Stoneman's Raid

~ Driving Tour ~

Compared to the big set-piece battles elsewhere, the events that unfolded in the western part of North Carolina might seem small. But some of the meanest, most interesting and most personal stories of the war are coming into focus through the Civil War Trails program here. Tales told in the novel Cold Mountain are brought to real life with Trails signs describing deadly guerilla warfare, renegade camps made up of deserters from both sides, and even a Cherokee chief. The war divided neighbors and families so deeply that animosity continued through generations.

The relatively flat areas east of the mountains hosted logistical support for Confederate armies elsewhere. Hospitals, ironworks, a large prisoner-of-war camp and other behind-the-lines activities flourished in the area during the war.

Regular military operations rarely ventured into the western parts of the state, but Union Gen. George Stoneman came raiding in the area in the last months of the war, leaving in his wake destroyed ironworks, warehouses and other Confederate infrastructure.

See also More Western Sites.

Stoneman's Raid

On March 25, 1865, Union Gen. George Stoneman led 6,000 cavalrymen from Tennessee into western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia to disrupt the Confederate supply lines, destroy mines and ironworks and to free prisoners at Salisbury.
    Stoneman struck first at Boone on March 29, then moved briefly into Virginia. On April 12, three days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Stoneman entered Salisbury, burning public buildings and the deserted prison camp there.
    He then headed west encountering limited resistance from scattered Confederate forces. Stoneman was in or near Asheville April 26 when Johnston surrendered near Durham. Many of the Union troopers then returned to Tennessee while others pursued Jefferson Davis.

The following sites are part of the Stoneman’s Raid story. More Trails signs are planned; check back here for updates.

Patterson Mill, Trails sign located one block east of Route 321 in Patterson – Elements of Stoneman’s Raiders burned the mill here on March 30 because it reportedly had supplied Confederate soldiers with uniforms and other goods.

“Rockford,” Trails sign located at the York Tavern in Rockford – Stoneman’s Raiders passed through here April 1–2 on their way to Virginia. Some troopers stopped long enough to harass citizens and create many local stories about the event.

Jonesville
Visitor Center, 1632 NC 67 Hwy, Jonesville 28642
 Road map 
Stoneman’s raiders passed through here April 1, 1865, destroying scientific equipment at the Jonesville Male and Female Academy but overlooking the school’s bell. The bell still rings at the First United Methodist Church. Trails sign located at the visitor center just west of I-77 on Route 67.

“Reeves Homeplace,” Trails sign located on the Yadkin River in Siloam – While moving through the area April 1–2, Stoneman’s cavalry encountered armed resistance from Confederate Maj. Richard Reeves and a colonel who was recuperating in the major’s house. The two Southerners fled after killing a Union trooper and escaped. Stoneman’s men tried to burn the house but were unsuccessful.

Windsor’s Crossroads
Trails sign at the intersection of Buck Shoals Road and Windsor Road, Hamptonville NC 27020
 Road map 
Union raiders rode three abreast down a narrow dirt road here on a path of destruction. Local residents reported that the troopers burned “everything along the way.”

Raiding Huntsville
Trails sign at corner of Courtney-Huntsville Road and Farmington Road, Huntsville NC 27055
 Road map 
On April 11, 1865, the raiders surprised and scattered a few home guard here before pillaging and burning several buildings. A Union sympathizer in town, however, fed more than 100 Union troops.

Moratock Iron Furnace at Danbury, Trails sign located in Moratock Park, 1/4 mile east of Route 8/89 on Sheppard Mill Road (about 10 miles north of Winston-Salem) – Site of a typical rural ironworks manufacturing needed raw metals for the Confederate war effort. Union Gen. George Stoneman wrecked the place during an early 1865 raid.

Rowan County Courthouse at Salisbury, 202 N Main St, Civil War Trails sign in front – North Carolina's governor when the war broke out, John W. Ellis, was the first judge in this 1855 Greek Revival-style structure. The building escaped destruction when Union Gen. George Stoneman raided the town on April 12, 1865. He burned vast quantities of military stores plus the by-then-evacuated prison site.

Statesville in the Civil War, Trails sign located at the Iredell County Courthouse – Some of Gen. George Stoneman’s raiders swept through here April 13, 1865, on their way back to Tennessee. They burned supplies, the railroad station and nearly set fire to the town. North Carolina Gov. Zeb Vance fled to his home here as Sherman’s troops approached Raleigh.

“Rocky Ford Engagement,” Trails sign located at the Morganton Greenway parking are off Route 64/18 on the Catawba River in Morgantown – On April 17, part of Stoneman’s force overcame Confederate homeguard (and Gen John P. McCowen on leave) at Rocky Ford, then moved into Morgantown. Local residents charged that the Union troopers plundered private property and wreaked havoc on the local population.

Carson House, McDowell County, Trails sign on US 70, a half mile west of Marion town limits – An element of Union Gen. George Stoneman's cavalry raiders skirmished briefly with home guards here April 19, 1865; then "were swarming in and around the house." After plundering the home and scaring the family, Stoneman moved on toward Asheville.

Raiders in Lenoir, Trails sign located at the St. James Episcopal Church in Lenoir – Stoneman and part of this raider force spent Easter weekend here April 15–17. Some looting and the townfolk suffered a scare. About 900 prisoners were kept in this churchyard during the weekend with the sanctuary used as a hospital.

Morganton
Old Burke County Courthouse
East Union Street and North Sterling Street, Morganton NC 28655
Trails sign on Business Route 64 in Morganton
 Road map 
Elements of Stoneman’s raiders occupied Morganton April 17 after a brief skirmish at Rocky Ford. The Union troopers, aided by former slaves and Union sympathizers out for revenge, ransacked the town.

Swannanoa Gap, McDowell County, Trails sign in Andrews Geyser Park on Mill Creek Road off Old US Highway 70, 4 miles west of the Old Fort Visitor Center and Railroad Museum – Confederates consolidated here April 19, 1865, after Union raiders left the Carson House and easily turned back the Northern advance.

Rutherfordton, Rutherford County, Trails sign located in front of the Norris Library, one block south of the Rutherford County Courthouse on Main Street – Part of Union Gen. George Stoneman’s raiders pushed through here. Some of the Union soldiers were from the region and decided they would settle some scores against their Confederate sympathizer enemies while in town.

Hickory Nut Gorge, Rutherford County Trails sign located on Route 74A in the Chimney Rock Village – Word of Confederate Gen. Joseph Johnston’s surrender at Durham (April 26, 1865) reached Union Gen. George Stoneman’s raiders near here along with news of Confederate president Jefferson Davis’s flight through North Carolina. Troops camped here were ordered to pursue Davis, which they did until he was captured in Georgia.