Major General J.E.B. Stuart was a famed Confederate cavalry commander during the Civil War who served with General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. A Virginia native, he graduated from West Point and aided in quelling the "Bleeding Kansas" crisis. With the start of the Civil War, Stuart quickly distinguished himself and proved an able and daring commander. Leading the Army of Northern Virginia's cavalry, he took part in all of its major campaigns. Stuart was mortally wounded in May 1864 at the Battle of Yellow Tavern and later died in Richmond, VA.
Early Life
Born February 6, 1833 at Laurel Hill Farm in Patrick County, VA, James Ewell Brown Stuart was the son of War of 1812 veteran Archibald Stuart and his wife Elizabeth. His great-grandfather, Major Alexander Stuart, commanded a regiment at the Battle of Guilford Court House during the American Revolution. When Stuart was four, his father was elected to Congress representing Virginia's 7th District.
Educated at home until age twelve, Stuart was then sent to Wytheville, VA to be tutored before entering Emory & Henry College in 1848. That same year, he attempted to enlist in the US Army but was turned away due to his young age. In 1850, Stuart succeeded in obtaining an appointment to West Point from Representative Thomas Hamlet Averett.
