USA > Indiana > Vigo County > History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922, Vol II > Part 15
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June 15, 1863-100,000, 6 months.
Oct. 17, 1863-300,000, 3 years. 18,997
Feb. 1, 1864-500,000, 3 years. 12,665
March 15, 1864-200,000. 13,008
April 23, 1864-85,000, 100 days. 7,415
July 18, 1864-500,000, 1, 2 or 3 years 25,662
Dec. 19, 1864-300,000, 1, 2 or 3 years 22,582
765
THE INDIANA LEGION
§ 132 THE INDIANA LEGION
The militia system of the state had been entirely neglected previous to the Civil war. There were neither men nor guns ready for service. The act of
Reports I, App. 49, seq.
This does not show the large number of recruits. Concern- ing the draft, see report of Jesse P. Siddall, General Commis- sioner. The following table from the Indianapolis Journal, Sept. 20 and 22, 1862, shows the numbers drafted from each county :
Oct.6 Sept. Mar. 1862 1864 1865
Oct.6 Sept. Mar.
Adams
37
117
43
Henry
160
170
17
Allen
597
35
288
Hancock
26
116
128
Blackford
80
70
9
Harrison
40
168
62
Bartholomew
24
11
13
Huntington
148
91
6
Brown
68
48
Howard
24
23
30
Benton
8
..
2
Jay
103
119
41
Boone
145
57
5
Jackson
17
146
67
Carroll
73
32
17
Jennings
. .
. .
1
Cass
117
2
..
35
Johnson
156
..
82
Clay
71
87
36
Knox
13
62
16
Crawford
·
76
30
Kosciusko
111
28
197
Dearborn
108
40
. .
18
Lake
91
48
19
Decatur
45
17
64
Laporte
70
71
35
DeKalb
218
54
172
Lawrence
80
2
Delaware
24
67
46
Madison
177
..
58
Dubois
67
92
6
Marion
281
427
134
Elkhart
128
27
105
Marshall
151
239
149
Floyd
253
42
31
Martin
10
139
18
Fountain
136
23
40
Miami
98
39
45
Fulton
25
31
1
Monroe
22
77
1
Fayette
70
..
1
Montgomery
150
12
Franklin
196
86
12
Morgan
26
95
19
Grant
128
247
17
Noble
70
30
146
Greene
8
120
116
Newton
..
1
Gibson
3
..
17 Orange
20
67
45
Hamilton
47
42
Owen
10
110
127
Hendricks
32
113
70
Ohio
15
2
1
71
128
129
22
Jasper
1
17
12
Lagrange
46
15
86
Daviess
..
160
Jefferson
10
189
4
Clinton
Clarke
1862
1864 1865
766
HISTORY OF INDIANA
May 11, 1861, provided for a reorganization of the militiaº. The active militia were defined as all able- bodied men between 18 and 45 years and should be enrolled, armed at once and mustered into the service of the state. The men were divided into divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions and companies very similar to the United States army so that the drill in one fitted equally for the other. Every member took an oath of allegiance not alone to Indiana but to the United States. Officers were elected for the various positions except for field officers ; uniforms, arms, bands, cavalry, artillery and all else necessary in the organization of an army were provided in the system.
Oct.6 Sept. Mar. 1862 1864 1865
Oct.6 Sept. Mar.
1862 1864 1865
Porter
19
58
70
St. Joseph
143
107
53
Parke
54
15
Shelby
141
182
21
Perry
95
39
Tippecanoe
7
36
15
Posey
34
186
21
Tipton
10
40
78
Pulaski
16
81
20
Union
84
. .
1
Putnam
61
17
79
Vanderburgh
81
97
2
Pike
11
85
22
Vigo
17
69
36
Randolph
46
134
36
Vermilion
37
18
Rush
150
4
26
Warren
35
7
Ripley
45
122
87
White
.
