Charles Pomeroy Stone Charles Pomeroy Stone ( September 30 , 1824 – January 24 , 1887 ) was a career United States Army officer , civil engineer , and surveyor . He fought with distinction in the Mexican – American War , earning two brevet promotions for his performance in the conflict . After resigning and surveying for the Mexican Government , he returned to the U . S . Army to fight in the American Civil War . Stone was reportedly the first volunteer to enter the Union Army , and during the war he served as a general officer , noted for his involvement at the Battle of Ball ' s Bluff in October 1861 . Held responsible for the Union defeat , Stone was arrested and imprisoned for almost six months , mostly for political reasons . He never received a trial , and after his release he would not hold a significant command during the war again . Stone later served again with distinction as a general in the Egyptian Army , and is also noted for his role in constructing the base of the Statue of Liberty . Early life . Stone was born in Greenfield , Massachusetts , a son of Alpheus Fletcher Stone , the town ' s doctor , and his wife Fanny Cushing . In 1841 he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated four years later , standing seventh out of 41 cadets . He was appointed a brevet second lieutenant of ordnance on July 1 , 1845 . Military career . Ordnance officer . Stone stayed at West Point , serving as an assistant professor and teaching geography , history , and also ethics from August 28 , 1845 , to January 13 , 1846 . Afterwards he was posted to the Watervliet Arsenal in New York as Assistant Ordnance Officer , and then to Fortress Monroe at Old Point Comfort , Virginia , both in 1846 . While there Stone worked in the facilities arsenal and was an assistant to Capt . Benjamin Huger , whom he would serve under in the war with Mexico . Mexican war . Fighting with Maj . Gen . Winfield Scott ' s army in the Mexican - American War , Stone was promoted to second lieutenant on March 3 , 1847 . He first saw action during the Siege of Veracruz from March 9 – 29 , then the skirmishing near Amazoque on May 14 , and the Battle of Contreras on August 19 – 20 . Stone then fought notably during the Battle of Molino del Rey on September 8 , and was appointed a brevet first lieutenant from that date for " gallant and meritorious conduct " in this fight . On September 13 , 1847 , Stone participated in the Battle of Chapultepec , and was appointed a brevet captain for his conduct on that day . He then fought in the Battle for Mexico City until September 15 , and was part of a successful climbing party of the volcano at Popocatepetl , raising an American Flag at its summit . Pacific coast . After the war with Mexico ended , Stone returned to the Watervliet Arsenal in 1848 , again taking up his position as Assistant Ordnance Officer . He then was granted a leave of absence from the U . S . Army , and proceeded to Europe to study military practices of the armies there for two years . In 1850 he resumed duty at the Watervliet Arsenal briefly , and then was given command of the Ft . Monroe Arsenal into 1851 . Later that year Stone was appointed Chief of Ordnance for the Pacific Department , a post he held until 1855 , and also began construction of the Benicia Arsenal in California that year . During this time he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant , effective February 26 , 1853 . Also in 1853 Stone married Maria Louisa Clary , daughter of Esther Philipson and Lt . Robert Emmett Clary , a West Point classmate of Jefferson Davis ; Davis served as best man at Esther ' s wedding on March 31 , 1829 . On November 17 , 1856 , he resigned his commission in the U . S . Army , " finding the pay inadequate " for his family . He briefly became a banker in 1856 in San Francisco , but the bank failed the following year due to the " . . . absconding of its treasurer . " Stone then went back to Mexico , where he worked in various government jobs . From 1857 to 1860 he surveyed the Mexican state of Sonora , and from 1858 to 1860 he surveyed the lower region of California . Also from 1858 to 1859 Stone served as acting consul at Guaymas , Mexico , the municipal center of Sonora . In 1860 he moved his family back to the U . S . , settling in Washington , D . C . In 1861 he published his survey findings , entitled " Notes on the State of Sonora " . Civil War . At the outbreak of secession , Stone found himself in Washington writing his report on Sonora . After a dinner with his former commander Winfield Scott , Stone was requested to be Inspector General of the District of Columbia Militia at the rank of colonel as of January 1 , 1861 , and was thus reputed to be the first volunteer officer mustered into the Union Army before the Civil War . In this role , he secured the capital for the arrival of President - elect