Stuart’s Tarheels

When Confederate Major General J.E.B. Stuart said “North Carolina has done nobly in this army,” he had one of his own men to thank: Brigadier General James Byron Gordon. A protégé of Stuart, Gordon was the consummate nineteenth-century landowner, politician, and businessman. Despite a lack of military training, he rose rapidly through the ranks and, as the commander of all North Carolina cavalrymen in the Army of Northern Virginia, he helped bring unparalleled success to Stuart’s famed Confederate cavalry. This updated biography, originally published in 1996, chronicles Gordon’s early life and military career and, through his men, takes a fresh look at the vaunted Army of Northern Virginia—its battles, controversies, and troops. This second edition includes additional source material that has come to light and a roster of Gordon’s 1st North Carolina Cavalry.

Chris J. Hartley is an award-winning author of two books and a number of articles and is a frequent speaker on the Civil War. He lives in Pfafftown, North Carolina.

Chris J. Hartley

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 445
Bibliographic Info: 21 photos, 14 maps, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016 [2011]
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6798-0
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8690-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1
Prologue: Near Yellow Tavern, Virginia, May 11, 1864      5

PART I: GORDON AND HIS CAVALRY
1. Overmountain Men      7
2. “A High Sense of All That Is Honorable”      15
3. A Hole in Your Hide      33
4. Back to Carolina      52
5. Wholesome Lessons      63
6. Petite Guerre      78
7. A Season of Raiding      93
8. Spent and Recovered      111
9. “General, There Comes the First North Carolina”      126
10. With the 5th      139
11. “Now, Gordon, Is Your Time!”      163
12. One Needful Thing      189
13. “Every Man Must Be a Hero”      207
Conclusion: “Muffled Drums”      231

PART II: THE ROSTER
Abbreviations      241
Roster of the 1st North Carolina Cavalry Regiment (9th Regiment North Carolina State Troops)      247

Appendix I. J.E.B. Stuart’s Brigade and Divisional Commanders      389
Appendix II. Gordon and His Farm      390
Appendix III. Gordon’s Printed House Documents      391
Notes      397
Bibliography      425
Index      431

• Winner, Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal—United Daughters of the Confederacy
• “recommend[ed]…Harley does an exceptional job o explaining the details of cavalry tactics and the complex movement of mounted troops in battle”—Civil War News
• “is a worthy addition to the increasing bibliography of Stuart’s cavalry regiments”—Blue & Gray Magazine
• “impressively researched…a rich panoply of sources…an intelligently written narrative…notes, bibliography, and index all deliver precisely what the book’s users will need”—In Taller Cotton