---
title: Stuart's Ride Around McClellan: J. Esten Cooke's Account of the Famous Expedition
author: Joshua J. Mark
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/3024/stuarts-ride-around-mcclellan/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 2026-11-12
---
# Stuart's Ride Around McClellan: J. Esten Cooke's Account of the Famous Expedition
_Authored by [Joshua J. Mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/JPryst/)_
Toward the end of Union Major General [George B. McClellan](https://www.worldhistory.org/George_B._McClellan/)'s [Peninsula Campaign](https://www.worldhistory.org/Peninsula_Campaign/) (17 March to 1 July 1862) during the [American Civil War](https://www.worldhistory.org/American_Civil_War/), Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was seriously wounded at the [Battle](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/battle/) of Seven Pines (Battle of Fair Oaks, 31 May to 1 June 1862) and was replaced by the far more aggressive General [Robert E. Lee](https://www.worldhistory.org/Robert_E._Lee/).
McClellan did nothing after Seven Pines, allowing Lee to strengthen the defenses around Richmond and to reform his forces into the [Army of Northern Virginia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Army_of_Northern_Virginia/). His next step was to find out the strengths and weaknesses of his enemy's position, and he called on Brigadier General [J. E. B. Stuart](https://www.worldhistory.org/J._E._B._Stuart/) for the job.
[  J. E. B. Stuart's Ride Around McClellan, June 1862 Henry Alexander Ogden (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20527/j-e-b-stuarts-ride-around-mcclellan-june-1862/ "J. E. B. Stuart's Ride Around McClellan, June 1862")Lee's orders to Stuart were to make a secret cavalry movement behind enemy lines, ascertain whether the right flank of the Union Army was unguarded and open to attack, gain whatever other intelligence he could, appropriate supplies (especially food and weapons), and return as soon as this was accomplished. Stuart suggested another course, as given by scholar Stephen W. Sears:
> Instead of simply examining the Yankees' flank and returning as they came, why not continue on, making a complete circuit of McClellan's army and returning to Richmond by way of the James River shoreline?
> (168)
Whether Lee approved the plan is unknown, but there is no evidence he opposed it. Stuart left on the expedition that became known as the "Ride Around McClellan" on 12 June 1862 with a force of 1,200 handpicked cavalrymen including Fitzhugh Lee (Lee's nephew), W. H. F. "Rooney" Lee (Lee's second son), and John Esten Cooke, first cousin of Stuart's wife, Flora Cooke Stuart, and a popular Southern novelist, writer, and poet.
Stuart and his men traveled 100 miles (160 km) between 12 and 15 June, engaged enemy cavalry, took prisoners, horses, and weapons, destroyed a vital Union [railroad](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Railroad/) track and supply wagons, cut communication lines, evaded the pursuit of Union Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke (Stuart's father-in-[law](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/law/)) and Union Colonel Gouverneur K. Warren, losing only one man and one cannon along the way.
Stuart provided Lee with the necessary information on McClellan's position, and, with this, Lee prepared his offensive campaign known as the Seven Days Battles (25 June to 1 July 1862), ending McClellan's Peninsula Campaign and preventing the Union capture of Richmond.
The ride humiliated McClellan, made Stuart a national hero in the South, and immortalized him as the epitome of the daring Confederate cavalier. He would embarrass McClellan again months later in Maryland during the Raid on Chambersburg (10-12 October 1862), when he repeated this same performance, known as "Stuart's Second Ride Around McClellan."
As with the first ride, McClellan failed to stop Stuart in Maryland, and this, combined with McClellan's disappointing Peninsula Campaign and refusal to pursue Lee following the Battle of Antietam (17 September 1862), led President [Abraham Lincoln](https://www.worldhistory.org/Abraham_Lincoln/) to relieve McClellan of command of the Army of the Potomac.
### John Esten Cooke
Helping to elevate Stuart's status in all this was John Esten Cooke (1830-1886), a Virginia lawyer who abandoned his practice to pursue a literary career, becoming a popular poet and novelist between 1854 and the outbreak of the [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/) in 1861. He fought at the [First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas)](https://www.worldhistory.org/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run_(First_Manassas)/) on 21 July 1861 and afterwards regularly wrote articles on the war that were published in Southern newspapers.
