Cavalryman of the Lost Cause: A Biography of J. E. B. Stuart Book

The Custer of the Confederacy

J.E.B. Stuart was a brilliant and hardworking cavalry general. Wert does a great job showing Stuart's humanity, his leadership and his flaws. The greatest of which was his vainglory. That was perhaps the saddest part of Wert's very fine biography, to see such a great soldier let his desire for acclaim get in the way of making good decisions at important moments - most certainly a lesson in leadership and something to be cognizant of in assessing leadership both military and civilian. Wert does a great job characterizing Stuart, both in his relationships with his peers and his family, in a nicely crafted narrative biography. A commendable and balanced work.