NF Best Books on J. E. B. Stuart?

[OldReliable1862]

Okay, time for another book recommendation thread!

I'm trying to learn more about J. E. B. Stuart, and I'm hoping the users can point me in the direction of some good books. Hopefully, at least one of these should give some insight into Stuart's personality and command style, though I wouldn't be opposed to having one "personal" biography, and a "military" biography.

Burke Davis' biography looks like it might be fun, but it is old, and a bit "Lost Cause-y."

 

[dlofting]

I like "The War Years with Jeb Stuart" by one of his staff, W.W. Blackford. Maybe not precisely what you're looking for, but a good read.

"Plenty of Blame to Go Around" by Eric Wittenberg is probably the book to read on Stuart in the Gettysburg campaign. Again, not exactly what you're looking for but a must read at some point if you're studying Stuart.

 

[Library Lady]

The War Years with Jeb Stuart is available on the Internet Archive. There are a number of formats available for download.

War Years With Jeb Stuart : W. W. Blackford : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

archive.org

If you find a first edition in good condition in a used book shop, don't be put off by the deep yellow to tan color of the pages. The book came out in 1946 when the US was still using "war paper", and the edition has a comment to the effect that it was printed on paper manufactured according to wartime rules on the copyright page (I believe). This is how that paper looked to begin with.

 

[rpkennedy]

I read Davis' book decades ago. Edward Longacre wrote a new biography last year but I haven't read it and can't comment on its quality. I'd probably look in that direction, however.

Another good book written by one of Stuart's staff officers is I Rode with Jeb Stuart by Henry McClellan.

Ryan

 

[RedRover]

W.W. Blackford of Stuart's staff, did indeed write a tidy volume on the subject as noted and linked above.

Theodore S. Garnett, another of his staff officers, gave the brief keynote address at the unveiling of the Stuart monument in Richmond in 1907.
Garnett: Gen. Stuart, speech, 1907.

T.S. Garnett.


Also from Stuart's staff, his former Adjutant General and chief of staff H.B. McClellan wrote a biography and military history of his late commander:
McClellan: life and campaigns of Maj. Gen. Stuart...

H.B. McClellan.

Heros Von Borcke, who also served on Stuarts' staff until he was seriously wounded, etc., gave an account of service with him;
Von Borcke, Memoirs of the Confederate War...

Heros Von Borcke.


Besides his staff officers, some of his chief subordinates wrote of him and his cavalry. Notably Colonel Mosby.

Col. Mosby wrote a good deal about his former chieftain... in his own memoirs...
Mosby, reminiscences and Stuart's Cavalry campaigns...

He disliked Von Borcke's memoirs...

Also a volume about Stuart in the Gettysburg campaign.
Mosby: Stuart's Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign, 1908.

His final work, from 1917, ties up his conclusions about some of the more controversial points in the previous...
Mosby, Memoirs...

Col. J.S. Mosby.

 

[J. Stanley]

There are about 5 major biographies on Stuart from the 20th-21st century.

The first was by John A. Thomason in 1930, just titled Jeb Stuart. I never read the book but found a review by accomplished historian Allan Nevins in 1969, which notes that the book is "strongly sympathetic in tone" and "fairly successful at capturing Stuart's personality." However "it includes little on the larger struggle in which Stuart was engaged."

Burke Davis' Jeb Stuart: The Last Cavalier followed twenty-seven years later in 1957. According to reviews, like Thomason's earlier work, it is a sympathetic and personal look at Stuart that tends to focus on the man rather than his military actions.

Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart by Emory Thomas, was published in 1986. David Eicher's Civil War in Books: An Analytical Bibliography gave it a positive review, noting 30% of the book focuses on Stuart's pre-war years on the frontier. This helps make it a true biography rather than a mere record of Civil War service and eatablishes it as the standard for a long time.

In the 21st century, Jeffry Wert's Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J.E.B. Stuart was the first new biography, published in 2008. Having read this book, I can personally say that it covers Stuart's Civil War career well but not his pre-war life. It doesn't discuss any of Stuart's political outlook nor his falling out with his father-in-law. Wert's book thoroughly covers Stuart's military career and family (his wife gets a thorough coverage here). Wert's critical stance on Stuart's actions at Gettysburg might be seen to be dated with the release of Plenty of Blame to Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg
Book by Eric J. Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi.

