Morgan's Raid
From "Lexington" by Mary Wilson and Sharon Y. Asher, published sometime after 1975.
MORGAN'S RAID
One of the most interesting phases of the Civil War was the well-known raid conducted by General John Hunt Morgan through Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana in the summer of 1863. This daringly executed foray deep into enemy territory was strictly a nuisance, and little more, for it did not help the Southern cause to any significance. However, the few days the raid lasted it caused a great deal of excitement and considerable inconvenience to the people of Southern Indiana.
Local interest in this spectacular raid lies in the fact that Morgan and his men traversed Scott County from west to east over the route of the old historic Cincinnati Trace (then called the Lexington-Salem State Road), and that he and his men spent one of the four nights they camped in Indiana in Lexington, then the county seat of Scott County.
Further interest is derived from the fact that General Morgan and the Morgan family of Scott County are related. One of Scott County's pioneers, David Morgan -- father of Nathan R. Morgan, came to the county in 1820 from Bourbon County, Kentucky. Although the exact relationship between the two families has not as yet been established, David Morgan was probably a first cousin of Calvin C. Morgan, father of John Hunt Morgan, and both were grandsons of Gideon Morgan (died 1830) who emigrated from New Jersey to Virginia sometime before the Revolutionary War and who was a kinsman of General Daniel Morgan (1736-1802) of Revolutionary War fame. It is said that when General Morgan and his Raiders came through Scott County he sent word to his Indiana kinfolks that he wished to visit them while in the County, but was prevented from doing so by the exigencies of war!
John Hunt Morgan, son of Calvin and Henrietta Hunt, was born June 1, 1825 in Huntsville, Alabama from whence his father and his grandfather, Luther Morgan, had emigrated from Virginia. When he was three years old, his father moved to his mother's home town of Lexington, Kentucky where he grew up. In the war against Mexico he served as a First Lieutenant in a cavalry regiment.
Following this, he engaged in manufacturing in Lexington, Kentucky and became quite wealthy. His home can still be seen there.
At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 he and his four brothers--Calvin, Charlton, Richard and Thomas, joined the Confederate Army. His two sisters were married to Confederate generals--Ditty to General A. P. Hill and Henrietta to General Basil W. Duke, who accompanied his brother-in-law on his famous raid and later wrote his authoritative History of Morgan's Cavalry.
In 1862, following the Battle of Shiloh, John Hunt Morgan was made a Colonel and still later a General.
His men, collectively and in detached bands, became famous for partisan warfare throughout Kentucky and Tennessee, raiding towns, robbing trains, destroying railroad property and committing deeds of violence amounting to highway robbery, except so far as excused by the state of war.
Morgan's famous raid through Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio was probably done with the deliberate intent of creating a diversion from the movement of General Braxton Bragg and his troops from Tullahoma to Chattanooga, Tennessee. However, Morgan disobeyed Bragg's (1817-1876) instructions to confine himself to Kentucky and started on a forlorn trip which was doomed to failure.
On May 26, 1863 Morgan had 2460 men, two three-inch Parrott guns and two twelve-inch howitzers. Two brigades under him were principally composed of men from the Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth and Eleventh Kentucky and the Ninth Tennessee Cavalry Regiments. They were commanded by General Basil W Duke and Bushrod Johnson.
On June 11, 1863 they left their headquarters at Alexandria, Tennessee and on July 2 crossed the Cumberland River at Burkesville, Kentucky. In a battle at Columbus, Kentucky on July 4th, they lost sixty men when they unexpectedly encountered Federal troops. On July 5th they fought and captured the Federal garrison at Lebanon, Kentucky. It was during this battle that General Morgan's youngest brother, Lieutenant Thomas Morgan, was killed.
On Tuesday, July 7th, Morgan's advance guard reached Brandenburg, Kentucky on the Ohio River forty miles below Louisville. On July 8th his men captured the steamers "J. T. McCombs" and "Alice Dean" and were successfully ferried across the river to the Indiana shore. Then they proceeded to loot the town of Mauckport, two miles down the river from their crossing.
From Mauckport the Confederate cavalry drove into Corydon where stores were raided, the county treasury robbed, private homes pillaged and women forced to prepare meals for the unwelcome guests. General Morgan made his headquarters at the town's main hotel, Kintner's. Meanwhile, over 500 horses were taken from their owners in the nearby countryside in exchange for poor, worn-out ones.