42
43
Spencer
118
2
Warrick
7
111
8
Scott
78
18
Whitley
153
10
132
Switzerland
..
8
Wells
100
156
11
Sullivan
14
141
68
Wabash
47
48
10
Steuben
62
42
20
Washington
20
177
25
Starke
22
47
19
Wayne
64
44
43
By districts the draft was as follows:
1864
1865
1864
1865
First
1,050
157
Seventh
677
481
Second
790
286
Eighth
311
128
Third
571
144
Ninth
782
480
Fourth
271
190
Tenth
241
1,146
Fifth
415
144
Eleventh
911
345
Sixth
933
454
Reports, I, 40, seq.
9 Laws of Indiana, Extra Session, 1861, ch. XXXVI.
767
BORDER RAIDS
Not before September, 1861, could the governor organize the Legion on account of lack of arms. On the tenth of that month, John Love of Indianapolis and John L. Mansfield of Madison were commis- sioned to organize it. Camp Burnside barracks for the instruction of officers was established near Indi- anapolis where Gen. Henry B. Carrington drilled the officers for their prospective duties as officers in the Legion. As finally organized there were two divisions with major-generals and nine brigades with as many brigadier generals. Each county usually had a regiment and each township a company. It was to these training schools that the governor ordered every man to close his shop and report in 1863. But these camps had more to do than merely prepare troops for national service. Southern Indi- ana had nearly or quite 400 miles of border exposed to raids from Kentucky.
§ 133 BORDER RAIDS
Among the important campaigns of the Civil war the petty raids of Kentucky guerrillas along the southern borders of Indiana have long ago been for- gotten. But at the time, the approach of a bush- whacking band to Henderson, Owensboro, Hawes- ville, Cloverport, Stevensport or Brandenburg or at the mouth of Salt river or Green river caused more excitement among the border counties than the bat- tle of Chancellorsville or the siege of Vicksburg.
A band of bushwhackers had been operating on Green river and around Henderson since the out- break of the war. A gunboat usually protected Evansville but even then the people did not feel safe, especially since the city maintained so many military stores.
768
HISTORY OF INDIANA
Although there had been considerable pillaging previously on both sides of the Ohio the first formid- able attack was made on Newburg, Warrick county, July 18, 1862. The leader of the marauders was Adam R. Johnson of Henderson, Kentucky. This band, partly composed of federal deserters, rendez- voused back of Henderson, terrorizing all of south- west Kentucky. When pressed too closely the squad broke up, gathering again by previous agreement when the danger had passed. Johnson later became a recruiting officer for Bragg with the title of colonel. He continued his bushwhacking till the summer of 1864 when a wound blinded him.
Newburg was not a military post, but a hospital was there with nearly one hundred convalescent Union soldiers, besides numerous federal stores. It was also the arsenal of two companies of Legion- aries. Johnson appeared on the south side of the river at noon, July 18, while the people were eating dinner. His men were concealed on a large ferry boat and quietly rowed to the Indiana shore. When the boat touched the shore the men leaped out, rushed to the hospital and secured all the arms. The eighty-five convalescent soldiers were captured and paroled. For four hours pillage continued, though no personal violence was committed. Southern sym- pathizers, living in Indiana, directed their actions. Two of these were summarily shot as soon as John- son left.10
A courier reached Evansville early in the after- noon and two boats loaded with soldiers were in Newburg by dark, where they found five companies of home guards already assembled.
10 Details are given in Indianapolis Journal, July 19, 21, 23, 1862; Evansville Journal, July 21; Vevay Reveille, July 31; Mad ison Courier, July 22.
