George Stoneman

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George Stoneman

George Stoneman, Jr. (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
officer, a Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
cavalry general in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, and the Governor of California

Governor of California

The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government, whose responsibilities include making annual "State of the State" addresses to the California State Legislature, submitting the budget, and ensuring that state laws are enforced....
between 1883 and 1887.

eman was born on a family farm in Busti, New York

Busti, New York

Busti is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, New York, United States. The population was 7,760 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Paolo Busti, an official of the Holland Land Company....
, the first child of ten. His parents were George Stoneman, Sr., a lumberman and justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A Justice of the Peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a letters patent to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions....
, and Catherine Rebecca Cheney. He studied at the Jamestown Academy and graduated from the United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational United States Service academies located at West Point, New York, New York....
in 1846; his roommate at West Point was future Confederate

Confederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was a military organization whose primary mission was to provide the necessary forces and capabilities to support the National Security and defense of the Confederate States of America during its brief existence from 1861 to 1865....
General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson

Stonewall Jackson

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Encyclopedia

George Stoneman, Jr. (August 22, 1822 – September 5, 1894) was a career United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
officer, a Union

Union Army

The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S....
cavalry general in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, and the Governor of California

Governor of California

Early life

Stoneman was born on a family farm in Busti, New York

Busti, New York

Justice of the Peace

United States Military Academy

Confederate States Army

Stonewall Jackson

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War, and probably the most well-known Confederate commander after General Robert E....
. His first assignment was with the 1st U.S. Dragoons, with which he served across the West and in California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. He was the quartermaster of the Mormon Battalion

Mormon Battalion

The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in American military history, serving from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War....
, which marched from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the second largest city in California and the List of United States cities by population, located along the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast of the United States of the Western United States....
. He fought in the Indian Wars

Indian Wars

Indian Wars is the name generally used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between the colonial or federal government and the indigenous peoples of North America....
and was responsible for survey parties mapping the Sierra Nevada range for railroad lines

Pacific Railroad Surveys

The Pacific Railroad Surveys explored possible routes for a transcontinental railroad across North America. Substantial collection of natural history material was made during the surveys as well....
. After promotion to captain of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in March 1855, he served mainly in Texas until 1861.

Civil War service

At the start of the Civil War Stoneman was in command of Fort Brown

Fort Brown

Fort Brown was a military post of the United States Army in Texas during the later half of 19th century and the early part of the 20th century....
, Texas

Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, and refused the order of Maj. Gen.

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a 2 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
David E. Twiggs

David E. Twiggs

David Emanuel Twiggs was a United States soldier during the War of 1812 and Mexican-American War and a general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
to surrender to the newly established Confederate authorities there, escaping to the north with most of his command. Returning east, he served as a major of the 1st U.S. Cavalry and then adjutant

Adjutant

Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies it is an Officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies it is a rank, which normally corresponds roughly to a Commonwealth Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer....
to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a Major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army....
in western Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an United States U.S. state on the East Coast of the United States of the Southern United States. The state is known as the "Old Dominion" and sometimes as "Mother of Presidents", because it is the birthplace of Lists of United States Presidents by place of birth#By state....
. As the cavalry was being organized in the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War of the American Civil War....
, he commanded the Cavalry Reserve and then the Cavalry Division, with the title Chief of Cavalry. He was promoted to brigadier general

Brigadier general (United States)

A brigadier general in the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, is a 1 star rank general officer, with the U.S....
on August 13, 1861. He did not relate well to McClellan, who did not understand the proper use of cavalry in warfare, relegating it to assignment in small units to infantry brigades. This organization fared poorly in the Peninsula Campaign

Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War....
and the Seven Days Battles

Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War....
of 1862, where the centralized Confederate cavalry under Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart

J.E.B. Stuart

James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was an American soldier from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names....
seriously outperformed their Union counterparts.

On November 22, 1861, Stoneman married Mary Oliver Hardisty of Baltimore

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the U.S. state of Maryland in the United States. Baltimore is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay....
. They eventually had four children.

