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James Ewell Brown (“Jeb”) Stuart (1833–1864)


When this image was taken in 1863, James E. B. Stuart was in command of the cavalry in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Lee relied heavily on Stuart’s ability to gather intelligence about the enemy’s strengths and whereabouts and to screen his own army’s movements. Stuart’s ride around McClellan’s army during the Peninsular Campaign in June 1862 became legendary in its day. Stuart personally relished the attention and laurels his cavalry garnered, and success became one of the spurs that drove him to new and daring feats. An ambitious reconnaissance he made during the Gettysburg campaign put him out of communication with the main army at what proved to be a critical moment. His failure to keep Lee informed and his tardy arrival upon the battlefield have been disputed by Lee’s lieutenants and military historians alike. Stuart never let down his vigilance thereafter or gave his chief anxious moments of silence about the enemy again. In May 1864, Stuart died from wounds suffered in a clash with Sheridan’s cavalry at Yellow Tavern near Richmond.


George S. Cook (1819–1902)
Salt print, 1863
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

 

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