Roger Preston Chew (April 9, 1843 – March 16, 1921) was a noted horse artillery commander in the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. After the war, he was a prominent

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

businessman and railroad executive, as well as a West Virginia legislator.

Early life

Chew was born into a prominent family in

Loudoun County, Virginia Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. Loudoun County's seat is Leesburg. Loudoun ...

. His father was Roger Chew and his mother the former Sarah Aldridge. The family moved to

Charles Town, West Virginia Charles Town is a city in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, and is also the county seat. The population was 5,259 at the 2010 census. It is named for its founder Charles Washington, youngest brother of President George Washington. ...

(then Virginia) when Roger was three years old, and he attended the Charles Town Academy, and later the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

. The Chew family owned The Hermitage, one of the oldest houses in western Virginia.

American Civil War

With the outbreak of the Civil War, young Chew raised a battery of horse artillery, "Chew's Battery," which eventually became part of the famous Laurel Brigade under

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, considered one of the best-known Confederate commanders, after Robert E. Lee. He played a prominent role in nearl ...

's command. He and his brother John A. Chew participated in all Jackson's campaigns until Jackson's death in May 1863. Chew also led raids into Union-occupied Middleway, West Virginia in February 1863, and Charles Town on May 12, 1863. Despite his youth, Roger Chew was promoted to the chief of the cavalry's guns under

J.E.B. Stuart James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart (February 6, 1833May 12, 1864) was a United States Army officer from Virginia who became a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb,” from the initials of ...

. He then served through the Gettysburg Campaign, the Wilderness,

Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 186 ...

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

, and the Appomattox Campaign. After the war, Roger Chew and his brother Robert rebuilt the family farm. In 1871, Roger married Louise Fontaine Washington, daughter of the last owner of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

at Blakeley, and the couple would eventually have 6 children. Her father

John Augustine Washington John Augustine Washington (January 13, 1736–January 8, 1787; nicknamed "Jack") was a Virginia planter, slave owner and politician, perhaps best known as the younger brother of General (then President) George Washington or the father of Supreme ...

had served on General Lee's staff until killed in action in late 1861. Louise Chew purchased Blakeley from her financially struggling uncle in 1875, and maintained it until its sale in 1892. Roger Chew engaged in numerous business ventures, including as the president of the Eagle Manufacturing Company. From 1882 until 1888, he also served in the House of Delegates. In 1883, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad constructed what became known as Chew's Siding, a private spur that led from the main line to Chew's business. In 1890, Chew and several business partners formed the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company and Chew became its first president.

Death and legacy

Chew died in Charles Town in 1921 and is buried in the Zion Episcopal Church graveyard, as are his wife (who died in 1927) and brother (who died in 1898).

Notes

References

* Longacre, Edward G., ''Lee's Cavalrymen: A History of the Mounted Forces of the Army of Northern Virginia'', Stackpole Books, 2002, .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chew, R. Preston 1843 births 1921 deaths Military personnel from West Virginia American railroad executives Businesspeople from West Virginia Confederate States Army officers People from Charles Town, West Virginia People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Washington family Burials at Zion Episcopal Churchyard (Charles Town, West Virginia)