Ohio History Journal

MORGAN'S RAID.     L. J. WEBER. [In the QUARTERLY for January, 1908, page 48, was published an article on Morgan's Raid. We herewith present another account of this historic event, practically the only feature of the Civil War which occurred within the bounds of the State of Ohio. Every recital in detail or in part of Morgan's Raid, if at all worthy of credence, deserves permanent preservation. Hence the publication of this second article. Mr. L. J. Weber, the author, is a well-known attorney now residing at McConnelsville, and the events herein recited are the result of a very careful and painstaking study on his part of the famous raid of John Morgan. The map is from a drawing made by Mr. Weber and adds especial interest to the article as the route of the raiders may thereby be followed geographically. - EDITOR.] The movements of Gen. Morgan, something of which I shall attempt briefly to narrate, were incidental to the campaign of

middle and east Tennessee, or better known as the Chattanooga campaign. The confederates under Generals Bragg and Buckner, were offering stub- born resistance to the union forces, now transferred from the east under the com- mand of Rosencrans, Thomas, Sheridan, Crittendon, McCook and others. General Burnside was organizing his forces, many of them raw recruits, at Cincinnati, shortly to be sent to the aid of Rosencrans. Realizing the effectiveness of this move- ment and feeling that they would soon be

numbered, it was necessary that something be done to divert the attention of Burnside and the reserve forces of the middle states. Bragg, who had no difficulty in selecting his man for the purpose, ordered the already famous Gen. Morgan, to make a cavalry raid through central and northern Kentucky. The inveterate Mor- 79

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gan had ideas of his own. He started leaving Bragg in south-

ern Tennessee with a force variously estimated at from 2,000

to 2,500 men and 4 guns. Gen. Judah of the union forces was

keeping open the connections or communications clear across

the state of Kentucky between Burnside and Rosencrans. Mor-

gan, with the union forces to the north of him, had to flank

Rosencrans in order to get started on his raid.

For almost ten days, incessant rains had fallen, yet un-

daunted, on July 2nd, 1863, Morgan left Sparta, Tenn., and

crossed the Cumberland river, which was then in flood, at

Turkey Neck Bend, near Burksville, Kentucky. Had Gen.

Judah been on his guard he could easily have prevented Morgan

from crossing, as the latter had to carry his trains across the

wild and swollen stream by boats hastily constructed for the

purpose and swim his horses. But Judah relied on the flood

preventing his crossing and before he could summon sufficient

force to offer respectable resistance Morgan with a bare skirmish

brushed him aside and hastened on to Columbia, Adair county,

Kentucky. He crossed the Green river at Tebb's Bend. He

then proceeded to Campbellsville in Taylor county, thence to

Lebanon, Marion county. Lebanon was held by the union Colonel

Hobson, 20th Ky., with 400 men. After 7 hours' fighting on

the 5th of July, he took the town. Here Morgan's young

brother was killed while leading a charge.

Owing to this day's delay the union forces were rapidly

closing in on Morgan and he left Lebanon in a furious rain

storm compelling the prisoners whom he had taken, to cover

a distance to Springfield, Ky., of 10 miles in 90 minutes. All

who could not keep the pace were shot down. Moving rapidly

by Shepardsville and Bardstown, Morgan struck the Ohio river

at Brandensburg, Kentucky, about 50 or 60 miles below Louis-

ville on July ₇th.

It seems that he had intended attacking the latter city but

gaining control of the telegraph wires he ascertained that such

an attempt would be futile. It is probable that it was at this

time he decided to disobey orders which confined his raid to

Kentucky territory and concluded to make the bold dash into

Indiana and Ohio which followed. Morgan was familiar with

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Morgan's Raid.                    81 the Kentucky country, as he had, under the command of Gen. Kirby Smith, the fall before, traversed the state in a threatened raid upon Cincinnati. The withdrawal of Gen. Smith's troops no doubt saved the city and in all probability its defender who was spared to contribute to the world later, "Ben Hur" and "The Prince of India." In the raid Morgan was while in Ken- tucky within 30 miles of Louisville and there captured a supply train bound for the latter city from Nashville. Before reaching Brandensburg, Morgan had dispatched two companies to procure means for crossing the Ohio. The steamers "J.J. McCombs" and "Alice Dean" by reason of the

