The Cavaliers

Today is a big day in American history: the 146th anniversary of the start of the Battle
of Gettysburg. The men who fought there knew that, for the Southern Cause at least, this was its last chance to go on the offensive and end the war. But, everything had to go perfectly and, as in any war, nothing went perfectly, especially for the Confederates.

One of the greatest questions during the campaign, and one that has been chewed over by historians and history buffs is: what happened to JEB Stuart, and why didn't Lee use the cavalry units he had available? Well, the fellows at Rantings of a Civil War Historian have come up with what may be the definitive answer. Here's just a taste: Confederate Cavalry at Gettysburg:

Stuart marched on June 25 with three brigades, Hampton, Fitz Lee, and Rooney Lee’s brigade, now commanded by Col. John R. Chambliss, Jr. of the 13th Virginia Cavalry after Rooney’s wounding at Brandy Station. Stuart gave very specific orders to Robertson that his brigade and Jones’ brigade were to guard the mountain passes until the ANV had passed, and that they were then to follow the army north into Pennsylvania. Robertson failed miserably and did not arrive in Gettysburg until the morning of July 3. Had Robertson obeyed his orders, he would have arrived in time to lead the advance of Hill’s and Longstreet’s Corps as they advanced from the direction of Chambersburg. Unfortunately, Robertson ranked Jones, meaning that Robertson ended up in command of the two brigades, and not Jones. I firmly believe that had Jones been in command of this task force–rather than Robertson–things would have been very different indeed, as Jones would have been much more aggressive and much more diligent about seeing that the column moved with alacrity. It’s not a big surprise that Robertson was relieved of command after the Gettysburg Campaign and that he never commanded troops in the field again after his miserable failures during the campaign.

(snip)

In short, then, had Robertson obeyed Stuart’s orders, there would have been two full brigades of cavalry with the main body of the Army of Northern Virginia. Jenkins’ brigade was with Ewell and was actively engaged. Imboden’s command was not summoned by Lee, who made a conscious choice not to utilize those men.

History's shorthand is that "Stuart was late." The truth is a lot more complicated; a combination of untried troops, incompetent subordinates, rivalries between commanders, and the wrong man being put in charge simply because he outranked the better one. And the kicker: there WAS Confederate cavalry at Gettysburg from the opening shots, but Lee didn't want to use them. At the hingepoint of history, every man must do his duty, but there's always one dumb son of a bitch who doesn't get the word (in the immortal words of JFK). Luckily for us, the dumb sons of bitches were on the southern side that day.

The complete analysis is at the link. It's worth your time.

UPDATE: there's no buff like a Civil War buff. Rantings has a list of their 10 favorite books about the Battle of Gettysburg. His capsule review for David G. Martin's, Gettysburg, July 1. begins: "I'm a first day guy. It's by far my favorite part of the battle." Now, THAT'S a connoisseur!