GDG- Re: Gettysburg Digest, Vol 27, Issue 10

[Tom Ryan]

  In any of stuart's correspondence is there an indication of his resaxtion
to a costly victory which lost him the services of important staff members
such as Heros von Borke and John Pelham?>>

Dick,

	Pelham died at Kelly's Ford in March 1863 when he volunteered to help Fitz
Lee to meet an attack by Union cavalry under the command of Gen. Wm.
Averell.  Stuart had adopted Pelham like a younger brother, and from all
descriptions had strong personal feelings for him.  Reportedly Stuart broke
down and cried when notified of Pelham's death.  The "gallant" Pelham as Lee
dubbed him, was often in the thick of the fighting, and in this case
evidently his number was up.

	As you know, von Borke was a mercenary and a favorite on Stuart's staff for
his lively personality.  He was wounded in the cavalry battles in Loudoun
Valley during the invasion in June 1863.  Since von Borke had to be left
behind because of the severity of his wound, Stuart made certain he was
cared for by a nearby family.  He eventually recovered but was no longer fit
for duty.

	From what I can tell from the readings, Stuart was close to all of his
staff whom he hand picked for the most part.  He wanted certain types of
people around him, and he apparently invested considerable emotional capital
in their well being.  Over the years, many of his staff and aides were
killed performing hazardous duty -- as was Stuart.  It also appears that
Stuart was fatalistic, therefore lived his life and performed his duty like
there was no tomorrow.

Regards, Tom Ryan