The same day, July 9th, Federal troops under General Edward Hobson reached Brandenburg, crossed the river, and subsequently pursued Morgan's Raiders across the entire states of Indiana and Ohio.
The Confederates spent the night in Corydon and the morning of July 10th, leaving eleven wounded soldiers to be cared for by the citizens of the town, they advanced on Salem in two columns. Morgan delayed a few hours in Palmyra while one column of his troops looted Paoli and another Greenville, in Floyd County. After dispersing the Home Guard at Salem they occupied and thoroughly plundered the town. Men were seen, it has been said, riding around carrying all sorts of booty. One cavalryman had a bird cage with three canaries in it, and others had bolts of calico tied to their saddles. However, no examples of personal violence or cruelty were reported.
Leaving Salem in two columns they headed for Lexington. One column crossed the Jeffersonville and Indianapolis Railroad at Henryville, Clark County, while the other went by way of Canton, New Philadelphia and Leota and, at approximately six o'clock, they arrived at the same railroad in Vienna.
At Vienna the railroad station and the telegraph operator were captured before the operator could give the alarm. General Morgan put one of his own men, Lieutenant Ellsworth who knew how to operate the telegraph, in charge of the office. He listened on the wires until he had learned all the news to be obtained from Louisville and Indianapolis, including the fact that orders had been issued to the Militia to fell timber and blockade the principal roads which the invaders would be likely to travel to the East. According to Duke "our rapid marching had, hitherto, saved us this annoyance." They also learned in this manner that the Union forces under Hobson had crossed the Ohio River and were only a few miles behind them.
They learned that the state was virtually swarming with soldiers and that every train entering Indiana was bringing additional forces. The Raiders did all they possibly could to hamper the pursuit of the Union Cavalry, such as burning all the bridges. Their system of horse stealing was almost perfect. They would dispatch men from the head of each brigade to go five miles into the country on each side of the road. They would then seize every available horse and fall in at the rear of the column. In this way the Confederates swept the countryside of all horses for ten miles, leaving their own worn-out animals for the use of the Union forces.
According to Goodrich in his Illustrated History of Indiana (1875), a Scott County farmer ruefully said, "Many are the farmers through this county who have bewailed the day when they 'swapped' their fine, fat, sleek horses for the worn-out, sore-backed jades of the Rebels!" The fine blooded Kentucky horses, however, which were left behind in Indiana, though worn-out, were of such good stock that the breed of Indiana horses was greatly improved.
At both Henryville and Vienna the railroad depots were burned, the tracks torn up and the telegraph wires cut. At Vienna they also burnt the water station, the turntable and a railroad bridge which spanned Pigeon Roost Creek. All of these structures were built of wood, as was the custom then. In Vienna they also robbed the stores and private houses.
According to an article in the Scott County Journal of September, 1924, written by Alice Jones now of San Diego, California and formerly of Lexington, Morgan's Raiders reached Lexington on July 4, 1863, this date differing somewhat from other accounts:
"On the Fourth of July, 1863, the little town of Lexington had arranged a celebration of the nation's independence. The boys too young for the army and the few elderly citizens dragged the old brass cannon that had been presented to the county by General Charles Scott, to the eastern slope of graveyard hill and greeted the early dawn with war-like thunder until the powder ran out.
"Beside the courthouse in the center of the public square surrounded by a grove of Locust trees a platform was set up with benches facing it. A bench from the courthouse hall was on the platform for the speakers and prominent citizens who would be participating in the simple program. There was no special music for too many boys had gone over the hill to the strains of "The Girl I Left Behind Me" and the drummers and fifers had followed.
"The audience was small, consisting mostly of women. Someone read the Declaration of Independence and a minister prayed and then introduced a Union soldier, a refugee from the South.
"In a few simple words this soldier told what it meant to be a Union soldier below the lines and the many hardships he endured before reaching the Union army. Sitting immediately behind him was a Southern sympathizer from Kentucky who had fled north when his neighbors had made it too warm for him in neutral Kentucky, and perhaps a half dozen Rebel sympathizers, 'Copperheads' as they were called. The soldier spoke in warm praise of Mr. Lincoln and Governor Morton and convincingly of the success of the Union Army.
"The Kentucky Rebel sprang to his feet and shouted, "You are a liar. There are many Yankee bones bleaching on Southern soil and there will be many more before this unholy war will be beaten and the glorious South will be triumphant." A copperhead on the platform jumped up shouting, 'Hooray for Jefferson Davis.' At that point the women rose as one and started for the platform. One elderly lady, who had two sons in the army, pointing her parasol and pushing her way through the crowd said, 'Let me get to him. I'll pull every hair out of his head.' The Rebel was hustled off the platform by his friends and hurried away from the crowd. The meeting then broke up and in some confusion.
