Mosby's Rangers: Uniforms, Arms and Accoutrements Part 2: The Influence of JEB Stuart The cavalry through the ages has always had a certain glamour, and the Confederate cavalry was no exception. Most dashing of the cavaliers was General James Ewell Brown (JEB) Stuart, under whose command and patronage Mosby first made his name as a scout and architect of the famous ride around McClellan, and who gave Mosby the chance at his own command. Stuart was Mosby's idol and mentor, and shielded him from criticism from higher-ups when his exploits were criticized by more conservative elements in the Confederate army as unmilitary. Mosby brooked no criticism of Stuart and took pains to defend Stuart's reputation after the War, by writing a book in which he took full personal responsibility for Stuart's late arrival at Gettysburg. As the consummate cavalryman, Stuart concluded that the standard design officers frock coat was ill-suited for fighting from the saddle. However, he preferred the dashing, double breasted look of the frock coat to the more plebian single breasted shell jacket. Instead, he developed his own design for a cavalryman's shell jacket, consisting largely of an abbreviated frock coat. This style was adopted by others who admired and wished to emulate Stuart, as were several of his other style-setting affectations such as scarlet lined capes and cocked hats and ostrich plumes. Resources and Links: Online: Laurel Hill, Birthplace of General Stuart JEB Stuart Memorial Page (Great Southern Men site) Books: Jeb Stuart:The Last Cavalier, book by Burke Davis Bold Dragoon:The Life of J.E.B. Stuart, book by Emory Thomas Stuart's Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign, by Col. John Singleton Mosby Uniforms & Equipment of the 43rd Battalion: Part 1: The Context: Background on Confederate Uniforms: Part 3: The Uniforms of Mosby's Rangers: Overview & Conclusions Part 4: Uniforms: Individual Men Part 5: Arms and Accoutrements Part 6: Uniform & Equipment Guidelines for 43rd Battalion Reenactors

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