In 1862, he began to serve as an aide to J. E. B. Stuart and regularly praised him highly in his articles. Stuart confided to his wife that he found Cooke to be a tedious bore, but there is no evidence he ever expressed this to Cooke, nor that Cooke ever knew of it.
[  John Esten Cooke Unknown Artist (CC BY-NC-SA) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/22329/john-esten-cooke/ "John Esten Cooke")Cooke served throughout the war, becoming part of the staff of Brigadier General William N. Pendleton after Stuart was killed at the [Battle of Yellow Tavern](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2854/battle-of-yellow-tavern/) (11 May 1864), and left service as a major. After the war, he continued his literary career and became a proponent of the "Lost Cause" myth, which claimed the war had nothing to do with slavery, was entirely about states' rights, and was only won because of Northern industrial superiority and manpower.
Among his post-war works, one of the more highly regarded is *The Wearing of the Gray: Being Personal Portraits, Scenes, and Adventures of the War* (1867), which includes a chapter on the "Ride Around McClellan." Cooke romanticizes the ride, and especially Stuart, but his account is considered highly accurate and is routinely cited by historians as a primary source on the event.
Cooke died, probably of typhoid fever, at his home in Virginia on 27 September 1886. Although his books have generally fallen out of favor, they helped promote the "Lost Cause" myth in the early 20th century and provided some of the most enduring images of Confederate figures, including [Stonewall Jackson](https://www.worldhistory.org/Stonewall_Jackson/), Lee, and Stuart.
### Text
The following excerpt is taken from *The Civil War: The South*, pp. 78-90, edited by Thomas Streissguth, where it appears under the title, *The Ride Around McClellan* and is taken from Cooke's *The Wearing of the Gray*.
Another account of the 1862 event, by Private Richard E. Frayser, *Riding Around McClellan's Army with Jeb Stuart* (1883) is as accurate and far less romanticized than Cooke's; but Cooke, as a novelist, provides a faster-paced and more entertaining tale than Frayser, who served as a guide on the expedition.
Ellipses below indicate text omitted in the interests of space and word count. Some events, like the destruction of the railroad, have been omitted for the same reasons. Readers are encouraged to experience the whole of Cooke's piece either in the Streissguth book or Cooke's own. Subtitles throughout are given by Streissguth.
> Who that went with Stuart on his famous "Ride around McClellan" in the summer of 1862, just before the bloody battles of the Chickahominy, will ever forget the fun, the frolic, the romance – and the peril too – of that fine journey?
> Thinking of the gay ride now, when a century seems to have swept between that epoch and the present, I recall every particular, live over every emotion. Once more, I hear the ringing laugh of Stuart and see the keen flash of the blue eyes under the black feather of the prince of cavaliers!...
> \[A plan was considered\] to attack the Federal army on the north bank of the Chickahominy, drive it from its works, and try the issue in the fields around Cold Harbor. The great point was to ascertain if this was practicable and, especially, to find what defenses, if any, the enemy had to guard the approach to their right wing. If these were slight, the attack could be made with fair prospects of success.
> …To find the character of the enemy's works beyond the stream – his positions and movements – General Stuart was directed to take a portion of his cavalry, advance as far as Old Church, if practicable, and then be guided by circumstances. Such were the orders with which Stuart set out about moonrise on the night, I think, of June 12, upon this dangerous expedition.
> **A Thundering Gallop**
> As the young cavalier mounted his horse on that moonlit night, he was a gallant figure to look at. The gray coat buttoned to the chin; the light French sabre balanced by the pistol in its black holster; the cavalry boots above the knee, and the brown hat with its black plume floating above the bearded features, the brilliant eyes, and the huge moustache, which curled with laughter at the slightest provocation – these made Stuart the perfect picture of a gay cavalier, and the spirited horse he rode seemed to feel that he carried one whose motto was to "do or die."…
> Catching up with his [column](https://www.worldhistory.org/column/) of about \[1200 horsemen\], and two pieces of horse-artillery under Colonels William H.F. Lee, Fitz Lee, and Will T. Martin of Mississippi…Stuart pushed on northward as if going to join Jackson, and reaching the vicinity of Taylorsville, near Hanover Junction, went that night into bivouac.