persuading influence of these ad- vance guards, were in waiting at the wharf when Morgan and his main body arrived. Greely in his "History of the American Conflict" says that Morgan's numbers had in- creased during his progress, by Ken- tucky sympathizers, till it was said now to number 4,000 men and 10 guns. I think this was largely over- estimated as later facts will demon- strate unless desertions were numer- ous after striking Indiana soil. No sooner was Morgan about to launch a portion of his army than

a company of Indiana militia on the opposite side opened fire on them with musketry and one old cannon. With his Parrott rifles brought into play while crossing the militia were soon forced to retreat, pursued by two of Morgan's com- panies. He was further retarded by the appearance of the little steamer "Springfield" which with much temerity, boldly shoved down the river in their very midst, exhausted her guns which were far from destructive, wheeled about immediately and dis- appeared, very much to the admiration and mirth of Morgan's army. But delay in crossing was already causing Morgan much concern for Gen. Hobson, from Judah's command, who had Vol. XVIII -6.

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been following him from the Cumberland was in hot pursuit and

now close upon his trail. Hobson reached Brandensburg just

after Morgan's last boat had left it. The latter after landing

all his men, set fire to the "Alice Dean."  The "McCombs" it

seems, had in all probability been placed there at Morgan's com-

mand, by southern sympathizers and was left unharmed.

Apparently, little attention had been paid in the north to

the movements of Morgan up to this time. The north looked

upon the Ohio as the limit and the boundary line. This had

been so before and few, or none, at first believed that such a

bold piece of strategy would at all be attempted or that such an

invasion was actually begun. The news spread like a flash and

all was consternation in Ohio and Indiana, from river to lakes.

Rumors were rife as to Morgan's intentions. First Indianapolis

and its state treasury were to be looted. Then Cincinnati with

its numerous banks. Columbus and. Ohio's treasury were not

to be passed by unnoticed and even Cleveland was thought not

to be free from danger.

These reports were in keeping with Morgan's desires. He

knew that the alarm would cause concentration of the resisting

forces at central points and in the largest cities and he would

thus be enabled to pass around them, and by the celerity of his

movements complete his expedition, recross the Ohio and return

to friendly territory ere his plans should be known. He had

expert telegraphers at work constantly tapping the wires and thus

was fully and correctly advised of the movements of the enemy.

So completely did he deceive the union forces at the point above

mentioned in Kentucky, where he had captured a telegraph office

and the union operator, that by conducting his telegraph com-

munications in the name of the local operator he came in full

possession of the plans and anticipated movements of the north-

ern forces.

From Brandensburg he quickly marched inland to Corydon,

Ind., thence to Greenville and Palmyra and on to Salem where

on the 9th of July, just one week after crossing the Cumberland

in Tennessee, he met a resisting force of some 350 "Home

Guards" and captured them. He tore up the railroad, burnt the

depot and ordered the destruction of the mills and factories but

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Morgan's Raid.                 83   allowed a ransom for each upon payment to him of $1,000 cash. He then passed eastwardly dividing his forces so as to cut rail- roads and telegraphs on all sides, passed through Vienna, Madi- son, Old Vernon and Versailles, doing a thriving business in horse trading all along the line and crossed the Ohio-Indiana

boundary at Harrison, Hamilton county July 13, where he con- centrated his forces. "Here," writes Gen. Basil W. Duke, second in command of Morgan's forces, "Gen. Morgan began to maneuver for the benefit of the commanding officer at Cincinnati. He took it for

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granted that there was a strong force of regular troops in Cin-

cinnati. Burnside had them not far off, and Gen. Morgan sup-

posed that they would of course be brought there. If he would

get past Cincinnati 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 intercept 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 directions, seeking, however, to create the

impression that he was marching to Hamilton, O."

Howe, in his Ohio Historical Collections says that when

Morgan entered Ohio he had less than 2,000 men, the others

having been killed or captured in skirmishes or unable to keep

up with the rapid marching of his flying column, had fallen ex-

hausted, to be picked up by the citizen soldiery who hovered

around his line of march.

Cincinnati was, of course, alarmed at Morgan's advance and

Morgan with his comparatively small force was equally apprehen-

sive of danger. Would he be permitted, when almost in sight

of Camp Dennison to pass by without resistance? With the

greatest march it is said he ever made, he actually slipped around

the city that night, crossing the Little Miami railroad at day-

light in sight of Camp Dennison 8 or 10 miles from Cincinnati.

