Who's Major? Robt Stewart? Walter Stewart?
We run into pleas for pay in March 1759 from both Stewarts regarding pay as Major in the Virginia Regiment.
But they weren't the original Major. The real Major?
That was Andrew Lewis.
He was still held prisoner in Canada. He was originally thought killled at Grant's Defeat 14 Sept 1758 during the Forbes Expedition. They now know he survived and is a prisoner. His captives allowed him to send a letter from Montreal 31 Oct 1758. He writes, "I supos I shall be Soon Sent to Qubeck where I shall have the plasure of Seeing Capts. Stobo and Vanbram, I here they are in Good helth . . ."
Robert Stobo and Jacob Van Braam were taken hostage in July 1754 at the Battle of Necessity.
Stobo escapes in May 1759, and Van Braam is finally exchanged in 1760. Andrew Lewis is released in Nov 1759.
Andrew Lewis resumes as Major in absentia per an Executive Council April 9, 1759. In that in between time, William Peachey is acting Major and as acting Lt Colonel.
The Executive Council has 3 roles: They are the upper house to House of Burgesses. They act as advisor to Governor. They are also the final appeal court before going to London.
In the meantime, the Virginia Regiment is without its original Major, Andrew Lewis.
So who is filling that role? The two Stewarts were.
Walter Stewart (Steuart)
filled in as Brigade-Major from 7 June to 1 August 1758.
And a spelling note is due here. Walter signed his last name as Steuart. But the House of Burgesses referred to Walter Steuart as Walter Stewart.
Robert Stewart
was then awarded the position. He was paid retroactively as Brigade-Major from 1 Aug to 15 Dec 1758
Robert Stewart was there with George Washington from 1754 (on the Fort Necessity roster) until GW retired Dec 1758. Then Robert Stewart continued to serve until 1762.
Robert Stewart is most known for being the head of the Light Horse in Braddock's Campaign 1755 and in the Forbes Campaign 1758 In the Braddock campaign he was near the head of the spear running into the French and Indians. He was also know for carrying a dyiing Braddock in his sash, which was used as a stretcher. Stewart and Washington were both recommended for favor by a dying Braddock. And which one got the Sash? Now that's a story parallelling the Shroud of Turin.
This is a picture of Capt Robt Stewart at the head of Light Horse at the vanguard of the Braddock Defeat. See source is http://jjduk.blogspot.com/2011/09/captain-robert-stewart-monongahela-1755.html
Your can order this here
And here:
And questions on those uniforms portrayed?
See this:
Robert Stewart is also interesting as the namesake for a street in Winchester VA.
But the most interesting story might be the Story of the Curt Reply.
That's it.
That's our lead story.
There's always more.
Skip around.
Read bits and pieces.
Compiled and authored by Jim Moyer researched in March 2023, updated 4/16/2023, 4/18/2023, 4/23/2023
Table of Contents
Chronology of Retroactive Pay
Thursday, the 8th of March, 32 Geo. II. 1759.
[32nd year of King George II in power]
...Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to the Committee of Propositions and Grievances ; That they do examine into the Matter thereof, and report the same, with their Opinion thereupon, to the House.
A Memorial of Mr Robert Stewart;, representing that the Commanding Officer of the Virginia Troops, by the Governor's Approbation, appointed him Brigade-Major, which Duty he performed, but as there was no Fund to pay him, he has never received any Satisfaction for his said Service, and praying the Consideration of this House. ...
#110 (p. 84) - 1 matching term
Friday, the 9th of March, 32 Geo. II. 1759.
[32nd year of King George II in power]
That the Committee had, according to Order,
had under Confideration the Memorial of Robert Stewart;, Brigade-Major to the Virginia Troops, to them referred, and had come to a Resolution thereupon, which be read in his Place, and then delivered in at the Table, where it was again twice read, and agreed to by the House, as follows:
Resolved,
That the Allegations of the said Memorial are true ; and that he ought to be allowed the Sum of ; £68. 10, for four Months and fifteen Days Pay as Brigade-Major of the said Troops. ...
This meant 1 Aug 1758 to 15 Dec 1758.
#112 (p. 86) - 1 matching term
March 11, 1759
Founders Online
On 11 Mar. 1759 Fauquier wrote Jeffrey Amherst, the commander in chief of the British forces in America:
“I am sollicited by Captn. Robt. Stewart an Officer who has been long, and behaved well in our Service, and who, by the Representations that have been made to me of the whole Tenour of his Conduct, by his late Colonel Mr. Washington would be a Loss to us,
if he was to quit the Regiment and not serve us this Campaign;
to intercede with you for an Indulgence to him that he may retain both Commissions, and do Duty in our Regiment”
(Reese, Fauquier, 1:183–84). Stewart referred to “both my Commissions” when writing to GW, 2 Oct. 1760.
See footnote 7
Tuesday, the 20th of March, 32 Geo. II. 1759.
[32nd year of King George II in power]
Asfo a Petition of Walter Stewart;,
setting forth, that he acted as Brigade-Major of the Virginia Troops, from the 7th of June to the Appointment of Captain Robert Stewart; to that Office, for which he has never received any Satisfaction , and praying to be allowed for the same. ...
