Stoneman’s 1865 North Carolina Raid
August 19-21, 2018
With Len Riedel, from Winston-Salem, NC
A BGES Weekend Warrior Program
Itinerary
Sunday, August 19, 2018
6:00 PM. Check-in at headquarters hotel for meet and greet and to pick up your map handout. Len’s opening remarks, “Grant’s Final Push—To Gain a Just Peace,” will address the Lieber Code and General War Orders #100, paying particular attention to the juggernaut that hit the South in May 1864. A spirited Q&A will follow before breaking for dinner on your own.
Monday, August 20, 2018
8:00 AM. Stoneman was finally ready to move into against Lee’s supply lines. Grant had wanted him to cut the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad toward Lynchburg, Virginia. However, he had failed to move in a timely fashion, and Lee was about played out. We will head into Virginia to follow Stoneman’s raid to Hillsville, Wythville, Christiansburg, and Henry Court House (Martinsville, Virginia). We will then return to Danbury and Dalton, North Carolina, where Stoneman was further engaged on the day Lee surrendered (April 9). In 25 years of BGES’ existence, this tour has never been done. We will then return to the hotel. Lunch is included, and dinner will be on your own.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Lee’s war was over—he had surrendered at Appomattox. Confederate forces were still active in and around Greensboro, and the Confederate government was now ready to flee Danville, Virginia. After dispatching with an engagement in Salem, we will travel to Greensboro, where there is an engagement at Reedy Creek. Here Stoneman, unknowingly, just misses capturing Jefferson Davis. We will continue with Stoneman’s split force to High Point and Lexington, where there are additional clashes on April 11.
Our major effort today will be at Salisbury, where a Confederate prison has been emptied and a spirited defense will slow the Federal occupation of this key railroad hub. While the raid goes on much longer, the active engagements are generally completed and the Federals engage in systematic destruction of any “war materials” left to the South. We will follow the Federals to Statesville and Taylorsville before returning to Winston-Salem by 4 PM. We will then return to the hotel with the program now completed. Lunch is included with the program, and we will dismiss before dinner. Thank you for coming.
Registration
Registration includes two lunches, battlefield maps, the academic program, support of a professional historian, a tour director, and on-the-ground transportation appropriate to the registration. We will also provide snacks, bottled water, and a limited selection of sodas.
Ten percent of your registration fee is a tax-deductible contribution to the BGES 25th Anniversary Capital Reserve Campaign.
Register for this program using a secure PayPal link
You will be provided with a reading book and maps upon arrival. The following books are suggested to enhance your readiness for the program. Amazon.com has a program to support non-profits IF YOU SIGN UP to support Blue and Gray Education Society (EIN 54-1720582) at AmazonSmile. When you sign up there rather than the normal Amazon site, one-half of one percent of your purchase price will be provided to BGES as a donation from Amazon. This will apply not only on this purchase but others you may make at other times.
Travel Details
Hotel
This program will be based in Winston-Salem, NC. The hotel will be posted on this site. The headquarters hotel room block will likely be in the $100 a night range.
Transportation
The servicing airport is Greensboro (GSO/25 miles). You can, however, get better airline options flying to Charlotte (CLT/140 miles) or Raleigh-Durham (RDU/93 miles). The program is also easily accessible by automobile. You would need a rental car to come on to Winston-Salem. If you are planning to do our Over-the-Mountain Men program starting on August 22, then Charlotte is your best arrival airport, where that program will be based.
Key Publications and Recommended Reading
[sidebar body] You will be provided with a reading book and maps upon arrival. We recommend the following books to enhance your preparation for this tour. Amazon.com has a program to support non-profits IF YOU SIGN UP to support Blue and Gray Education Society (EIN 54-1720582) at AmazonSmile. When you sign up there rather than the normal Amazon site, one-half of one percent of your purchase price will be provided to BGES as a donation from Amazon. This will apply not only on this purchase but others you may make at other times.- Chris Hartley: Stoneman’s Raid 1865. Available on AmazonSmile.
- John Barrett: The Civil War in North Carolina. Available on AmazonSmile.
- Blue and Gray Magazine Vol XXVI #6 (2010): Stoneman’s 1865 Raid in Central North Carolina (written by Chris Hartley)