Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 71

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006

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The Object of the Raid .- Little progress had been made in the organization of the State militia, when in July, 1863, there came another sudden and pressing demand for it.

In July, 1863, Rosecrans at Stone River was menacing Bragg at Tullahoma. Burn- side at Cincinnati was organizing a force for service against Buckner in East Tennessee. The communications of Burnside and Rose- crans extended through Kentucky, covered by some ten thousand troops under Gen. Judah. Bragg felt that if these communi- cations were threatened by a division, the advance of Rosecrans or Burnside would be delayed, and these officers kept from rein- forcing each other. Gen. John Morgan was the man selected for this service. He had orders to go where he chose in Kentucky, to attempt the capture of Louisville, but was forbidden to cross the Ohio river.

Morgan's Plan .- Morgan at once set about preparing for his raid, but in defiance of or- ders to the contrary be determined to cross the Ohio river somewhere near Louisville, make a rapid detour through southern In- diana and Ohio, and recross the river back into Kentucky at Buffington Island, about forty miles below Marietta. In pursuance of this plan men were sent into Ohio to gather information and examine the fords of the upper Ohio.

His plan was daring and brilliant, as was also its execution, and but for the unexpected and unprecedented high water for the time of year, which enabled gunboats to pass up the river with troops to cut off his escape, he would have brought his daring raiders through in safety.

Morgan Crosses Kentucky .- On the 2d of July he crossed the Cumberland with twenty-four hundred and sixty men, and after a skirmish with Judah's cavalry, was half way to Columbia before Judah (who had trusted to the swollen condition of the stream to prevent the crossing) could get his forces together. The next day he had a severe fight at the crossing of the Green river with a Michigan regiment under Col. Moore ; they made a determined resistance, and Morgan, having no time to spare, was obliged to withdraw, found another crossing and hurried on through Campbellstown to Lebanon. Here were stationed three regi- ments, but two of them being some distance from the town he overwhelmed the one in the town before the other two could get up and hastened on to Springfield, eight miles north, where he paroled his prisoners and turned northwestward, marching direct for Brandenburg, on the Ohio river, sixty miles below Louisville. Having tapped the tele- graph wires, he learned that the forces at Louisville were too strong for him and gave

up all designs against that city, but captured a train from Nashville when within thirty miles of Louisville.

Two companies were sent ahead to secure means of transportation across the Ohio river, which the main force reached on the morning of the 8th, having crossed the State of Kentucky in five days. Here he found the two companies sent forward had captured two packet boats, the "J. J. McCombs" and "Alice Dean," and he prepared for crossing, when some Indiana militia on the other side opened fire upon them with mus- ketry and an old cannon mounted on wagon wheels ; Morgan sent two of his regiments across, and bringing up his Parrott rifles the militia were forced to retreat, the two rebel regiments pursuing. The main force was about to follow, when a little tin-clad, the "Springfield," came steaming down the river. "Suddenly checking her way," writes Basil W. Duke, Morgan's second in com- mand, "she tossed her snub nose defiantly, like an angry beauty of the coal pits, sidled a little toward the town, and commenced to scold. A bluish-white funnel-shaped cloud spouted out from her left-hand bow, and a shot flew at the town ; then changing front forward she snapped a shell at the men on the other side. I wish I were sufficiently master of nautical phraseology to do justice to this little vixen's style of fighting ; but she was so unlike a horse, or even a piece of light artillery, that I cannot venture to at- tempt it."

Morgan Crosses the Ohio into Indiana .- It was a critical moment for the raiders, as every hour of delay brought Hobson nearer in pursuit ; but when Morgan's Parrotts were turned upon her she was compelled to retire, owing to the inequality in the range of guns ; the raiders then crossed the river, burned their boats, and had marched six miles be- fore night.

