I pray that all of you dads out there had a wonderful Father's Day. Mine was extremely busy, but blessed. This morning I wanted to post something related and decided to quote an excerpt from my religious bio on J.E.B. Stuart titled "Christian Cavalier." I spent quite a few pages in the beginning of this book tracing his ancestry and presenting J.E.B.'s family and upbringing. I also described his grandfather and father as being men of great virtue and how I believe their positive influence on the flamboyant and impressionable Stuart kept him on the ‘straight and narrow.’ One example that I used to illustrate this dealt with his conduct at West Point and how his father handled the situation:

Despite his success in the classroom, there was one negative and recurring experience during J.E.B.’s pursuit of higher education. It is seldom discussed, rarely documented and in retrospect, a bit difficult to believe. Due to the lack pictorial references during Stuart’s formative years, we only have the accounts of those that knew him personally. Unlike the handsome cavalier we have seen in photographic portraits, J.E.B. was rumored to have suffered from a facial deformity. One photo does exist on record (left) that was taken in Washington shortly after Stuart’s graduation that somewhat supports this theory. In it, J.E.B. appears as a sullen 21 year-old without his trademark beard. Although his chin is partially covered in shadow, the lack of a strong jaw is evident. Major H. B. McClellan later recalled the malformation as well as the resulting heartache caused by malicious upperclassmen that teased Stuart.

His face was marked by one feature, which would have misled a physiognomist in predicting his character and future. A prominent chin, and firmly set lips, are generally considered indicative of firmness and tenacity of purpose. But Stuart’s chin was so short and retiring as positively to disfigure his otherwise fine countenance; and among the cadets at West Point he bore the nickname of “Beauty Stuart,” a lucus a non-lucendo. This disfigurement was, in maturer years, entirely concealed by a wealth of flowing brown beard, above which appeared a well-shaped nose and a broad and high forehead.

As a result, J.E.B. was often involved in physical altercations that dramatically contrasted his academic performance. Although his grades were impressive, the list of yearly disciplinary actions marred his record significantly. One letter sent from his father during his third year issued a mild warning:

I am proud to say that your conduct has given me entire satisfaction. I heard, it is true (but no thanks to you for the information) of the little scrape in which you involved yourself; but I confess, from what I understand of the transaction, I did not consider you much to blame. An insult should be resented under all circumstances. If a man in your circumstances gain credit by submitting to an insult as a strict observer of discipline, he loses more in proportion in his standing as a gentleman and man of courage.

However, six months later, his father’s tone changed significantly as he 'scolded' his son:

I have received your letter, and much regret that you have been involved in another fighting scrape. My dear son, I can excuse more readily a fault of the sort you have committed, in which you maintained your character as a man of honor and courage, than almost any other. But I hope you will hereafter, as far as possible, avoid getting into difficulties in which such maintenance may be determined at your hands.

Unfortunately this also would not be the last incident. By the time of his graduation, Stuart’s conduct rating stood at one hundred and three out of two hundred and six with 129 total demerits. Fortunately, J.E.B.’s suffering over his appearance would soon come to an end. Several months later, while serving in the frontier, Stuart began to cultivate his infamous cinnamon beard and mustache. To a friend he proudly wrote:

My beard (which by the way is in a flourishing condition) has so much altered my physique that you could not recognize me. Davant says that I am the only man he ever saw that a beard improved.