J. E. B. Stuart: The Cavalier of the Confederacy
James Ewell Brown Stuart (1833-1864), better known by his initials as J. E. B. Stuart, was a Confederate cavalry general during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Known for his flashy style of dressing and his daring raids behind Union lines, Stuart became regarded as the 'eyes and ears' of General Robert E. Lee's Confederate army, often collecting valuable intelligence. His military career was brought to an abrupt end when he was mortally wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern (11 May 1864), dying a day later.
Early Life
Stuart was born into a family with a long tradition of military service. His great-grandfather, Alexander Stuart, served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and fought the British at the Battle of Guilford Court House. His father, Archibald Stuart, continued the legacy of fighting the British, this time in the War of 1812 (1812-1815). After leaving the army, Archibald Stuart married Elizabeth Letcher Pannill and served a single term in Congress before settling down on the family plantation of Laurel Hill in Patrick County, Virginia. It was on this plantation that 'Jeb' Stuart was born on 6 February 1833, the eighth of eleven children, and the youngest son to survive childhood. The Stuarts were a family of high social status but were not particularly wealthy; nevertheless, they used and exploited their enslaved laborers to maintain their plantation and their position in Virginia society.
Jeb Stuart spent most of his childhood at home, being educated by his mother. In 1848, at the age of 15, he enrolled in Emory and Henry College and studied there for the next three years. Stuart had always dreamt of following in the martial footsteps of his forefathers, an ambition that was realized in 1850, when he was admitted into the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He enjoyed life at the academy; he was a popular student who was affectionately nicknamed 'Beauty' by his fellow cadets, an ironic joke since he was not perceived as handsome (Stuart grew a long beard after graduation to hide his 'short and retiring chin', and his friends were forced to admit that it significantly improved his appearance). He graduated in 1854, ranking 13th in a class of 48; in the specific category of 'cavalry tactics', he ranked tenth in his class.
Breveted as a second lieutenant in the US Army, Stuart was assigned to the Regiment of Mounted Rifles in Texas and spent the first months of his military career fighting the Apache. In 1855, he was promoted to first lieutenant and transferred to the 1st Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Fort Leavenworth in the Kansas Territory. It was here that he met Flora Cooke, the daughter of a cavalry colonel. Stuart was instantly smitten; only two weeks after meeting her, he wrote to a cousin that "I have been riding with nearly every suitable evening. I hardly expected so much refinement on the frontier…I'm bound to be married before I am 23" (quoted in Davis, 36). Indeed, after a whirlwind courtship of only two months, Jeb and Flora were married in November 1855, though the death of Stuart's father forced them to call off the elaborate wedding ceremony they had planned. The couple would have three children: Flora Stuart (1857-1862), James Ewell Brown Stuart Jr. (1860-1930), and Virginia Pelham Stuart (1863-1898). They also had two slaves, one of whom was inherited from Stuart's father, the other purchased.
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