Military officer; born in
Busti, Chautauqua co., N. Y., Aug. 8, 1822; graduated at
West Point in 1846; was captain, in command of
Fort Brown, Tex., in 1861; and refused to obey the order of
Gen. Twiggs (q. v.) to surrender the government property to the
Confederates.
He chartered a steamer, evacuated the post, and proceeded to New
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York, where he arrived March 15.
He was made major of the 1st United States Cavalry, and served in
western Virginia as inspector-general until made a brigadiergeneral of volunteers and chief of cavalry, in August.
He was active in the
Peninsular campaign in 1862; and after the fall of
General Kearny, at
Chantilly, he took command of that general's division.
He succeeded
General Heintzelman as commander of the 3d Army Corps, which he led in the
battle of Fredericksburg, and was promoted to major-general in November, 1862.
In the
Richmond campaign, in May, 1863, he commanded a cavalry corps on raids; and from January to April, 1864, he led the 23d Corps.
Then he was transferred to the command of the cavalry in the Department of the Ohio.
In July, 1864,
General Sherman ordered
General Stoneman, at
Atlanta, to take his own and
Garrard's cavalry, about 5,000 in all, and move by the left, around
Atlanta, to
Macdonough, while
McCook was to move by the right to
Fayetteville, and, sweeping round, join the latter at Lovejoy's Station, on the Macon Railway.
He moved on the night of July 28.
Stoneman, ambitious, tried to do too much, and failed in nearly all his undertakings on that raid.
He obtained consent to go farther than
Lovejoy's, after reaching that station, and attempt the capture of
Macon, and, pushing on, release the captives at
Andersonville.
He omitted to cooperate with
McCook in his movement upon the railway at
Lovejoy's, and with his own command, separated from
Garrard's, about 3,000 in number, pressed on to
Macon.
There he was met by Confederate cavalry, under
General Iverson, and was compelled to turn hastily back, closely pressed by the
Confederates.
His command was divided.
One of his brigades reached
Atlanta without much loss; another was dispersed, and the remainder, 1,000 strong, led by
Stoneman himself, were surrounded by
Iverson, and 700 of them made prisoners.
The remainder escaped.
Iverson had only about 500 men.
Late in 1864
General Stoneman took command in
east Tennessee, and concentrated the forces of
Gillem and
Burbridge at
Bean's Station.
He moved towards
Bristol (Dec. 12), where his advance struck a force under
Basil Duke, one of
Morgan's officers, near
Kingsport, dispersed them, and captured their trains and eightyfour of their men. He menaced the salt-works at
Saltville, in southwestern Virginia.
General Gillem was very active in that region, and
Stoneman proceeded to destroy the salt-works.
Breckinridge, who was defending them, was driven over the mountains, and they were laid waste.
Late in the winter
Stoneman, who had returned to
Knoxville, was ordered to make a cavalry raid into
South Carolina, in aid of
Sherman's movements.
Before he was ready to move,
Sherman had advanced so far that the raid into
South Carolina was unnecessary, and
Stoneman proceeded to strike and destroy the Virginia and Tennessee Railway, in
southwestern Virginia.
It was torn up to within 4 miles of
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Lynchburg by a part of his command.
At the same time
Stoneman, with his main body, advanced on
Christiansburg, and, sending troops east and west, destroyed about 90 miles of the railroad.
Then he turned his force southward (April 9, 1865), and struck the North Carolina Railway between
Danville and
Greensboro.
He sent
Colonel Palmer to destroy the railway between
Salisbury and
Greensboro and the factories at
Salem, N. C., while the main body moved on
Salisbury, forcing the
Yadkin at
Huntsville (April 11, and skirmishing near there.
Palmer captured a South Carolina regiment of 400 men. Ten miles east of
Salisbury (which was a depot for Union prisoners) the raiders encountered 3,000 Confederates, under
Pemberton,
Grant's opponent at
Vicksburg.
He had eighteen guns.
This force was charged by the brigades of
Gillem and
Brown; its guns were captured, also 3,000 small-arms, and a large collection of ammunition, provisions, and clothing, and over 1,200 men were made prisoners.
The Confederates, who fled, were chased several miles.
At
Salisbury the raiders destroyed 10,000 small-arms, four cottonfactories, 7,000 bales of cotton, a vast amount of ammunition, provisions, and clothing, and the railway tracks in each direction.
The Union prisoners had been removed.
On April 17
Stoneman started for
east Tennessee.
On the 19th
Maj. E. E. C. Moderwell, with 250 cavalry, burned the fine bridge of the
Charlotte and South Carolina Railroad, 1,150 feet in length and 50 feet above the water, over the
Catawba.
It was a blackened ruin in the space of thirty minutes. After a sharp skirmish with Confederate cavalry, the raiders returned to their main body at
Dallas, with 325 prisoners, 200 horses, and two pieces of artillery.
During the course of the raid the
National cavalry captured 6,000 prisoners, twenty-five pieces of artillery taken in action, twenty-one abandoned, and a large number of small-arms.
In March, 1865,
General Stoneman was brevetted major-general, United States army, and in 1871 was retired.
He was governor of
California in 1883-87.
He died in
Buffalo, N. Y., Sept. 5, 1894.
