General James Ewell Brown (J.E.B.) Stuart was a Confederate Soldier and General during the American Civil War. His ghost lived on, haunting an M3 Stuart and later a M1 Abrams tank, both helmed by his descendants, Jeb and Jamal.
History
Early life
He was born in Laurel Hill, Patrick County, Virginia on the 6th of February 1833 and was later enrolled at West Point military academy. Commissioned in 1854 second lieutenant of cavalry. He later married Flora Cooke the daughter of Colonel Philip St George Cooke. The couple had two children Jeb Stuart, Jr. and Virginia Stuart. Despite the fact was only part of initials and the fact that his real name was James for some weird reason The name Jeb would be carried down the generations of his decedents.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, J.E.B fought in the Battle of Bull Run. He was put in command of the Confederate Cavalry under General Robert E. Lee but was fatally wounded in 1864 at Yellow Tavern, Virginia, during the Battle of Richmond.
World War II
After the United States entered the war the spirit of Alexander the Great assigned the ghost of General Stuart to act as guardian to his descendant Sgt. Jeb Stuart. Only Jeb and people who were near death could see and hear the general's ghost. Jeb's tank crew thinks that their commander is merely imaging the ghost and is partly crazy, but they have seen him in action and have complete faith in his combat skills.
The unit was nicknamed the Haunted Tank and consisted of Private Rick Rawlings, the tanks gunner; Corporal Slim Stryker, the driver; and Corporal Arch Asher, the loader. Tragically young Asher was killed inside a German tank that exploded. He was replaced by a new recruit Corporal Gus Gray. Stryker, while temporarily acting as gunner was replaced as driver by Sgt. Bill Craig, who had served for thirty years in the army, first with the horse cavalry and then in a tank in World War I.
The General's ghost is allowed to council Jeb, but he can only give him warnings in cryptic ways. The crew was not always successful as they lost various tanks in battle, but salvaged and repaired their way through the war. The crew later took control of a Sherman tank. The crew decided to honor their ghostly protector by flying the Confederate flag as they rode into battle.
Throughout the remainder of the war, Stuart guided Jeb's actions, providing him with advice and insight as his needs required. Jeb survived the war and became a American History teacher at Calvin College. With his task completed and his descendant safe J.E.B. returns to Heaven.
Hawk & Dove
When S.T.A.R. Labs opened a portal to Limbo in Operation Zeppelin, they did this as various deceased criminals wished to return to the earthly realm through the portal. These criminals included the Electrocutioner, Icicle, Clayface, El Papagayo, Iron Major and the Top.
The Titans West entered Limbo to stop them, and J.E.B. Stuart returned from Heaven to help them, giving Hawk use of the Haunted Tank. They defeated the criminals and as J.E.B. prepared to return to the afterlife Hawk asked him if there was some way to bring his brother Dove back to life. However, J.E.B. was able to persuade him that Dove's life work was done, and that he belonged in Heaven.[1]
Iraq War
J.E.B. returns to protect his descendant this time it is Sgt. Jamal Stuart an American soldier in command of an armored tank division serving in the Persian Gulf. In 2003, Stuart's unit was stationed in Iraq, but they had fallen behind on a convoy due to a broken road wheel arm. Currently, Sergeant Stuart and his men were ambushed by Syrian raiders. They likely would have died if not for the sudden appearance of J.E.B.'s spirit. The ghost of J.E.B. Stuart took command of the tank's gun and cut down the raiders.[2] With the battle won J.E.B. introduced himself to his descendant. As a black man, Jamal Stuart had the great difficulty coming to terms with the idea that his ancestor was a man who fought to keep his people in slavery.[3]
The ghost made no apologies for his past, but was honor bound to protect his current descendant in the war in the Middle East. In recognition of their new ally and also to irritate their commanding officer, Stuart's crew erected a ratty Confederate flag onto their vehicle and they became the modern version of the Haunted Tank.[4]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
- Invisibility: J.E.B.'s spirit could only appear before the eyes of his own descendant or soldiers who are dying and communicate with them. However, as his soul was bound to that of Jeb Stuart his presence was limited to Jeb's immediate location. Stuart was able to see and hear all events taking place within his field of vision.
- Intangibility: J.E.B. is a non-corporeal spirit. He can render himself corporeal for some seconds, in moments of extreme necessity, but not enough to directly attack anyone.
- Precognition
- Size Alteration
Abilities
- J.E.B. Stuart was an excellent military tactician and consummate soldier.
Weaknesses
Paraphernalia
Transportation
Ghost Horse: J.E.B. rides a ghostly horse, and like himself it is intangible and has no effect on the living world.
Notes
- This character is a fictional representation of J. E. B. Stuart, a real person. More information on this person can be found at Wikipedia.org.
- Major General J.E.B. Stuart was an an actual historical figure who fought for the South during the American Civil War. Writer/editor Robert Kanigher re-imagined Stuart as a cantankerous ghost which appeared alongside the Haunted Tank.
- Although he was only thirty-seven years old when he died, J.E.B. Stuart is often portrayed much older, with a long, flowing white beard.
Related
- 238 Appearances of J. E. B. Stuart (New Earth)
- 8 Images featuring J. E. B. Stuart (New Earth)
- 29 Quotations by or about J. E. B. Stuart (New Earth)
- Character Gallery: J. E. B. Stuart (New Earth)
External Links
Footnotes