Duke says: "It was a terrible and trying march. Strong

men fell out of their saddles, and at every halt the officers were

compelled to move continually about in their respective com-

panies 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-

ber 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 passer

through Glendale and all the principal suburban roads and were

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Morgan's Raid.                  85

 

near the Little Miami railroad. We crossed the railroad without

any 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 gov-

ernment wagons.

"That evening at 4 o'clock we were at Williamsburg, 28 miles

east of Cincinnati having marched since leaving Summansville

in Indiana in a period of 35 hours more than 90 miles, the

greatest march that even Morgan had ever made. Feeling com-

paratively safe here, he permitted the division to go into camp

and remain during the night."

Williamsburg is in eastern Clermont county about 9 miles

east of Batavia the county seat. Nor was Morgan idle during

this forced march. His telegraph operators were busy. All

night they were intercepting dispatches that were being sent in

from the towns surrounding Cincinnati purporting to give in-

formation as to the movements of Morgan. Many of them

were of course, mere rumors, but they kept Morgan fully ad-

vised in the premises. Here is one of them: "2 a. m. -A dis-

patch from Hamilton says: It is believed that the main por-

tion of Morgan'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. railroad 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. Auburn. That

night while the much enduring printers were putting such stories

in type, John Morgan's entire command, now reduced to a

strength of bare 2,000 was marching through the suburbs of this

city of a quarter million inhabitants, within reach of troops

enough to eat them up absolutely unopposed, almost without

meeting a solitary picket or receiving a hostile shot." Reid's

"Ohio in the War" Vol. 1. page 140. They stole horses within 2

miles of the corporation line.

By the next day it dawned upon the forces at Cincinnati that

the Queen City was not to be attacked and Morgan's purpose

was then made apparent.

Some semblance of order wrought out of the chaotic state

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of the Ohio Militia was beginning to be observed in the region

of Cincinnati and re-enforcements from Camp Chase at Colum-

bus were pouring in. Companies were mustered all through

the southern part of the state and were hurried by extra trains

to contemplated danger points. Hobson with the energy and

power of endurance little less than that of Morgan was so close

upon the latter that he had scarcely time to burn the bridges

and maintain a fresh supply of horses. The Ohio owing to the

recent rains was (unusual for the stream at that season of the

year) still at a fair boating stage and Gen. Judah with his troops

was sent in haste by boats up the Ohio to head off Morgan, and

more than 50,000 militia called out by Gov. Tod were moving

toward the seat of war.

Before the expedition was begun Morgan had sent spies

along the Ohio to discover the fords or easiest places of cross-

ing. One of the best was at Buffington's Island about 30 miles

above Pomeroy and about the same distance below Parkersburg,

or perhaps a little farther. This, then, became Morgan's ob-

jective point. After leaving Williamsburg, Morgan divided his

forces, Col. Richard Morgan bearing to the southeast and pass-

ing through Georgetown the county seat of Brown county, while

Gen. Morgan with his column marched in a north east direction

as far as Washington C. H. Thence turning to the south east

he passed through Ross county leaving Chillicothe to his left

where quite a considerable force of militiamen were in waiting.

Passing on through Piketon in Pike county, Jackson in Jackson

county, Vinton in Gallia county and Pomeroy where considerable

skirmishing took place, he reached on the 18th of July the ford

at Portland, a small town just above Buffington Island, the south-

ern division having joined him before his arrival.

At last the little column approached its goal. All the troops

in Kentucky had been evaded and left behind. All the militia

in Indiana had been dashed aside or outstripped; 50,000 Ohio

militia had failed to turn it from its predestined path. Within

precisely 15 days from the morning it had crossed the Cumber-

land and 9 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-

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Morgan's Raid.                    87

 

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, com-

manding a division of militia, was north of him. And at last

the local militia in advance of him were beginning to fell trees

and tear up bridges to obstruct his progress.

Near Pomeroy they made a stand. For 4 or 5 miles his

road ran through a ravine, with occasional intersections from hill

roads. At all these crossings 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 militia pressed and closed eagerly upon his track.

At Chester, a small town to the northwest of the ford at

Portland, he rested for an hour and a half and hunted for a

guide. That stop though so short was fatal for it was 8 o'clock

when he reached the ford, too late and dark to undertake to cross.