A second 21st century biography is J.E.B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man by Edward G. Longacre. Again, his pre-war career is given the short stick and is about 15% of the book. Longacre gives his fair share of praise and criticism to Stuart, though I can't say I agree with all the dissenting opinions, mainly the argument that Stuart failed to adapt to combined mounted and dismounted action as well as his peers. Still, a pretty good book.

 

[TallTallMan]

Wert's seems to be the most popular.

 

[Lubliner]

Another good book written by one of Stuart's staff officers is I Rode with Jeb Stuart by Henry McClellan.

Henry Kyd Douglas also wrote a book with the same title, published in 1940. He was a staff officer for Stuart and was captured in Gettysburg. You may have meant this one for I can't locate anything by Henry McClellan.
Lubliner.

 

[RedRover]

Henry Kyd Douglas also wrote a book with the same title, published in 1940. He was a staff officer for Stuart and was captured in Gettysburg. You may have meant this one for I can't locate anything by Henry McClellan.
Lubliner.

Some modern reprints of McClellan's 1880s book employ the "I rode with..." title.

 

[OldReliable1862]

Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone!

 

[SWS]

Probably my favorite thing about Stuart is that he tried to be Stonewall's tailor. Even Anna Jackson thought he was becoming much more handsome under Stuart's influence.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Am best guessing here. My first instinct would be to opt for a work written by someone who rode with Stuart and personally knew him well.

In this regard, I note two of the titles suggested above were written by his staff officers - William Blackford and Henry McClellan.

 

[Brenal]

It is a long time since I read it but Robert J Trout's " With Pen and Sabre, the Diaries and letters of JEB Stuart's Staff Officers" gives a good insight as to things happening around Stuart whilst not concentrating completely on the man himself.

 

[DaveBrt]

Burke Davis' Last Cavalier was the first CW book I read; Dad got it for me the day it came out (he ran a college book store). I enjoyed it so much, I re-read it a year or two later and wrote it up as my first book report in school. There is always something special about the first one.

 

[MRB1863]

"Jeb Stuart the Last Cavalier" by Burke Davis is interesting also.

 

[marco75]

Henry Kyd Douglas also wrote a book with the same title, published in 1940. He was a staff officer for Stuart and was captured in Gettysburg. You may have meant this one for I can't locate anything by Henry McClellan.
Lubliner.

Douglas' book is called " I rode with Stonewall ", he was at Jackson's staff

 

[Militarybooks]

We think the best new book is Ed Longacre's recent J.E.B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man

More here: https://www.savasbeatie.com/j-e-b-stuart-the-soldier-and-the-man/?ref=CivilWarTalk

 

[Bill Mountjoy]

We think the best new book is Ed Longacre's recent J.E.B. Stuart: The Soldier and the Man

More here: https://www.savasbeatie.com/j-e-b-stuart-the-soldier-and-the-man/?ref=CivilWarTalk

View attachment 517862

JEB has several descendants living in the Richmond area, and THEY (almost to a person) prefer the book by John A. Thomason in 1930, just titled Jeb Stuart

 

[JulieWeathers]

I like "The War Years with Jeb Stuart" by one of his staff, W.W. Blackford. Maybe not precisely what you're looking for, but a good read.

"Plenty of Blame to Go Around" by Eric Wittenberg is probably the book to read on Stuart in the Gettysburg campaign. Again, not exactly what you're looking for but a must read at some point if you're studying Stuart.

I agree about the War Years. It is good. Mosby's Memoir is good and meticulously annotated. I would avoid Von Borke. I Rode with JEB Stuart is good.

 

[Vicksburger]

Okay, time for another book recommendation thread!

I'm trying to learn more about J. E. B. Stuart, and I'm hoping the users can point me in the direction of some good books. Hopefully, at least one of these should give some insight into Stuart's personality and command style, though I wouldn't be opposed to having one "personal" biography, and a "military" biography.

Burke Davis' biography looks like it might be fun, but it is old, and a bit "Lost Cause-y."

Col. J.E. B. Stuart IV said the John Thomason's biography was best because he was a military-trained man as opposed to an acedemician.