769
BORDER RAIDS
As a result of the Newburg raid Governor Mor- ton ordered General Love, of Indianapolis, with the Seventieth regiment to join Gen. James E. Blythe at Evansville for an expedition into Kentucky. The Sixty-fifth under Gen. John T. Wilder and other troops from all parts of the state joined in the expe- dition but the marauders could not be found. Col. John W. Foster with a regiment was stationed at Henderson.11
The Fourth regiment of the Legion of Spencer county was called out during the period no less than twenty times to protect Owensboro. Col. John W. Crook, commanding, finally stationed a small guard there as a garrison. The town was attacked, Sep- tember 19, 1862, the captain of the garrison killed and the men surrounded. The town was quickly overrun. A union soldier escaped from the rebels, swam the Ohio and gave the alarm. In eight hours 500 Legionaries were in Owensboro and in posses- sion of the town. Learning that the rebels had formed a camp eight miles south of town Colonel Crook started at 2 o'clock a. m. to attack them. Reaching their camp on Panther creek at daylight he gave battle and in two hours had routed them. Thirty-six dead enemies were left on the field while the Legion lost two killed and 35 wounded.11ª
11 The following telegram from Governor Morton, who also hastened to Evansville, July 22, will show the nervous activity of the time:
"About one o'clock this morning near 1,000 Infantry, cavalry and artillery crossed the river to Henderson, and took possession without opposition. At daylight Colonel Gavin advanced into the interior with 500 men. The ram 'Hornet' has gone up the river with one company of men on board to visit the town. Another company went to Henderson this afternoon." Terrell's Reports, I, 149.
11ª Terrell's Reports, I, App. 292 (official report) ; Indianapolis Journal, Sept. 24, 1862.
770
HISTORY OF INDIANA
When the confederate swashbucklers were driven from Henderson and Daviess counties, Kentucky, they fell back into Hancock, Meade and Breckinridge counties where they threatened the Indiana border from Cannelton to New Albany. The same band that had terrorized Owensboro a few weeks later appeared at Cloverport, apparently attempting to cross the Ohio on a raid. February 3, 1863, a rebel battalion occupied Lewisport and threatened Troy. March 3, a force of mounted infantry visited Hawes- ville, Kentucky, with the intention of raiding Can- nellton or Tell City. June 8, a similar detachment, perhaps the same, entered Cloverport, took a number of horses, but were frustrated by finding the Fifth Legionaries guarding the north bank of the river.
Early in 1863, General Bragg laid his plans for another campaign in Kentucky. Gen. John H. Mor- gan, with a division of cavalry, was sent on to open the way and collect fresh men and horses for the main army. In order to be successful it was neces- sary to maneuver the Union forces back to the Ohio river. A small band of Morgan's cavalry under Capt. Thomas H. Hines made a trip into Meade and Hardin counties. With a small band of less than 100 men he crossed the river at Flint Island into Perry county. Not meeting with any serious resistance he headed north on the Paoli road, reaching the latter town too late to surprise it. By that time three com- panies of the Perry, Crawford and Orange county Legionaries under Captains Jesse Esarey, Horatio Woodbury and Robert E. Clendenin were hot on his trail, while Col. Charles Fournier with the Fifth guarded the river. Captain Hines did a thriving trade in horses, giving vouchers in correct form on the federal quartermaster at Indianapolis. On the eighteenth of June he reached Valeen in Orange county, by which time his true character was known
771
MORGAN'S RAIDS
and enough Union soldiers were under arms to cap- ture a brigade. Hines dodged back by Hardinsburg and Fredericksburg toward the Ohio. A union man, pressed in as a guide, after delaying them as much as possible led them to Blue River island where they were surrounded by the Legionaries under the three captains above mentioned and after a short fight in which four or five confederates were killed the whole company except Captain Hines surrendered. The captain plunged into the river ahead of his com- mand and swam across to the Kentucky shore and escaped to return a short time later with Morgan. Fifty-two confederate soldiers surrendered and were sent as prisoners to Leavenworth.12
§ 134 MORGAN'S RAID
Captain Hines was only the herald before the king of raiders, Gen. John Morgan. The invasion of General Morgan will perhaps, for many years, hold the unique place in our state's history of being the only event of its kind. Not since 1812 had hostile armies faced each other on our soil. This is not the place to discuss the strategy of Bragg and Morgan. Whatever their purposes, and whether disobeying orders or not, General Morgan, with a division of confederate cavalry numbering 2,460, with four can- nons, started from Alexandria, Tennessee, June 11, 1863. While the wreck of Lee's army was fleeing unpursued from Maryland and Pemberton was handing over Vicksburg to Grant, this dashing son of the Blue Grass was crossing Green river on a for- lorn trip which 200,000 soldiers could hardly have
12 Terrell's Reports, I, 161; History of Perry County, by T. J. De la Hunt, 237; for an exaggerated report, see Vevay Reveille, June 25, copied from the New Albany Tribune. The best account is by Editor Comingore of the Paoli Eagle, in Indianapolis Journal, June 23, 1863.
