On May 11th, 1864, Confederate General Jeb Stuart was shot at Yellow Tavern by a Union sharpshooter at a distance of 30 feet (10 m). The incident was little more than a skirmish between Union and Confederate cavalry, yet it cost Robert E. Lee his "eyes", in Lee's own words.

Stuart's death at Yellow Tavern was a crushing loss for the Confederacy and possibly hastened the CSA's downfall. The dashing general was best known for his ride around General McClellan's entire Army of the Potomac in 1862, and also, on a more negative note, for embarking on a senseless raid when General Lee needed him in Gettysburg, 1863.