AP: Authorities Again Raid Vick Property

[fortdick]

Well, looks like Wikipedia agrees with you, which is news to me... there are other lines in the song that led me to assume that they were talking about Stonewall:

I don't mind them chopping wood
And I don't care if their money's no good
Just take what you need and leave the rest
But they should never have taken the very best...

It always sounded to me like they were talking about Confederates there, not the Union... it was Confederate money that was no good, and why would somebody from Virginia say "just take what you need and leave the rest" about UNION cavalry??

And if you're really such a Civil War buff, surely you know that folks in the South referred to the Stonewall Brigade as "Stonewall's foot cavalry", a tribute to how far and how fast his troops could march in a day... this also led me to believe he was talking about Stonewall, not Stoneman...

As for why they might want to destroy that railroad line, I figured it was to make it tougher for the Union to use those lines to supply the siege that the Union was bound to lay on Richmond... though that siege was indeed after Stonewall's death, I've always thought that even after he died, his corps was still referred to as the Stonewall Brigade, and his foot soldiers as "Stonewall's cavalry"...

I live right smack in the heart of Stonewall Jackson country, indeed the local high school that's 4 miles from my house is Stonewall Jackson High School... the road I live on, Moreland Gap Road, was one of the "escape routes" that Jackson used to escape Union troops when they were closing in on him during the Valley Campaign... he'd use that road, which Union troops were unaware existed (or at least, they didn't know that it went through a small gap in the hills, coming out in Fort Valley up around Strasburg)...

Yup, "Stonewall's cavalry" marched right past where my house now stands... the nearest church to my house was used by the Union Army as a field hospital during the Battle of New Market...

Anyway, I know who General George Stoneman was, but until this thread, it never occurred to me that the song was talking about his cavalry, and not Jackson's "foot cavalry"... it would appear that I was wrong, and you were right...

Now, if it's trivia you're into, don't you find it interesting and amusing that this song about the Civil War was written by The Band's Robbie Robertson, who's Canadian??

You do indeed know your Civil War history... I've learned something today...

YEs, Stonewall Jackson's Corp was referred to has foot cavalry. HE earned that name in the Valley campaign when he always turned up where the Union General Banks least expected him. His fast marching led to the defeat of two corp in a single day at Port Republic. His actions in the Valley prevented Banks from joining McClellan in the Penisula campaign, which ultimately proved to be a disaster for the Union.

In April of 65, Grant had nearly encircled the Army of Northern Virginia at Petersburg, forcing Lee to withdraw from his defensive positions. Richmond was doomed when he made this decision. His plan was to retreat to Danville where he could resupply and fall back into either Tennessee or NW Virginia and carry on a guerilla war. When he got to Danville, the union cavalry had already been there. The only supllies available were car loads of powder and ball. He fell back further to Appomatix, expecting food to be waiting for his troops. Stoneman was already there, and Lee knew he was doomed as he watched the cars burn.

Plenty more if interested!

 

[cowboyed]

I stand corrected on Virginia instead of Georgia. Vick made me misreference. You see how far reaching his behavior is...

 

[silverbear]

YEs, Stonewall Jackson's Corp was referred to has foot cavalry. HE earned that name in the Valley campaign when he always turned up where the Union General Banks least expected him. His fast marching led to the defeat of two corp in a single day at Port Republic. His actions in the Valley prevented Banks from joining McClellan in the Penisula campaign, which ultimately proved to be a disaster for the Union.

In April of 65, Grant had nearly encircled the Army of Northern Virginia at Petersburg, forcing Lee to withdraw from his defensive positions. Richmond was doomed when he made this decision. His plan was to retreat to Danville where he could resupply and fall back into either Tennessee or NW Virginia and carry on a guerilla war. When he got to Danville, the union cavalry had already been there. The only supllies available were car loads of powder and ball. He fell back further to Appomatix, expecting food to be waiting for his troops. Stoneman was already there, and Lee knew he was doomed as he watched the cars burn.

Plenty more if interested!

Like I said, you don't have to prove to me you know your Civil War history... I learned something in this thread...

 

[silverbear]

If you listen to Johnny Cash's version, you can clearly hear him say Stoneman's.

Never did listen much to Cash, didn't know he'd done a cover of that one... I did learn that Richie Havens did it, and I'd just love to hear that version... I can imagine it, with his voice and idiosyncratic guitar style...