"During the program Morgan was making his way toward Lexington. The lanterns were still burning that night in the courthouse yard when a messenger came riding over the hill telling the people that Morgan was within two miles of the town. As the Raiders came over the hill the town's lights could be seen by the riders twinkling like campfires and the old brass canon lay at the foot of the hill where it had been last used. Morgan entered peacefully and without force.
"His men reconnoitered and a few came into the square and formed a line. As no citizen seemed to object or resist, Morgan and his staff rode up to the only hotel in the town and ordered supplies and feed for his horses. The rest of the band came straggling in and made camp below the community.
"By twelve o'clock the lights were out. About sunrise the Madison Home Guards swept into the town forming a line on Main Street. The Captain was just preparing to give a command for a cavalry movement to show off their horsemanship and new uniforms when a citizen informed him that John Morgan and his staff were asleep in the hotel and his men were camped by the cave spring northeast of the town. Upon hearing this, the Captain and his men wheeled their horses and made haste to leave the area.
"As the morning progressed, the Postmaster was held up, the office looted of all cash and postage stamps.
"According to Josephine Shea, Morgan and a few of his men took the mail bags down to her grandfather Patrick Shea's home and emptied the contents on the living room floor, opening all letters. Many of the letters contained money from soldiers to their families which was also stolen. After opening the mail Morgan demanded that the Shea family cook dinner for him.
"The three general stores in town were broken into and the men fitted themselves in new clothes and boots and took corn and sides of bacon.
"At about eleven o'clock the raiders left town. Two miles east of Lexington a farmer hailed them shouting 'Hooray for Jeff Davis.' Morgan 's response was 'good, now bring your best horses and help the cause' and they forced him to lead the way to Dupont. He walked home later a much wiser man.
"All horses were not so easy to come by for Morgan, however. A lawyer living in Lexington decided to ride to Vienna on July 10th to catch a train to Seymour. He rode a neighbors horse called "Old Bill," known throughout the county as having spells of temperament.
"On this day when a Raider attempted to steal Old Bill and mount him, the cantankerous old horse wouldn't budge. The Raider finally gave up and let the lawyer mount him at which time Old Bill relaxed and moved on down the road, having demonstrated his loyalty!
"General Shackford's advance guard rode through Lexington that evening in search of Morgan. Many of Shackford's men were asleep in their saddles, tired from the long pursuit." So ends Mrs. Jones' account of Morgan's raid into Scott County.
In Lexington, as in many other places, the Confederates plundered dwellings and stores and appropriated horses and supplies. On Saturday, July 11th, they moved north to Blocher, Deputy and Paris, Indiana. The northern route was chosen because Morgan' s scouts had learned that Colonel Sering, with 2000 troops, was between him and the Ohio River. However, Morgan's right wing under Colonel Smith, went eastward, threatened Madison, and fought Jefferson County Home Guards at Kent. And at Paris the Raiders robbed a store before leaving.
From Paris they continued north to Vernon where they encountered a well-entrenched force of 500 men under Colonel Williams. In order to conceal his weakness, Morgan sent in a demand under a flag of truce to surrender. Colonel Williams replied, "that he was abundantly able to hold the place; if General Morgan got it he must take it by a hard fight."
Under cover of minor skirmishes, Morgan continued on to Dupont, eight miles southwest of Vernon. They arrived there at midnight and raided stores and F. F. Mayfield's new packing factory. The Confederates also destroyed the depot and tracks of the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad. Morgan continued on to Versailles and Osgood, burning bridges and plundering as he traveled. Finally he crossed the White River into Ohio on July 13th.
General Morgan was captured and imprisoned in the Ohio State Prison at Columbus, from which he escaped on the night of November 27, 1863, and eventually rejoined the Confederate forces in the South.
The colorful career of this daring capable Southern leader was brought to an abrupt end on September 4, 1864 in the town of Greenville, in Eastern Tennessee. He was betrayed by a woman, Mrs. Lucy Williams in whose home he was quartered at the time, to a group of Federal cavalry. General Morgan, realizing the enemy had surrounded the house, attempted to make his escape through the garden behind the house, but while mounting his horse, he was shot and killed, although, it is said, he had attempted to surrender.
