J.E.B. Stuart: Battle of Gettysburg Scapegoat

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The sleep-befuddled Stuart read Lee’s second letter by firelight and characteristically interpreted it to mean that the commanding general had complete confidence in Stuart’s judgment and was giving him the go-ahead to raid the enemy rear. Had Stuart read the letter in the cold light of dawn–that is to say, had Major McClellan not awakened him in the middle of the night and handed him the opened confidential letter–he might have sought a clarification of the orders. He was, after all, within easy riding distance of Lee’s headquarters. Then again, he might not have, because even if the orders were not exactly clear, they were at least discretionary enough to allow Stuart to exercise his own judgment–and that judgment, as usual, was to go off raiding on his own.

With Lee’s approval in hand, Stuart made the final decision to execute his raid. Now all he needed was to meet Lee’s two conditions. On the morning of June 24, Mosby reported that Hooker was remaining inactive, thus fulfilling the first of Lee’s conditions. The second was easy; Stuart had already decided that he could move around the enemy without hindrance. The three brigades of Hampton, Fitzhugh Lee and Colonel John Chambliss were ordered to rendezvous that night at Salem. The brigades of Brig. Gens. Beverly Robertson and William E. Grumble Jones were ordered to remain at the mountain passes, keeping an eye on the enemy.

Stuart had several good reasons for disposing his forces in this manner. Since the raid would be highly dangerous, it is understandable that he wanted his best troops to go along with him, under officers in whom he had the most confidence. In addition, the two brigades left behind with Lee’s army were nearly equal to those he took with him. Stuart believed that this force, combined with Brig. Gen. Albert Jenkins’ brigade, which was already detached to Ewell’s corps, would be sufficient to fulfill all duties that might be required of the cavalry in his absence.

Another more personal consideration was that Jones and Robertson were the two brigadiers Stuart liked least. Stuart considered Robertson by far the most troublesome man I had to deal with, in large part due to the fact that Robertson had been a former beau of Stuart’s wife, Flora, and an Old Army protégé of Stuart’s much-detested father-in-law, Union Brig. Gen. Phillip St. George Cooke. The irascible Jones had more than once lived up to his nickname of Grumble, but Stuart could justify leaving him behind since he had a widespread reputation as the best outpost officer in the service and therefore seemed eminently qualified to observe and report the enemy’s movements. The problem was that Robertson outranked Jones and would be in titular command of the remaining cavalry. Stuart sought to remedy this by giving Robertson clearly worded instructions to guard the Blue Ridge passes, observe the Union army and hasten north to rejoin Lee’s infantry at the first sign of enemy movement.

Although the orders were clear enough, they were given (as Stuart should have known only too well) to an officer of inferior ability. James Longstreet charged later–with much justice–that Stuart had purposely left him his least-favorite officers and commands. Moreover, Stuart ignored Longstreet’s directive to order General Hampton–whom I suppose you will leave here in command–to report to me…either by letter or in person. Again, this was less than a clear order. Longstreet only supposed that Stuart would leave Hampton behind to command the rest of the cavalry in his absence. It was not, as Longstreet charged in his memoirs, a direct order to leave Hampton with the army. Still, it was obvious that Longstreet wanted someone to report to him from the cavalry. Stuart either ignored the request, perhaps in his haste to get moving, or else was guilty himself of supposing that Robertson or Jones would see to it that Longstreet was fully apprised of the situation. In any case, the officers left in charge of his cavalry while Robert E. Lee commenced the perilous invasion of Northern territory were not up to the task. Whether Stuart could fairly be blamed for their shortcomings is beside the question; as overall cavalry commander, he was ultimately responsible for all the troops under his command. Jones’ and Robertson’s failure to notify Lee that the Union army had broken camp and set out after him was at least an indirect result of Stuart’s decision to leave them in charge while he rode around the enemy.

Tags: 19th Century, America's Civil War, American Civil War, Historical Conflicts, Historical Figures

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