In the Footsteps of J.E.B. Stuart

Whether it's because of his plumed hat, his crimson-lined cloak, or his daring raids around the Union army, James Ewell Brown Stuart is probably the most famous cavalryman of the Civil War. Although Stuart was a deeply religious man and a faithful husband, he also loved to throw parties and flirt with the ladies. All of this contributed to his image as America's "last cavalier," as biographer Burke Davis referred to him.

A Virginian who was educated at West Point, Stuart was already a veteran soldier from his service in Kansas by the time the Civil War broke out. He was Lee's aide-de-camp at John Brown's capture at Harpers Ferry. Early in the war, he served in the Shenandoah Valley. He later led the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia at both Battles of Bull Run and the Battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness.

Stuart was a daring raider. He twice led his command around McClellan's army. While these raids were not strategically important, they were great morale boosters for the Southern army. He was the commander of the Southern horsemen at Brandy Station, the largest cavalry engagement fought on the American continent. But he has also been greatly criticized for depriving Lee of his eyes and ears while riding around the Union army at the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg. In 1864, he was mortally wounded at Yellow Tavern on the outskirts of Richmond.

This book takes you to all of these sites and more. Since cavalrymen by their very nature did not leave behind much evidence of their passing, there is little to see at some of the battlefields where Stuart played a strategic role, but author Clint Johnson tells you of numerous places where you can literally walk in the footsteps of this gallant soldier.

Useful as an armchair biography or a unique type of travel guide, In the Footsteps of J. E. B. Stuart will make this fascinating man come to life.