Editing J. E. B. Stuart (section)

===Marriage===
[[File:young jeb stuart.jpg|thumb|200px|A young Stuart]]
Also in 1855, Stuart met Flora Cooke, the daughter of the [[2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment|2nd U.S. Dragoon Regiment]]'s commander, [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Philip St. George Cooke]]. Burke Davis described Flora as "an accomplished horsewoman, and though not pretty, an effective charmer," to whom "Stuart succumbed with hardly a struggle."<ref>Davis, p. 36.</ref> They became engaged in September, less than two months after meeting. Stuart humorously wrote of his rapid courtship in [[Latin]], "''[[Veni, vidi, vici|Veni, Vidi, Victus sum]]''" (I came, I saw, I was conquered). Although a gala wedding had been planned for [[Fort Riley]], [[Kansas]], the death of Stuart's father on September 20 caused a change of plans and the marriage on November 14 was small and limited to family witnesses.<ref>Thomas, pp. 41–43; Davis, p. 37; Wert, pp. 26–29.</ref>  Their first child, a girl, was born in 1856 but died the same day. On November 14, 1857, Flora gave birth to another daughter, whom the parents named Flora after her mother. The family relocated in early 1858 to Fort Riley, where they remained for three years.<ref>Wert, p. 35.</ref> The couple owned two slaves until 1859, one inherited from his father's estate, the other purchased.<ref>Wert, pp. 30–31.</ref>