The National tribune., 1895-09-05
STON EMAN RAID.
Narrative OF Participant in that Memor.
able Dash i'm Dixie.

aule Dasn In DIxlcs
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In writing
of the Stoneman Raid ] shall not so much
| attempt an exculpation of Gen. Stoneman
from blame as this should have been done
by his own proper official report, and, so far
as / can learn, he never made any report of
the affair, hence the origin of much misstate-
ment and censure, but chiefly to exonerate
from all blame the officers and men of his
command.
Preliminary to my record of the expedi-
ton / will allude to what seems to have
been difference between Gen. Sherman and
Gen. Stoneman as to the real object of the
expedition. Gen. Howard, in an article IN
your issue of March 81, alluded to this
movement, giving some statistics and facts,
and if his statements leave any room Tor
| censure upon Stoneman's command, 1T Is be-
cause Of the failure of our commanding
officers in making their proper Official re-
ports explanatory of their movements, and
not because the General intended to detract
from well-earned laurels.
Towards statements are that Sherman
desired to have the enemy's communications
cut between Atlanta and Macon by the de-
| SlIuCIlOu Vi Uhat hO SSiSSt>N
! Stoneman's Division Of (he says $500
! (which on that expedition was only 2,2O0)
| to act in conjunction with McCOok' s Divis-
ion of Cavalry, $500 strong In striking the
railroad at Loveioy Station. Garrard's cav
airy of 1000 was not on the expedition, but
was retained to guard Sherman's left.
Howard explains the orders of McCook to
have been to move across from the Chat
tahoochee River far south of Atlanta) to
strike the railroad at Lovejoy Station at
given time in conjunction with Stoneman,
who was to pass around Atlanta on the
north and east to reach Lovejoy at the same
time with McCook. This seems to have
been Sherman's plans
As to the difference between Towards and
Garrard's opportunities to those OF McCook
and StOneman we will here call attention.
The united commands of McCook and Stone
man were little more than Garrard's force OF
cavalry alone, TO say nothing about Howard's
strong infantry corps. McCOok's and Stone
mans Divisions were not consolidated into
one cavalry command as was Garrard, and
moving in unison, but each was ordered to
move by separate routes far distant They
were liable, even without interruption, 10 fail
in uniting at the given time. Opposed to
them was vigilant cavalry force, under
Gen. Wheeler, 10000 strong, nearly twice
the number of McCook's and StOnenan's
forces united, and Armstrong; or other
rebel cavalry besides, with opportunities to
strike either one of our divided forces with
all of theirs.
Contrast this combination of circumstances
with those that attended the alter-attempt
TO effect the same object by swinging around
one entire flank of Sherman's powerful in
fantry, in conjunction with Garrard's strong
cavalry force, at a time when almost the en-
tire force of the enemy's cavalry was absent.
From Sherman and His Campaigns" 1
quote: To reach the Macon road Sherman
now saw he would have to move the whole
army"
big thing, in comparison TO two small
and separated cavalry divisions.
Again: "On the 10th of August, Sherman
issued orders prescribing the mode and man
ner of executing The grand movement by the
right flank, to begin on the 18TH" etc.
And again: About the time of the publ
cation of these orders Wheeler, with his
corps of 10000 cavalry, was detached by
Gen. Hood 10 break up the Union communi-
cations. Passing round by the east and
north Wheeler made his appearance on the
Chattanooga Railroad, near AdairsYile."
These quotations suffice to prove that
Stoneman's force was attacked July 81 by
Wheeler with a force of 10000 cavalry and
mounted infantry. This fact has often been
denied by members Of Garrard's command,
who say they afterwards met and defeated
Wheeler's cavalry, and that he did not have
such a force.
Gen. Howard, in commenting on the
Stoneman raid, says:
Hood in his Narrative, insists that his
cavalry was superior to ours. He AYERS,
however, that his was not really cavalry, but
mounted infantry"
i think / have made it clear that neither
McCook nor Stoneman should be criticized
for a failure to accomplish the destruction
Of the railroad near Lovejoy.
Whatever may have been the true import
of the orders under which Stoneman was TO
proceed certain it is that the officers and
men of the brigade to which our regiment
1.-THE 18th Ill. Cav was attached understood
the object of the raid to be the destruction
of the enemy's railroad and the release of
our suffering comrades at Andersonville and
Macon, and that Gen. McC0ok's command
was to join us in the expedition. 1t was gen
orally understood among our soldiery that
if there was one stain upon the military
management Of the war on our part it was in
a
we possessed within striking distance of
those earthly hells no move was made with
any portion of our powerful army to release
our suffering comrades, who were actually
writhing in torments and rotting by thou
sands. 1t is hard to conceive the enthusi-
asm with which at least the mem bers of our
brigade entered upon this undertaking with
SO much of danger, doubt, and suffering
involved.
Regarding Stoneman's strict obedience of
orders, we have only Sherman's statements
and nothing from Stoneman. We quote
from Sherman aud His Campaigns" page
POS:
AT the moment, almost, Of starting Gen.
Stoneman addressed note to Gen. Sher-
man asking permission, after fulfilling his
orders and breaking the railway, to proceed
with his command proper TO Macon and
Andersonville, and release our prsoners-of-
war confined at those points, 300 900 in
number, suffering the extremity of starva-
ton and rotting by hundreds from the
loatlsome disease that follow in its train
There was something captivating in the
idea" says Sherman. "and deeming the
execution within the bounds of probable
success, he consented that after the defeat of
Wheelers cavalry and breaking the road
Gen. Stoneman might make the attempt
with his cavalry"
1t is doubtless true that Sherman ordered
Stoneman and McCook to so time their