Up to this point the movements of Mor- gan had created but little alarm in the North; they had been used to panics from threatened invasions of Ohio and Indiana. Heretofore such invasions had amounted to little more than raids through Kentucky for horses, the Ohio river being looked upon as the extreme northern limit of these expeditions; but when it was learned that Morgan had crossed the river, consternation spread throughout Indiana and Ohio, all sorts of rumors and conjeetures were circulated as to his inten- tions ; at first Indianapolis and its State Treasury were said to be his objectives, then Cincinnati and its banks, then Columbus and its Treasury, and the alarm extended to the lake shore. Morgan had anticipated this aların, desired it and did all he could to cir- culate delusive and exaggerated reports of

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his strength and intentions and, by means of expert telegraphers, tapped the wires and kept informed of the movements against him. It was a part of his plan to avoid large towns and large bodies of militia, to cause by false alarms the concentration of forces in the larger towns for defence, and then by rapid marching pass around the de- fended points, cross Indiana and Ohio and into Kentucky before his purpose could be divined or any adequate force be brought against him.

Reaches the Ohio Line .- He rapidly crossed Indiana, burning bridges, looting small towns, overwhelming any small force that offered any opposition, and releasing the prisoners on pa- role, until on Monday, July 13th, he reached Harrison, on the State line between Indiana and Ohio.

"Here," writes Duke, "Gen. Morgan be- gan to manœuvre for the benefit of the commanding officer at Cincinnati. He took it for granted that there was a strong force of regular troops in Cincinnati. Burnside had them not far off, and Gen. Morgan supposed that they would of course be brought there. If we could get past Cin- cinnati safely, the danger of the expedition, he thought, would be more than half over. Here he expected to be confronted by the concentrated forces of Judah and Burnside, and he anticipated great difficulty in eluding or cutting his way through them. Once safely through this peril, his escape would be certain, unless the river remained so high that the transports could carry troops to in- tercept him at the upper crossings. Thinking that the great effort to capture him would be made as he crossed the Hamilton and Dayton railroad, his object was to deceive the enemy as to the exact point where he would cross it, and denude that point as much as possible of troops. He sent detachments in various di- rections, seeking, however, to create the im- pression that he was marching to Hamilton."

When Morgan entered Ohio his force amounted to less than 2,000 men, the others having been killed or captured in skirmishes, or, unable to keep up with the rapid march- ing of his flying column, had fallen behind exhausted, to be picked up by the citizen- . soldiery, who hovered round his line of march.

Passes Around Cincinnati .- While Cincin- nati was filled with apprehension and alarm at Morgan's advance, he, on the other hand, was equally apprehensive of danger from that city, and by the greatest march he ever made slipped around it in the night. Duke says of this march : "It was a terrible, trying march. Strong men fell out of their saddles, and at every halt the officers were compelled to move continually about in their respective companies and pull and haul the men, who would drop asleep in the road. It was the only way to keep them awake. Quite a num- per crept off into the fields, and slept until they were awakened by the enemy. . .. At length day appeared just as we reached the last point where we had to anticipate danger.

We had passed through Glendale and all of the principal suburban roads, and were near the Little Miami railroad.

. We crossed the railroad without opposition, and halted to feed the horses in sight of Camp Dennison. After a short rest here and a picket skirmish we resumed our march, burning in this neighborhood a park of government wagons. That evening at four o'clock we were at Williamsburg, twenty- eight miles east of Cincinnati, having marched since leaving Summansville, in Indiana, in a period of thirty-five hours, more than ninety miles-the greatest march that even Morgan had ever made. Feeling comparatively safe here, he permitted the division to go into camp and remain during the night."

While Morgan was swinging his exhausted men around Cincinnati the following de- spatches were sent to Gen. Burnside in that city :

11.30 P. M. A courier arrived last even- ing at Gen. Burnside's headquarters, having left Cheviot at half-past eight P. M., with in- formation for the general. Cheviot is only seven miles from the city. He states that about 500 of Morgan's men had crossed the river at Miamitown, and attacked our pickets, killing or capturing one of them. Morgan's main force, said to be 3,000 strong, was then crossing the river. A portion of the rebel force had been up to New Haven, and another had gone to New Baltimore, and partially de- stroyed both of those places. The light of the burning towns was seen by our men. When the courier left Morgan was moving up, it was reported, to attack our advance."

"1 A. M. A courier has just arrived at headquarters from Colerain. He reports that the enemy, supposed to be 2,500 strong, with six pieces of artillery, crossed the Colerain pike at dark, at Bevis, going toward New Burlington, or to Cincinnati and Hamilton pike, in direction of Springdale."