Had he pressed right on after arriving at Chester that to him

most precious hour and a half would no doubt have seen him

safely on the Virginia side. Tired and worn out, both men and

horses, he decided to rest for the night on the north bank of the

Ohio. The handful of men who had thrown up works near the

river bank and attempted to impede his progress, might then

have been easily brushed aside. But the dawn of another morn-

ing brought a more formidable enemy in the person of Gen.

Judah with his regulars who had arrived in the night by boat,

fresh and ready for the conflict.

Here is a description of the movements as given by White-

law Reid in his "Ohio in the War" p. 146- referring to the

stop at Chester - "But his evil genius was upon him. He had

lost an hour and a half at Chester in the afternoon - the most

precious hour and a half since his horse's feet touched northern

soil: And he now decided to waste the night.

"In the hurried council with his exhausted officers it was

admitted on all hands that Judah had arrived - that some of his

troops had probably given force to the skirmishing near Pome-

roy - that they would certainly be at Buffington by morning

and that gunboats would accompany them. But his men were in

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bad condition and he feared to trust them in a night attack upon

a fortified position which he had not reconnoitered. The fear

was fatal.

"Even yet, by abandoning his wagon trains and his wounded

he might have reached unguarded fords a little higher up. This,

too, was mentioned by his officers. He would save all he

promptly replied or lose all together. And so he gave mortgages

to fate. By morning Judah was up. At daybreak Duke ad-

vanced with a couple of Rebel regiments to storm the earthwork,

but found it abandoned. He was rapidly proceeding to make

dispositions for crossing when Judah's advance struck him. At

first he repulsed it and took a number of prisoners, 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 till it had been broken and thrown into

full retreat before an impetuous charge of Judah's cavalry,

headed by Lieut. O'Neill of 5th Indiana. He succeeded in rally-

ing them and re-forming 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 3,000 of

Hobson's command - who for now 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 that had

so long defied a hundred thousand knew that the contest was

over. They were almost out of ammunition, exhausted and

scarcely 2,000 strong. Against them were Hobson's 3,000 and

Judah's still larger force. To complete the overwhelming odds

that, in spite of their efforts, had at last been concentrated upon

them, the tin-clad gunboats steamed up and opened fire."

Morgan comprehended the situation as readily as the hard

riding troopers, who, still clinging to their bolts of calico, were

already beginning to gallop towards the rear. He at once

essayed to extricate his trains and then to withdraw his regi-

ments by column of fours from right of companies, keeping up,

meanwhile, as sturdy resistance as he might. For some dis-

tance the withdrawal was made in tolerable order; then under

a charge of a Michigan cavalry regiment, everything was broken

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Morgan's Raid.                    89

 

and the retreat became a rout. Morgan with not quite 1,200

men escaped. His brother, with Colonels Duke, Ward, Huff-

man and about 700 men was taken prisoner.

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, and many a thrilling

iale of events that happened in the following seven days and

nights of the raid would never have been told, and in all prob-

ability this subject never related in the Ohio Archaeological and

Historical (Quarterly. "But it cannot be said he yielded to the

blow that insured his fate without resistance, and a courage and

tenacity worthy of a better cause."  The superiority in forces

was overwhelming and the Union loss trifling. The boats car-

ried the prisoners back to Cincinnati and the troops, with little

rest, pushed on after Morgan and the 1,200 who had escaped.

About 15 or 20 miles above Buffington he again attempted

to cross and succeeded in landing one-fourth of his men on Vir-

ginia soil. Morgan himself was in the middle of the Ohio but

the gunboats were too close upon him and he was forced back

to the Ohio side with his remaining 900. Again his hurried

flight was taken up. Almost insurmountable difficulties sur-

rounded him. His men were exhausted from      long, forced

marches and enormous work. Their pillaging had greatly de-

moralized them. The blow of defeat was severe causing a lack

of faith in themselves and a loss of confidence in their intrepid

commander. They were harassed on every hand. Every loop-

hole of escape shut off; hunted like game, day and night and

driven hither and thither.

Yet to the very last the energy of this daring cavalryman

is worthy the admiration of all-even his enemies. With no

apparent possibility of escape at Buffington he slipped away

from Judah and Hobson with more than half his forces. After

Belleville, he headed almost west and went as far as McArthur,

thence he undertook to strike the Muskingum and soon encoun-

tered Gen. Runkle at the head of a large body of Ohio militia.