> He embraced the opportunity, after midnight, of riding with Colonel W.H.F. Lee to "Hickory Hill", the residence of Colonel Williams Wickham… Here he went to sleep in his chair after talking with Colonel Wickham, narrowly escaped capture from the enemy rear, and returning before daylight, advanced with his column straight upon Hannover Court House.
> Have you ever visited this picturesque spot, reader? We looked upon it on that day of June – upon its old brick courthouse, where [Patrick Henry](https://www.worldhistory.org/Patrick_Henry/) made his famous speech against the parsons, its ancient tavern, its modest roofs, the whole surrounded by the fertile fields waving with golden grain – all this we looked at with unusual interest.
> For in this little bird's nest, lost as it were in a sea of rippling wheat and waving foliage, some Yankee cavalry had taken up their abode; their horses stood ready saddled in the street, and this dark mass we now gazed at furtively from behind a wooden knoll, in rear of which Stuart's column was drawn up ready to move at the word.
> Before he gave the signal, the General dispatched Colonel Fitz Lee round to the right, to flank and cut off the party. But all at once the scouts in front were descried by the enemy; shouts resounded; and seeing that his presence was discovered, Stuart gave the word and swept at a thundering gallop down the hill.
> The startled "blue birds", as we used to call our Northern friends, did not wait; the squadron on picket at the courthouse, numbering some one hundred and fifty men, hastily got to horse – then, presto! – they disappear in a dense cloud of dust from which echo some parting salutes from their carbines.
> Stuart pressed on rapidly, took the road to Old Church, and near a place called Hawes' Shop, in a thickly wooded spot, was suddenly charged himself. It did not amount to much and seemed rather an attempt at reconnaissance. A Federal officer at the head of a detachment came on at full gallop, very nearly ran into the head of our column, and then seeing the dense mass of gray coats, fired his pistol, wheeled short about, and went back at full speed with his detachment.
> Stuart had given, in his ringing voice, the order: "Form fours! Draw Sabre! Charge!" and now the Confederate people pursued at headlong speed, uttering shouts and yells sufficient to awaken the Seven Sleepers! The men were evidently exhilarated by the chase, the enemy just keeping near enough to make an occasional shot practicable.
> A considerable number of the Federal cavalrymen were overtaken and captured, and these proved to belong to the company in which Colonel Fitz Lee had formerly been a lieutenant. I could not refrain from laughter at the pleasure which "Colonel Fitz" seemed to take in inquiring after his old cronies. "Was Brown alive? Where was Jones? And was Robinson sergeant still?" Colonel Fitz never stopped until he found out everything. The prisoners laughed as they recognized him. Altogether, reader, the interview was the most friendly imaginable.
> **[Death](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Death/) on Horseback**
> The gay chase continued until we reached the Tottapotamoi, a sluggish stream, dragging its muddy waters slowly between rush-clad banks, beneath drooping trees; and this was crossed by a small rustic bridge. The line of the stream was entirely undefended by works; the enemy's right wing was unprotected; Stuart had accomplished the object of his expedition…
> The picket at the bridge had been quickly driven in, and disappeared at a gallop, and on the high ground beyond, Colonel W.H.F. Lee, who had taken the front, encountered the enemy. The force appeared to be about a regiment, and they were drawn up in line of battle in the fields to receive our attack. It came without delay.
> Placing himself at the head of his horsemen, Colonel Lee swept forward at the charging pace, and with shouts the two lines came together. The shock was heavy, and the enemy – a portion of the old United States Regulars, commanded by Captain Royal – stood their ground bravely, meeting the attack with the sabre.