"1.30 A. M. A despatch from Jones' Station states that the enemy are now en- camped between Venice and New Balti- more. 11

"2 A. M. Another despatch says the enemy are coming in, or a squad of them, from New Baltimore toward Glendale, for the supposed purpose of destroying a bridge over the Cin- cinnati, Hamilton and Dayton railroad, near Glendale."

"2 A. M. A despatch from Hamilton says it is believed that the main portion of Mor- gan's force is moving in that direction, going east. At this writing-quarter-past two A. M. -it is the impression that Morgan's main force is going east, while he has sent squads to burn bridges on the C. H. & D. R. R., and over the Miami river, but he may turn and come down this way, on some of the roads leading through Walnut Hills or Mt. Au- burn.'

The next day it was apparent that Cincin- nati was not to be attacked, and the officials began to comprehend something of Morgan's purpose. The militia, which, owing to in- complete organization, had not been of much

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service heretofore, began to be more effec- tively disposed : some at Camp Chase, for protection of the capital and to be thrown down into Southeastern Ohio to head off Morgan in front ; others were assembled at Camp Dennison, to be sent after him by rail.

The Chase After Morgan .- All through the southern part of the State companies were mustered, and hurried by extra trains to the points of danger. Hobson, who had done some remarkable marching, was only a few hours behind, and so close that Morgan had but little time for burning bridges or im- pressment of fresh horses. Judah, with his troops, was despatched by boats up the river to head off the galloping column. More than 50,000 militia, called out by Gov. Tod, were preparing to close in upon him from all parts of the State, and Morgan's raid now became a chase. An overwhelming force was closing in upon him from every side. Thoroughly realizing his situation, Morgan hastened for- ward to the ford at Buffington Island.

Excitement and Plundering .- In the mean- while the excitement and apprehension throughout Southern Ohio was unprece- dented. Horses and cattle were hurried to hiding-places in the woods ; silver plate, jewelry, and other valuables were buried. while many families left their homes and fled to more secure territory. Many ridiculous things were done.

At least one terrified matron, in a pleasant inland town, forty miles from the rebel route, in her husband's absence, resolved to protect the family carriage-horse at all hazards, and, knowing no safer plan, led him into the house and stabled him in the parlor, locking and bolting doors and windows, whence the noise of his dismal tramping on the resounding floor sounded through the livelong night like distant peals of artillery, and kept half the citizens awake and watching for Morgan's entrance."

Horses and food were taken whenever wanted by raiding parties on both sides during the war, but no such plundering was known as that of Morgan's raid. Duke frankly ad- mits this. He says : "The disposition for wholesale plunder exceeded anything that any of us had ever seen before. The men seemed actuated by a desire to pay off in the enemy's country all scores that the Union army had chalked up in the South. The great cause for apprehension which our situation might have inspired seemed only to make them reckless. Calico was the staple article of ap- propriation. Each man (who could get one) tied a bolt of it to his saddle, only to throw it away and get a fresh one at the first oppor- tunity. They did not pillage with any sort of method or reason; it seemed to be a mania, senseless and purposeless. One man carried a bird-cage with three canaries in it for two days. Another rode with a chafing- dish, which looked like a small metallic coffin, on the pommel of his saddle, till an officer forced him to throw it away. Although the weather was intensely warm, another slung seven pairs of skates around his neck,

and chuckled over the acquisition. I saw very few articles of real value taken ; they pillaged like boys robbing an orchard. I would not have believed that such a passion could have been developed so ludicrously among any body of civilized men. At Pike- ton, Ohio, some days later, one man broke through the guard posted at a store, rushed in, trembling with excitement and avarice, and filled his pockets with horn buttons. They would, with a few exceptions, throw away their plunder after a while, like children tired of their toys."

Ridiculous action was not confined to Mor- gan's men. Some militia marched from Camp Dennison after Morgan until near Ba- tavia, then halted, and felled trees across the road, "to check him should he return." A drawbridge was partially destroyed at Mari- etta, although Morgan did not come within twenty miles of that place. At Chillicothe they fired on some of their own militia, and burned a bridge over a stream always ford- able.

