"Stuart the Raider"

J.E.B. Stuart earned fame as a Confederate raider through operations that were less a carefree romp than, in the words of horse artilleryman George M. Neese after the Catlett's Station Raid in August 1862, "poor fun and a hard business." In June 1862, when Robert E. Lee needed information to help save Richmond from Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's army, Stuart carried out a reconnaissance-in-force against McClellan's right flank. After obtaining the needed information, he chose not to return the way he had come through waiting enemy troops, but instead rode completely around McClellan's army and brought his command safely back to Richmond over a one hundred-mile ride, accomplishing what was presented as the first complete ride around an enemy army in the history of warfare. His success as a raider reflected careful planning, use of men familiar with the territory, selection of the best officers and soldiers available, speed and clarity of movement, and a combination of courage, boldness, deception, caution, aggressiveness, and quick decisions under pressure. Although Stuart spent only twenty-six days of his career raiding, and his greatest contributions lay in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, his success in raids helped create the fame by which he is often chiefly remembered.

Virginia · United States