Stuart's Invincibles

About the Book

In late 1863, a young Virginian named Richard Hatcher joins the Confederate army’s cavalry, commanded by Major General J.E.B. Stuart, and is trained as one of Stuart’s scouts. Hatcher’s first cousin, Major John Taylor, both mentors his younger cousin and competes with him for the affections of young Molly Carter. This deeply researched novel carries the three through battles, injuries, letters and love, as they separate and come together on plantations, bivouacs and the great battlefields of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Yellow House.

There are several battle scenes, beginning with a successful ambush in West Virginia in which Hatcher plays a minor role. He plays a small part in the great 1864 battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, and the book has its climax at the battle of Yellow Tavern. Before and after these battle scenes, much of the story takes place in private homes at various places including Richmond and at a number of camps and bivouacs. Hatcher, Molly and Taylor are the principal characters, but a number of other fictional and historical characters appear, including Brigadier General John Imboden, Major General Stuart, and General Robert E. Lee.

Snyder has captured the political and emotional set of Virginians in the Civil War, and his research into the literature and news of the era and his on-site evaluations of the battlefields give the reader a strong feel for the lives of the soldiers on the ground.

About the Author