The pivotal Battle of Yellow Tavern: The fall of the South's last cavalry cavalier

"The Battle of Yellow Tavern (11 May 1864) was a pivotal engagement of the American Civil War (1861-1865), not so much for any grand strategic reason than for the loss of Major General J. E. B. Stuart, the famed Confederate cavalry commander. Fought 6 miles (9.6 km) north of the Confederate capital of Richmond, the battle was part of a ploy by Union Major General Philip H. Sheridan to lure Stuart's cavalry corps out into the open, where it could be defeated."

"Sheridan was confident he could use his superior numbers to decisively defeat Stuart & neutralize the Confederate cavalry altogether. On 8 May, amidst the first shots of the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Sheridan rode to army headquarters to speak with Major General George Gordon Meade, commander of the Army of the Potomac. Meade, known for his brusqueness and quick temper, accused Sheridan of mishandling his cavalry thus far in"

The Battle of Yellow Tavern on 11 May 1864 occurred six miles north of Richmond during the Overland Campaign. Union cavalry under Major General Philip H. Sheridan lured Confederate cavalry into open battle to exploit numerical and artillery superiority. Sheridan's maneuvers forced Major General J. E. B. Stuart to ride his exhausted troopers from Richmond's defenses into a hopelessly outnumbered engagement. The Confederates fought through a full day but were defeated and driven back. Stuart received a mortal abdominal wound during the fighting and was transported to Richmond, where he died the following day. The engagement removed the Confederacy's most famed cavalry commander.

Read at World History Encyclopedia