Abraham Lincoln , and was personally responsible for security at the new president ' s inaugural . Stone was appointed Colonel of the 14th U . S . Infantry Regiment on May 14 , and then a brigadier general in the Union Army that August , to rank from May 17 . He commanded a brigade in Maj . Gen . Robert Patterson ' s Army of the Shenandoah during the First Bull Run campaign in June and July . Stone then was given command of a division , called the Corps of Observation , guarding the fords along the upper Potomac River that fall . In his efforts to carry out his orders and maintain discipline , Stone drew the attention and wrath of his home state ' s governor , John A . Andrew , and Charles Sumner , the senior U . S . Senator from Massachusetts , both powerful and influential Radical Republican politicians . In late September Stone issued general orders that required his men " not to incite and encourage insubordination among the coloured servants in the neighbourhood . " When two runaway slaves came into their lines , one of his regiments , the 20th Massachusetts Infantry , promptly caught them and returned them to their owner . This was done in compliance with Stone ' s orders as well as both Federal and Maryland law . However , many of the 20th Massachusetts were abolitionists , disagreed with Stone ' s insistence on returning runaways back into slavery , and wrote both their families and their representatives about the incident . Governor Andrew strongly reprimanded the colonel of the regiment , who gave the letter to Stone . After reading it Stone wrote back , its contents summarized by military historian Bruce Catton as follows : " this regiment was in United States service now and the governor had no business meddling with discipline , the young lieutenant and the colonel had properly done what they were told to do and were not subject to reprimand from any governor , and would the governor in future please keep his hand off ? " More heated letters passed between Andrew and Stone , and then Andrew involved Sumner , who quickly and strongly denounced Stone to the U . S . Senate . Stone ' s written response to this — described as " in terms so bitter that it almost seemed as if he were challenging the senator to duel " — further inflamed the situation . Stone ' s dealings with these two men would have tragic consequences in his near future . Ball ' s Bluff . On October 20 , 1861 , Stone was ordered by Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan to conduct a reconnaissance across the Potomac River to report on Confederate activities in Leesburg , Virginia . McClellan also hoped this action , combined with a movement by Brig . Gen . George A . McCall ' s division of 13 , 000 men toward Dranesville the day before , would encourage a Confederate withdrawal from the area without an engagement occurring . This message from McClellan ' s staff related the situation and outlined Stone ' s orders : From this order Stone reasonably believed he had support nearby from McCall if needed ; what he did not know was that McClellan had ordered McCall back to his previous position at Langley on October 21 , putting any help for Stone further away . Stone ' s division numbered about 10 , 000 men and was posted around Poolesville , Maryland , about eight miles from Leesburg , with portions of his command at points along the Potomac shore . He moved his artillery to Edward ' s Ferry along the Potomac , from which he could shell the woods on the opposite side of the river , held by Confederate forces . Stone then sent three small boats with about 100 men from the 1st Minnesota Infantry across , who returned shortly without incident . Near sunset he sent out a small patrol of 20 soldiers of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry to scout toward Leesburg and see whether the Union movements had the desired effect or not . Crossing at Harrison ' s Island on the river , these men scaled Ball ' s Bluff and encountered what they believed was a Confederate camp of at least thirty men less than a mile inland . The patrol returned to Harrison ' s Island around 10 p . m . and reported by messenger to Stone at Edwards Ferry . In response to this report , Stone thought the Confederate forces were indeed leaving Leesburg , and decided to investigate further . While he led part of his command directly across at Edwards Ferry at 5 p . m . , Stone ordered Col . Charles Devens and 300 men of his 15th Massachusetts to immediately cross over to Ball ' s Bluff that night . Stone ' s instructions were to " March silently under cover of night to the position of the camp [ and ] attack and destroy it at daybreak . . . and return rapidly to the island . " Devens carried out Stone ' s orders and made the difficult crossing on three small 10 - man boats , taking him four hours to accomplish . Stone also gave Devens discretion