Editing J. E. B. Stuart (section)

===Fall 1863 and the 1864 Overland Campaign===
Lee reorganized his cavalry on September 9, creating a Cavalry Corps for Stuart with two divisions of three brigades each. In the [[Bristoe Campaign]], Stuart was assigned to lead a broad turning movement in an attempt to get into the enemy's rear, but General Meade skillfully withdrew his army without leaving Stuart any opportunities to take advantage of. On October 13, Stuart blundered into the rear guard of the Union [[III Corps (Union Army)|III Corps]] near [[Warrenton, Virginia|Warrenton]], resulting in the [[First Battle of Auburn]]. {{quote box
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| quote = [The cavalry's success in the Bristoe Campaign can be attributed] to the generalship, boldness, and untiring energy of Major-General Stuart, for it was he who directed every movement of importance, and his generalship, boldness, and energy won the unbounded confidence of officers and men, and gave the prestige of success.
| source = —Confederate Colonel Oliver Funsten<ref>Wert, pp. 320–21.</ref>
}} Ewell's corps was sent to rescue him, but Stuart hid his troopers in a wooded ravine until the unsuspecting III Corps moved on, and the assistance was not necessary. As Meade withdrew towards Manassas Junction, brigades from the Union [[II Corps (Union Army)|II Corps]] fought a rearguard action against Stuart's cavalry and the infantry of Brigadier General [[Harry T. Hays|Harry Hays]]'s division near Auburn on October 14. Stuart's cavalry boldly bluffed Warren's infantry and escaped disaster. After the Confederate repulse at [[Battle of Bristoe Station|Bristoe Station]] and an aborted advance on Centreville, Stuart's cavalry shielded the withdrawal of Lee's army from the vicinity of Manassas Junction. Judson Kilpatrick's Union cavalry pursued Stuart's cavalry along the [[U.S. Route 29|Warrenton Turnpike]], but were lured into an ambush near Chestnut Hill and routed. The Federal troopers were scattered and chased five miles (eight&nbsp;km) in an affair that came to be known as the [[Battle of Buckland Mills|"Buckland Races"]]. The Southern press began to mute its criticism of Stuart following his successful performance during the fall campaign.<ref>Wert, pp. 313–21; Davis, pp. 360–67.</ref>
[[File:Overland Campaign May-June 1864.pdf|thumb|alt=A map of the 1864 Overland Campaign, including the location of the Battle of Yellow Tavern|The 1864 [[Overland Campaign]], including the [[Battle of Yellow Tavern]]]]
The [[Overland Campaign]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|Lieutenant General]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]]'s offensive against Lee in the spring of 1864, began at the [[Battle of the Wilderness]], where Stuart aggressively pushed Thomas L. Rosser's Laurel Brigade into a fight against George Custer's better-armed Michigan Brigade, resulting in significant losses. General Lee sent a message to Stuart: "It is very important to save your Cavalry & not wear it out. ... You must use your good judgment to make any attack which may offer advantages." As the armies maneuvered toward their next confrontation at [[Battle of Spotsylvania Court House|Spotsylvania Court House]], Stuart's cavalry fought delaying actions against the Union cavalry. His defense at Laurel Hill, also directing the infantry of Brigadier General [[Joseph B. Kershaw]], skillfully delayed the advance of the Federal army for nearly five critical hours.<ref>Wert, pp. 338–46; Davis, pp. 378–84.</ref>