With great anticipation, Stuart roused his group of 1,200 troopers before dawn on June 12, and they rode northward from Richmond. Lee waited anxiously for three days before receiving any word from Stuart. Finally, Stuart returned to Lee’s headquarters. He had lost only one man in the skirmish, seized hundreds of prisoners from the Union ranks, and successfully verified McClellan’s whereabouts.

Thanks to Stuart’s march, the Confederate forces in Virginia appeared more massive and intimidating to the Union than they actually were. The South regained its morale after a series of setbacks. . . and adopted a new hero.