The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-12-23
SrONEMA<'s POST-BELLUM RAID.

Charlotte n Rutheriordtun Were
among the saddtst OF my life. Tn,
country seemed a wilderness, a lanl o.
desolatiou. Although in the month of
Ju,y, there we're scarcely IN signs OF
cultivation. or life not = man nor We
h lie to be met upon the wrctchei
r,ads; no lights were visible In house
Windows : no dog, bark o Cocks crow
disturbed the gloomy stiffness VIII le
everywhere were burned fencing.
bridges, barns, etc, TO mark the rava
ging route of-rStonemans and Kirk
-,aii, n " The destruction of the ia
tawha River Railway bridge, (causine
th, .oss OF four or five Of cur cornrade.
within sight of their hemes) has bee
already noted. At Lincolnton was
another halt DESTROYED bridge which
gave us great trouble in passing.
1t is a curious fact that Stoneman :
d.yiltry, like the famous battle of Ne"
orleans In 1873. occurred after Peace
had trsnSp:red. Up to the cl, Sc of tie
ear. Western North Carolina had es
caped disturbance. except from SINAI
~4uas of hu>h-w hackers and robbe,s
Like a thunderstorm at distance witt
Its IltCIi UtCk clOu > III XII
nineS. and .nilen rumbiingS, the greai
conflict had been heard rather than
seen. Geographical position, lack OF
railroad. and telegraphs, and the alb
sence of large towns, all tended to iso
late the people % that region t1m Oh
rect contact with active campaigns.
Thus it happened that after sending
forth their volunteers In 1861 land
among them many thousand. OF the
bra7est and best of the defenders ofths
SOUTH, they saw little Of camps o
troops, rarely suffered from alarms o.
sudden excitements, sue as were CON-
mon Ia peol le nearer the theatre u
strife. Crops we're made, courts were
held. church bells rang, aud ali thing
went on almost as In ordinary time,
But when Peace had come when Lee
tattered battle flags had all beer folded
and the Old warrior had w%eei'lngly de
clared--''Men, We have fought throu@
tie wal together: let US 60 to m
homes and do the best We can the
l.. ,su. u,ertcd STERN of war swel
d ,wn through the Carolina
rnrges. to ovsrspread nearly all til
Pied aout region, scattering tirebrani>-
ashes. wounds. death and destruction
ta1 aud near
On TO SALISBURY.
When the Lincolnite authorities dis
covered that Lee must soon abaLOUn hI>
precarious foothold at Petersburg, they
began to fear he would suddenly cut
loose, make a rapid descent into the
Carolinas, and fall upon Sherman with
the united armies of the Confederacy.
Or, if Lee should be driven out Of his
trenches he had still two railway lines
OF retreat. viz either directly South to
Danville, Charlotte, and beyond, OF
Southwestward BY Lynchbu:g, and Oh
int East Tennessee-a very dlthcult
country for pursuit.
1t was e.ermined to send Gen.
Stoneman's division of cavalry to de
strOy the Virginia and East Tennessee
r. X. to Christiansburg, wytheville,
and other points and afterwards to
penetrate through the mountains OF
Western North Carolina to strike the
, ain artery Of supply of Lees army
at. Richmond-the Richmond and
Charlotte Railroad, and If possible re
lease the Yankee prisoners confined at
Salisbury.
The North Carolina border was
simultaneously passed by several par
ties. Gen. Palmer pushed to A.be-
vile, and scattered the small force
there.
Gen. Stoneman, with A. G. Gillem's
brigade, and some battaiions under
Geo. W. Kirk, (the latter already ia
nous as Kinks cut-throats, entered
near b ne in Watauga, and descended
the superb valley of the Yadkin,
spreading CONSERVATION OIL every hand.
A raid in the direction of MorgantoL
resulted in the killing of Col. Avery, a
gallant gentleman and soldier.
No resistance worth naming was of
fered until the Raiders reached Grant .
Greek, two miles west of Salisbury.
Gen. Bradley L. Johnston, of Mary
land, was in command st the post, but
had only about 300 home guards and q
part Of a company of artillery. Rests
lance was idle except that the shoo
Of resistance held the Yankees in check
for = couple of hours during which the
prisoners several hundredsin number,
wore embark ed on a train, and seat
on. The train rolled out Of the South
ern end OF town as the Raiders dashed
In at the Western end. Johnston 4
hue. were broken like an egg shell.
Tue capture Of Salisbury was a very
important one, or would have been nj
any earlier stage of the war. 1t Was
one oi The main depots Of reserve stores
upphe it held the State arsenal,
'~iuaDle foundry, the invaluable MA