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.
Gen. David McMurtrie Gregg (1833-1917) was one of the ablest and most successful commanders of cavalry in any Civil War army. Pennsylvania-born, West Point-educated, and deeply experienced in cavalry operations prior to the conflict, his career personified that of the typical cavalry officer in the mid-nineteenth-century American army. Gregg achieved distinction on many battlefields, ultimately gaining the rank of brevet major general as leader of the Second Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac.
The highlight of his service occurred on July 3, 1863, the climactic third day at Gettysburg, when he led his own command as well as the brigade of Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer in repulsing an attempt by thousands of Confederate cavalries under the legendary J. E. B. Stuart in attacking the right flank and rear of the Union Army while Pickett's charge struck its front and center.
Historians credit Gregg with helping preserve the security of his army at a critical point, making Union victory inevitable. Unlike glory-hunters such as Custer and Stuart, Gregg was a quietly competent veteran who never promoted himself or sought personal recognition for his service. Rarely has a military commander of such distinction been denied a biographer's tribute. Gregg's time is long overdue.