#127 (p. 101) - 2 matching terms
Saturday, the 24th of March, 32 Geo. II. 1759.
[32nd year of King George II in power]
Resolved, That the Memorial of Walter Stewart;, a Captain in the first Virginia Regiment , is reasonable ; and that he ought to be allowed the Sum oi £27.10 for his Pay as Brigade- Major to the Virginia Troops from the seventh of June to the first of August last past. ...
#133 (p. 107) - 1 matching term
Walter Stewart's dates as Major from 7 June 1758 and ending 1 Aug 1758 corresponds to Halkett's letter to Colonel GW 2 Aug 1758:
It is necessary the Troops from Virginia should have a Brigade Major the same as Pinsylvania, and the General expects that you will be provided with one against you join, it is entirely a Provintial afair, & to be of your own appointing, the recommendation General Forbes leaves to you,
if it is to be Stewart, he must be as Captain to your Battalion, & Brigade Major,
an other Officer must be appointed Captain to the Troop, he already holds two Commissions, both as Captain in your Battalion & of the light Troop, his haveing more would be inconvenient. Major Shippen has ten shillings pr day extrordinary, allowd him by the Commissioners of Pinsylvania: for being Brigade Major.
Founders Online Footnote 2.
See Walter Steuart’s request of 20 July for GW’s support in getting this position. Halkett made it clear that the Virginians were free to appoint their own brigade major but made it equally clear that if they appointed Robert Stewart brigade major he would have to give up his command of the horse troop. See Halkett to GW, 2 August. 4
Stewart was reluctant to give up command of his troop bestowed on him by General Forbes lest he lose his chance for the regular commission that he coveted. See Stewart to GW, 8 August.
Nevertheless, GW and Byrd both recommended him to Fauquier, who wrote Byrd on 17 Aug. that it was “the Opinion of the Council that we had it not in our power to comply with your Request in relation to a Brigade-Major” because of the terms of the act of assembly for the support of the Virginia regiments (Reese, Fauquier, 1:60–62).
Although the Burgesses met again from 14 Sept. to 12 Oct., they made no provision for the position of brigade major. However, a memorial was presented on 8 Mar. 1759 in the House of Burgesses, “representing that the Commanding Officer of the Virginia Troops, by the Governor’s Approbation, appointed him [Robert Stewart] Brigade-Major, which Duty he performed, but as there was no Fund to pay him, he has never received any Satisfaction for his said Service, and praying the Consideration of this House.” The following day the House resolved “that the Allegations of the said Memorial are true; and that he ought to be allowed the Sum of £68.10, for four Months and fifteen Days Pay as Brigade-Major of the said Troops” (JHB, 1758–1761, 84, 86). This would have covered the time from 1 Aug. until mid-December, since Walter Steuart was paid as acting brigade major for almost two months preceding 1 Aug. (see Walter Steuart to GW, 20 July 1758, n.2).
See footnote 2
April 4, 1759
After the 2d Virginia Regiment was reduced at the end of 1758, the 1st Virginia Regiment, with William Byrd in command, was renewed until 1 Dec. 1759. The regiment could with the governor’s or commander in chief’s consent act in concert with regular British troops outside Virginia’s borders.
At the same time an additional 500 men were to be raised to fight exclusively on the western frontier of the colony itself (7 Hening 255–65). This frontier battalion, as it was called, was supposed to be commanded by Andrew Lewis, but since Lewis remained a French prisoner until November 1759, William Peachey acted as commanding officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The minutes of the Virginia council for 4 April 1759 contain the somewhat equivocal entry: “Approved of a List [of officers] produced by Governor—were of Opinion it would be better to leave a Vacency of a Field Officer in new Battalion, than in 1st Regiment—Approv’d of Major Lewis having the Command of it—and of Mr. Peachy acting as major, during his Absence, in 1st Regiment” (Exec. Journals of Virginia Council, 6:133).
Founders Online footnote 6
A letter from Robt Stewart to GW
Camp At Venango [Pa.] 2d October 1760
Some working notes on Robt Stewart
March 21, 1761
As there must be raw Officers on the Campaign with me I hope your Excellency will not take it amiss that I beg the Favour of you to allow Maj' Stuart' & Cap' McKinzie to continue in the Regiment till it returns from that Expedition. I would not take this Liberty Sir but that I well know they will be of great Advantage to the Service.
Col. Byrd's Letter to G. Amherst, March 21, 1761.
Footnote:
Robert Stewart; was one of the captains of the Virginia regiments at Braddock's Defeat and was in service in Washington's regiment at the time of the latter's retirement in December, 1758...
Robert McKenzie was a captain in the Virginia regiment in 1755 and was pre fen t at Braddock's Defeat.