Morgan Reaches the Ford at Buffington Island .- The evening of July 14 Morgan en- camped at Williamsburg, twenty-eight miles east of Cincinnati. From there he marched through to Washington C. H., Piketon (Col. Richard Morgan going through Georgetown), Jackson, Vinton, Berlin, Pomeroy, and Ches- ter, reaching the ford at Buffington Island on the 18th. At last the daring little column approached its goal. All the troops in Ken- tucky had been evaded and left behind. All the militia in Indiana had been dashed aside or outstripped. The 50,000 militia in Ohio had failed to turn it from its pre-determined path. Within precisely fifteen days from the morning it had crossed the Cumberland- nine days from its crossing into Indiana-it stood once more on the banks of the Ohio. A few more hours of daylight and it would be safely across, in the midst again of a popula- tion to which it might look for sympathy if not for aid. But the circle of the hunt was narrowing. Judah, with his fresh cavalry, was up, and was marching out from the river against Morgan. Hobson was hard on his rear. Col. Runkle, commanding a division of militia, was north of him. And at last the local militia in advance of him were be- ginning to fell trees and tear up bridges to obstruct his progress. Near Pomeroy they made a stand. For four or five miles his road ran through a ravine, with occasional inter- sections from hill-roads. At all these cross- roads he found the militia posted, and from the hills above him they made his passage through the ravine a perfect running of the gauntlet. On front, flank, and rear the mili- tia pressed ; and, as Morgan's first subordi- nate ruefully expresses it, 'closed eagerly upon our track.' In such plight he passed through the ravine, and shaking clear of his pursuers for a little, pressed on to Chester, where he arrived about one o'clock in the afternoon."

Battle at Buffington Island .- Here he halted an hour and a half to breathe his

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horses and hunt a guide. This delay in the end proved fatal. This done, he pushed on and reached Portland, opposite Buffington Island, at eight in the evening. He found at the ford an earthwork hastily thrown up and guarded by a small body of men ; it was a "night of solid darkness" as the rebel officers declared it, and the worn-out con- dition of horses and men decided him to await the morning before attacking the earthwork and attempting to cross. Another for him unfortunate delay. "By morning Judah was up. At daybreak Duke advanced with a couple of rebel regiments to storm the earthwork but found it abandoned. He was rapidly making the dispositions for crossing when Judah's advance struck him. At first he repulsed it and took a number of prison- ers, the adjutant-general of Judah's staff among them. Morgan then ordered him to hold the force on his front in check. He was not able to return to his command until it had been broken and thrown into full re- treat before an impetuous charge of Judah's cavalry, headed by Lieutenant O' Neil, of the Fifth Indiana. He succeeded in rallying them and reforming his line. But now, advancing up the Chester and Pomeroy road, came the gallant cavalry that over three States had been galloping on their track-the three thousand of Hobson's command-who now for two weeks had been only a day, a forenoon, an hour behind them.

As Hobson's guidons fluttered out in the little valley by the river bank where they fought, every man of that band who had so long defied a hundred thousand knew that the contest was over. They were almost out of ammunition, exhausted, and scarcely two thousand strong. Against them were Hobson's three thousand and Judah's still larger force. To complete the overwhelming odds that, in spite of their efforts, had been concentrated upon them, the tin-clad gunboats steamed up and opened fire.

Morgan comprehended the situation as fast as the hard riding troopers, who, still cling- ing to their bolts of calico, were already be- ginning to gallop toward the rear. He at once essayed to extricate his trains, and then to withdraw his regiments by column of fours from right of companies, keeping up niean- while as sturdy a resistance as he might. For some distance the withdrawal was made in tolerable order ; then under a charge of a Michigan cavalry regiment, everything was broken and the retreat became a rout. Mor- gan with not quite twelve hundred men escaped. His brother with Colonels Duke, Ward, Huffman, and about seven hundred men, were taken prisoners. This was the battle of Buffington Island. It was brief and decisive. But for his two grave mistakes of the night before Morgan might have avoided it and escaped."

The loss on the Union side was trifling, but among the killed was Major Dan'l McCook, father of one of the tribes of the " Fighting McCooks."

