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Brave, dashing, clever, and heroic are just a few of the terms used to describe a man that became one of the prominent faces of the Confederacy. He was a favorite of Confederate women, noted for his charming personality and flamboyant dress, often complete with a plume in his hat. Born from a long line of military heroes, “Jeb” Stuart easily stepped into the role that preceded him, leading his men through valiant efforts and ultimately giving the ultimate sacrifice for the cause he believed in.
Born to a Virginia military family, James Ewell Brown Stuart went on to West Point, entering the army after graduation as a second lieutenant
James Ewell Brown Stuart was born in Virginia on his family’s farm in Patrick County, Laurel Hill, on February 6, 1833. His family was well-known and well respected in Virginia. His father, Archibald Stuart, had served as a U.S. Representative after his service in the War of 1812, and his great-grandfather had commanded a regiment in the Revolutionary War.
As military greatness seemed to run in his veins, Stuart headed to West Point after attending both Emory and Henry College, graduating thirteenth in his class of forty-six in 1854. It was at West Point that he befriended another who would become a legend in his own right, and one vital to Stuart’s military career: Robert E. Lee. George Washington Custis Lee, Robert E.’s eldest son and the great-grandson of the first President, was among Stuart’s classmates.
After being transferred to the 1st United States Cavalry, Stuart was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he met a colonel’s daughter, Flora Cooke
The October following his graduation, Stuart, now a second lieutenant, was sent to Texas to fight Apaches in the Regiment of Mounted Rifles. The following March he was transferred to the 1st United States Cavalry and stationed at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. There Stuart caught sight of a colonel’s daughter. Young, lovely, and with equestrian skills that rivaled his own, Flora Cooke captivated Stuart’s thoughts. It was hard for her to resist the pursuits of the charming lieutenant, and after a brief courtship, the two were married at Fort Riley on November 14, 1855.
Flora was accustomed to the military world and fell quickly into her role as a devoted officer’s wife. A month following their nuptials, Stuart was promoted to first lieutenant. Stuart remained defending the Kansas territory against Indian attacks and was wounded during a fight on the Solomon River in the summer of 1857. Their young family began to grow with the birth of their daughter Flora the same year. But less than two years later, as tensions were slowly mounting in his home state, Stuart left for Virginia at the request of Robert E. Lee.
The abolitionist John Brown, in an attempt to cause an armed slave revolt, raided Harper’s Ferry in Virginia (now West Virginia). Lee had been sent to handle the situation and negotiate Brown’s surrender. Stuart served as his volunteer aide, and two short days after the raid had begun, it was over. Stuart went back to Kansas to his wife and daughter, but the aftermath of Harper’s Ferry was felt throughout the troubled nation. Following Brown’s hanging in December 1859, a line began to form more boldly than before.
In April of 1861, Stuart was promoted to captain. The couple now had two children, young Flora and a newborn Philip St. George Cooke Stuart, named for his father-in-law. But Stuart’s promotion would not hold his loyalty when Virginia seceded from the United States. He resigned his post on May 14, 1861, and joined the Confederate army as a colonel. The war divided not just his country but his family as well. When his father-in-law remained loyal to the Union, Stuart renamed his son James Ewell Brown Stuart, Jr.
Stuart quickly fell into his role with the Confederate Army. Leading the 1st Virginia Cavalry, he showed his expert reconnaissance skills which allowed Joseph E. Johnston to remove his troops from the Shenandoah Valley to Manassas. The move secured a Confederate victory in the first major battle of the Civil War on July 21, 1861. That September he was promoted to Brigadier General.
Known for his bravery, brilliant reconnaissance, and charming demeanor, Jeb Stuart was one of the leading faces of the Confederacy
One of his most famous maneuvers of the war, and one that sealed his heroic destiny, began on June 12, 1862. Stuart, along with 1,200 soldiers circled the Union’s Army of the Potomac. Again, his reconnaissance skills gave Lee what was needed to launch a counteroffensive against George B. McClellan’s troops advancing on the Confederate capital. The Confederate victory became known as the Seven Days Battles, and Stuart’s feat was known as the “Ride around McClellan.”
The following month Stuart was promoted to Major General of the cavalry division of the Army of Northern Virginia. He was a rare legend in his day. He raided Union General John Pope’s headquarters, stealing Pope’s dress uniform from his tent. He led a second raid around McClellan’s Army of the Potomac to secure Lee’s success near Antietam Creek. At the Battle of Chancellorsville in May of 1863, his screening operations gave Lee time to leave his post and meet Union General Joseph Hooker at Chancellorsville, and he further discovered the Union’s exposed flank which allowed Stonewall Jackson to sweep in and attack. With Jackson wounded, Stuart led his troops in pushing Hooker’s armies back across the Rappahannock River.
But despite all his victory in the War, it may well have been Stuart’s pride that contributed to the South’s eventual destruction. On June 9, 1863, one day following his success at Brandy Station, Stuart was taken off guard by Union reconnaissance. Although he was able to drive back Union General Alfred Pleasonton’s cavalry, Stuart took the surprise attack personally. With permission from Lee, Stuart planned an invasion. Lee gave him explicit orders to maintain contact with the main Confederate army and continue screening operations, reporting frequently.
On May 12, 1864, Stuart died from the wounds he received at Yellow Tavern. His family buried him at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
On June 28, 1863, Stuart took 125 Union supply wagons near Rockville, Maryland. Perhaps it was pride that stopped him from destroying them and moved him instead to take the supplies with him. Whatever the case, the wagons slowed his retreat greatly, and he found himself stuck behind enemy lines when the Army of the Potomac marched out of Washington, D.C. The result cut him off from his contact with the Confederates, leaving Lee without Stuart’s intelligence during the Battle of Gettysburg. The bloody battle fought July 1–3, 1863, became a turning point in the War and a striking blow to the Confederate effort.
The following year, as the Union gained more momentum in the South, Stuart’s screening of enemy troops was limited. But on May 7, 1864, Stuart’s cavalry beat Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant to Spotsylvania Courthouse, ten miles southwest of Fredericksburg, holding the troops back until Lee’s infantry arrived. During the battle, Stuart once again cut off Union troops as the Army of the Potomac’s cavalry commander Philip H. Sheridan tried to take Richmond. He intercepted them at Yellow Tavern, six miles north of Richmond. Outnumbered, Stuart was able to push back Union troops but was wounded. It would be the last battle of Stuart’s life.
Taken to his brother-in-law’s home in Richmond, Stuart died the following day, May 12, 1864. His devoted wife missed saying her goodbyes by three hours. Just a month out of mourning for the death of their little Flora in 1862, Stuart’s wife remained in mourning the rest of her years. His family buried him at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.
Following his death and the end of the Civil War the following year, Stuart’s memory became somewhat mythical. Remembered as a brilliant, romantic, flamboyant, and brave leader, he became a symbol of all the Confederacy had lost, a vibrant symbol of all they mourned, a brave soul who gave his life to the cause he believed in.
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