It was the saddest yet recorded. Stonewall Jackson, whose death had, eerily, taken place just a year earlier, had been a major reason for the Confederate belief that they could win the war, but their love and affection for J. E. B. Stuart was a major reason why the war seemed worth winning.

At his best, Stuart had exemplified the code of Southern chivalry. Very likely, his close confidantes kept quiet about some of his escapades and mighty oaths, but the aspects of his character that come through the official record are quite engaging. Stuart was, to some extent, the Erwin Rommel of the Civil War: the enemy general that the winning side fought strongly, but admired at the same time.