OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 58B ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 July 4, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio. And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits - part 58 B Notes by S. Kelly [ ] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ part 58 B. Morgan's Raid Morgan Continues His Flight " And now began the dreariest experience of the rebel chief. Twenty miles above Buffington Morgan struck the river again. got three hundred of his command across, when the approaching gunboats checked the passage. Returning to the nine hundred still on the Ohio side, he once more renewed the hurried flight. His men were worn down ad exhausted by long continued and enormous work; they were demorilized by pillage, discouraged by the shattering of their command, weakened most of all by their loss of faith in themselves and their commander, surrounded by a multitude of foes, harrassed 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 remnents of his command at Buffington. When failed in the attempt crossing above, he headed for the Muskingum. Foiled here by the malitia under Runkle, he doubled on his track and turned toward Blennerhassett Island. The clouds of dust that marked his track betrayed the movement, and on three sides the pursurers closed in on him. While they slept in peaceful expectation of receiving his surrender 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 toils, marching hard to out strip his pursuers. At last he found an unguarded crossing of the Muskingum, at Eaglesport, above McConnellsville, and then with an open country before hin struck out once more for the Ohio. This time Governor Tod's sagacity was vindicated. He urged the shipment of troops by rail to Bellaire, near Wheeling, and by great good fortune, Major Way. of the Ninth Michigan Cavalry, received the orders. Presently this officer was on the scent. " Morgan is making for Hammondsville." he telegraphed General Burnside on the 25th, " and will attempt to cross the Ohio river at Wellsville. I have my section 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 in the 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 today 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 prisoners, 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 by cutting through the stone floor of his cell ( with knifes 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 Tennessee. +++++++++++++++ A letter to H.H. Ford Esq. [The following letter was written a few days after Morgan had passed through Butler County. It was witten by Mr. C.F. Warren, a merchant of Cincinnati to his friend H.H. Ford, Esq., of Burton, Geauga county, and dated Jones Station, July 19th. ] " I returned last night after an absence of two weeks, during which time Morgan's forces passed through, creating great consternation 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 better 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 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 temselves. 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. Morgan's men were very much fatigued, getting to sleep in their saddles and falling to the ground without waking. After they passed, Ned and a neighbor's boy, a younger than he, and the darky conclued to follow them a while and on their return met Hobson's cavalry just out of Glendale. As soon as they saw them, Ned and the boy wheeled their horses into a cross road and called to the darky to follow; at the same time the cavalry were close to Newton and called on him to stop-- they wanted his horse-- and also that of the boy. Ned was on an old black and had on spurs, and he put the horse to the top of his speed; he had to go round a half square; two of the cavalry broke through the fence with their horses and thought to head them, but old black was too sharp for them, and when they saw they could not catch them, they both discharged their pieces, the balls striking in a patoto patch near them; by this time they they had reached the Princeton pike, where they encountered two more and had another race and two more shots after them, but the worn-out and jaded horses were no match for the fresh ones the boys rode, and the latter " made port with flying colors." Newton in the meantime was caught and compelled to swap my bay mare Kate for a three-year-old filly, shoeless, footsore and unbroken to harness, -------- Nearly all the neighbors kept patrol around their premises, so there could be an immediate alarm given, and the scouts were going and coming to our station to telegraph Gen. Burnside. There are any amount of incidents connected with the passage of Morgan's troopers through the county that are interesting, as showing their contempt for Vallandigham copperheads; one old copper lost three horses and thought to get them back, if they only knew what he was. So he harnessed up the poorest horse he could get that wold travel fast enough to catch them, and went after them, overtook the rear guard and told them he wanted to see the officer in command. The colonel came back and the old doctor began to say " that he was for Vallandigham, and opposed the war," etc. The Colonel bade him drive up into the middle of the regiment, and as they could not be delayed they would listen to his complaints as they went along. Very soon word came to the Colonel that two soldiers had given out entirely, and the Colonel said to our doctor and his fellow copperhead " that he should be under the necessity of using his wagon for the soldiers." The doctor protested vehemently," could not ride on horse back at all." The Colonel hinted that he need not trouble himself about that, as he intended him to walk. After trudging along until his feet were blistered he began to complain again, that his boot hurt him so that he could not walk, and begged for his wagon again; but the Colonel had a more convenient way of relieving him, and ordered a couple of soldiers to pull off his boots, which they did, and he went on stocking feet until they camped; his partner driving the wagon had not said anything about his politics all this time. After they had camped the doctor thought his troubles were over; but not so. They compelled him to learn a song and sing it, the chorus being, " I'll bet ten cents in specie, that Morgan'll win the race." This was the sentiment, but not the exact words; now, just imagine an old dignified chap, somewhat corpulent, who never smilled, the oracle of all the democrats in the town in which he lived, singing a song of that kind, set to a lively negro minstrel tune, and a soldier standing over him brandishing a sabre and shouting at the top of his voice, " Go it, old Yank! Louder ! Louder !' etc. --- and you have the picture complete; after all this they were about to depart, when the old officer in command suddenly concluded the horse they were driving was better than some he had, and kindly permitted them to unharness him and put another in his place; they then took what money he had except nine dollars, and brought him three little rats of horses, whose backs were raw from the withers to the rump, gave him three cheers and started him for home. Thus far since his return he has not been heard to cry " Peace " once, or even "Harrah for Vallandigham !" and it is extremely doubtful whether he will. The doctor's companion was a sort of "Hail fellow, well met." and although begged not to tell the story, could not possibly resist it; it was entirely too good to keep." ++++++++++++++++++ The capture of Morgan ocassoned great rejoicing, and Prentice, of the Louisville " Journel," the newpaper wag of that era, alluding to the habitual seizure of horses by Morgan's men, suggested that a salute of one gun be fired before every stable door in the land. One who was present just after the surrender wrote: " Morgan's men were poorly dressed, ragged and dirty and very badly used up. Some of them wore remnants of gray uniforms, but most of them were attired in spoils gathered during the raid. They were much discouraged at the result of the raid and of the affairs generally. Morgan himself, appeared in good spirits and quite unconcerned at his ill luck. He is a well built man, of fresh complexion, sandy hair and beard. His last night enjoyed for the first time in a long while the comforts of a sound sleep in a good bed. Morgan was attired in a linen coat, black pants, white shirt and light felt hat. He has rather a mild face, there being certainly nothing in it to indicate unusual intellectual abilities." Ried says of him: " He left a name second only to those of Forrest and Stuart among the cavalrymen of the Confederacy, and a character, amid which much to be condemned, was not without traces of noble nature." Among the anecdotes told of him during his raid through Ohio is this; A Union soldier, after his surrender, was in the act of breaking his musket across a rock, when one of Morgan's officers drew a revolver, intending to shoot him, when Morgan seeing, at once forbade, and added: " Never harm a man who has surrendered. In breaking his musket, he has done just as I would have done, just as I would were I in his place." +++++++++++++++++ Morgan was a lieutenant of cavalry in the Mexican war. At the opening of the civil war, he was engaged in the manufacture of bagging at Lexington, Kentucky. During the winter of 1862-63, he commanded a cavalry force which greatly annoyed Rosecran's communications. By his raids in Kentucky, he destroyed millions in value of military stores, captured railroad trains and destroyed railroad bridges in rear if the national army, rendering it necessary to garrison every important town in the State. He moved with great celerity, and, taking a telegrah operator with him, he misled his foes and at the same time learned their movements. Morgan was physically a large, powerful man and could endure any amount of bodily exertion, outriding and without sleep almost every other man in his command. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits continued in Part 59.