#298 (p. 272) - 1 matching term
Setting the Record Straight on Major Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart (1729-1809) of the Virginia Regiment
Not the same person as Robert Stewart of Augusta County, Virginia
The Case of Lt. Colonel Robert Stewart
The text of this broadside, published by Lt. Col. Robert Stewart in 1785, was transcribed from a copy in the possession of Special Collections, University of Virginia Library
Robert Stewart on roster of Fort Necessity
At a Council held 16 Sept 1760
...Lewis dated Spring Hill the gth informing that the Garrison of Fort Loudoun had not march'd above 15 Miles before they were fir'd upon by a large Party of Indians; all the Officers kill'd (except Captain Stewart;) and about 25 of the Privates, the others made Prisoners and disposed thro' the Nation. The Council having considered this unhappy Incident, advised his Honour to send the above Orders to Colo. ..
#187 (p. 169) - 1 matching term
.
At a Council held 4 Nov 1773
900 acres for Robt Stewart
...., 6000, Andrew Fowler 400, Thomas Napp 400, the Representaſtive] of Arthur Watts decd. 400, John Fox, Assignee of Jesse May, 400, Franſcis] Self 400, Robert Stewart; 400, Robert Murphey 400, John Smith 400, Alexander Bonny 400, the Representative of William Horn decd. 400, and William McAnulty 400 Acres Another for the Tract of 7894 Acres to the following Persons, in the proportions mentioned after their Names, viz. ...
#567 (p. 549) - 1 matching term
The Uniforms
The first uniform for the regiment was conceived of as almost an afterthought while the newly formed regiment was recruiting and collecting provisions for its first campaign to oust the French from the Forks of the Ohio in 1754. In March, Washington remarked upon the poor state of clothing for the regiment and requested Dinwiddie to provide a uniform for the soldiers (Brock, v.1, 92). Later in the month a uniform consisting of "a Coat and Breeches of red Cloth" (Brock, v.1, 116) was decided upon. However, it seems that not enough uniforms were obtained on such short notice, because as late as June 28 (Washington surrendered at Fort Necessity on July 3) uniforms were still being sent from Alexandria (Abbot v.1, 153-54). Therefore only part of the regiment wore the red coat, while many of the rest had checked shirts, and apparently the pants in which they arrived to the service (Abbot, v.1, 141). In a 1757 letter to the new commander of British forces in America, Lord Loudoun, Washington stated that "the first Twelve Months of their [the soldiers] Service they received no clothing" (Abbot, v.4, 86). Washington�s comment indicates that the regiment had no real uniform in 1754.
Therefore it appears that the real first uniform followed the color scheme of blue with red facings; a scheme that was followed for the regiment�s entire existence. This uniform was ordered and purchased in London through John Hanbury in the fall of 1754 and arrived in March of 1755, in time for the regiment to leave Will�s Creek (Fort Cumberland) with General Edward Braddock on the ill-fated Fort Duquesne campaign. In spite of no order for the making of the uniforms having yet been found, there are a couple of hints that lead to a conclusion that this first uniform was blue. One, is a reference of Captain Robert Orme�s, in a description of the Battle of the Monongahela, to the "Virginia blues". The other reference is in a letter from Governor Dinwiddie to Captain Robert Stewart on 26 November 1754 advising him to purchase "some cheap blue Clothing" for his men while they await the arrival of the uniforms from Britain (Brock, v.1, 413). The quality of this first uniform seems to have been something less than the expectations for a standard uniform, for Washington described this uniform to Lord Loudoun as "a suit of thin sleazy Cloth without lining, and without Waistcoats except of sorry Flannel" (Abbot, v.4, 86).
When the Regiment was reorganized after the Braddock campaign with Washington as its colonel, the first orders concerning the uniform are extant. The regimental is ordered blue with red facings, a red waistcoat, and blue breeches. However, approximately one and one-half years would pass before the soldiers received their uniforms from London. The timing was fortuitous because they arrived just as several companies were to leave for Charles Town, South Carolina to act in conjunction with the British. These uniforms were apparently impressive to the British officers because the Virginia officers received several compliments on the appearance and bearing of their soldiers (Abbot, v.4, 373).
It appears that the regiment was kept in good uniforms for the remainder of their service, except during the 1758 Fort Duquesne campaign. Because their old uniforms were literally worn out, and the new ones had not arrived from England, the regiment was authorized by General John Forbes to wear Indian clothing (hunting shirts, breechcloths, and wool leggings) for the campaign. The new uniforms arrived before the end of the campaign, just as the colder fall weather was setting in. Deserter notices describing the regimental as late as May 1762 advertise a deserter having "a blue Coat, turnup with red", thus making it likely that the regiment used the red on blue color scheme from 1754 to 1762 (Pennsylvania Gazette, 29 July 1762).
The Uniforms� Appearance
It is no easy task to determine the probable appearance of the Virginia Regiment uniform. We know the color scheme, but not the style. Therefore, relying on standard military styling appears to be the safest conjecture, however this period was a transition period for the British army. There were several styles of gaiters, waistcoat tail lengths were changing, and more earth-toned colors for uniforms were being experimented with. Fortunately, Washington kept wonderfully meticulous records that can provide enough information to make very probable conjectures concerning the uniform of the Virginia forces. The red "uniform" may have been a single breasted coat or jacket. The following discussion relates to the first bonafide uniform that was manufactured in England.
,,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
