Cavalry Corps , Army of Northern Virginia The Cavalry Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia was the only organized cavalry corps in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War . Prior to the establishment of a formal corps , cavalry organization in the Confederacy consisted mostly of partisan ranger units and some battalions , a few of which were loosely organized into regiment s , such as Brig . Gen . Turner Ashby ' s regiment , and Colonel J . E . B . Stuart ' s 1st Virginia Cavalry Regiment . Background . The source and essence of the Cavalry Corps lay in the background of the age of the Virginia Cavaliers , the royal families of the Colony of Virginia who brought the breeding of horses and horsemanship to the colony . Fine horsemanship was an ingrained part of Virginia culture and history , and many Virginians were raised riding and breeding horses , and thus were capable of jumping and military skills on the horse that were unequaled by Union cavalry during the war . Command under Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart . The rise of the Cavalry Corps can be almost entirely tied to the career and organizational efforts of its first commander , Maj . Gen . J . E . B . Stuart , and was formally established on August 17 , 1862 . Stuart ' s command increased in size as part of the history of the Cavalry Corps , as he commanded a brigade , and then a division of cavalry , which finally grew in size to a complete corps . Key engagements of the Cavalry Division / Corps under Stuart ' s leadership included : Following the death of Stuart on May 11 , 1864 , the essence of the Cavalry Corps organization persisted , as subsequent cavalry commanders continued to manage multiple cavalry divisions until the end of the war . Command under Lt . Gen . Wade Hampton . The second commander , wealthy South Carolina planter Wade Hampton III , had previously been promoted to major general leading a division under J . E . B . Stuart . Hampton then took over the Cavalry Corps after Stuart ' s death at the Battle of Yellow Tavern . General Hampton first managed the corps beginning with engagements screening General Robert E . Lee ' s army along the Pamunkey River , in engagements such as the Battle of Haw ' s Shop ( historical Hawe ' s Shop ) . Hampton was originally from Charleston , South Carolina , and continued to use cavalry units from the Carolinas in his corps . Continuing in command through the Siege of Petersburg , General Lee decided to release his Carolina cavalry units , including Hampton , back to the aid and defense of South Carolina under the Army of Tennessee , as Maj . Gen . William T . Sherman began his march from Georgia to Columbia , South Carolina . Hampton and the Carolina cavalry units were moved by rail to Columbia , and fought delay - and - defense actions against Sherman . Key engagements under Hampton ' s leadership included : Command under Maj . Gen . Fitzhugh Lee . Upon the departure of General Hampton , Maj . Gen . Fitzhugh Lee took over the smaller remaining Cavalry Corps in February 1865 . He was in command of the corps through the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond , and through the course of the Appomattox Campaign , until the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia . Key engagements under Lee ' s leadership included :