Federal Raider: USA Maj. Gen. George Stoneman

[Battleline]

Maj. Gen. George Stoneman (b. 1822, d. 1894) While not glorified to the extend of his Confederate counterparts, George Stoneman spent much of the Civil War leading large cavalry units behind the lines. He led four major raids during the war, one which ended in his capture. Stoneman was born in Busti, New York, Aug. 22, 1822. He received early schooling at Jamestown Academy before going to the U.S. Military Academy. He graduated 33rd of 59 in the West Point Class of 1846 along with George B. McClellan and Thomas J. Jackson. He entered service in the 1st Dragoons and was quartermaster for the Morman Battalion during its march from Kansas to San Francisco during the Mexican War. After that, he served in the southwest before the war with the rank of captain in the 2nd Cavalry. At the start of the war, he was promoted to major and added to McClellan’s staff. When McClellan was given charge of the Army of the Potomac, Stoneman went along as chief of cavalry. He was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers to rank from Aug. 13, 1861. During McClellan’s Peninsular campaign in 1862, Stoneman led the 1st Division of the III Corps. He was promoted to major general of volunteers March 16, 1863, to rank from Nov. 29, 1862. At Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, Stoneman led the III Corps. Stoneman returned as chief of cavalry when Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker took over the Army of the Potomac. Stoneman made his first large cavalry raid during the Chancellorsville campaign, April 29-May 8, 1863, but this one struggled from the start. The planned raid was delayed nearly two weeks due to flooding on the Rappahannock River. While Stoneman found success against supply and communications lines in Virginia while riding with Brig. Gen. John Buford’s column, the other group under Brig. Gen. William Averill failed in its task. Overall, the raid was deemed a failure and Stoneman was relieved of his command, being sent to serve as chief of the cavalry bureau in Washington, D.C. In 1864, Stoneman got another chance with the forces of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman in the Atlanta Campaign. He briefly commanded the XXIII Corps. Starting July 26, 1864, Stoneman was given charge of 6,500 cavalry troopers and ordered to swing around Atlanta from the east, meet up with Brig. Gen. Edward McCook at Lovejoy Station. There, they were to destroy the last railroad supply route for Confederate forces still in Atlanta and then head toward Macon to free prisoners at Andersonville. Stoneman, instead, headed directly for Macon and detailed a division to cover that move. All three raiding columns were defeated by Confederate Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler’s cavalry, resulting in more than 2,000 Federal losses. Stoneman was captured near Macon July 31 with 700 of his men in one of the worst cavalry defeats of the war. Exchanged in October, Stoneman was sent to command cavalry in East Tennessee. His most successful raid took place through Tennessee and southwestern Virginia Dec. 1, 1864 through Jan. 1, 1865. His forces routed Confederates and destroyed or damaged vital works, factories and supply and communications lines during this raid. Overall, the command captured four major towns and over 900 prisoners. Stoneman’s final raid, March 20-April 23, 1865, took his forces through many of the final Confederate strongholds. Stoneman’s force raided through western North Carolina before ending at Raleigh in an attempt to intercept the escaping Confederate cabinet. In 1866, he received a brevet rank of major general and full rank of colonel of the 21st Infantry in the U.S. Army. He commanded the Department of Arizona until he retired due to disability in 1871. He settled in San Marino, California. After a stint as a railroad commissioner, he was elected California governor in 1882. Stoneman died in Buffalo, New York, Sept. 5, 1894, and was buried in Lakewood, New York.

[Gil R.]

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