James Ewell Brown Stuart (1833-1864), better known by his initials as J. E. B. Stuart, was a Confederate cavalry general during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Known for his flashy style of dressing and his daring raids behind Union lines, Stuart became regarded as the 'eyes and ears' of General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army, often collecting valuable intelligence. His military career was brought to an abrupt end when he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern (11 May 1864), dying a day later.
Early Life
Stuart was born into a family with a long tradition of military service. His great-grandfather, Alexander Stuart, served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and fought the British at the Battle of Guilford Court House. His father, Archibald Stuart, continued the legacy of fighting the British, this time in the War of 1812 (1812-1815). After leaving the army, Archibald Stuart married Elizabeth Letcher Pannill and served a single term in Congress before settling down on the family plantation of Laurel Hill in Patrick County, Virginia. It was on this plantation that 'Jeb' Stuart was born on 6 February 1833, the eighth of eleven children, and the youngest son to survive childhood. The Stuarts were a family of high social status but were not particularly wealthy; nevertheless, they used and exploited their enslaved laborers to maintain their plantation and their position in Virginia society.
Jeb Stuart spent most of his childhood at home, being educated by his mother. In 1848, at the age of 15, he enrolled in Emory and Henry College and studied there for the next three years. Stuart had always dreamt of following in the martial footsteps of his forefathers, an ambition that was realized in 1850, when he was admitted into the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He enjoyed life at the academy; he was a popular student who was affectionately nicknamed 'Beauty' by his fellow cadets, an ironic joke since he was not perceived as handsome (Stuart grew a long beard after graduation to hide his 'short and retiring chin', and his friends were forced to admit that it significantly improved his appearance). He graduated in 1854, ranking 13th in a class of 48; in the specific category of 'cavalry tactics', he ranked tenth in his class.
Breveted as a second lieutenant in the US Army, Stuart was assigned to the Regiment of Mounted Rifles in Texas and spent the first months of his military career fighting the Apache. In 1855, he was promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to the 1st Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Fort Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory. It was here that he met Flora Cooke, the daughter of a cavalry colonel. Stuart was instantly smitten; only two weeks after meeting her, he wrote to a cousin that "I have been riding with [a lady] nearly every suitable evening. I hardly expected so much refinement on the frontier…I'm bound to be married before I am 23" (quoted in Davis, 36). Indeed, after a whirlwind courtship of only two months, Jeb and Flora were married in November 1855, though the death of Stuart's father forced them to call off the elaborate wedding ceremony they had planned. The couple would have three children: Flora Stuart (1857-1862), James Ewell Brown Stuart Jr. (1860-1930), and Virginia Pelham Stuart (1863-1898). They also had two slaves, one of whom was inherited from Stuart's father, the other purchased.
Bleeding Kansas & Harper's Ferry
As Stuart was settling into his new life as a married man, chaos and bloodshed were breaking out in his adopted home of Kansas. This period of intense violence, known as Bleeding Kansas (1854-1859), was sparked by the question of whether Kansas would be admitted into the Union as a slave state or a free state. Electoral fraud, beatings, and even murders became commonplace as the pro-slavery faction (Border Ruffians) waged open war against the anti-slavery faction (Free Soilers); the abolitionist John Brown (1800-1859) gained infamy during this period for massacring pro-slavery settlers. US soldiers like Stuart struggled to keep the peace as the two factions constantly carried out acts of retaliatory violence. At the same time, conflict had broken out with local Native Americans. Indeed, Stuart was wounded in the chest during a skirmish with the Cheyenne on 29 July 1857. The wound was not serious; as he wrote to Flora, "I rejoice to inform you that the wound is not regarded as dangerous, though I may be confined to my bed for weeks" (quoted in Davis, 40).
In 1858, as the violence in the territory finally began to subside, Stuart moved to Fort Riley with Flora and their newborn daughter. While there, he invented a new piece of cavalry equipment called the saber hook, which allowed cavalry troopers to more easily attach their sabers to their belts. In 1859, Stuart went to Washington, D.C., hoping to sell his invention to the War Department – he was still in the capital when he learned of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (16-18 October 1859).
Brown, hoping to instigate a slave revolt in the Southern states, had seized the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry as well as several hostages; he and his followers were now surrounded by several armed citizens and local militiamen. Stuart raced to Harpers Ferry and volunteered to be aide-de-camp to Colonel Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), who had taken command of the US marines and militia troops surrounding Brown's raiders. Lee sent Stuart to deliver his terms of surrender to Brown; under a white flag of truce, Stuart talked for a long time with the abolitionist, whom he recognized as "old Osawatomie Brown, who had given us so much trouble in Kansas" (quoted in Davis, 10). When it became clear that Brown would not surrender, Stuart stepped aside and waved his hat, the prearranged signal for the marines to storm the arsenal. The fight was over in three minutes – Brown was wounded, arrested, and hanged two months later.
