George Stoneman, Jr.
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1822-1894
George Stoneman was born in Busti (later incorporated as the village
of Lakewood) NY on August 8, 1822, the son of George (1-9-1799 to 8-6-
1877) and Katharine Cheney Aldrich (9-11-1800 to 11-10-1874). His
grandfather, Richard Stoneman, had settled in New Berlin in western
New York from Exeter, England in the early 1800's. There Richard had
met and married Mary Perkins, whose family had come to New York from
Rhode Island. Richard and Mary's eldest son was named George after
Richard's uncle, who was killed while serving with the British army
at the Battle of the Nile. George was a prominent lumberman and for
many years the Justice of the Peace.
George and Katherine (whose family was from Baltimore MD) eventually
had ten children, eight of whom reached adulthood. The eldest son,
George Jr., was educated at the Jamestown Academy in Jamestown NY
until age 18. His headmaster, E. A. Dickinson, wrote that young
George was a pupil "in good standing as a scholar and had made
exceedingly good proficiency in those branches to which he has
directed his attention." George studied arithmetic, algebra, and
higher math at the Academy. His headmaster also reported George to
be "a correct moral man."
Considering his family's pioneer, average status, George made the
surprising decision to seek an appointment to the Military Academy at
West Point. His chances for such an appointment seemed rather
remote, as his family had no influential connections. In spite of
this, George wrote a letter, seeking the appointment, directly to the
Secretary of War, Abe Bell, saying, "It is with the greatest
diffidence that I approach you feeling as I do the vast difference in
our situations... A military life has ever comported with my
inclination. But to make a military man he wants a proper
education. I have therefore concluded to apply for the privilege of
becoming a Cadet at West Point." As fate happened, George's
congressman, Staly N. Clark, did not have a sufficient number of
candidates for appointments for the year 1842, so he offered Stoneman
a slot, which he eagerly accepted on May 9. Young George became a
plebe of the West Point Class of 1846. The naturally sad-eyed, quiet
Stoneman would graduate with such future military notables as George
McClellan, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (his roommate), Ambrose P.
Hill, Darius Couch, Jesse Reno, and George Pickett. Stoneman and
Jackson seemed to be perfect roommates; the reclusive, unsociable
Jackson was a match for the quiet, demure 6'4" New Yorker. He, like
Stoneman, also came from a modest family background. Stoneman
graduated 33rd out of his class of 59. In 1895, Couch wrote that
Stoneman was "esteemed by his personal associates as a generous-
hearted, whole-souled companion." He also noted that Stoneman, like
Jackson, was more of a "thinker" than a "talker."
After graduation, Stoneman was commissioned a brevet 2nd lieutenant
in the Mormon Battalion. The battalion had been established by
President James K. Polk to enlist the Mormons in the U.S. army and
support the U.S. occupation of California. The unit was recruited to
march from Iowa to California to assist the army in taking that
territory from the Mexicans.
The march was made during the winter of 1846-47. Stoneman was
assistant quartermaster for the train of 25 mule-drawn wagons. The
epic march, plagued by extreme heat, devastating cold, hunger and
exhaustion, opened new roads to be used by settlers, railroads, and
gold seekers in the future. Drawn to the beauty of the area,
Stoneman vowed to return to California one day and make his home in
the San Gabriel Valley. On July 25, 1854, he was promoted to 1st
lieutenant.
Stoneman served on the frontier during those years leading up to the
Civil War as he slowly made his way up in the ranks of the peacetime
army. He became a proficient Indian fighter with serving under Major
General Persifor Smith, commander of the Pacific Division, at the
battles of Clear Lake and Russian River in California, and at Fort
Orford in Oregon. Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War, ordered
railroad surveys to be done in order to find the best routes to the
frontier West. Stoneman was assigned to conduct surveys in the
Sierra Nevadas and the Coast Range to look for feasible mountain
passes in which to lay track that would connect the far territory
with Oregon and Washington.
With a solid reputation for courage under fire and concern for men in
his command, Stoneman was assigned to the newly-formed 2nd U.S.
Dragoons, organized in St. Louis MO. Jefferson Davis himself
selected its officers, a prime collection of military talent: Albert
Sidney Johnston as colonel in command, Robert E. Lee as lieutenant
colonel, and William J. Hardee and George Thomas as majors. Stoneman
