impressionguidelines

"the young Ladies here are very sociable but are strong secesh, thare is hardly a house but
contains Some of the fair sex . . . I feal more at home here than eney place that I have been . . .
I tell you it is hard for me to think that I have to fight against . . .
thare brothers I cant but help fealing for them altho they differ with me."
-- Union soldier A. F. Cowles, in a letter to his brother written from
King George County Court House (7 miles from Cleydael), January 8, 1863.

Impression Guidelines:

Stuart Family -- Dr. and Mrs. Stuart were quite wealthy people and very well connected. Mrs. Stuart was a cousin of Mrs. Robert E. Lee. They had relatives in Maryland, in Richmond and in Northern Virginia, so if those of you who are staying over don't feel comfortable developing an impression of someone from King George County, go ahead and be a house guest. House guests would also be from upper levels of Virginia society, so wear your best. (Although you COULD also be a gentlewoman in reduced circumstances who had to refugee to Richmond). The Stuarts were also quite democratic for the era and had a wide circle of friends in the local community including many people from the middling / small farmer classes. If your core impression is more yeomanry focused, it would be better to portray someone from King George (I can help you on local knowledge, etc)

The Stuarts had four surviving daughters in 1862, two of whom were married and living nearby. It would be fun to have people portray them. Rosalie was 27, Margaret was 25, Ada was 20, and Caroline was 17. Let me know if anybody is interested! They also had two teenaged sons -- might be bad luck to have someone portray them, as they died later in 1862 (Scarlet Fever). Also, Mary Custis Lee (the Lee's elder and very bossy daughter) was staying at Cedar Grove (the Stuart's plantation on the river) at this time and could be a fun impression!

Local people -- a local middle class woman who would be fun to portray would be Mrs. Elizabeth Quesenberry, a widow in semi-reduced circumstances, although she'd been well born in Georgetown DC. Mrs Quesenberry later figured prominently in Booth's escape. Another local family, more yeomanry in class, were the Bryans. Wealthier local families included the Fitzhughs, Washingtons, Grymes', Footes, Hooes and various Stuart and Lomax cousins Or, you could just be a generic person.

Options for African-American Portrayals: The Stuarts were large slaveowners, but they also had a track record over several generations of manumitting favored slaves and enabling those who were skilled artisans to buy their freedom. During the War, the cook and butler at Cleydael were a free black married couple named Julian and Patsy Dixon, in their early 40's. About 1/2 mile down the road, their free black tenants, Mr and Mrs. William Lucas and their teenaged son Charlie ran a small wagonneering business and were also later to figure prominently in Booth's escape.

Historical Background: Cleydael is the Stuarts' summer home. Their main house, Cedar Grove, is much larger, located on the Potomac. However, Dr. Stuart has moved his family to Cleydael for safety's sake as there are Yankee gunboats going up and down the Potomac and the pier at Cedar Grove is a key point for CS intelligence and blockade running operations, in which Dr. Stuart is heavily involved. A few years later, he will be twice imprisoned by the Federals for his suspected involvement. The main HQ of the Confederate signal corps is on the Grymes' property, adjacent to Cedar Grove. The area hasn't seen much action in the War yet but there are CS soldiers all over the area because of it's strategic importance in the communications line from Richmond. However, one of the first battles was a naval battle off Mathias Point (near Cedar Grove) in '61

For more information on Cleydael, the Stuart family, and links to local history websites, follow the links on the Cleydael website.

Cleydael is a private home. please respect our privacy and do not visit without an invitation. (Unless, of course, you're somebody we know, in which case y'all come!!
-- but phone first and give us a heads up and be expected to be handed a paint brush!)

Cleydael's History:
History & Owners |  Architecture | The Stuarts | What's in a Name? | | Calverts & Stiers
Lee Connections|  | Other Relations | African Americans | Booth at Cleydael
Jo-Anne Coe: In Memoriam
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