Siding with the South
By the end of 1860, tensions over the question of slavery – which had led to the bloodshed in Kansas and at Harpers Ferry – reached their boiling point. The victory of the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) in the US presidential election of 1860 triggered a wave of slave-holding Southern states to secede from the Union. Virginia seceded on 17 April 1861, and Stuart, like many of his fellow Southerners, valued loyalty to his home state over loyalty to the Union and resigned from the US Army on 3 May. Several days later, he was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel in the newly formed Confederate Army and was ordered to report to General Thomas J. 'Stonewall' Jackson (1824-1863) at Harpers Ferry. Jackson quickly saw potential in the young officer, placing Stuart in command of the 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment and helping secure his promotion to the rank of colonel.
Stuart quickly made an impression on the men under his command; one man described him as being "a little above medium height, broad-shouldered and powerful built, ruddy complexion and blue-gray eyes which could flash fire" (quoted in Davis, 54). He was also known to dress ostentatiously, often sporting a red-lined gray cape, yellow waist sash, and black hat cocked to one side with a large ostrich plume. This showiness was certainly matched by his daring leadership in battle. On 21 July 1861, at the First Battle of Bull Run (or Battle of First Manassas), Stuart mistook a regiment of New York Fire Zouaves for a similarly clad Alabama regiment. Believing that they were friendly troops about to retreat, Stuart galloped toward them shouting, "Don't run boys, we're here!" By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late to turn back – instead, Stuart dug his spurs into the side of his horse and led his cavalry troopers in a mad charge, their raised sabers gleaming in the summer sun. The Zouaves panicked and fled, and before long, the entire Union army was running back to Washington. For days afterward, sensationalist Northern newspapers printed stories about the Confederate 'black horse' cavalry, stoking fear around Stuart and his riders. On 24 September 1861, Stuart was promoted to brigadier general for his actions at Bull Run.
The next year, the Northern Army of the Potomac launched the Peninsula Campaign (March-July 1862), the Union's first large-scale invasion of Virginia. Led by Major General George B. McClellan (1826-1885), the Northern troops sought to maneuver around the Southern army and seize the Confederate capital of Richmond. On 12 June 1862, Stuart left Richmond with 1,200 cavalry troopers and, over the course of the next three days, circumnavigated the Army of the Potomac, collecting intelligence, booty, and 165 prisoners. Stuart's so-called 'Ride Around McClellan' supplied General Robert E. Lee with the intelligence he needed to launch a counteroffensive, resulting in the Confederate victory in the Seven Days' Battles (25 June to 1 July 1862) and the repulse of McClellan's invasion. The incident turned Stuart into a hero for the South and cemented his popular image as a dashing Southern cavalier – upon his return to Richmond, rose petals were thrown in his path by adoring crowds. He was promoted to major general and given command of the cavalry corps of Lee's army, the Army of Northern Virginia.
The Southern Cavalier
On 21 August 1862, Stuart was nearly captured in a Union raid, during which he lost his signature plumed hat and cape. The next night, Stuart led a retaliatory raid against the Union headquarters at Catlett's Station – under the cover of what Stuart would remember as "the darkest night I ever knew", the Confederate raiders surprised the enemy camp, taking 200 prisoners, a payroll chest full of $350,000, and a dispatch book containing vital Union messages. Stuart also satisfied his honor by capturing the personal tent and full dress uniform of the Union commander, Major General John Pope (1822-1892). A few days later, at the Second Battle of Bull Run (or Battle of Second Manassas; 30-31 August 1862), Stuart's cavalry aided a massive Confederate infantry assault led by Major General James Longstreet (1821-1904), and proceeded to pursue the retreating Federal troops.
During Lee's invasion of Maryland, Stuart's division conducted reconnaissance and screened the Southern army against Union cavalry probes; this gave Lee valuable time to concentrate his army into a defensive position behind Antietam Creek. After the ensuing Battle of Antietam (17 September 1862) – the bloodiest single-day battle in American history – Stuart covered Lee's army as it withdrew back into Virginia. From 10 to 12 October, he circumnavigated the entire Union army for a second time, riding 126 miles (203 km) in under 60 hours and capturing many horses and supplies. Though Stuart's second 'Ride Around McClellan' had little military significance, it was enough to humiliate McClellan and raise the morale of Lee's army, still smarting from its failed invasion of the North. At the urging of President Lincoln, the Northern army pressed into Virginia, and Stuart skirmished with the Union cavalry several times in early November. On 6 November, he received a telegram informing him that his infant daughter Flora had died of typhoid fever.
