Military officer; born in
Greenfield, Mass., Sept. 30, 1824; graduated at the United States Military Academy in 1845; served in the
Mexican War, and was promoted captain for gallantry in the
battle of Molino del
Rey. When the
Civil War broke out he was appointed colonel of the 14th United States Infantry, and placed in command of the outposts and defences of
Washington.
On Oct. 20, 1861, he was ordered by
General McClellan to closely watch the movements of the enemy and make a feint of crossing the
Potomac at
[
430]
Ball's Bluff.
After obeying these orders it seems that he supposed the enemy might be surprised, and with that object in view crossed the
Potomac in the night.
On Oct. 21 he was attacked and defeated, with heavy loss.
General Stone remained in his command till Feb. 9, 1862, when he was arrested and confined in Fort Lafayette in New York Harbor till Aug. 16.
He was then released, as no charge had been made against him. Immediately after his arrest he applied to
General McClellan for a statement of the cause, but received no reply, and during his imprisonment no notice was taken of his repeated applications for a speedy trial, for a copy of charges, and for access to the records, etc. After his release he reported by telegram for orders; but hearing nothing, he wrote on Sept. 25 to
Gen. Lorenzo Thomas,
adjutant-general, United States army, stating the case, and asking that charges be furnished him, or that he be placed on duty.
General Halleck answered, Sept. 30, 1862, that he was no longer under arrest, but that he would give him no orders, as he had not been assigned to him for duty.
On Dec. 1, 1862,
General Stone, hearing nothing further, wrote
General McClellan that, as far as he could learn, the authority for his immediate arrest was from him, and respectfully requested that he be furnished with a copy of the charges.
General McClellan replied, Dec. 5, stating that the order was given by the
Secretary of War; that the
Secretary said it was made at the solicitation of the congressional committee on the conduct of the war, and based on testimony taken by them.
This is the substance of all the information
General Stone was ever able to collect after persistent efforts.
At last, on May 3, 1863, the government restored him to duty, making no acknowledgment of the injustice done him. He was assigned to duty in the Department of the Gulf, where he took part in several important engagements.
In September, 1864, he resigned his commission.
In 1870-83 he held a commission in the
Egyptian army, and was the recipient of many honors from the
Egyptian government, Returning to the
United States, he became engineer-in-chief of the
Florida Ship-canal and Transit Company.
On April 3, 1886, he was chosen engineer-inchief for the erection of the Bartholdi statue pedestal, and after the completion of the work was grand marshal in the civic and military ceremony during the dedicatory service.
He died in New York City, Jan. 24, 1887.
