Article Recalls Stoneman's Raid on Boone, March 1865

Mr. W.W. Presnell of Vilas hands us the following rather interesting article on Stonman’s raid through the South, which we take pleasure in publishing:

Fifty six years ago today, it being the 28th of March 1865. In the place of holding a superior court for the transaction of the business of the county, General Stonman with his command of Cavalrymen of several thousand came into Boone whooping, yelling and shooting as though they expected to meet an army of several thousand, though there were only about 50 soldiers and 40 or 50 citizens in Boone, killing, wounding and taking the most of the crowd prisoners. The killed were Ephram Norris, father of Capt. E.J. Norris, Rev. John Norris of Sands, Jacob Councill father of B.J. Councill of Boone and Warren Green of the Blue Ridge section. The wounded A.J. McBride, sheriff of the county, Thomas Holder of Howards Creek, Waitsell W. Gragg of Boone, Calvin Green of Blue Ridge, and John Brown, son of Joseph Sr. The most of the soldiers wounded and disabled were at home on furlough. They with the citizens were placed under guard in a pen nearly opposite J.D. Councill’s home, putting a strong guard of soldiers around them. Most of them were kept prisoners till the 29th of March, when several of the citizens and a few of the soldiers were released.

Some of the soldiers decided it was not wise to show fight to an army without men or guns, so E.D. Norris of Co. D, 58th Reg. And J.D. Bryan of Co. D 1st N.C. Cavalry called on their feet and legs to take them away, Capt. Norris going east to the swamps near Joe Hardin’s, hiding in the brush or mud; and J.D. Bryan in the direction of Howards Knob running into briar patch where he found a hollow log into which he run, both staying in their places of hiding till night. So on the 29th the soldiers and citizens were placed in line and started off as prisoners of war, down Brushy Fork, Cove Creek and Watauga River to the State line then to some railroad point to be sent to a northern prison, most of them to Camp Chase, Ohio where they were kept till the close of the war. I think all of them got back home after the surrender.

The soldiers that carried the prisoners away took all the cattle and stock along the road to the Tennessee line to Dugger’s ford to a place of headquarters. The women next day followed and recovered some of their cattle. On the night of the 28th the county jail was burned.

From the front page of The Watauga Democrat, Boone, N.C., April 21, 1921. The NC DNCR says it was Stoneman’s Calvary. To read that account, go to https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2016/03/28/stonemans-cavalry-drove-old-dixie-down. And Wikipedia supplied the photo of General George Stoneman, who became a governor of California, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stoneman.