Which Confederate cavalry general was killed at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in 1864?

J.E.B. Stuart was the Confederate cavalry general killed after being wounded at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in 1864.

The battle took place on May 11, 1864, during the Overland Campaign. Union cavalry commanded by Philip Sheridan was raiding toward Richmond when Stuart positioned roughly 4,500 Confederate troopers near Yellow Tavern, an abandoned inn north of the Confederate capital.

During the fighting, Stuart rode forward to encourage the 1st Virginia Cavalry. Union private John A. Huff fired at him with a .44-caliber revolver from short range, striking him in the abdomen. Stuart was taken to Richmond and died the following day. Fitzhugh Lee assumed temporary command as the battle continued.

Stuart's death mattered because he had been Robert E. Lee's most experienced cavalry commander and had played a major role in Confederate reconnaissance. The battle was a Union victory, although Sheridan's raid did not immediately capture Richmond. Wade Hampton later became one of the Confederacy's leading cavalry commanders, while Nathan Bedford Forrest served in the Western Theater.