772
HISTORY OF INDIANA
made successful. About nine o'clock, July 8, the raiders appeared on the hills of Brandenburg forty miles west of Louisville. The scouting service of General Morgan was marvelous, perhaps largely due to sympathizers along his route. An advance party had hastened on to Brandenburg the day before and when the Louisville and Henderson packet "J. T. McCoombs" ran up to the wharf they had captured it. While waiting for the main body to come up, another steamer, the "Alice Dean," was captured. The question of ferriage was thus easily solved.
Col. William J. Irvin, of Maukport, at once dis- patched couriers with the news to Corydon and New Albany. The "Lady Pike" on its way up the river was sent back to Leavenworth for an artillery com- pany and a gun. These arrived in due time. The gun was dismounted and taken up the bank opposite Brandenburg. When the fog arose the next morning the Legionaries opened fire on the "McCoombs" and had they not mistaken the confederates for a small marauding band might have sunk both boats. In- stead of that they trained their guns on some squads of cavalry along the hillside until Morgan's guns appeared on the crest of the hill and with two or three rounds cleared the north bank. Col. John Tim- berlake with 200 or 300 Harrison county Legionaries opposed Morgan as long as possible, losing his gun and a number of men, and then withdrew along the road toward Corydon. On the road the raiders were annoyed by Major Jacob Pfrimmer with 200 of the Sixth Legion. The state troops fell back to a selected battle line six miles from Corydon. Here the con- federate troopers bivouacked for the night, while the rearguard, which had had trouble in crossing on ac- count of interference by a small gunboat, joined them. The militia in their front under Col. Lewis Jordan numbered about 400. Help for the militia
773
MORGAN'S RAID
was expected but in vain, from New Albany. About one mile from Corydon Morgan found the Legion- aries formed in battle line. At ten he ordered an attack; the battle lasted about an hour before the militia were surrounded and captured. Three hun- dred and forty-five men surrendered, four were killed and two wounded. Morgan had lost eight men killed and thirty-three wounded. The militia had shown themselves good marksmen but poor maneuv- erers in the face of the enemy.
Morgan pressed on into Corydon, making his headquarters at the principal hotel. The soldiery held high revel in the stores and other places where booty could be found. The flour mills were laid under tribute and the county offices looted. It was claimed that 500 horses were secured from Harrison county. When Morgan marched out of town late in the after- noon of July 9, he left eleven wounded soldiers to be cared for by the citizens. Protected by wide flankers Morgan proceeded to Palmyra where he delayed two hours, the right flankers taking Greenville in Floyd county while the left looted Paoli. From the former place he could cut the Monon road at Salem, from the latter he could destroy the Baltimore & Ohio at Mitchell. Instead of doing this, however, Morgan deemed it best to gather his troops together since armed enemies were springing up on every side. Accordingly all the confederates converged on Salem, which they reached about nine o'clock, July 10, 1863.