Morgan continues his Flight .- " And now

began the dreariest experience of the rebel chief. Twenty miles above Buffington he struck the river again, got three hundred of his command across, when the approach- ing gunboats checked the passage. Return- ing to the nine hundred still on the Ohio side he once more renewed the hurried flight. His men were worn down and exhausted by long continued and enormous work ; they were demoralized by pillage, discouraged by the shattering of their command, weakened most of all by their loss of faith in them - selves and their commander, surrounded by a multitude of foes, harassed on every hand, intercepted at every loophole of escape, hunted like game night and day, driven hither and thither in their vain efforts to double on their remorseless pursuers. Yet to the very last the energy this daring cavalryman displayed was such as to extort our admiration. From the jaws of disaster he drew out the remnants of his command at Buffington.

Crosses the Muskingum .- When foiled in the attempted crossing above, he headed for the Muskingum. Foiled here by the militia under Runkle, he doubled on his track and turned again toward Blennerhassett Island. The clouds of dust that marked his track be- trayed the movement, and on three sides the pursuers closed in on him. While they slept in peaceful expectation of receiving his sur- render in the morning, he stole out along a hillside that had been thought impassable, his men walking in single file and leading their horses, and by midnight he was once more out of the toils, marching hard to out- strip his pursuers. At last he found an un- guarded crossing of the Muskingum, at Eaglesport, above McConnellsville, and then with an open country before him struck out once more for the Ohio.

The Surrender .- This time Governor Tod's sagacity was vindicated. He urged the ship- ment of troops by rail to Bellaire, near Wheeling, and by great good fortune, Major Way, of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, re- ceived the orders. Presently this officer was on the scent. "Morgan is making for Ham- mondsville," he telegraphed General Burn- side on the 25th, "and will attempt to cross the Ohio river at Wellsville. I have my sec- tion of battery and will follow him closely." He kept his word and gave the finishing stroke. "Morgan was attacked with the remnant of his command at eight o'clock this morning," announced General Burnside on the next day, "at Salineville, by Major Way, who after a severe fight routed the enemy, killed about thirty, wounded some fifty, and took some two hundred prisoners." Six hours later the long race ended : "I captured John Morgan to-day at two o'clock P. M.," telegraphed Major Rue, of the Ninth Kentucky Cavalry, on the evening of the 26th, "taking three hundred and thirty-six prison- ers, four hundred horses and arms."

Morgan and his men were confined in the Ohio penitentiary at Columbus ; on the night of November 27 he with six others escaped

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by cutting through the stone floor of his cell (with knives from the prison table) until they reached an air-chamber below, from which they tunneled through the walls of the prison and by means of ropes made from their bed clothes scaled the outer wall ; hastening to the depot they boarded a train on the Little

Miami railroad for Cincinnati, and when near that city they jumped from the train, made their way to the Ohio river, which they crossed and were soon within the Confederate lines. A year later Morgan was killed while on a raid in an obscure little village in East Ten- nessee.

The following letter, written a few days after Morgan had passed through But- ler county, is an amusing addition to the history of the raid. It was written by Mr. C. F. Warren, merchant, of Cincinnati, to his friend, H. H. Ford, Esq., of Burton, Geauga county, and dated Jones Station, July 19th. It is- here for the first time published and is given as an illustration of the spirit of the times.

I returned last night after an absence of two weeks, during which time Morgan's forces passed through, creating great con- sternation throughout the country ; they came within a mile and a half of us at the nearest point, and at Springdale, the little village just below us, they called up our butcher, Mr. Watson, at one o'clock at night, and bade him get some breakfast. He began to make excuses, among others no fire ; Morgan suggested that it would be bet- ter for Watson to make the fire than for him to do it, as it might be inconvenient to put his fire out, so Watson took the hint and got their breakfast. After it was ready and the coffee on the table, Mrs. Watson was called to take a cup of it first, and none of them touched it until they were satisfied that she had not poisoned it.

They took horses from every man along the road, but did not take other property except forage for their horses and food for them- selves. Mr. Jones (a neighbor), Ned (my brother), and Newton (the hired man) were out scouting before and after they passed, and took one prisoner in the graveyard at Springdale and sent him to the city. As soon as he found he was covered by their rifles he began crying and begging not to be shot.

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 71

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 1006

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006