| KVCWRT recommended Reading |
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Stoneman's Raid, 1865
by Chris J. Hartley Product Details
Reviewed by James
Durney• Hardcover: 464 pages • Publisher: John F. Blair, Publisher (September 1, 2010) • Language: English • ISBN-10: 089587377X • ISBN-13: 978-0895873774 Driving Dixie down As the Civil War was ending, massive cavalry raids became a staple of Union activity. With major CSA armies tied to fixed points or unable to break contact, many areas were almost undefended. A veteran well-armed force could move at will, destroying infrastructure and defeating available forces. Stoneman‟s Raid was one of the last cavalry raids of the war. This raid is the inspiration for The Band‟s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and background for a TV movie. The author did not come to the raid via the book or the movie but grew up in the area of the raid. A self-confessed “history geek”, this was the main event in local history. This happy combination results in an excellent history that is a joy to read. Major General George Stoneman was not having a good war. In 1863, moving from staff to field he commanded Hooker‟s cavalry at Chancellorsville. His raid goes badly; Hooker snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and manages to blame Stoneman. In 1864, leading part of McCook‟s cavalry outside of Atlanta, he is forced to surrender. Unlucky or incompetent, no one wants anything to do with him. Except for John Schofield, who wanted Stoneman to command the Department of the Ohio Cavalry. Schofield got his way, more because no one wanted to take the responsibility of saying „No‟ to a new department commander. Stoneman performed well, producing an excellent force, raiding Virginia and North Carolina. Logical or not, the Union worried that Lee and Johnston combined could prolong the war. How this would happen, where they would draw supplies and how they could defeat Grant and Sherman‟s converging armies is unspecified. Fear is not always logical but taking measures to stop events from occurring is. To counter this, Stoneman is to conduct a major raid, cut railroads, destroy supplies, infrastructure, free POWs and make it impossible for Lee and Johnston to meet. While specific to Stoneman‟s raid in 1865, the planning phase is common to all raids during the war. Supplies are limited to ammunition and barest of essentials, everything else is taken from civilians. The Home Guard or small garrisons are the expected opposition. All main-line CSA |
