The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1906-01-11
WAR OF THE REBELLION.
CONTINUED from mage IL
General a..o oreveteeo MaJor-Genera
and died June l. 1888.
Brir.-(seu. Carries II. Stone.


General a.,d brevetted Major-General
and died June l. 1888.
Bris.-Geu. CSarles r. Stone.
One of the pathetic stories Of the war
was that of Brig. Gen. Charles Z. stone
Gen. Stone was born in Massac aousetts,
and appointed from that State to west
the class of 1845. In that class were
Gems. William F. Smith. Thomas j.
Wood, Fitz-John Porter. John p.
Hatch, d. B. Sacket, Gordon Granger
ard David A. Russell, of the Union
army. and Gems. w. H. c. Whiting,
If. Halves anu B. E. Bee. of the Con-
federate army. Stone was refined,
Scholarly man and thorough soldier
He became a Lieutenant III the Oro-
nance Corps, was Assista.S .,IL;os =.
Of Geography. History and ~'n.sS a.
West Point and won two breve.- ~.
gallantry in Mexico. He resigned a.
cisco. and afterward was Chief OF the
Mexican Commission for the survey of
the public lands in Sonora, At the out
break Of the rebellion he Immediately
offered his services to the Government,
end d!a excellent service in organizing
OF Columbia to preserve the peace at
the time Of Lincoln's inauguration and
to hold the city against any incursion
from Maryland or Virginia after Fort
Sumter was fired on. In this he made
q National reputation, and when the
army was enlarged by President Lin
coin he was appointed Colonel Of the
14th U. S., one of the new regiments
called into service. He was appointed
Brigadier-General of Volunteers, May
II. 1861. which gave him a high rank
among the acknowledgements. There
We're only seven above him: David
Hunter, S. p. Heintzelman, e. D.
Keyes. Andrew Porter, Fitz-John Por-
ter, William B. Franklin and William
T. Sherman. This prominence undOubt-
eddy worked against him, for it brought
him into collision with the Brigadier-
Generals who were appointed on Nc
Clellan's recommendation and who
were, of course, junior to him. He
was in command Of the operations
which resulted in the capture OF Alex
andria and a number of other move
ments which drove from the vicinity
of Washington bands of Confederates
whose position was threatening and
might become dangerous He COM
manded a brigade in Maj.-Gen. Pat
terson's operations in the Shenandoah
Valley, and shared in the blame that
was visited upon that General for his
failure to detain Joe Johnston at the
time of the battle of Bull Run. In the
succeeding Fall he was placed in COM
mand of Special Corps of Observa-
ton on the Upper Potomac. and while
there the sickening disaster of Bali 8
Bluff occurred, in which Senator Bak-
er, of Oregon, was killed and we lost a
large number of men in a very humil-
iating and depressing way. The bung-
ling of the expedition was apparent to
every one and public feeling became
intense. 1t is not apparent at this day
that Gen. Stone had any responsibility
frY. he icoc 81 h1rf ho r,1rbl Ia n d
ed a victim, and the Mcclellan coterie,
which was then running things at
Washington, were quite willing to have
Gen. Stone made the scapegoat. He
was arrested. denied trial and incar-
cerated in Fort Lafayette and Fort
Hamilton. He demanded trial and
the fullest investigation, but his re-
quests were left unheeded and the pub
lie mind was too full of the great. STIR
ring events happening just then to pay
any attention to his case. No charges
were ever presented against him, but
he was held prisoner from Feb. g. 1862,
until Aug. 16, 1862, when the doors
were opened and he was told that he
was at liberty to leave. He bore him.
self with great dignity throughout, TAX
ing his unjust punishment without a
murmur and refusing to talk when he
was released. A great many men of
prominence never faltered in their
friendship for him and admiration of
his talents as soldier and when Gen.
Joe Hooker was appointed to command
the Army of the Potomac he applied
for Gen. Stone for his Chief Of Staff.
Cnquestionably Stone would have made
as good one as could have been
found in the army. and Hooker's judg-
ment was good i'm selecting him. Prob
ably he was also Influenced by State
feeling, Hooker himself being from
Massachusetts,. The War Department
fatty refused this application, and
Stone remained as he had been for
months, on waiting orders. While Gen.
Banks was at OpelOusas he made appli-
cation for Gen. Stone to be assigned to
his army. Here also State feeling, con-
Joined with a knowledge of Stones
ability as a soldier, brought about this
request. Banks being from Massachu-
sets. Halleck acceded to this request.
somewhat to the surprise OF many and
ordered Stone to duty with Banks. and
he reported when the army reached
Port Hudson. At that time his pres
ence was somewhat embarrassing, be-
cause Banks had begun to feel that he
was not meeting with favor from the
Administration. and the relations be-
tween him and Washington were being
strained. Whether he could carry. in
addition to his other load, the man who
was burdened with the memories OF
Balls Bluff and Fort Lafayette was a
question. Banks had at first thought
of giving Stone the division which Sher-
man commanded, but he feared to do
this, and kept Stone at his headauar-
tiers as his military adviser and Stone
was of the greatest service to him from
his unusual knowledge and resource
fulness in everything pertaining to ord
nance and gunnery. In the Red River
Campaign Banks made Stone his Chief
Of Staff until after the battle OF Pleas
ant Hill, when he was mustered out OF
the volunteer service and placed on
waiting orders at Cairo, ILL.,, until Aug
13, 1854, when he was assigned to the
command Of a brigade in the Fifth
Corps. before Petersburg.
He only held this q few weeks. when
he resigned to become Engineer and
Superintendent Of a mining company
After the war he was one Of the officers
recommended to the Khedive Of Egypt
to organize his army and he served
there with great credit In various ex.
petitions into the Soudan country un.
III the Khedive was compelled to dis.
band his army. He died Jan. "a. 1887
The Army's High Spirits.
Everything combined to influence
Gen. Banks to make an immediate as
sault upon the enemy's works With
all his faults Banks was not lacking in
courage and initiative, and was always
quite willing to strike when he was
CHI