over what to do after the attack ; either hold Leesburg or return to Harrison ' s Island . Stone ordered the rest of the 15th Massachusetts over and added the 20th Massachusetts Infantry , under Col . William R . Lee , to this effort as well , and ordered General and U . S . Senator Edward D . Baker to take overall command . Devens found no camp , since an earlier patrol apparently confused corn shocks as tents in the evening shadows ; he halted and asked Stone for instructions , who responded to push closer to Leesburg . Devens determined to hold there , waiting several hours for reinforcements , when skirmishing began at 7 a . m . , before Baker had arrived . Confederate Col . Nathan G . " Shanks " Evans was in charge of the forces opposing Stone , and when he learned of the crossings he split his 2 , 000 - man command . Three of his regiments were ordered to deal with Stone by blocking the road from Edwards Ferry to Leesburg , while the remainder fought and defeated Baker ' s force at Ball ' s Bluff . Since Baker sent no updates , Stone had no idea a battle was occurring there , and finding his path blocked by Confederates Stone returned to Edwards Ferry . He then moved toward Harrison ' s Island , learned of the defeat at Ball ' s Bluff , and quickly asked McClellan for help from McCall , whom he thought nearby but was actually more than twenty miles away . Stone lost about 1 , 000 men killed , wounded , captured , and drowned during Ball ' s Bluff , while the Confederates lost less than 160 . The Union total included Baker , the only sitting U . S . Senator killed in combat when " Four bullets ripped into him , and he was dead before he hit the ground . " . Baker ' s death and the action at Ball ' s Bluff would have serious consequences for Stone , and also affect the way the American Civil War would be prosecuted . In his official report about the battle on October 24 , McClellan did not hold Stone personally responsible for the defeat , saying " The disaster was caused by errors committed by the immediate Commander — not General Stone . " Arrest and imprisonment . Stone bore the brunt of much public criticism ; the U . S . Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was established in the wake of Baker ' s congressional eulogies and anger over the defeat . This seven - man group called Stone as one of their first witnesses about the Ball ' s Bluff affair , and all testimony given by him and 38 others was kept secret . Before the end of October 1861 , Stone ' s official report about Ball ' s Bluff had been leaked to the " New York Tribune " newspaper , and in it Stone praised Baker ' s bravery but made clear his shortcomings as a field commander . Baker ' s congressional allies , among them Governor Andrew and Senator Sumner , openly denounced this report and began to point accusing fingers at Stone , not at Baker . Stone ' s loyalty to the Union and position on slavery were more in question than his military abilities and decisions . The committee ' s questions accused him of improper and frequent communications with the Confederates , of not re - enforcing Baker , of using his men to protect slaveholder property in Maryland , and of returning runaway slaves to their owners — despite the last two of these following Maryland as well as Federal law . Another problem for Stone defending himself was an order from McClellan forbidding him to give testimony " regarding his [ McClellan ' s ] plans , his orders for the movement of troops , or his orders concerning the position of troops . " This made it impossible for Stone to explain his movements to the committee , but kept McClellan out of the investigation as well . Under a cloud for suspected disloyalty and treason , Stone was arrested just after midnight on February 8 , 1862 , on orders of Maj . Gen . McClellan , who was acting under orders from Secretary of War Edwin M . Stanton , dated January 28 . Awaiting Stone near his home in Washington were 18 soldiers led by Brig . Gen . George Sykes . When Stone approached , Sykes stated " I have now the most disagreeable duty to perform that I ever had — it is to arrest you . " When Stone angrily asked why , Sykes said " I don ' t know . It ' s by order of Maj . Gen . George B . McClellan , general - in - chief of the army . . . I may as well tell you that you are to be sent to Fort Lafayette . " This shocked Stone , who stated " That ' s where they send secessionists ! I have been as true a soldier to the Government as any in service . " Under guard , Stone was ordered to be sent to the military prison at Fort Lafayette by train . When he reached the rail depot at Philadelphia , confusion as to payment for his ticket caused Stone to buy his own ticket . Upon reaching the facility he was put immediately into solitary confinement , but he managed to hire an attorney and waited for official charges