The militia hastily summoned to Salem were easily captured, one company under its captain walked boldly into town without arms. A company on a train on the way from New Albany was saved by the alertness of the engineer. The railroad track at Salem was destroyed, the stores were plundered
774
HISTORY OF INDIANA
and $1,000 levied on each of the mills.13 A spirit of deviltry prevailed among the soldiers here and in looting the stores they played all kinds of madcap pranks. No personal violence or cruelty was re- ported.
After a short rest in Salem the confederates turned southward, having found the roads north- ward and eastward heavily guarded. News also reached Morgan here that General Hobson was hot on his trail with 4,000 cavalry. By six o'clock Mor- gan was at Vienna on the Jeffersonville & Indianap- olis railroad. Here he halted only long enough to burn the bridges nearby and tap the telegraph. From the latter source he learned that the state was virtu- ally swarming with soldiers and every train from west, north, east and south was bringing more. The militia along his probable route eastward were fell- ing trees in the road. The night of the tenth, Mor- gan camped near Lexington in Scott county. Col. Samuel B. Sering, with 2,000 militia was between him and the river, so on the eleventh he again turned northward toward Vernon, his right wing threatening Madison. At Vernon he found a well intrenched force of nearly 500 men, which he decided not to attack. In order to conceal his weakness, how-
13 Terrell's Reports, I, 184. "Duke relates this anecdote: 'A small swivel used by the younger population of Salem to cele- brate Christmas and the Fourth of July, had been planted to receive us. About eighteen inches long, it was loaded to the muzzle, and mounted in the Public Square by being propped against a stick of firewood. It was not fired, however, for the man deputized to perform that important duty, somewhat aston- ished by the sudden dash into town, dropped the coal of fire with which he should have touched it off, and before he could get another, the rebels captured the piece. The shuddering imagl- nation refuses to contemplate the consequences had that swivel been touched off.'"
775
MORGAN'S RAID
ever, he sent in a demand for surrender and threw out skirmishes under cover of which he moved off toward Dupont, parleying as long as possible with Colonel Williams who was making heroic prepara- tions for the impending battle. About midnight Morgan went into camp at Dupont, eight miles from Vernon. Here the railroad was destroyed and a number of stores raided.
At four o'clock, Sunday, July 12, Morgan was on the road again, headed for Versailles. About one- thirty o'clock in the afternoon his advance guard dashed into Versailles and captured 300 militia un- der Col. James H. Cravens. After a rest of two hours, Morgan left Versailles for Osgood, following the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, tearing up the track and burning the bridges. At Sunman were 2,500 men under Col. James Gavin. Encountering their pickets Morgan turned aside and camped a few miles beyond. Leaving camp at five in the morning he reached Harrison, Ohio, at twelve, having torn up the railroad tracks at a number of places. At this point the chase passed into Ohio and most of the Indiana troops turned home. The chase was con- tinued by General Hobson to Salineville near the east boundary of Ohio where July 26, Morgan and a remnant of 250 men were captured.14
14 Terrell's Reports, I, 165; see Morton's Address, App. 301. "At the first landing on our soil, the rebel advance was met and fought by the neighboring Legion, and, although our forces were few in number, and were driven back, they gave the rebels a clear foretaste of what they might expect when they penetrated the Interior of the State. Within ten hours after they entered our borders, their invasion was converted into a rapid and desper- ate flight. In whatever direction they turned, they were con- fronted by large bodies of armed men. Wherever they approached the river, with the view to crossing, they found large bodies of troops prepared to dispute their passage. In half a dozen cases
776
HISTORY OF INDIANA
§ 135 OPPOSITION TO THE WAR
Among the people of Indiana there was at all times considerable opposition to the war. In most cases this resulted only in more or less angry argu- ment but in some cases it was expressed in acts of violence. The chief cause of this opposition is found in political partisanship which a great many poli- ticians were unable to lay aside.15 There has been assertion to the effect that southern Indiana, because of blood kinship with the confederacy, was not so active as the northern part of the state. Such asser- tion as tested by statistics of enlistment, draft, home guard activity and acts of treasonable violence, seems beside the fact. Johnson, Hines and Morgan all failed to find sympathy on the southern border. The treasonable organizations of the Golden Circle were pretty evenly distributed over the state. Re- sistance to the draft was found in much the same
they were offered battle, which they invariably declined. They dodged and ran by night and day, and finally succeeded in making their escape over our eastern border into Ohio."
