J.E.B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man

Summary

J. E. B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man is the first thoroughly scrutinized study of the life and service of the Civil War's most famous cavalryman. James Ewell Brown Stuart led the Army of Northern Virginia's cavalry to the all-but-complete satisfaction of his superiors. Being human, Stuart occasionally underperformed. He underestimated his opponents, took unnecessary risks with his command, failed to properly discipline and motivate his troopers, and was prone to errors both strategic and tactical. Because of his outsized wartime reputation, most of Stuart's errors have passed virtually unnoticed or, when addressed, have been excused or explained away.

Edward Longacre's study probes not only Stuart's military career but elements of his character that invite investigation. Even his fiercest partisans admitted that he was vain and inordinately sensitive to criticism, with a streak of immaturity—at times the hard-edged veteran, at other times a devotee of the pageantry of war. Motivated by appeals to vanity, he curried the patronage of powerful men and responded to the attentions of attractive women even though he was a married man. Personal flaws aside, Stuart was popular with his officers and men, beloved by his staff, and considered the beau ideal of Confederate soldiery. The distinction endures today. This book is an attempt to determine its validity.