The Cavalry Battle That Saved the Union: Custer vs. Stuart at Gettysburg

Military Review,  March-April, 2004  by Steven Leonard

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THE CAVALRY BATTLE THAT SAVED THE UNION: Custer vs. Stuart at Gettysburg, Paul D. Walker, Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, LA, 2002, 155 pages, $18.95.

Most historians consider Confederate General George Pickett's infantry charge at Gettysburg to be the final, desperate act of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. In The Cavalry Battle that Saved the Union: Custer vs. Stuart at Gettysburg, Paul D. Walker reveals the apparent genius behind the plan: Confederate General Robert E. Lee's grand scheme was to attack with infantry from the front while Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry swept into the rear of the Union formations.

In an engagement rarely mentioned in histories of the battle, Union Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer--outnumbered and at a decided disadvantage--counterattacked with 5,000 Union cavalrymen. As Confederate forces massed opposite Cemetery Ridge for the decisive assault, four brigades of rebel cavalry and artillery attacked from the rear, with the outcome of the Civil War at stake.

Walker, a 30-year veteran of armored cavalry formations, was inspired to write The Cavalry Battle that Saved the Union while a student at the Army War College. There he learned that despite involving nearly 13,000 cavalrymen from both sides, the battle rarely receives mention in any official histories. Only David F. Riggs' relatively short account of the battle East of Gettysburg: Custer vs. Stuart (Old Army Press, Fort Collins, CO, 1970 [revised 1985]), chronicles the engagement.

If the cavalry engagement between Stuart and Custer was so significant, why does it receive such little attention? The author does not answer the question. Quite possibly, most historians and scholars have concluded that the cavalry engagement was minor in comparison with Pickett's charge and has been treated accordingly. But so little documented evidence exists on Custer's and Stuart's clash in the wooded hills south of Crest Ridge that Walker's account is a valuable addition to Gettysburg's history.

The book offers a new perspective to readers and will doubtless intrigue Civil War scholars. Followers of Civil War cavalry and the exploits of a young Custer will likely find that this volume suits their taste for mounted action. Walker's writing style is crisp and gritty, and each page is alive with the smell of old leather. The book is an excellent niche book for those already familiar with the events of Gettysburg and a worthwhile addition to any library dedicated to documenting the battle.

MAJ Steven Leonard, USA,

Fort Campbell, Kentucky

COPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Army CGSC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning