George Stoneman was born on August 22, 1822 in Busti, New York. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1846, standing 33rd in his class of 59. After serving in the Mexican War, in Indian fighting, on the frontier, and on a number of southwestern expeditions, After arriving in California, Stoneman was appointed to be in command of the San Francisco Presidio. He was later in command of Fort Brown, Texas, when David E. Twiggs demanded its surrender to the Confederate States of America. After escaping with part of his command, he was named Major, 1st U.S. Cavalry on May 9, 1861. Transferring to the 4th U.S. Cavalry on August 3, 1861 he was appointed Brig. Gen. U.S. Volunteers ten days later. During the Peninsula campaign he commanded the cavalry division at Yorktown, Williamsburg, on a cavalry advance upon Richmond in May of 1862, and during the Seven Days’ Battles. Named Maj. Gen. U.S. Volunteers on November 29, 1862, he led the III Corps at Fredericksburg. Commanding the newly established Cavalry Corps, he led Stoneman’s Raids during the Chancellorsville campaign. This was the first large-scale raid by Federal mounted troops. Though Secretary of War Stanton declared the operation "a brilliant success," it in fact accomplished little of value. The corps lost only seventeen killed and seventy-five wounded during all its operations. He was then relieved of command and, after a sick leave, was Chief of the Cavalry Bureau in Washington from July 18, 1863 to January 29, 1864. He then commanded XXIII Corps from February 10 to April 4 of 1864 and then headed the cavalry division of that corps from April 10 to July 31 of 1864. During the Atlanta campaign his poor tactical judgment led to his capture with 700 of his men in Stoneman’s and McCook’s raids to Macon and Lovejoy. Released in an exchange after 3 months he then commanded the Department of the Ohio from November 17, 1864 to January 17, 1865 and led Stoneman’s raid in southwestern Virginia. While commanding the District of East Tennessee / Cumberland he led a raid in North Carolina and Virginia in March and April of 1865 to support Sherman’s Carolinas campaign. He continued in the regular army and was the Drum Barracks commander from August 16^th 1869 thru May 3^rd 1870. He retired August 16^th 1871 with brevet rank of Major General and a disability pension based on war injury claims. President Grant revoked the pension and rank when he found out the claimed war injuries were nothing more than hemorrhoids and had nothing to do with military service. Grant’s decision reduced Stoneman’s regular rank to Colonel with a corresponding cut in retirement pay.

NOTE: The Drum Archives contain Lt. Cragie‘s entire report.

General Stoneman became a rancher and orchard grower until 1876. He lived on his magnificent estate "Los Robles" near Los Angeles and served on several state and federal commissions and held several public offices in the state prior to his election to the office of Governor as a Democrat, from 1883 to 1887. Interestingly he got the nomination on the fourteenth ballot defeating George Hearst, millionaire father of William Randolph Hearst. During his term in office, the Santa Fe Railroad finally reached Los Angeles in 1885 and the first trainload of California oranges reaches East Coast, thus starting the Naval Orange Empire in and around Riverside, CA.

He supported prison reform and staunchly believed in rehabilitating prisoners through parole–so much so that in the last few weeks of his term, Stoneman granted 260 pardons and commuted 146 prison sentences. (Sounds as if he would have given present day politicians a run for their money in the pardon areas) In 1885, Stoneman’s ranch house in San Gabriel was burned to the ground. Arson was evident and local Mexicans were purported to be involved. Although they obviously intended to harm the governor, he was not at home at the time and escaped injury.

At the end of his term he moved back to the Los Robles ranch and lived there for four years. He then moved to Buffalo, NY to live with his sister. He suffered a stroke in April of 1894 and died on Sept. 5, 1894 in Buffalo, New York. His widow Mary was awarded a pension of $50 per month by a special act of Congress on Feb. 27^th 1897. She continued to receive this until her death in Washington on March 8, 1915.

Above information was obtained from the "Blue & Gray Civil War Generals" web site, the California Governors Biographical & historical web site, and "The Beat of the Drum" book by Don McDowell published in 1993. It is intended for the Drum Barracks Civil War museum in Wilmington CA to be used for informational display purposes only.