Stoneman's 1864 raid

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Stoneman's 1864 raid
Part of the American Civil War
Southwest- Location.svg
Stoneman's 1864 Raid brought Union troops from Tennessee and Kentucky into southwestern Virginia
DateDecember 12, 1864 (1864-12-12) – December 22, 1864 (1864-12-23)
Location
Southwest Virginia
Result Union victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1861-1863).svg USA Flag of the Confederate States of America (1861-1863).svg CSA
Commanders and leaders
George Stoneman John C. Breckinridge
Strength
5,700 2,800

Stoneman's 1864 raid, also known as Stoneman's raid into Southwest Virginia, was an American Civil War expedition by Union troops into southwestern Virginia. The expedition occurred from December 10 through December 29, 1864. Union Major General George Stoneman led cavalry and mounted infantry from Tennessee and Kentucky into territory under the command of Confederate Major General John C. Breckinridge. The purpose of the raid was to damage infrastructure used for the Confederate war effort. Targets included salt mines in Saltville, Virginia; lead mines in southern Wythe County; and the railroad used to transport those resources. The salt was used by for food preservation and the lead was used to make bullets. The Virginia and Tennessee Railroad was used to transport both resources for the Confederacy, and it was also used to transport Confederate troops.

Contents

The expedition began at Bean Station, Tennessee, on December 12, the forces from Tennessee and Kentucky combined. Skirmishing occurred near Bristol, Tennessee. In Virginia, skirmishing happened near Glade Spring and near Abington on December 15 as the Union troops moved toward the salt mines. Avoiding the heavily–guarded salt mines, Stoneman's troops had a small fight (classified as an action) at Marion on December 16, and also captured the Confederate regional headquarters at Wytheville. On December 17 the lead mines in southern Wythe County were captured and severely damaged. On December 17 and 18, Stoneman had the largest fight of the expedition near Marion. After Breckinridge and his forces retreated from Marion on December 19, Stoneman was able to capture Saltville and damage its salt mines. This occurred on December 20 and 21.

While Stoneman was involved in the various skirmishes and actions, one of his regiments destroyed a significant quantity of railroad infrastructure, including bridges, locomotives, and railcars. After Saltville, the two Union forces split as one unit returned to Kentucky and one unit returned to Tennessee. The return trip was difficult because of cold weather, worn-out horses, and harassment by Confederate militia and cavalry.

Background

Union Brevet Major General Stephen G. Burbridge was the commander of a division from Kentucky that joined Stoneman and a brigade from Tennessee commanded by Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem. They traveled from Bean Station, Tennessee, to Bristol and Virginia. The raid in Virginia occurred mostly in Washington, Smyth, and Wythe counties.

Conflicts

Total Union casualties for Stoneman's Raid into Southwest Virginia were 20 killed and 123 wounded. The raid is listed as beginning on December 10, 1864, at Bean's Station, Tennessee; and lasting until December 29. [1]

Opposing forces

Union Forces

George Stoneman General George Stoneman.jpg
George Stoneman

Major General George Stoneman was second-in-command in the Department of the Ohio, and based in Knoxville, Tennessee in late 1864. [6] For his excursion into southwestern Virginia, his command consisted of two forces: one from Kentucky and one from Tennessee. [7] [Note 1]

Governor's Guards: This Tennessee brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Alvan C. Gillem, and totaled to 1,500 mounted soldiers that were chosen for the expedition. [8] [Note 2] The brigade consisted of the 8th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment (Union) commanded by Colonel Samuel N. Patton; [9] the 9th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment (Union) commanded by Major James H. Hornsby; [10] and the 13th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment (Union). Lieutenant Colonel B. P. Stacy commanded the 13th Tennessee, and Major Joseph H. Wagner commanded one of the regiment's battalions. [11]

Burbridge's Division: Brevet Major General Stephen G. Burbridge was the commander of this division. [12] [Note 3] This mounted force was organized into brigades and consisted of 4,200 soldiers according to Stoneman's report, while Burbridge reported that its size was 4,000. [15]

