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Stoneman's Raid, 1865
Winner of the 2011 Willie Parker Peace Prize from the N.C. Society of Historians, and Finalist for the Ben Franklin Award in History. In the spring of 1865, Federal major general George Stoneman launched a cavalry raid deep into the heart of the Confederacy. Over the next two months, Stoneman's cavalry rode across six Southern states, fighting fierce skirmishes and destroying supplies and facilities. When the raid finally ended, Stoneman's troopers had brought the Civil War home to dozens of communities that had not seen it up close before. In the process, the cavalrymen pulled off one of the longest cavalry raids in U.S. military history.
Despite its geographic scope, Stoneman's 1865 raid failed in its primary goal of helping to end the war. Instead, the destruction the raiders left behind slowed postwar recovery in the areas it touched. In their wake, the raiders left a legacy that resonates to this day, even in modern popular music such as The Band's ''The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.''
Based on exhaustive research in 34 repositories in 12 states and from more than 200 books and newspapers, Hartley's book tells the complete story of Stoneman's 1865 raid for the first time.
Despite its geographic scope, Stoneman's 1865 raid failed in its primary goal of helping to end the war. Instead, the destruction the raiders left behind slowed postwar recovery in the areas it touched. In their wake, the raiders left a legacy that resonates to this day, even in modern popular music such as The Band's ''The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.''
Based on exhaustive research in 34 repositories in 12 states and from more than 200 books and newspapers, Hartley's book tells the complete story of Stoneman's 1865 raid for the first time.
- GenresCivil War
464 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2010
16 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Chris J. Hartley
6 books22 followersChris J. Hartley is the author of several nonfiction books.
His latest book is The Lost Soldier (Stackpole Books, 2018). It follows the ordeal of a World War II draftee and his family from the home front to the Huertgen Forest.
Prior to that, Hartley authored Stoneman's Raid, 1865, which was published by John F. Blair, Publisher. The book won the Willie Parker Peace Prize from the N.C. Society of Historians and was named a finalist for the Ben Franklin Award in History from the Independent Book Publishers Association. The Historic Salisbury Foundation also honored Hartley with a Preservation Education and Publication Award for his work on Stoneman's Raid.
Hartley is also the author of Stuart's Tarheels: James B. Gordon and his North Carolina Cavalry. The first edition, from Butternut & Blue, received the UDC's Jefferson Davis Award. A revised expanded edition of Stuart's Tarheels was published by McFarland & Co.
Hartley is a frequent speaker and battlefield tour guide who has also written several shorter works. That includes articles for popular history periodicals such as America's Civil War, Gettysburg Magazine, Military Heritage, and Blue & Gray, and the introduction for a reprint of W.A. Day's A True History of Company I, 49th North Carolina Troops.
He and his wife, Laurie, have two daughters. They live in Pfafftown, North Carolina.
His latest book is The Lost Soldier (Stackpole Books, 2018). It follows the ordeal of a World War II draftee and his family from the home front to the Huertgen Forest.
Prior to that, Hartley authored Stoneman's Raid, 1865, which was published by John F. Blair, Publisher. The book won the Willie Parker Peace Prize from the N.C. Society of Historians and was named a finalist for the Ben Franklin Award in History from the Independent Book Publishers Association. The Historic Salisbury Foundation also honored Hartley with a Preservation Education and Publication Award for his work on Stoneman's Raid.
Hartley is also the author of Stuart's Tarheels: James B. Gordon and his North Carolina Cavalry. The first edition, from Butternut & Blue, received the UDC's Jefferson Davis Award. A revised expanded edition of Stuart's Tarheels was published by McFarland & Co.
Hartley is a frequent speaker and battlefield tour guide who has also written several shorter works. That includes articles for popular history periodicals such as America's Civil War, Gettysburg Magazine, Military Heritage, and Blue & Gray, and the introduction for a reprint of W.A. Day's A True History of Company I, 49th North Carolina Troops.
He and his wife, Laurie, have two daughters. They live in Pfafftown, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 14, 2017
The author covers the last month of the downfall of the Confederacy in enough detail so that the reader gets a sense of the chaotic impact on daily life and the opportunities for man's nobler and less noble character traits to emerge in stark relief. Some soldiers on both sides, he writes, take out their frustrations or jubilations on civilians, while others show considerable restraint.
February 10, 2023
The American Civil War impacted the area I grew up in, in many ways, but Stoneman's Raid was the time that combat came to the area. I grew up hearing and reading many stories from the Raid, but I didn't know much else. I was glad to come across Chris Hartley's book on Stoneman's Raid - and I am especially appreciative of the great job he did with this book.
Hartley gives Stoneman's Raid a very thorough treatment - the background for raid, the strategic situation, the areas that were covered, and a very careful examination of its impact. What really helps to elevate this book, in my view, is that he moves beyond a narrative of the Raid and an analysis of its impact with nice biographies of key players woven throughout the book and first hand accounts from both Raiders and civilians to help the reader understand the impact of the Raid on a human scale.
A very well done account of Stoneman's Raid, in my view.
Hartley gives Stoneman's Raid a very thorough treatment - the background for raid, the strategic situation, the areas that were covered, and a very careful examination of its impact. What really helps to elevate this book, in my view, is that he moves beyond a narrative of the Raid and an analysis of its impact with nice biographies of key players woven throughout the book and first hand accounts from both Raiders and civilians to help the reader understand the impact of the Raid on a human scale.
A very well done account of Stoneman's Raid, in my view.
April 21, 2012
Hartley puts this raid in perspective. Whereas Sherman's March boiled down to total war where no person nor property was safe or off limits, Stoneman's Raid was not. Despite the damage inflicted, Stoneman went to great lengths to limit the damage to targets with military significance. Of course any time that number of soldiers are turned loose on the countryside, there will be outrages. These are also related in this book. By the end of this work, you will have the full picture of Stoneman's Raid and what The Band was singing about in "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
Keith Jones
Reviewer / Author
Boys of Diamond Hill: The Lives and Civil War Letters of the Boyd Family of Abbeville County, South Carolina
In Due Time
Keith Jones
Reviewer / Author
Boys of Diamond Hill: The Lives and Civil War Letters of the Boyd Family of Abbeville County, South Carolina
In Due Time
March 1, 2013
A fascinating and scholarly work giving the planning & execution of the Union march through western NC, southern VA, and southeastern TN. I am particularly impressed by the descriptions by Mr. Hartley of the interactions between the Union troops and the civilians they encountered.
June 28, 2011
Always with these western New Yorkers "invading" North Carolina!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews