Jeb Stuart 1833-1864
Brave, Resourceful Officer Without Parallel as Cavalry Leader
The legend of James Ewell Brown Stuart grows with the passing years. He was the epitome of the Southern gentleman, fearless in battle, devoted husband and father, and generous with both friend and foe. ■ J. E. B. Stuart was born February 6, 1833, in Virginia. He was the seventh of 11 children. His father, Archibald Stuart, was a lawyer and politician. He family was descended from Archibald Stuart, a Scot who fled from Ulster in 1726 during the English religious persecution. ■ In his short turbulent 31 years of life, Jeb Stuart became one of the best known Union-feared Southern cavalry generals. He commanded all of Gen. Robert E. Lee's horse soldiers. His lightning strikes at the rear and flanks of Northern forces kept the Federal officers on edge. On two separate occasions he rode his cavalry clear around Gen. McClellan's Union army. ■ Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854. He was a good student but boisterous. In 1859 he was sent to Harper's Ferry to assist Gen. Robert E. Lee in quelling John Brown's raid. He resigned from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant when Virginia seceded. He was appointed a colonel in the Confederate Army ■ At the first Battle of Bull Run, his bravery and leadership led to his promotion to brigadier general. He had a bold, dashing personality that made him more daring than prudent. ■ On May 11, 1864, in the decisive battle for Richmond, General Stuart rode out ahead of his men at Yellow Tavern, Virginia, a perfect target for a Union soldier. ■ The bullet lodged near his liver and he died the next day, May 12. On his death bed he was visited by Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He is acclaimed by the South as one of its greatest and most colorful heroes.