Morgan spent five days in Indiana and destroyed about $500,000 worth of property. The best account is by Gen. Basil Duke, History of Morgan's Cavalry. The Indianapolis, Madison, New Albany and Cincinnati newspapers give one a good idea of the wild confusion of the time. Morgan's forces were variously estimated at from 5,000 to 16,000 men.
Since the chapter was written Judge Louis B. Ewbank has written an excellent account of this raid. Indiana Historical Society Publications, Vol. VII, No. 2.
15 For a good resume of this sentiment and expressions from twenty-four counties in all sections of the State, see Terrell's Reports, I, 269, seq. For the other side of the question, see Re- port and Evidence of the Committee on Arbitrary Arrests in the State of Indiana. This committee of eleven, headed by Jason Brown, was appointed by the speaker of the house in response to a resolution of Jan. 9, 1863.
777
OPPOSITION TO THE WAR
degree in both ends of the state. The Democratic party was stronger in southern Indiana and conse- quently there was more criticism of the administra- tion there, but the old Jacksonian Democracy stood firm for the union.16 Acts of violence fall under four general classes, resistance to the Draft, attacks on newspapers, political demonstrations and premedi- tated acts planned by secret organizations.
The resistance to the Draft was pretty well dis- tributed over the state. In general it was most vio- lent in sections distant from the railroads and large towns. Violence was reported from thirty or forty counties. In several places enrollment papers were seized and destroyed, necessitating a new enroll- ment and some enrolling officers were killed. Many
16 Commercial relations played an important part in the attitude of southern Indiana at the outbreak of the war. The commerce of this section, which was extensive, was all with the south. Business men in Lawrenceburg, Aurora, Vevay, Madison, New Albany and Cannelton lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Louisville was the center of an Increasing trade from the lower Ohio. Not less than a score of cotton mills had been planned along the river to compete with New England mills. At Cannel- ton, Louisville capital had erected a magnificent stone mill, opened mines and were just getting a promising business started. Can- nelton, January 1, 1861, resolved that if an international bound- ary line had to be made that it be north of that city. Yet these men were not for that reason disloyal. They wanted no such boundary line anywhere, and their later record is as good as that of any section of the state. The draft of 1862 did not touch the county and that of 1864 took only 81 men. At the time the resolution was passed both the New York Tribune and the Indian- apolis Journal advocated peaceful secession, and the government at Washington under Buchanan was paralyzed. The Incident merely illustrates the general state of weakness, fright and un- certainty in which the country found itself in the winter of 1860-61.
778
HISTORY OF INDIANA
of these acts were nothing other than premeditated murder, for personal revenge.17
Printing presses in Rockport, Vincennes, Terre Haute, Franklin, Richmond, and other places were wrecked. Newspapers, whose real editors were at the front, were left in the hands of brainless dema- gogues who sooner or later attracted the wrath of the communities upon them. As the war dragged on the civil power became weaker. Martial law and its customary associate prevailed more widely. There seems to have been no concert in this violence except in the case of the Knights of the Golden Circle.
§ 136 THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
The organization and ramifications of this myste- rious society were pretty definitely proven by the governor of Indiana and the federal secret service. The society began to manifest itself throughout the northwest and southwest in 1862. For its inspira- tion it seemed to go back to the ancient dream of making a second Roman republic around a second Mediterranean sea. All the country bordering on the Gulf of Mexico was to be organized into one vast empire based on cotton and slavery. How widely this vision was held does not appear but it was held by the William S. Walker and Lopez fillibusterers
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