J. E. B. Stuart

Lore & Background

Stuart was born at Laurel Hill Farm in Patrick County, Virginia, the eighth of 11 children. He was educated at home until age 12, then by teachers in Wytheville and at the home of his aunt and uncle in Danville. He attended Emory and Henry College from 1848 to 1850. He obtained an appointment to West Point in 1850, graduating 13th in his class of 46 in 1854. At the academy he was nicknamed 'Beauty' by classmates. Robert E. Lee was superintendent during Stuart's time there, and Stuart became a friend of the family.

After graduation, Stuart served in Texas and Kansas with the U.S. Army, fighting in frontier conflicts with Native Americans and in the violence of Bleeding Kansas. He was wounded in the chest during a fight with the Cheyenne at Solomon River in 1857. In 1859, he participated in the capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry, serving as aide-de-camp to Colonel Robert E. Lee. He resigned his U.S. Army commission on May 3, 1861, after Virginia seceded, and joined the Confederate Army.

Stuart served first under Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, then in increasingly important cavalry commands of the Army of Northern Virginia. He circumnavigated the Union Army of the Potomac twice—during the Peninsula Campaign and the Maryland Campaign—bringing fame to himself and embarrassment to the North. At the Battle of Chancellorsville, he temporarily commanded Stonewall Jackson's infantry corps. His most famous campaign, the Gettysburg campaign, was flawed when his long separation from Lee's army left Lee unaware of Union troop movements, leading to surprise and near-trapping at Gettysburg. He was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern during the 1864 Overland Campaign.

Reader's Guide

J. E. B. Stuart's significance lies in his role as the premier cavalry commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, providing Robert E. Lee with critical reconnaissance and screening capabilities. His two circumnavigations of the Union Army of the Potomac demonstrated the potential of cavalry for strategic raids and intelligence gathering. However, his performance during the Gettysburg campaign, when he became separated from Lee's army, left Lee blind to Union movements and contributed to the Confederate defeat. This failure drew criticism from the Southern press and later from proponents of the Lost Cause movement. Stuart's legacy is thus mixed: he was an audacious and effective commander who elevated cavalry reconnaissance, but his independence at Gettysburg had severe consequences. His cultivated cavalier image—red-lined gray cape, yellow sash, ostrich plume, and cologne—belied his serious military work. He remains a symbol of Confederate cavalry dash and a figure of historical debate regarding his role in the Gettysburg campaign.

Did You Know?

• Stuart was known to his friends as 'Jeb', from the initials of his given names James Ewell Brown.
• He received a patent for an improved saber hook in 1859, for which the U.S. government paid him $5,000.
• Stuart changed his son's name from Philip St. George Cooke Stuart to James Ewell Brown Stuart Jr. after his father-in-law remained in the U.S. Army.
• He was wounded in the chest by a pepperbox pistol during a fight with the Cheyenne at Solomon River in 1857.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Our loss was not a scratch to man or horse." — J. E. B. Stuart "Gentlemen, in ten minutes every man must be in his saddle!" — J. E. B. Stuart "Old Joe Hooker, will you come out of the Wilderness!" — J. E. B. Stuart "While rashness is a crime, boldness is not incompatible with caution, nay, is often the quintessence of prudence." — J. E. B. Stuart