Lee, Fitzhugh, 1835-1905 [Account of Army of Northern Virginia cavalry operations]

"…praise to the valor, endurance & patriotism of the noble band of troopers I had the honor to Comd. … they at least did their whole duty in the unsuccessful struggle in which we were engaged."
Opening with the Wilderness and Spotsylvania battles, Fitz Lee provides a detailed account of Army of Northern Virginia cavalry operations, fighting practically non-stop from May 4, 1864 to April 9, 1865. Fitz Lee's account is especially informative for the campaigns of the spring and summer of 1864, including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, the opening of the Petersburg siege, and Philip Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley campaign. The exploits of little-known cavalry officers such as Major James Breathed spring from the pages. Lee's descriptions of Yellow Tavern and Trevilian's, two of the largest all-cavalry battles of the war, are incredible, and his comments on Winchester explore the strategic implications of the battle: "I have dwelt thus long & minutely upon this battle…partially because I believe it occasioned the fall of Richmond by ultimately liberating a large army flushed with victory for Grant's use, while we could only use a small counteractive element, the small remnant from a dispirited band … there is but one conclusion to draw viz. that the battle of Winchester ought never to have been fought."