STONEMAN'S MACON RAID. When General Sherman was operating against Atlanta he ordered all his available cavalry to prepare for a blow at the Macon Railroad, simultane ously with the movement of the Army of the Tennessee toward East Point. General Stone man, with 5,000 cavalry, was to move by the left around Atlanta to McDonough, and Gen. E. M. McCook with two divisions of 3,500 men, by the right on Fayetteville; and on the night of 28 July 1864 Stoneman and McCook were to meet on the Macon Railroad, near Lovejoy's Station, and destroy it in the most effectual manner. On the morning of the 27th both columns started. McCook on the right, with 3,200 men and eight guns, marched down the west bank of the Chattahoochee, laid a pontoon bridge near Riverton and crossed, and moving on Palmetto Station, on the West Point Rail road, tore up some two miles of the track, and went on to Fayetteville, where he captured about 250 prisoners, 500 wagons, which he burned, and 800 mules, a greater part of these he killed, and then pushed on to the Macon Railroad at Lovejoy's Station, about seven miles below Jonesboro, and 30 from Atlanta. He hoped here to meet Stoneman, but heard noth ing of him, destroyed the depot, the railroad to some extent, burned army trains, and was prosecuting his work in the destruction of the road, when he was driven off it by a consider able Confederate force, and still hearing noth ing from Stoneman, endeavored to return and recross the Chattahoochee by marching south west, and had reached Newman, on: the West Point Railroad, on the 30th, where he encoun tered an infantry brigade, coming from the south and at the same time was attacked in rear by Jackson's division of Wheeler's cavalry, soon reinforced by Wheeler himself with two additional brigades. McCook had several hard encounters, in some of which he was successful, but was forced to let loose his prisoners, about 400 in number, abandon his artillery and trains, and cut his way out, each brigade commander looking out for himself, and succeeded, with parts of his command, in reaching the Chatta hoochee, which he crossed and marched to Marietta, with a total loss of about 600 men, Stoneman at the moment of starting had re ceived Sherman's permission after the com pletion of his work at Lovejoy's, to march on Macon and Andersonville and release the thou sands of Union prisoners, at these places.
Marching on the morning of the 27th, he left Gerrard's division at Flat Rock, and with the brigades of Colonels Adams, Biddle and Capron, in all about 2,200 men, crossed the Ocmulgee River, near Covington, and made for the rail road running from Macon to Augusta, on which he destroyed a large number of engines and cars at Gordon and Griswoldville. A detach ment went eastward and burned the bridge over the Ocoonee. Stoneman reunited his detach ments near Macon, on the 30th, but the river was between him and the city, and he contented himself with shelling the place and then moved back toward Clinton. Meanwhile he had heard that the prisoners had been removed. General Iverson's cavalry division had been ordered by Wheeler to follow Stoneman, and was now upon him. On the morning of the 31st Stone man, finding what he supposed to be a heavy Confederate force in his front, deployed a strong line of skirmishers, which soon developed the fact that Allen's brigade of Confederate cavalry had passed around his flank and taken up a strong position directly across his line of retreat, while Armstrong's brigade, co-operating with Allen's, was closely menacing his left flank. Dismounting the men of one brigade he repeatedly charged the Confederates, but every charge was repulsed with heavy loss, and Arm stropg followed by a charge upon his left flank. The Union line gave way and was with difficulty rallied and re-formed. By this time he was nearly surrounded, and as he mistakenly thought by a greatly superior force. Believing further resistance useless, he authorized his brigade commanders to cut their way out, while he, with a regiment and a section of artil lery, held the enemy in check until the others got through, when he surrendered about 500 men. The greater part of Adams' •brigade es caped and joined the army near Atlanta. Ca pron's brigade escaped, but was subsequently surprised and scattered, very few getting to the Union lines. Consult 'Official Records,' (Vol. XXXVII1) ; Van Horne, of the Army of the Cumberland,' (Vol. II, Cincinnati 1875) ; Sherman, W. T., Memoirs' (Vol II, New York 1875).