James
Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stuart
1833-1864
Known
as "Jeb," Stuart was probably the most famous cavalryman of the War
for Southern Independence. A Virginia-born West Pointer (1854), Stuart was already a veteran of Indian
fighting on the plains and of Bleeding Kansas when, as a first lieutenant in the
1st Cavalry, he carried orders for Robert E. Lee to proceed to Harpers Ferry to
crush John Brown's raid. Stuart, volunteering as aide-de-camp, went along and
read the ultimatum to Brown before the assault in which he distinguished
himself. Promoted to captain on April 22, 196 1, Stuart resigned on May 14,
1861, having arrived on the 6th in Richmond and been made a lieutenant colonel
of Virginia infantry.
His later appointments included:
captain of Cavalry, CSA (May 24, 186 1); colonel, 1st Virginia Cavalry (July 16,
1861); brigadier general, CSA (September 24, 1861); and major general, CSA July
25, 1862). His commands in the Army of Northern Virginia included: Cavalry
Brigade (October 22, 1861 - July 28, 1862); Cavalry Division July 28, 1862 -
September 9, 1863); temporarily Jackson's 2nd Corps (May 3-6, 1863); and Cavalry
Corps (September 9, 1863 - May 11, 1864).
After early service in the Shenandoah
Valley, Stuart led his regiment in the battle of 1st Manassas and participated
in the pursuit of the routed Federals. He then directed the army's outposts
until given command of the cavalry brigade. Besides leading the cavalry in the
Army of Northern Virginia's fights at the Seven Days, 2nd Manassas, Sharpsburg,
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness, Stuart was
also a raider. Twice he led his command around McClellan's army, once in the
Peninsula Campaign and once after the battle of Sharpsburg. While these exploits
were not that important militarily, they provided a boost to the Southern
morale. During the 2nd Manassas Campaign, he lost his famed plumed hat and cloak
to pursuing Federals. In a later Confederate raid, Stuart managed to overrun
Union army commander Pope's headquarters and capture his full uniform and orders
that provided Lee with much valuable intelligence. At the end of 1862, Stuart
led a raid north of the Rappahannock River, inflicting some 230 casualties while
losing only 27 of his own men.
At Chancellorsville he took over
command of his friend Stonewall Jackson's Corps after that officer had been
mortally wounded by his own men. Returning to the cavalry shortly after, he
commanded the Southern horsemen in the largest cavalry engagement ever fought on
the American continent, Brandy Station, on June 9, 1863. Although the battle was
a draw, the Confederates did hold the field. However, the fight represented the
rise of the Union cavalry and foreshadowed the decline of the formerly
invincible Southern mounted arm. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Stuart, acting
under ambiguous orders, again circled the Union army, but in the process
deprived Lee of his eyes and ears while in enemy territory. Arriving late on the
second day of the battle, Stuart failed the next day to get into the enemy's
rear flank, being defeated by Generals Gregg and Custer.
During Grant's drive on Richmond in
the spring of 1864, Stuart halted Sheridan's cavalry at Yellow Tavern on the
outskirts of Richmond on May 11. In the fight he was mortally wounded and died
the next day in the rebel capital. He is buried in Hollywood Cemetery there.
Like his intimate friend, Stonewall Jackson, General Stuart soon became a
legendary figure, ranking as one of the great cavalry commanders of America. His
death marked the beginning of the decline of the superiority which the
Confederate horse had enjoyed over that of the Union. Stuart was a son-in-law of
Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke of the Federal service; his wife's
brother was Brigadier General John Rogers Cooke of the Confederacy. (Davis,
Burke, JEB Stuart: The Last Cavalier)