Before writing this article and reading the book The Killer Angels, I didn't know much about Jeb Stuart. All I knew about him was that he was a famous Civil War cavalryman. I had no idea what the Battle of Chancellorsville was and that Stuart had taken part in it. Now, after reading about Stuart and the Battle of Chancellorsville, I realize the impact he had on the war and what a great leader he was. In this article I will talk about the Battle of Chancellorsville, Jeb Stuart's leadership skills and Jeb Stuart and the Battle of Chancellorsville. Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart, chief of the cavalry of the Army of Northern Virginia, was born in Patrick County, Virginia, February 6, 1833. His ancestry in America began with Archibald Stuart, who sought refuge from religious persecution in western Pennsylvania in 1726, and subsequently removed with his family to Augusta County, Virginia, about 1738. The next generation distinguished himself by the services of Major Alexander Stuart, who fell dangerously wounded while commanding his regiment at Guilford Court House. John Alexander, son of Alexander, spent part of his life in the West, serving as a federal judge in Illinois and Missouri and as speaker of the House in the latter state. Jeb had a very comfortable childhood. As you probably noticed, Jeb Stuart joined the military at a very young age and began to develop a love for the lifestyle. General Stuart continued his youth studies at Emory and Henry College, then entered the national military academy, West Point Academy, graduated in 1854 and was commissioned second lieutenant in October of the same year. He served in Texas against the Apaches with the mounted riflemen until transferred to the new First Cavalry in May 1855, with which he served at Fort Leavenworth. On November 14, 1855, he married the daughter of Colonel Philip St. George Cooke at Fort Riley and was promoted to first lieutenant the following month. He remained on the frontier and in Kansas, and was wounded in the Indian battle of Solomon River in 1857. At Washington, in 1859, he carried secret instructions to Colonel R. E. Lee, and accompanied that officer as aide, against the epidemic at Harper's. Perry, where he read the summons to surrender to the leader, hitherto known as "Smith", but whom he immediately recognized as "Ossawatomie" Brown of Kansas.