This CDV would be considered perfect but for the fact that there is a trim at the bottom. This sort of thing was often done back then to allow the image to fit in a particular scrapbook or frame. Other than this trim, this "from-life" image is a real screamer. This well-known and hard-fought cavalry general is even armed with his saber. Is it a M. 1840 or 1860? I can't tell but I sure wish I owned it!

Anyway, the best part of this clean, vivid image is that it's an Anthony product from the Brady negative and has the according backmark. The general's name is on the back in period pencil.

General George Stoneman entered the US Military Academy in the 1840's. Guess who his roommate was? Yep! None other than Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson! I'd love to have been a fly on the wall to hear their conversations.

Prior to the Civil War, Stoneman was assigned to the 1st US Dragoons and participated in a great march from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas to San Diego, California. The young lieutenant fought in the Yuma War, helped the railroads do surveying in the far west and was eventually promoted to Captain of the 2nd US Cavalry. From 1855 until the outbreak of hostilities, Stoneman was garrisoned in Texas. When Texas seceded, Stoneman refused orders from General David Twiggs to surrender the facility to Confederate forces. Instead, he and most of his command escaped to the North.

Stoneman served in the 1st US Cavalry under McClellan and led his men into battle on the Peninsula and in the Seven Days' Battles. In both instances, the Yankee Cavalry was courageous but incapable of out-dueling their Southern cousins under General J.E.B. Stuart. General Stoneman took command of the III Corps at Fredericksburg, but never lost his zeal for mounted service. General Hooker, after taking command of the Army of the Potomac, recognized the central importance of cavalry as well as the ability of Stoneman. He put the General in charge of a Cavalry Corp not beholden to the whims of Infantry generals.

This move allowed Stoneman to fight the war as a Cavalry commander ought. He led his men on long raids behind Confederate lines that provided the Union with vital intelligence. They also destroyed supplies and war-related infrastructure. During the Chancellorsville engagement, Stoneman's most famous raid offered the Union a clear shot at a major victory. Indeed, it was Stoneman who temporarily distracted General Lee from the main battle. Unfortunately, Stoneman's men were hampered by a swollen Rapidan River and the effectiveness of their operation was reduced significantly. Using Stoneman as a fall-guy for his own mistakes, General Hooker dismissed him from command.

In 1864, after a period of garrison duty in Washington, Stoneman was granted command of the Army of the Ohio's Cavalry Corps. They were extremely effective during the Atlanta campaign, although Stoneman and an aide, while reconnoitering near Macon, were captured. The general became the highest-ranking Union officer taken prisoner during the war. Because of his value to General Sherman, Stoneman was quickly exchanged and returned to duty. He led significant raids into North Carolina and Virginia, using East Tennessee as a base.

Though a staunch Union man, Stoneman never approved of brutal treatment some units meted out to Southern soldiers and citizens. While he opposed slavery, he was also critical of the radical approach to Reconstruction, favoring a more evolutionary application of federal policy. Later, Stoneman was serve in the Indian Wars in Arizona and would eventually settle in California. There, he became governor in 1882 and served one term. He and his wife returned to New York, where he died after suffering a stroke.

Don't miss your chance to own this outstanding CDV. Please compare it and our price with those of others. Most of the Stoneman images I see for sale are unarmed photos priced above what I am asking.

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