CHAPTER II

BOYHOOD STUDENT AT WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE AND AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

LEXANDER HUGH HOLMES STUART, the youngest child of Archibald Stuart and his wife, Eleanor Briscoe, was born in Staunton, Virginia, April 2, 1807, and was named for his paternal grandfather, Major Alexander Stuart, and for Judge Hugh Holmes of Winchester, Virginia, who married a sister of Eleanor Briscoe. Another sister married Dr. Cornelius Baldwin, father of Judge Briscoe G. Baldwin of the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia.

In early childhood Stuart was of delicate constitution, of a nervous, high-strung nature, with strong will and energy. He was fond of books and, with his father's library to draw upon, soon became a diligent reader. At the age of fourteen he was well advanced in Greek, Latin and mathematics. The characteristics of the boy-indomitable will, energy and perseverance, exuberant spirits and gay humor-marked him throughout life, and were the secrets of much of his influence and success in manhood. Whether racing through the old academy grounds in Staunton at some favorite game, or caricaturing some companion or teacher, or deep in some mathematical problem, he was always enthusiastic, absorbed and indefatigable.

In those days, when houses were heated by open fires, it was a matter of much discomfort when doors were left open. Young Stuart had gone to the academy one cold morning when a knock was heard upon the door, and Judge Stuart's body servant, silent and dignified as the judge himself, appeared with the message that "Marse Sandy must come home." The boy, alarmed and breathless, fearing

some disaster, ran all the way back and appeared in the presence of his father. Looking up with great calmness, the judge remarked, "Sandy, shut that door." Needless to say, doors were shut and orders not forgotten from that day forth.

On one occasion when Mr. Jefferson was to visit Judge Stuart, the judge, hoping to interest his sons and to call their attention to Mr. Jefferson's correct use of English, told them to listen attentively to Mr. Jefferson and, if they could detect him in a grammatical error, he would give them each a shilling.

The boys hung upon the words of their elders with an interest so intense that even Mr. Jefferson was gratified, when suddenly they sprang forward, exclaiming, "There Father, we've won it! He said 't'other'." That was the period when "children should be seen and not heard," but Judge Stuart told the story to Mr. Jefferson, who was highly amused. He then went on to defend his use of the exprcssion, "one or t'other," as good English, but told Judge Stuart the boys deserved the reward as good listeners and that they were correct from their point of view.

For his own family Mr. Stuart cherished deep and devoted affection. Reared in what would now be considered a rather stern school of parental discipline, he revered and admired his father and mother in no common degree. From his mother, no less than from his father, he inherited a strong will and that practical common sense characteristic of the women born and reared during the Revolutionary Era. From his father he inherited his physical as well as his mental qualities: his tall, erect figure, six feet four inches in height; his brilliant dark eye, now twinkling with merriment, now flashing forth lightning of wrath, and now overflowing with tears of sympathetic emotion. His hair of raven blackness, his mobile mouth and even white teeth, his dark complexion, and strong, clear-cut features made an appearance strikingly handsome. Add to this a voice deep, rich and melodious, and one may appreciate that he was highly favored among men.