Shaken by the death of his child, Stuart nevertheless continued to perform vital tasks for Lee's army. At the Battle of Fredericksburg (11-15 December 1862), his cavalry protected Stonewall Jackson's flank. Then, shortly after Christmas, he led 1,800 cavalry troopers in yet another raid against the Union lines, capturing 250 prisoners as well as horses, mules, and supplies. His men tapped into telegraph lines, allowing him to intercept important messages between Northern commanders; Stuart took the opportunity to send a taunting personal telegram to the Union Quartermaster-General, asking him to "please furnish better mules; those you have furnished recently are very inferior" (quoted in Davis, 263). At the Battle of Chancellorsville (30 April – 6 May 1863), Stuart's scouts discovered the exposed flank of the Union army, allowing Jackson's corps to conduct a devastating flanking maneuver that succeeded in crushing the right wing of the Northern army. When Jackson was mortally wounded on 2 May, Stuart was given temporary command of his corps.
Brandy Station & Gettysburg
On 5 June 1863, while bivouacked at Brandy Station, Virginia, Stuart conducted a field review of all his troops, including 9,000 mounted troopers and four batteries of horse artillery. He held a second large-scale review three days later, leading some of his men to grumble that he was wasting time and doing nothing other than fueling his ego. The review was noticed by Union scouts, who feared that such a large concentration of cavalrymen meant that Stuart was planning a raid against their supply lines. They decided to strike first; on 9 June 1863, Union Major General Alfred Pleasonton led 8,000 cavalrymen and 3,000 infantrymen in an assault on Stuart's position, catching the Confederates by surprise. The resultant Battle of Brandy's Station was the largest cavalry battle of the war. Though Pleasonton eventually withdrew after ten hours of fighting, Stuart was shaken by the encounter, and the battle destroyed the perception of the Southern cavalry as invincible.
To redeem his injured pride, Stuart asked Lee for permission to mount a raid in the direction of Washington, D.C. Although Lee reluctantly approved, he was in the midst of planning his second invasion of the North, and needed Stuart's troopers as his 'eyes and ears'; he therefore ordered Stuart to maintain contact with the army and provide consistent intelligence reports. On 28 June 1863, Stuart captured 125 Union supply wagons in a raid near Rockville, Maryland. Rather than burn them, he opted to bring the wagons back to Lee's army as a prize, a move that significantly lessened his mobility. As a result, he was unable to provide Lee with valuable intelligence in the hours leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg (1-3 July 1863). When he rejoined the army on the evening of 2 July, the battle was already underway, and his cavalrymen were of little help. On 3 July, Stuart was ordered to carry out a flanking maneuver but was intercepted and repulsed by Union cavalry under Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876). Stuart's performance at Gettysburg has long been subject to criticism, with some even blaming him for the Confederate defeat.
Throughout the winter of 1863-64, Stuart continued to conduct reconnaissance missions, though by now, the Confederate cavalry no longer enjoyed the clear superiority that it had once held – this was partially due to the loss of veteran cavalrymen, but also because the Union had occupied much of the prime horse-raising country in West Virginia, Missouri, and Kentucky. The rise of the talented Philip H. Sheridan (1831-1888) to the command of the Union cavalry also hindered Stuart's ability to sneak behind enemy lines. At the Battle of the Wilderness (5-7 May 1864), Stuart provoked a fight with Custer's better-armed brigade that resulted in heavy losses and earned him a rebuke from Lee, who told him to "save your cavalry and not wear it out." As the Army of Northern Virginia withdrew toward Spotsylvania Court House, Stuart's cavalry acted as a rearguard and fought several delaying actions against the Union cavalry.
Death & Legacy
By this point, Sheridan was anxious to "move out in force against Stuart's command, and whip it." He received permission from the Union general-in-chief, Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), to lead a raid against the Confederate supply and railroad lines, in the hopes of luring Stuart out into a final showdown. The plan worked – Stuart rode out with 3,000 troopers to intercept Sheridan's 10,000 cavalrymen. They clashed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern (11 May 1864) near an abandoned inn six miles (10 km) north of Richmond, Virginia. After three hours of fighting, Stuart was leading a countercharge when a Union bullet struck his abdomen and exited an inch to the right of his spine. Stuart was taken to the Richmond home of his brother-in-law, Dr. Charles Bower, where he spent the next several hours in great agony. He died at 7:38 p.m. on 12 May 1864, at the age of 31; his last words were, "I am resigned; God's will be done."
In death, Stuart became a martyr for the Confederacy, which did not long outlive him, as the war ended almost a year after his death. In the ensuing decades, he took on an almost legendary status as the 'knight-errant' of the American South and one of the greatest cavalry leaders in American history. Proponents of the pseudohistorical 'Lost Cause of the Confederacy' movement still look to him in their efforts to whitewash the motives of the Confederate States of America, and pretend that the war was not about slavery. Yet it is important to remember that, beneath all the heroics and battlefield valor, Stuart was nevertheless a slaveholder who knowingly fought for the preservation of a society predicated on the maintenance and expansion of slavery.