After the Peninsula, Stoneman was an infantry commander, commanding a division in the II Corps

II Corps (ACW)

There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L....
and the III Corps

III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*Army of Virginia:...
. At the Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg, fought in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, from December 11 to December 15, 1862, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate States Army Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major general Ambrose E....
, Stoneman commanded the III Corps. He was promoted to major general

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a 2 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
of volunteers on November 29, 1862. However, following Fredericksburg, a new commanding general took over the Army of the Potomac: Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, fought in the Mexican-American War, and was a Major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
. Hooker had a better understanding of the strategic value of a centralized Cavalry Corps and he named Stoneman to lead it. The centralized corps could undertake long raids into enemy territory, destroying supplies, and gathering intelligence about the enemy forces. They were not subject to the commanders of small infantry units.

The plan for the Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863....
was strategically daring. Hooker assigned Stoneman a key role in which his Cavalry Corps would raid deeply into Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee , was a career United States United States Army officer , an engineer, and among the most celebrated generals in American history....
's rear areas and destroy vital railroad lines and supplies, distracting Lee from Hooker's main assaults. However, Stoneman was a disappointment in this strategic role. The Cavalry Corps got off to a good start in May 1863, but quickly bogged down after crossing the Rapidan River

Rapidan River

The Rapidan River is the largest tributary of the Rappahannock River in North-central Virginia. The two rivers converge just west of the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia....
. During the entire battle, Stoneman accomplished little and Hooker considered him one of the principal reasons for the Union defeat at Chancellorsville. Hooker needed to deflect criticism from himself and relieved Stoneman from his cavalry command, sending him back to Washington, D.C., for medical treatment (chronic hemorrhoids, exacerbated by cavalry service), where in July he became a Chief of the U.S. Cavalry Bureau, a desk job. A large cavalry supply and training depot on the Potomac River

Potomac River

The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic Ocean coast of the United States. The river is approximately 383 statute miles long, with a Drainage basin of about 14,700 square miles ....
was named Camp Stoneman in his honor.

In early 1864, Stoneman was impatient with garrison duty in Washington and requested another field command from his old friend Maj. Gen. John Schofield

John Schofield

John McAllister Schofield was an United States soldier who held major commands during the American Civil War. He later served as U.S. Secretary of War and commanding general of the United States Army....
, who was in command of the Department of the Ohio

Department of the Ohio

The Department of the Ohio was an administrative military district created by the United States Department of War early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Northern United States near the Ohio River....
. Although originally slated for an infantry corps, Stoneman assumed command of the Cavalry Corps of what would be known as the Army of the Ohio

Army of the Ohio

The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union Army armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863....
. As the army fought in the Atlanta Campaign

Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta, Georgia, during the summer of 1864, leading to the eventual fall of Atlanta and hastening the end of the American Civil War....
under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, Stoneman and his aide, Myles Keogh

Myles Keogh

Myles Walter Keogh was an Irishman who fought in Italy during the 1860 Papal War before volunteering for the Union side in the American Civil War ....
, were captured by Confederate soldiers outside Macon, Georgia

Macon, Georgia

Macon is a city located in central Georgia , USA. It is among the largest metropolitan areas in Georgia, and the county seat of Bibb County, Georgia....
, becoming the highest ranking Union prisoner of war

Prisoner of war

A prisoner of war is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict....
. He was a prisoner for three months.

Stoneman was exchanged relatively quickly based on the personal request of Sherman to the Confederates and he returned to duty. In December 1864, he led a raid from East Tennessee into southwestern Virginia. He led raids into Virginia and North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north....
in 1865, took Salem and other towns, and at Salisbury

Salisbury, North Carolina

Salisbury is a city in Rowan County, North Carolina in North Carolina, a U.S. state of the United States. The population was 26,462 in 2000. It is the county seat of Rowan County....
freed about 1,400 prisoners. In recognition of his service, he was brevet

Brevet (military)

In the U.K. and U.S. military, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher Military rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank....
ted major general

Major general (United States)

In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a 2 star rank general officer rank, with the U.S....
in the regular army

Regular Army

In contemporary use, the term Regular Army refers to the full-time active component of the United States Army, as opposed to the United States Army Reserve or the Army National Guard....
. His command nearly captured Confederate president Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Davis

Jefferson Finis Davis was an United States politician who served as President of the Confederate States of America for its entire history, 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War....
during his flight from Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the Capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. Like all Virginia municipalities incorporated as cities, it is an independent city and not part of any county....
. In June 1865, he was appointed commander of the Department of Tennessee and administered occupied Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County, Tennessee. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River ....
. There, riots broke out among the still rebellious citizens who were angry at the presence of black

United States Colored Troops

The United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African-American soldiers....
Federal soldiers in the military government. Stoneman was criticized for inaction and was investigated by a congressional committee, although he was exonerated.