Morgan's Raid - Mrs. J. B. Epply
In 1910 Mr. Epply visited Morgan's tomb at Lexington, Kentucky. Before driving out to the cemetery, he was told by a friend living there not to say anything in opposition to Morgan's raid or he would soon stir up trouble in the community.
Mrs. Epply said her grandparents had often told her stories of Morgan's Raid. When Morgan's men left Lexington they traveled north on the present State road [?]. The Jennings home was off the main highway but may of their neighbors gathered on a high portico of the house where they might watch "Morgan and his terrible men" march down the road.
The next day four of the horsemen came and asked for food. Being invited to come in while the meal was prepared for them, they did nothing to molest the property of their host. At one house nearby they were refused admittance, so they entered anyway. Then empties a barrel of flour in the floor and mixed bread and cooked it for themselves.
Mrs. Epply's aunt and a girl friend were in Lexington at the time of the raid. As they were riding home they met General Morgan leading his men. The girls thought their horses would be stolen, so dismounted [?] being ordered to, by Morgan. They were surprised when their horses were not taken, and were informed that, "Southern Gentlemen Don't Steal Ladies Horses."
MORGAN'S RAID AS MR. JOHNSON REMEMBERED IT
Mr. Johnson was working at a neighbor's where he was hired whom the rumor came that Morgan and his terrible men were crossing the river at [Corydon?]. There was a general stir of excitement in the community. This was approximately three miles from Lexington on the Paris Crossing road.
That July morning was very foggy, Mr. Johnson was plowing corn when he heard the clump clump of horses feet in the distance. His first thought was of Morgan, so leaving his work he went to the fence where he first saw the gray uniforms of the Confederates coming into view. He then put his horse in the barn and started to his father's home a mile away to warn them to hide their horse. This was the last time he ever saw his old gray mare as Mr. John said. "You can imagine the thrill to a boy of sixteen summers. The temptation was so strong to see the horses that I hurried across the field to the old Paris road, dropping my shoes, I stood on the topmost rail on that July morning in my bare feet and heard the jangle and clanking of arms. The gray figures of Morgan's men appeared out of the distance. They showed the strain of a hurried and harassed march; both men and beast were weary. Four of the men stopped before me perched on the fence and said, 'Son take these canteen and fill them with water'. I didn't refuse but hurried across the road to Mr. Alexander's Robinson's well where two or three other boys were drawing water for the Raider's men with a windlass. The well was wide and only about nine feet deep. As soon as I filled my canteens I passed them among the men and kept returning for more water until the well was dry. After this short period of service we were mustered out; and Morgan, the raider, with his men went their way with their jangling and clanking of arms to disappear in the horizon toward old Paris."
There were some three thousand soldiers in the Confederate cavalry. They were gentlemanly and represented the best manhood of Kentucky and their native states. Of course in war and in that large a crowd there would be some unpleasant things, but on the whole the men were polite. Whenever they saw a horse they wanted they exchanged their worn out horse for it usually with the suggestion of "Let's Swap, I think you can plow all right with this horse". Many of the horses left were really better than the ones taken but were worn out and many had sore backs.
Mr. Johnson's father was riding along with Mr. Buckston, a Southern sympathizer who had a valuable horse, when the leader said, "I'll need your horse," then fingering Mr. Buckston's gold watch chain which extended across his waist, he said, "I can also relieve you of this watch and chain." With as good a grace as he could muster for he belonged to the knights of the Golden Circle, Mr. Buckston crawled from his horse and meekly handed over his watch.
The same evening Hobson's men came through the country hard on [Morgan's?] tracks. In his band there were five thousand Union men. They foraged off the main road in small [groups?] for two or three miles. They drove down the land to Mr. Johnson's home; as they reached the gate to the yard, they halted and drew their guns. The memory of those armed soldiers was still very vivid to Mr. Johnson. For awhile the family was very frightened with so many guns pointing directly at the house. Mrs. Johnson had done considerable baking for Sunday, among the things were several pies, a large corn pone which was several inches in diameter and very deep, all of these were [crammed?] into a sack by Hobson's men. To bake these pones, hot coals were raked in front of the fire places, the dough placed in an oven or run with a tight cover and red hot coals placed on top of it. This broad was much better two or three days after it was baked.
There was no difference in the foraging of the two armies, but if Hobson took a horse he left a note which was redeemed by the govt. after the war.
When Mr. Johnson was watching the Morgan men pass by he was attracted noticeably by a white horse with spots on it as large as your hand; he was asked, "Do you know that horse?" "Yes, I think it belongs to Mr. Hardy who lives down the road," he answered.
