Saber & Scapegoat J. E. B. Stuart and the Gettysburg Controversy

The major facts of the Gettysburg campaign and battle are well known, but controversies about its outcome abound even today. No issue is more contested than that of the whereabouts of the dashing cavalryman, Major General J E B Stuart. Nesbitt gives a detailed reconstruction of Stuart's actions during the campaign and presents the case that Stuart was not at fault for the loss: He was following orders to the best of his ability. The blame surrounding Stuart only surfaced after the war when, in an attempt to exonerate Lee, some veterans vilified Stuart unfairly. Unfortunately for the great cavalryman, that culpability has stuck. Nesbitt's findings challenge generations of Gettysburg historiography and are certain to fuel the controversy for years to come.

Mark Nesbitt is the author of the popular Ghosts of Gettysburg, a six-volume series that received the National Paranormal Award in 2004. Formerly a National Park Service ranger and then a battlefield guide, he has lived in Gettysburg since 1971.