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The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone: Soldier, Surveyor, Pasha, Engineer
Civil War Hero and Scapegoat, Surveyor of Mexico, General of the Egyptian Army, and Builder of the Statue of Liberty’s Pedestal
In the winter of 1861, as the secession crisis came to a head, an obscure military engineer, Charles Pomeroy Stone, emerged as the rallying point for the defense of Washington, D.C. against rebel attack. He was protector of the newly elected president and right-hand man of the army’s commanding general, General Winfield Scott, under whom he had served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. Nevertheless, with in a year, this same hero sat in a military prison accused of incompetence and possible treason.
Like other Union officers, Stone had the misfortune to run afoul of radical politicians in the nation’s capital who sought to control the war effort by undermining the professional military establishment. Their weapon, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, applied a litmus test of commitment to abolition, loyalty to the Republican Party and battlefield success for the retention and promotion of army commanders. Stone, a Democrat who did not see the conflict as a crusade against slavery, and who lost his only battle, failed on all counts.
Readers of Civil War history know Stone best for his mistreatment at the hands of the Joint Committee.When his name appears, it is almost always in connection with the battle at Ball’s Bluff, Virginia, during which a close associate of Lincoln’s was killed, and its aftermath. His story, however, goes far beyond that engagement. In The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Soldier, Surveyor, Pasha, Engineer that ranges from the Halls of Montezuma to Gold Rush California, and from the pyramids of Egypt to the foot of the Statue of Liberty, historian Blaine Lamb brings to light the many facets of Stone’s remarkable life and career. He weaves into the narrative such characters as Ulysses S. Grant,William Tecumseh Sherman, Abraham Lincoln,Winfield Scott, Alexander von Humboldt, Thaddeus Lowe, Chinese Gordon, Khedive Ismail, and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. But the center of this tale of nineteenth-century adventure, exploration, war, and intrigue remains Stone himself, a man of honor, steadfast loyalty, and tragic innocence.
In the winter of 1861, as the secession crisis came to a head, an obscure military engineer, Charles Pomeroy Stone, emerged as the rallying point for the defense of Washington, D.C. against rebel attack. He was protector of the newly elected president and right-hand man of the army’s commanding general, General Winfield Scott, under whom he had served with distinction during the Mexican–American War. Nevertheless, with in a year, this same hero sat in a military prison accused of incompetence and possible treason.
Like other Union officers, Stone had the misfortune to run afoul of radical politicians in the nation’s capital who sought to control the war effort by undermining the professional military establishment. Their weapon, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, applied a litmus test of commitment to abolition, loyalty to the Republican Party and battlefield success for the retention and promotion of army commanders. Stone, a Democrat who did not see the conflict as a crusade against slavery, and who lost his only battle, failed on all counts.
Readers of Civil War history know Stone best for his mistreatment at the hands of the Joint Committee.When his name appears, it is almost always in connection with the battle at Ball’s Bluff, Virginia, during which a close associate of Lincoln’s was killed, and its aftermath. His story, however, goes far beyond that engagement. In The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Soldier, Surveyor, Pasha, Engineer that ranges from the Halls of Montezuma to Gold Rush California, and from the pyramids of Egypt to the foot of the Statue of Liberty, historian Blaine Lamb brings to light the many facets of Stone’s remarkable life and career. He weaves into the narrative such characters as Ulysses S. Grant,William Tecumseh Sherman, Abraham Lincoln,Winfield Scott, Alexander von Humboldt, Thaddeus Lowe, Chinese Gordon, Khedive Ismail, and Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. But the center of this tale of nineteenth-century adventure, exploration, war, and intrigue remains Stone himself, a man of honor, steadfast loyalty, and tragic innocence.
- GenresCivil War
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 10, 2015
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16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 22, 2016
It is an excellent book that I highly recommend. I know the author and that he is an excellent researcher and it shows in the book. The book is very detailed in his account of Stone’s life and career. It covers Stone's military career, his career outside of the military as well as his personal life. I think what makes this a good book is that the author also a wonderful storyteller. I’m not particularly a fan of military histories, but I found this book to be very engaging because he is such a good storyteller. It's the first book I have ever given five stars.
October 16, 2025
I wish I had time to write a review on all the books I read. This one motivated me to do so. In part, because the author does a tremendous job with his research and writing. But largely because I was overwhelmed by the story of Charles P Stone, starting in the Mexican War and then California in the 1850s. As a Washingtonian, I learned just how pivotal Stone was in Jan-April 1861 during the "secessionist" winter, Lincoln's inauguration, and then the harrowing "twelve days" April 14-25 before sufficient troops arrived to ably defend the Capitol. Winfield Scott leads the cast credits, but MVP goes to Charles P Stone. He deserves a statue in DC! And then comes the riveting story of Ball's Bluff and Stone's unjust persecution. But wait there's more! Pasha in Egypt, and then he tops off his life by engineering the base of the Statue of Liberty. Stone was imperfect in every phase but he was a man of action, taking risks in the field amidst the fog of war. Three cheers for Charles P Stone.
January 20, 2023
Interesting book on a lesser-known civil war leader.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews