Clashes of Cavalry

by Thom Hatch

Overview

The story of two remarkable men, both natural-born cavalry leaders of great courage, who shared similar traits. Their Civil War legacies were destined to be connected in a series of battles—beginning with Brady Station where Custer’s star rose rapidly, at Gettysburg where Stuart’s star became tarnished, and continuing to Yellow Tavern where Stuart was Killed.

Unlike most standard biographies, Clashes of Cavalry takes an innovative approach to chronicling the lives of these two Civil War giants by not only depicting their lives and exploits individually, but also by examining the role of each in specific battles in which both participated.

Author Thom Hatch first sets the stage with in-depth portrayals of “Beauty” Stuart and “Fanny” Custer, exploring how the early years of the two future cavaliers shaped their eventual military careers. Both born to conservative rural families, educated at West Point, and with sensitive yet outgoing personalities, Custer and Stuart shared some remarkable similarities. The early chapters follow the two young cavaliers through the first two years of the war, leading up to the largest cavalry engagement of the century at Brandy Station in 1863. Both Custer and Stuart participated in the action that day, with the twenty-three-year-old Custer faring far better than Stuart. Custer’s performance earned him the attention and respect of his superiors and started him down the path that would eventually lead to his promotion. Stuart, However, was blamed for the needless slaughter of his men by the Union’s surprise attack and faulted for his overconfidence.

Both Custer and Stuart’s careers continued through battles at Gettysburg, the Bristoe Campaign, and the Wilderness. While Stuart was destined to fall at Yellow Tavern, Custer went on to even greater success, culminating with an assault on the Confederates at Appomattox Court House that essentially ended the war.

Clashes of Cavalry paints a vivid portrait of these brilliant cavalrymen. Although Custer never enjoyed the same level of command as Stuart, there is reason to believe that given the same opportunity he would have been equal to the task. History has remembered both as gifted horsemen and inspired leaders, truly among the most celebrated heroes of the Civil War.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684424566
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	01/28/2020
Pages:	293
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Thom Hatch is a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and an award-winning American author and novelist who specializes in the history of the American West, the American Civil War, and the Plains Indian Wars. He is the author of twelve books, including The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indians Wars, and Black Kettle: the Cheyenne Chief Who Sought Peace But Found War, for which he received the Spur Award for literary excellence from the Western Writers of America. Hatch lives in Colorado with his wife and daughter.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 Beauty 1

Chapter 2 Fanny 17

Chapter 3 Opening Salvos of the War 29

Chapter 4 The Cavalier and the Aide-de-Camp 53

Chapter 5 Brandy Station 77

Chapter 6 On to Gettysburg 97

Chapter 7 East of Gettysburg 117

Chapter 8 Withdrawal and Pursuit 139

Chapter 9 The Bristoe Campaign 161

Chapter 10 The Winter of 1863-64 185

Chapter 11 The Wilderness Campaign 207

Chapter 12 The Shenandoah 233

Chapter 13 Appomattox 253

Chapter 14 The Boy General and the Knight of the Golden Spurs 271

Bibliography 277

Index 286

Editorial Reviews

Hatch (Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, 1997) acquaints readers with the well-known lives and military accomplishments of his colorful protagonists: Custer, the fun-loving West Point cadet who graduated at the bottom of his class with 726 demerits; and Stuart, a fellow classmate and self-styled Virginia aristocrat who shunned the "hireling professions" of law and commerce for the battlefield. The author skillfully interweaves the extraordinary wartime exploits of both men from First Manassas until Stuart's death at Yellow Tavern on May 11, 1864. He offers Stuart as a foppish master showman whose meteoric rise as the "Beau Sabreur" declines after Brandy Station and Gettysburg, largely owing to his willfulness and bad judgment. By comparison, the late-blooming Custer is seen to eclipse Stuart's reputation through his daring generalship, ability to survive lackluster superiors, and substantial contribution to Lincoln's 1864 reelection by driving Confederate troops from the Shenandoah Valley. Hatch's concluding chapter summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of both cavalry commanders, and, surprisingly enough, he disappoints by declining to choose the better man, although his entire study argues for Custer. The scholarship is sound, and maps of the subjects' raids and engagements are helpful. Recommended for Civil War collections at most libraries. John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Athens Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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