The major facts of the Gettysburg campaign and battle are well known,
but controversies about its outcome abound even today. No issue is more
contested than that of the whereabouts of the dashing cavalryman, Maj.
Gen. J. E. B. Stuart. Author Mark Nesbitt gives a detailed
reconstruction of Stuart's actions during the campaign and presents the
case that Stuart was not at fault for the loss: He was following orders
to the best of his ability. The blame surrounding Stuart only surfaced
after the war when, in an attempt to exonerate Lee, some veterans
vilified Stuart unfairly. Unfortunately for the great cavalryman, that
culpability has stuck. Nesbitt's findings challenge generations of
Gettysburg historiography and are certain to fuel the controversy for
years to come.