and horses are tired, hungry, and jaded, but all right.”
About four o’clock that same day, Sheridan attacked the whole line, throwing a brigade of cavalry upon the left. Stuart galloped to this point, and found that the Federals had captured his two guns and had driven back almost the entire left. He at once ordered a reserve squadron to charge the advancing Federals. Just as the latter were being driven back in a hand-to-hand combat, General Stuart rode up to where Captain Dorsey and about eighty dismounted men who had collected on the Telegraph Road, were firing at the retreating Federals. As the struggling mass fell back, one of the Federals who had been unhorsed in the fight, turned and fired his pistol directly at General Stuart. The fatal shot entered his body just above the sword-belt.
Captain Dorsey saw that the general was wounded and hurried to his assistance. He tried to lead the general’s horse to a safer place, but it became very unruly. General Stuart insisted on being lifted off and allowed to rest against a tree. Then he ordered the captain to go back to his men, but Captain Dorsey refused to do so until his general had been taken to the rear. There were now only a few of Stuart’s men between him and the Federals and for a few moments there was great danger of his being captured.
But soon another horse was brought, and the general was taken to a safer place by Captain Dorsey and put in charge of Private Wheatley. Wheatley speedily procured an ambulance, and took the general to the rear. Here Dr. Fontaine and two of the general’s aides, Venable and Hullihen, took charge of their wounded chief and started at once to Richmond.
As the ambulance passed through the disordered Confederate ranks the general called to his men, “Go back! go back and do your duty as I have done, and our country will be safe. Go back! go back! I had rather die than be whipped.”
These were his last words upon the battlefield, and they carried to his men a message, full of the spirit of their beloved chief. They did ‘go back,’ and fought so well that Sheridan was finally driven from Richmond.
The ambulance had to take a rough and roundabout way, in order to avoid the Federals, and it did not reach Richmond until after dark. The general was taken to the home of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Brewer. He had suffered greatly on the trip, but had borne the pain with fortitude and cheerfulness.
The next morning, Major McClellan, who according to Stuart’s orders had remained on the battlefield, rode into the city to deliver to General Bragg a message from General Fitz Lee now in command of the cavalry. As soon as he had delivered his message, he went at once to the bedside of his wounded general. Inflammation had set in, and the doctors said there was no hope of Stuart’s recovery. I shall let McClellan tell you in his own words about the general’s last hours.
He says: “After delivering General Fitz Lee’s message to General Bragg, I repaired to the bedside of my dying chief. He was calm and composed, in the full possession of his mind. Our conversation was, however, interrupted by paroxysms of suffering. He directed me to make the proper disposal of his official papers, and to send his personal effects to his wife.
