Stoneman's Raid — Gillem's Column
Blowing Rock, Watauga County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Stoneman's Raid. On a raid across western N.C. Gen. A. C. Gillem led part of Stoneman's U.S. cavalry through this vicinity, March 28, 1865.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
In the closing weeks of the Civil War, Union Major General George Stoneman led a sweeping cavalry raid across western North Carolina to wreck Confederate supply lines and rail infrastructure. On March 28, 1865, part of that force under General Alvan C. Gillem passed through this vicinity near Blowing Rock, one stop on a fast-moving campaign through the mountains. The raid met little organized resistance as the Confederacy collapsed in the war's final month.
Why it matters
Stoneman's Raid marked the war's reach deep into the isolated Appalachian backcountry, hastening the Confederacy's end in a region that had seen relatively few large battles.
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Related people
- · George Stoneman
- · Alvan C. Gillem
Related events
- · Stoneman's Raid
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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