The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone

Download or read book The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone written by Blaine Lamb and published by Westholme Publishing. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Pomeroy Stone (1824-1887) is best known for the 1861 Civil War battle at Ball's Bluff, Virginia, where a close associate of Lincoln's was killed while under Stone's command. Stone was blamed for his death and imprisoned without charges or trial. His story, however, goes far beyond that episode. Ranging from the Halls of Montezuma to Gold Rush California, and from the pyramids of Egypt to the foot of the Statue of Liberty, The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone: Soldier, Surveyor, Pasha, Engineer by historian Blaine Lamb brings to light the many facets of Stone's remarkable life and career. After graduating from West Point, Stone served with General Winfield Scott in the Mexican-American War; he then commanded a military depot in San Francisco until joining a bank managed by William Tecumseh Sherman during the heady days of the Gold Rush. Stone was then recruited to survey Sonora, Mexico, for American interests. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Stone was in Washington, and his leadership was critical to protecting Lincoln and the city from Confederate attack. Given a field command, he was then made scapegoat for the Ball's Bluff debacle. After being released from prison, he served with distinction, leading a charge during the battle of Pleasant Hill. Following the war he was recommended by Sherman to the khedive of Egypt to modernize the Egyptian army. Serving nine years as "Stone Pasha," he entertained Ulysses S. Grant while the ex-president visited the country in 1878. Grant then recommended the only man he felt could carry out the complex job of constructing France's great gift to the United States: the Statue of Liberty. Stone rose to the challenge, quietly providing his expertise to erect this enduring national symbol. As the author weaves together these and other stories and characters, including Alexander von Humboldt, Thaddeus Lowe, Chinese Gordon, Khedive Ismail, and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the center of this tale of nineteenth-century adventure, war, and intrigue remains Stone himself, a man of honor, steadfast loyalty, and perseverance. -- Inside jacket flaps.