J. E. B. Stuart, popularly known by his nickname “Jeb,” was the chief of cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War (1861–1865). Stuart participated in the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859, and earned confederate hero status in 1862 when he led 1,200 troopers in a famous ride around Union general George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. In particular, he was praised for his ability to gather intelligence and act as Robert E. Lee’s “eyes and ears,” leading a second long ride later that year. At Chancellorsville (1863), Stuart temporarily led Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s corps when both Jackson and A. P. Hill were wounded, and helped to push Joseph Hooker’s forces back across the Rappahannock River.
Stuart cultivated himself as the epitome of Virginia’s mythical Cavalier, sporting a long beard and a plumed hat. He enjoyed staging elaborate reviews like the two near Brandy Station, Virginia, in June 1863. The day after the second review, Stuart’s troopers fended off a surprise attack in the largest cavalry battle of the war, but soon after, another long ride around the Union army failed, hampering Lee’s intelligence at the Battle of Gettysburg (1863). Stuart was wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern and died one day later on May 12, 1864.
Further Reading
- Davis, Burke. Jeb Stuart: The Last Cavalier. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1957.
- Garnett, Theodore Stanford. Riding with Stuart: Reminiscences of an Aide-de-Camp. Edited by Robert J. Trout. Shippensburg, Pa.: White Mane Publishing Co., 1994.
- Thomas, Emory M. Bold Dragoon: The Life of J. E. B. Stuart. New York: Harper & Row, 1986.
- Wert, Jeffrey D. Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J. E. B. Stuart. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.
This Vignette Provided By
This Vignette is drawn from an Encyclopedia Virginia entry by Thomas W. Cutrer, a professor of humanities, arts, and cultural studies at Arizona State University at the West campus in Glendale, Arizona.