to be filed . According to the Articles of War this had to be done within eight days of an arrest , but was never done in Stone ' s case . He sent several inquiries to McClellan , to the army ' s adjutant general ' s office , and to Stanton himself , who stated " . . . the charges were being reviewed prior to being publicized . . . " , but received no satisfactory explanation . Contrary to U . S . Army regulations as well , no charges were ever filed against Stone nor did he stand trial . While he was in solitary confinement at Fort Lafayette , he could not exercise , and consequently Stone ' s health began to degrade . His physicians protested heavily to Stanton , who ordered him transferred to the military prison at Fort Hamilton . There Stone was allowed to exercise and his condition improved . He stayed at Fort Lafayette for fifty days , and would spend another 139 in Fort Hamilton . Stone was finally released without explanation or apology on August 16 , 1862 . The reason for his release was new legislation written by California Senator James A . McDougall . In a small addition to another bill , McDougall reiterated the Articles of War requirement that official charges be filed within eight days of arrest , but went on to include that any imprisoned officer must be given their trial within thirty days . McDougall also made it clear this legislation applied to those currently under arrest , which covered Stone ' s case . It passed the U . S . Congress and was signed into law by President Lincoln on July 17 , 1862 . Stanton then waited the thirty days before releasing Stone . It may , or may not be that President Lincoln ordered the arrest of Stone . In a communication of September 30 , 1862 , General in Chief H . W . Halleck wrote about Stone ’ s arrest : “ I understood that it was made by the orders of the President . ” Release and reassignment . After his release , Stone returned home to Washington and awaited orders , and also continued to try to clear his name . Despite the arrest and confinement , Stone ' s services were still in demand . In September 1862 , as the Maryland Campaign developed , McClellan asked the War Department to re - instate Stone , but Stanton declined . When Maj . Gen Joseph Hooker took over command of the Army of the Potomac in early 1863 , he asked for Stone as his chief of staff , but Stanton denied this request as well . On February 27 , Stone was finally allowed to hear the testimony that caused him to be arrested , and with McClellan no longer his commander Stone could freely answer the accusations . He did this to the Committee ' s satisfaction , who soon afterwards published its revised findings , clearing Stone . With the facts now known , the " New York Times " newspaper editorialized : Without assignment until May , Stone was ordered to the Department of the Gulf , serving as a member of the surrender commission at Port Hudson and in the Red River Campaign as Maj . Gen . Nathaniel P . Banks ' s chief of staff . However , on April 4 , 1864 , Stanton ordered Stone mustered out of his volunteer commission as a brigadier general and he reverted to his rank of colonel within the regular army . He served briefly as a brigade commander in the Army of the Potomac during the Siege of Petersburg , but finally resigned from the Army on September 13 , 1864 , before the end of the war . Later life . After the American Civil War ended in 1865 , Stone worked as an engineer and later superintendent for Virginia ' s Dover Mining Company until 1869 . The following year William T . Sherman , by now the U . S . Army ' s Commanding General , recommended Stone for service in the Egyptian Army . From 1870 to 1883 he served as chief of staff and general aide - de - camp for the khedive Isma ' il Pasha of Egypt . While there he was given the rank of lieutenant general and the title of Ferik Pasha . Stone ' s career in the Egyptian Army has been described as : Stone later returned to the United States , where he worked as an engineer for the Florida Ship Canal Company in 1883 . He also served as the Chief Engineer for the construction of the Statue of Liberty ' s pedestal and concrete foundation . He fell ill after the dedication ceremony and died in New York City . Stone is buried in West Point National Cemetery . Stone ' s first wife Maria died in Washington , D . C . , shortly after Stone ' s release from Fort Hamilton . While serving in New Orleans during 1863 , Stone fell in love with Jeanne Stone and they had two daughters and a son , John Stone Stone , who later became a pioneer in the field of wireless telegraphy . Stone was also an original founding member of the Aztec Club of 1847 , a social organization for officers who served in the Mexican - American War . Legacy . Military historian Ezra J . Warner held Stone ' s treatment following Ball ' s Bluff in disdain , saying in 1964 :