Bold Dragoon: The Life of J.E.B. Stuart

Norman Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999. Assumed First Edition . X. Fine/New. 6" x 9. Tremblay, Jean Paul - Maps. 354 Pages Indexed. Great condition perfect for Civil War collectors. Book and Jacket are protected with a Ployfit Demco covering from the time of purchase. In a time and place that elevated its military leaders to mythic status, J.E.B. Stuart stood second only to Robert E. Lee as the Confederacy's most romantic figure-a station Stuart well deserved. Bravely raiding Union camps, disappearing in a cloud of dust as quickly as he came, this legendary leader truly was the spirited cavalier history makes him out to be. Yet, as with most prominent and productive historical figures, there is a lot more to the man than his courageous deeds. Author Emory M. Thomas has thoroughly researched his fascinating subject to reveal the ambitious, sometimes self-absorbed man behind the myth-which Stuart himself steadfastly constructed. Emory introduces us to a Virginia-born West Point graduate who was so concerned with getting ahead that he married for social prominence; who, st prior to secession, simultaneously attempted to procure high standing in both the Confederate and the Union Armies; and who regularly exaggerated his achievements throughout his career. In the end, J.E.B. Stuart, plumed hat and all, is much more than a dashing personification of the Old South. He is a sensitive, complex, ingenious man who creatively pursued fame, glory and victory at all costs. Eventually, it cost him his life. He would have had it no other way.