On to Mercersburg

Stuart's Ride around McClellan - 1862

Painted by Ron Lesser, the original oil painting (23" x 42") was commissioned by a private benefactor for the 2002 Commemoration of the 140th Anniversary of J.E.B. Stuart's Raid through Mercersburg in October 1862.

Titled "On to Mercersburg", this oil painting pictures Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, the most famous cavalry officer of the Confederacy, and his staff, as they approach Mercersburg on what is now Fort Loudon Road (Route #75). The view is from Fairview Cemetery looking south.

Pictured here, left to right, are Colonel W.H.F. Rooney Lee, Brigadier General Wade Hampton, Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart, Colonel M.C. Butler, and Captain W.W. Blackford.

Under overcast skies and through a constant rain, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, and his staff, approach Mercersburg on the first leg of their famous "2nd Ride Around" of the Union Army. Part of their escort is a cannon of the Washington South Carolina Artillery and the flag bearer of the 10th Virginia Cavalry.