"Well. I don't know who it belongs to. I didn't see the owner when I got it out of the stables", answered the Confederate.
MORGAN RENDERS A SERVICE - Mr. Melvin Marling.
Mr. Marling's story as he gives it when in a reminiscent mood: -- "I certainly remember John Morgan and the excitement in the neighborhood when the message came that Morgan and his terrible men were coming, gathering all the horses they could find. At the time I was a pretty big chunk of a boy with one leg so stiff I couldn't bend my knee due to a bad cut across the knee cap. I had preferred to walk stiff-legged rather than be hurt a little so at the time it was impossible to bend my game leg.
To make a long story short word came by messenger that Morgan was camped at Lexington about five miles West of our home, and was sending decoys of men in all directions, we hid our horses in a thicket so dense they could not be seen unless within a few feet of them. The Raiders came within approximately three miles of us before swerving abruptly North. I had an aunt with a large family who lived about a mile from us.
My mother was afraid something would happen to her sister and family [?] started me to go to warn them and bring them to our house where it would be easier to hide in the cliffs if Morgan did come. She urged me to make as great haste as possible with my bum leg, and to beware of a road, so I started hobbling off through the field but the farther I got from home the faster I tried to go, finally breaking into a run. On the way I came to a deep ravine about two feet across I never halted and made it with my well leg, but the stiff one missed and I stubbed my toe, stopped with such a jerk my stiff-knee cracked and this time I exercised it enough not to let it get in so bad a shape. I always told people I owed Morgan a lot for the favor he unknowingly did me.
My uncle, John Reed secured one of the southern horses, in some manner. He rested it up and found he had one of the best saddle horses in the County.
Morgan ran into some sympathizers west of Lexington and their horses were left. The government reimbursed a few of the people for their loss but a majority were just minus their horses, unless they happened to get a horse that Morgan had to leave. They were usually worn completely out but some of them made good horses after a rest and good cure."
Reminiscences of Dr. Charles Burdsall, Hanover, Indiana
Mr. Burdsal was about thirteen years of age when Gen. Morgan made his raid through Indiana. He gave the story as follows:
"I was just a boy, but well do I remember the confusion and excitement that prevailed in our community when word came that Morgan was leaving old Paris for Vernon. We lived about four miles from the road Morgan traveled but nevertheless the horses were all driven into the thickets for safe keeping.
On July 2, Morgan and his side ate dinner at the home of Dr. B. F. Russel. His daughter later my wife, often recalled that occasion, not knowing Morgan she went up to him and said 'I would certainly like to see your rebel leader'. Morgan answered, 'Well, my child, just take a good look at me, for I am John Morgan in person'. Most of the raiders foraged their meals, mostly by cleaning out the grocery stores.
My father was a [blacksmith?] and had to spend one day shoeing horses in Dupont when Morgan's men were there, I think this was without recompense, the next day he worked shoeing horses for Hobson's men. The government assumed this bill. While Morgan was at Dupont there was an old man living about two miles away who had heard nothing of the intruders. He had a fine young horse which he rode into town and was ordered to surrender, instead of obeying he turned and rode rapidly away. The next command was to fire then it was countermanded and a bunch started in pursuit. The old man soon outwitted his pursuers by jumping a fence and hiding in a dense thicket.
Another incident I remember was that of old Nelson Wiggins, he was very timid and almost afraid of his shadow, but with strongly southern views, which were not so keen when he contacted Morgan's men. He had a bag of wool and was riding an old yellow mare to Sampson's mill at Old Paris. While riding along he met two of Morgan's scouts who wanted to have a little fun at his expense. They demanded his mare (so no account no one would want it) at this Uncle Nelson put up such a plea, that the Confederates then told him to get on his horse. They then threatened to take him prisoner also. This almost made the old man frantic. Finally after much pleading he was permitted to continue on his old nag in peace.
For a long time it was easy to see where the horses had been hidden in the thickets. One of our neighbors hid their horses in a thicket only to have a colt neigh and give away the hiding place to the [Confederates?].
Hobson's men were following close on the heals of Morgan. About 100 of them passed our house. This was the only part of the army that I saw. There was quite a contrast in the horses of the two. Morgan had taken all the best as he came. Hobson's horses were so poor and fagged out they could hardly travel. There were only about a mile behind at Dupont but were soon outdistanced by the better horses."
Also see Meirs House, where General Morgan stayed during his raid in Lexington.
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