Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J. E. B. Stuart

Cavalryman of the Lost Cause is the first major biography in decades of the famous Confederate general J E B Stuart Based on research in manuscript collections personal memoirs and reminiscences and regimental histories this comprehensive volume reflects outstanding Civil War scholarship James Ewell Brown Stuart was the premier cavalry commander of the Confederacy He gained a reputation for daring early in the war when he rode around the Union army in the Peninsula Campaign providing valuable intelligence to General Robert E Lee at the expense of Union commander George B McClellan Stuart has long been controversial because of his performance in the critical Gettysburg Campaign where he was out of touch with Lee for several days this left Lee uncertain about the size and movement of the Union army information that would prove decisive when the battle began In an engagement with the cavalry of Union general Philip Sheridan in spring Stuart was killed He was only thirty-one Jeffry D Wert provides new details about Stuarts childhood and youth and he draws on letters between Stuart and his wife Flora to show us the man as he was eager for glory daring sometimes to the point of recklessness but a devoted and loving husband and father Stuart has long been regarded as the finest Confederate cavalryman and one of the best this country has ever produced Wert shows how Stuarts friendship with Stonewall Jackson and his relationship with Lee were crucial at the same time Stuarts relationships with his subordinates were complicated and sometimes troubled Cavalryman of the Lost Cause is a riveting biography of a towering figure of the Civil War a fascinating and colorful work by one of our finest Civil War historians.