The Battle of Yellow Tavern and the Fall of J.E.B. Stuart

The Battle of Yellow Tavern (11 May 1864) was a pivotal engagement of the American Civil War (1861-1865), not so much for any grand strategic reason than for the loss of Major General J. E. B. Stuart, the famed Confederate cavalry commander. Fought 6 miles (9.6 km) north of the Confederate capital of Richmond, the battle was part of a ploy by Union Major General Philip H. Sheridan to lure Stuart's cavalry corps out into the open, where it could be defeated. The ploy worked, as Stuart rode his tired troopers out to defend the capital. Hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, the rebels were defeated after a full day of fighting. Stuart was mortally wounded by a shot to the abdomen and was taken to Richmond, where he would die the next day.