Officers, how replaceable were they?

[Nathan Stuart]

Do you not consider Wade Hampton to have achieved the competency and ability of his mentor Stuart?

A fair point.

Thought that Stuart was a capable and proven Cavalry Division/Corps commander, of whom Lee came to rely on because of his effective reconnaissance and screening work. Over an extended time under Stuart's adept overall leadership, Lee's cavalry arm formed a key and integral part within the organizational structure of the A of NV. (Stuart's competency and ability for high command at Corps level, was also demonstrated on the second day at Chancellorsville, when he took over temporary command of the 2nd​ Army Corps, after Jackson's wounding. The astute observer, E. P. Alexander for one, rated highly Stuart's Corps command effectiveness on that day).

Think too that Hampton was certainly an outstanding and effective cavalry leader, who was comparable to Stuart in mounted combat competency and ability. But for most of the war Hampton led smaller-scale cavalry units, at Brigade or Divisional Strength. He had limited high command experience at Corps level. After Stuart's mortal wounding at Yellow Tavern (May 11, 1864), Hampton was later given command of Lee's re-merged Cavalry Corps on August 11, 1864, which he maintained until Jan. 19, 1865, when he was released by Lee to attend to the defense of South Carolina. But this change in command role occurred late in the war, when resources were depleted and circumstances and applied tactics were somewhat different to earlier periods. Think it's difficult to compare Hampton's command performance as Lee's overall cavalry commander in this short interval, with that of Stuart in earlier periods, to meaningfully measure and contrast their relative performance in this capacity.

Perhaps Lee expressed the magnitude of Stuart's loss (in a military sense) best when upon hearing of his death, in a moment of deep emotional reflection, he reportedly said of Stuart, …"…a most valuable and able officer……He never brought me a piece of false information"… At around the same time Grant's aide-de-camp, Horace Porter, also supposedly noted, …"The loss of General Stuart was a severe blow to the enemy. He was their foremost cavalry leader, and one in whom Lee reposed great confidence."…

Don't think Hampton, as highly able as he was, got rated by his contemporaries in such glowing terms for his competency and ability as a supreme cavalry commander, as Stuart was.