Postbellum politics

In 1866, Stoneman became opposed to the radical policies of Reconstruction and joined the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major party contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party . It is the oldest political party in continuous operation in the United States and it is one of the oldest parties in the world....
. As he administered the military government in Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and 23 miles south of Richmond, Virginia. The population was 33,740 as of the United States Census 2000....
, he established a reputation of applying more moderate policies than some of the other military governors in Reconstruction, which eased some of the reconciliation pain for Virginians. He mustered out of volunteer service, in September 1866, and reverted to his regular army rank of lieutenant colonel. He took command of the Department of Arizona, First Military District

First Military District

The First Military District existed in the American South during the Reconstruction era of the United States era that followed the American Civil War included Virginia. Commanded by General John Schofield....
, headquartered at Drum Barracks

Drum Barracks

The Drum Barracks, also known as Camp Drum and the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum, is the last remaining original American Civil War era military facility in the Los Angeles, California area....
. He was a controversial commander in that role because of his dealings with Indian uprisings and he was relieved of his command in May 1871.

California

Stoneman moved to California, the place of which he had dreamed since his service as a young officer before the war. He and his wife settled in the San Gabriel Valley

San Gabriel Valley

The San Gabriel Valley is one of the principal valleys of southern California. It lies to the east of the city of Los Angeles, California, to the north of the Puente Hills, to the south of the San Gabriel Mountains, and west of the Inland Empire ....
on a 400 acre (1.6 km²) estate called Los Robles, which is now a state historical landmark. He was a state railroad commissioner from 1876 to 1878. In 1882, he was elected governor of California as a Democrat and served a single four-year term. He was not renominated by his party for a second term. After his house was destroyed by fire, an event rumored to be the work of his political enemies, Stoneman was broken financially and in poor health. He returned to New York State for medical treatment. He died following a stroke in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo , is the second largest city in the state of New York. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River, Buffalo is the principal city of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the county seat of Erie County, New York....
, and is buried in the Bentley Cemetery in Lakewood, New York

Lakewood, New York

Lakewood is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, USA. The population was 3,258 at the 2000 census.The Village of Lakewood is located in the northern part of the Busti, New York....
.

In memoriam

Stoneman has been memorialized by songwriter Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson

Robbie Robertson is a singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership in The Band. He was ranked 78th in Rolling Stone magazine?s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time....
of The Band

The Band

The Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and one American, Levon Helm ....
, whose 1969 rock and roll

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
song, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is a song written by Canadian musician Robbie Robertson, first recorded by The Band in 1969 and released on their The Band ....
, referred to one of Stoneman's 1865 raids:

Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train,
Til Stoneman's cavalry came and tore up the tracks again...

Stoneman is not mentioned in several Joan Baez recordings of the song. Her interpretation substituted "so much" for "Stoneman's."

Stoneman Avenue in Alhambra, California

Alhambra, California

Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center....
, was named in his honor. Camp Stoneman

Camp Stoneman

Camp Stoneman was a United States Army military facility located in Pittsburg, California. It served as a major staging area for the Army in World War II and the Korean War....
, near Pittsburg, California

Pittsburg, California

Pittsburg, California is a city located in eastern Contra Costa County, California, the outer portion of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area....
, was the place from where many soldiers shipped out to the Pacific Theater in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
and the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
. Stoneman Elementary School in San Marino, California

San Marino, California

San Marino is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Its ZIP code of 91108 ranks the city as the 47th most expensive place to live in the United States, with the median home sale price in 2008 of $1.55 million....
, is built on Stoneman's Los Robles Ranch Property.

George Stoneman

Early life

Civil War service

Postbellum politics

California

In memoriam

See also