Born in Patrick County Virginia, on February 6th, 1833. He graduated from West Point in 1854 and served in the Mounted Rifles until he joined the Confederacy in 1861. As a cavalry officer, he gained fame and respect as a subordinate of Robert E. Lee. In 1862, Stuart took command of Lee's mounted units, and after playing a pivotal role in the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Fredericksburg.
In May of 1863, Stuart served as a temporary, but extremely competent replacement for Stonewall Jackson, who was wounded at the battle. In the Gettysburg campaign, Stuart, taking advantage of ambiguous orders, embarked on a controversial raid around the federal army. Due to this raid, he was absent when Lee most needed him to gather intelligence about the enemy, arriving only after the battle was already lost. Some historians believe that the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg was primarily Stuart's fault. Certainly, had Stuart been present earlier, Lee would have fought a different battle. On May 11, 1864, at Yellow Tavern, Virginia, Stuart was mortally wounded. He died the following day.
Bibliography: Davis, Burke, Jeb Stuart: The Last Cavalier (1957); McClellan, Henry, I Rode with Jeb Stuart: The Life and Campaigns of Major General J. E. B. Stuart (1958; repr. 1968); Riggs, David F., East of Gettysburg: Custer vs. Stuart, rev. ed. (1985); Thomas, Emory, Bold Dragoon: The Life of J. E. B. Stuart (1986; repr. 1988).
