James Ewell Brown Stuart graduated from West Point and served in the United States Army before joining Virginia and the Confederacy in 1861. He commanded cavalry in the Army of Northern Virginia and became known for reconnaissance, raids and a flamboyant public image.
J. E. B. Stuart was a Confederate cavalry commander known for reconnaissance and mounted operations during the American Civil War. In dynastic and political terms, J. E. B. Stuart was associated with United States and Confederate States.
Gilbert Morris’ The Sword places its fictional cavalryman Clay Tremayne under the command of J. E. B. Stuart during the American Civil War. Stuart represents the glamour, daring and public reputation of Confederate cavalry service, while Clay’s experiences reveal the physical and personal costs behind that martial image. By bringing the fictional soldier into Stuart’s command and social circle, the novel uses the famous cavalryman as both a historical commander and a standard against which its hero’s ideas of courage and honour are tested.