STUART, JAMES EWELL BROWN American soldier, was born in Virginia on Feb. 6, 1833 and en tered West Point military academy in 185o. In 1859 Stuart, while staying in Washington on official business, was sent to as sist Col. R. E. Lee in the suppression of the John Brown raid on Harper's ferry. Two years later when Virginia seceded from the Union Stuart resigned his commission in the United States army to share in the defence of his State. He had resigned as a lieutenant but he was at once made a colonel. With the scantiest of formal training his regiment was mustered into the Confeder ate army, and assigned to Joseph Johnston's force in the Shen andoah valley. At the first battle of Bull Run, Stuart distin guished himself by his personal bravery. Later in the year 1861 he was promoted brigadier-general and placed in com mand of the cavalry brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia. Just before the Seven Days' battle (q.v.) he was sent out by Lee to locate the right flank of McClellan's army, and not only successfully achieved his mission, but rode right round McClellan's rear to deliver his report to Lee at Richmond. In the next campaign he had the good fortune, in his raid against Gen. Pope's communications, not only to burn a great quantity of stores, but also to bring off the headquarters' staff document of the enemy, from which Lee was able to discover the strength and positions of his opponents in detail. Stuart, now a major general and commander of the Cavalry Corps, was present at the second battle of Bull Run, and during the Maryland cam paign he brilliantly defended one of the passes of South moun tain (Crampton's gap), thus enabling Lee to concentrate his dis seminated army in time to meet McClellan's attack. At Fred
ericksburg Stuart's cavalry were as usual in the flank of the army, and his horse artillery rendered valuable service in checking Franklin's attack on "Stonewall" Jackson's Corps. At Chancel lorsville Stuart was specially appointed by Lee to take over com mand of the II. Army Corps after Jackson had been wounded. The next campaign, Gettysburg, was preceded by the cavalry bat tle of Brandy station, in which for the first time the Federal Cav alry showed themselves worthy opponents for Stuart and his men. The march to the Potomac was screened by the Cavalry Corps, which held the various approaches on the right flank of the army, but at the crisis of the campaign Stuart was absent on a raid, and although he attempted to rejoin Lee during the battle, he was met and checked some miles from the field. Very shortly after the opening of the campaign of 1864 Stuart's corps was drawn away from Lee's army by the Union cavalry under Sheridan, and part of it was defeated at Yellow Tavern on May io, and Stuart him self was killed.
See Life by H. B. McClellan (1885).