James Ewell Brown Stuart, commonly known as Jeb Stuart, came from great military heritage starting with his great grandfather. He was groomed as a young boy to become a great military leader. It was no surprise to see him become one of the best Confederate generals in the Civil war. On February 6, 1833, Jeb Stuart was born in Virginia. He went to school in Wytheville at twelve years old. At fifteen he enrolled at Emory and Henry College (History.com). He then went on to graduate from West Point as number thirteen in his class. During his time at West Point he became good friends with Robert E. Lee (Civil War Trust). After West Point, Jeb was briefly in a regiment in Texas before moving to the 1st Calvary Regiment at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas. While stationed in Kansas, he met and fell in love with Flora Cooke. They would go on to be married and have three children (History.com). On the military side of things, he dealt with Indian conflicts, was a part of “Bleeding Kansas”, and was sent to crush John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry (Civil War Trust).…show more content… Stuart had been very obvious about stating his support for the Confederacy and owned slaves. He joined the Confederate Army and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was made his superior (History.com). Jackson promoted Stuart to the position of Colonel very quickly. He was given command over cavalry units (Civil War Trust). Stuart first became a well-known commander after the Battle of Bull run and his reconnaissance on a Union General’s, George McClellan, forces (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). He was nicknamed “The Eyes of the Army” due to his ability to scout the Union army and their positions. He also proved himself to be a great leader in battles. During the Battle of Chancellorsville, he took over the infantry after General Stonewall Jackson had been mortally wounded