Other units: Battery "E" Kentucky Light Artillery (Union) and the 10th Michigan Cavalry Regiment were also part of the Union force. [3] The 10th Michigan was a detachment of 50 soldiers, led by Captain James B. Roberts, that was Major General Stoneman's escort. [Note 4]

Confederate forces

John C. Breckinridge Breckinridge, CSA LOC cwpb.07428 (cropped).jpg
John C. Breckinridge

The Confederate forces were under command of Major General John C. Breckinridge, who was the commander of the Department of Western Virginia and East Tennessee. [34] Upon receiving intelligence that a Union force was moving from Tennessee to Virginia, Breckinridge began assembling forces. He arrived in Saltville by train with Brigadier General John Echols on December 15. [35] Breckinridge's force totaled to about 1600 soldiers excluding Vaughn's brigade. [36] For the Battle of Marion, the militia portion of the force remained in Saltville, giving Breckinridge a force of about 1,000. [37] [Note 5]

Notes

Footnotes

  1. The Union regiments listed below are those listed in Frederick H. Dyer's A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. [3]
  2. Major General George Stoneman called Gillem's force "a portion of a Tennessee cavalry brigade". [7]
  3. Burbridge calls his command "my mounted force" in his December 28 report, and mentions multiple brigades that are part of the force. [13] In Brigadier General Gillem's December 30 report, he mentions "General Burbridge's division" on two pages. [14]
  4. Some sources mention Ohio Heavy Artillery as involved in the expedition. Starr says that Gillem's brigade had "two regiments of Ohio heavy artillery, serving as infantry". [30] Stoneman's report mentions "two regiments of Ohio heavy artillery" meeting at Bean's Station. [31] A history of the 12th Ohio Cavalry also mentions the meet at Bean's Station, describing the "First and Second Regiments of Ohio Heavy Artillery under General Ammen...to assist in the campaign." Dyer does not list either regiment for the Battle of Marion. [3] The National Park Service says the 1st was foraging on "Expeditions on the French Broad and Chucky River in East Tennessee and North Carolina" during December 1864. [32] It also says the 2nd was on "Ammon's Expedition to Bean's Station December 7–29". [33]
  5. For November 10, 1864, Duke's Brigade had 440 effectives present. Witcher's command had 584 effectives, and a combination of Cosby's and Giltner's commands had 250 effectives. [38] Duke's Brigade was defeated on December 13, 1864, and lost 84 soldiers taken prisoner along with its wagon train. [30]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dyer 1908 , p. 876
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dyer 1908 , p. 958
  3. Dyer 1908 , p. 959
  4. 1 2
    • "Saltville". Virginia Center for Civil War Studies, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Retrieved April 10, 2025.; Breckinridge 1902, p. 825
  5. Starr 1985 , p. 556
  6. 1 2 Stoneman 1902 , p. 807
  7. Gillem 1902 , p. 824
  8. Burbridge 1902 , pp. 816–817
  9. Burbridge 1902, p. 815
  10. Gillem 1902, pp. 821–822
  11. Burbridge 1902 , pp. 815–818
  12. 1 2
  13. 1 2 Dyer 1908 , p. 955
  14. "Efficiency of Repeating Rifles (page 3 bottom left)". Gold Hill Daily News (from Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress). June 9, 1864.
  15. Stephens 1867 , pp. 436–437
  16. 1 2
  17. 1 2 Starr 1985, p. 559
  18. Stoneman 1902, p. 810
  19. "Union Ohio Volunteers - 1st Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  20. "Union Ohio Volunteers - 1st Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved April 20, 2025.
  21. Breckinridge 1902 , p. 824
  22. Davis 2010 , p. 471
  23. Davis 2010 , p. 473
  24. Unknown 1892, p. 907
  25. Cosby 1902 , p. 841
  26. "John Hunt Morgan". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on February 1, 2025. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  27. Giltner 1902 , p. 840
  28. Witcher 1902 , p. 828
  29. Breckinridge 1902 , p. 825

References