> Swords clashed, pistols and carbines banged, yells, shouts, cheers resounded; then the Federal line was seen to give back and take to headlong flight. They were pursued with ardor and the men were wild with this – to many of them – their first fight.
> But soon after all joy disappeared from their faces at the sight of a spectacle which greeted them. Captain Latane, of the Essex cavalry, had been mortally wounded in the charge, and as the men of his company saw him lying bloody before them, many a bearded face was wet with tears. The scene at his [grave](https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/) afterward became the subject of Mr. Washington's picture, "The [Burial](https://www.worldhistory.org/burial/) of Latane;" and in his general order after the expedition, Stuart called upon his command to take for their watchword in the future, "Avenge Latane!" …
> Fitz Lee immediately pressed on and burst into the camp near Old Church, where large supplies of boots, pistols, liquors, and other commodities were found. These were speedily appropriated by the men and tents were set on fire amid loud shouts. The spectacle was animating; but a report having got abroad that one of the tents contained powder, the vicinity thereof was evacuated in almost less than no time.
> We were now at Old Church, where Stuart was to be guided in his further movements by circumstances. I looked at him; he was evidently reflecting. In a moment, he turned round to me and said, "Tell Fitz Lee to come along. I'm going to move on with my column." These words terminated my doubt, and I understood in an instant that the General had decided on the bold and hazardous plan of passing entirely round McClellan's army.
> "I think the quicker we move now, the better," I said, with a laugh.
> "Right," was Stuart's reply. "Tell the column to move on at a trot."
> So, at a rapid trot, the column moved.
> **Circling McClellan**
> The gayest portion of the raid now began. From this moment it was neck or nothing, do or die. We had one chance of escape against ten of capture or destruction.
> Stuart had decided upon his course with that rapidity, good judgement, and decision which were the real secrets of his splendid efficiency as a leader of cavalry, in which capacity I believe that he has never been surpassed, either in the late war or any other.
> He was now in the very heart of the enemy's citadel, with their enormous masses upon every side. He had driven in their advanced force, passed within sight of the white tents of General McClellan's headquarters, burned their camps, and ascertained all that he wished. How was he to return?
> He could not cross the Pamunkey and make a circuit back; he had no pontoons. He could not return over the route by which he had advanced. As events afterward showed, the alarm had been given and an overpowering force of infantry, cavalry, and artillery had been rapidly moved in that direction to intercept the daring raider. Capture stared him in the face on both of these routes – across the Pamunkey or back as he came; he must find some other loophole of escape.
> Such was the dangerous posture of affairs, and such was the important problem which Stuart decided in five minutes. He determined to make the complete circuit of McClellan's army; and crossing the Chickahominy below Long Bridge, re-enter the Confederate lines from Charles [City](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/).
> If, on his way, he encountered cavalry, he intended to fight it; if a heavy force of infantry barred his way, he would elude or cut a path through it; if driven to the [wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/wall/) and debarred from escape, he did not mean to surrender. A few days afterward, I said to him:
> "That was a tight place at the river, General. If the enemy had come down on us, you would have been compelled to have surrendered."
> "No," was his reply. "One other course was left."
> "What was that?"
> "To die game."
> And I know that such was his intention. When a commander means to die game rather than surrender, he is a dangerous adversary…
> Everywhere the ride was crowded with incident. The scouting and flanking parties constantly picked up stragglers, and overhauled unsuspecting wagons filled with most tempting stores…The column moved up again with its flanking parties well out. The men composing the latter were, many of them, from the region, and for the first time for months saw their mothers and sisters.
> These went quite wild at the sight of their sons and brothers. They laughed and cried, and on the appearance of the long gray column instead of the familiar blue coats of the Federal cavalry, they clapped their hands and fell into ecstasies of delight. One young lady was seen to throw her arms around a brother she had not before met for a long time, bursting into alternate sobs and laughter…
> Pushing on by large hospitals which were not interfered with, we reached at midnight three or four houses known as Talleysville; and here a halt was ordered to rest men and horses…This pause was fatal to a sutler's \[grocery and dry goods\] store from which the owners had fled. It was remorselessly ransacked, and the edibles consumed…
> \[After passing St. Peter's Church and crossing the Chickahominy on a bridge built from the boards of a nearby barn, General Stewart rode ahead to give his report to General Lee and the column rejoined him later.\]
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored article has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## Bibliography
- [Cozzens, P. & Girardi, R. I. *The New Annals of the Civil War.* Stackpole Books, 2004.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0811700585/)
- [Crenshaw, D. & Gruber, D. A. *To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign.* Savas Beatie, 2023.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/1611215234/)
- [Encyclopedia Virginia/John Esten Cooke](https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/cooke-john-esten-1830-1886/ "Encyclopedia Virginia/John Esten Cooke"), accessed 5 Nov 2026.
- [Sears, S. W. *To The Gates Of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign.* Mariner Books, 2001.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0618127135/)
- [Streissguth, T. *The Civil War: The South.* Greenhaven Press, 2001.](https://www.worldhistory.org/books/0064405885/)
- [The Civil War Months/Stuart’s Daring Ride Around McClellan](https://civilwarmonths.com/2022/06/13/stuarts-daring-ride-around-mcclellan/ "The Civil War Months/Stuart’s Daring Ride Around McClellan"), accessed 5 Nov 2026.
## About the Author
Joshua J. Mark is World History Encyclopedia's co-founder and Content Director. He was previously a professor at Marist College (NY) where he taught history, philosophy, literature, and writing. He has traveled extensively and lived in Greece and Germany.
- [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joshua-j-mark/38/614/339)
## Questions & Answers
### What was Stuart's Ride Around McClellan?
Confederate General J. E. B. Stuart's famous "Ride Around McClellan" was an expedition to scout behind enemy lines and bring back vital intelligence on the right flank of the Union Army during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. Instead of just finding out whether the right flank was vulnerable, Stuart rode 100 miles (160 km) around McClellan's entire army, humiliating McClellan and providing General Robert E. Lee with intelligence on Union positions.
### Was the "Ride Around McClellan" Stuart's idea?
Yes. Robert E. Lee gave him orders to scout the right flank of the Union Army and return; Stuart suggested riding around the entire Union Army. There is no evidence that Lee opposed this.
### Why was the "Ride Around McClellan" significant?
Stuart's Ride Around McClellan was significant because it provided Robert E. Lee with intelligence on the Union position, especially the exposed right flank, allowing him to prepare his offensive of the Seven Days Battles. The ride also brought back Union prisoners, provisions, and weaponry, cut communication lines, and destroyed a railroad track vital to the Union supply line. It also completely humiliated Union Major General George B. McClellan.
### Is J. Esten Cooke's account of the "Ride Around McClellan" accurate?
Yes. John Esten Cooke's account of the "Ride Around McClellan" is considered accurate. Cooke was the first cousin of Stuart's wife and accompanied him on the ride. Although romanticized, as much of Cooke's writing is, the account is routinely cited by historians as a primary source.
## External Links
- [WVTF/Virginia's Public Radio/Ride Around McClellan](https://www.wvtf.org/civil-war-series/2019-09-09/ride-around-mcclellan)
- [The Historical Marker Database/Stuart's Ride Around McClellan](https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=17729)
- [Encyclopedia Virginia/John Esten Cooke (1830–1886)](https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/cooke-john-esten-1830-1886/)
- [Encyclopedia Virginia/J. E. B. Stuart (1833–1864)](https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/stuart-j-e-b-1833-1864/)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Mark, J. J. (2026, November 12). Stuart's Ride Around McClellan: J. Esten Cooke's Account of the Famous Expedition. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Mark, Joshua J.. "Stuart's Ride Around McClellan: J. Esten Cooke's Account of the Famous Expedition." *World History Encyclopedia*, November 12, 2026. .
### MLA
Mark, Joshua J.. "Stuart's Ride Around McClellan: J. Esten Cooke's Account of the Famous Expedition." *World History Encyclopedia*, 12 Nov 2026, .
## License & Copyright
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