Retracing his steps he made toward Blennerhassett Island, evi-

dently intending to evade his pursuers and effect a crossing at

this point. They soon surrounded him -Hobson, Judah and

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Runkle--at nightfall. Visions of conquest no doubt visited

these generals that night as they awaited the dawning of an-

other summer morning for the surrender of Morgan. While

they slept he and his men walking single file and leading their

horses, stole out along a steep hillside thought to be impassable

and when these three generals drew their net, cast at dusk that

night, it was empty, every man had passed out through the

hole in the meshes and the hole was large enough to let a horse

through.

Morgan then pressed on through Athens, Eastern Hocking

and Perry counties and entered Morgan county near Porterville,

the afternoon of July 22nd, 1863. After marching in Morgan

county for about three miles, night found them on what was then

known as the old Deacon Wright, later the John Weaver, farm

about 11/2 miles northwest of Triadelphia, on the head waters

of Island Run. Throwing a guard around the residence, they

went into camp for the night, about six miles from the river.

Morgan's guards - always out - reconnoitered some that night

on Island Run. Thomas L. Gray of Deavertown, then an ac-

tive "conductor" on the famous underground railway, who had

a flag station in his barn and who had furnished food, shelter

and transportation for many a Canada bound fugitive from the

south, "without money and without price," together with Reeves

McAdoo and James Foraker, also of that village, that night

determined that they would venture toward Eagleport via the

Island Run road to "see what they could see." Their adven-

tures are described in a very interesting article prepared by one

of the editors of the Democrat and published in that paper, some

14 months ago. It is worth repeating:

Along toward midnight Mr. Thomas L. Gray, of Deaver-

town, (father of S. C. and E. W. Gray) in company with Reeves

McAdoo and James Foraker, two young men of the village,

started east toward Eagleport. At the Baptist church they took

the southeast road and arriving at Knapp's, called out the young

man Jacob Knapp. The latter on the Friday previous had an-

swered the governor's call and had gone to the camp at Ma-

rietta but returned home Monday. He joined the three Deaver-

town citizens and proceeded on to Jacob Mast's where they were

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Morgan's Raid.                    91

 

joined by Mast's son Peter. From Mast's they went on to Pen-

nell Garrett's who lived where Hiram Allard now resides. The

only arms possessed by these bold adventurers was an old gun

carried by Mr. Gray that was about as dangerous as a boy's

target rifle. At Garrett's the armament was very materially in-

creased as Jacob Knapp secured an ax.

This had brought them into Deerfield township and in their

course down Island Run they passed within a half-mile of Mor-

gan's camp. Had they known of his presence so near they

might possibly have captured the whole outfit. On the next

farm (now owned by James Cunningham), they woke up John

Daringer and told him of Morgan's having passed through

Chapel Hill the evening previous and advised him to get his

horses to a place of safety. He did so and thereby prevented

their capture when Morgan appeared the next morning. They

next woke up Jacob Weaver and gave him the same warning.

Weaver was more skeptical and replied: "Let him come." He

did come the next morning and Mr. Weaver lost two horses.

At Isaac Warren's they found Mrs. Warren alone. Mr.

Warren had gone to McConnelsville the day previous, and hear-

ing of Morgan's approach, he feared to risk his team in the vi-

cinity, and remained in town over night. On the place now

owned by John Eveland, they were joined by George Swytzer,

who made the sixth member of the company.

At the Joe Helmick place, now owned by Charles Daringer,

and then occupied by Jno. Bankes, they learned that a half

dozen raiders, some hours before, had secured food and then

gone in the direction of Eagleport. They held a council of war

and decided to cut off the enemy's retreat by felling trees across

the road. Knapp started in with his ax, but it was soon decided

that the noise of the ax was liable to warn the Rebels of their

"danger" and they concluded to quit and proceed on down the

creek. Just below the Bankes house the road forks and as they

approached this point they heard horsemen coming up the creek,

and the clank of sabers told them that they were soldiers. It

was about an hour after midnight and very dark.

Halting in the road and remaining quiet they awaited the

approach of theenemy. When only a few feet away Mr. Gray

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in a loud voice ordered them to halt and demanded an immediate

surrender. The darkness prevented the Rebels from seeing how

many were in their front and being deceived by Mr. Gray's firm-

ness and the fact that no guns were fired, the raiders supposed

they were confronted by a large force of regular soldiers and

made no resistance.

It was well for one raider at least that they submitted

peaceably for Jacob Knapp was standing within reach with his

ax drawn, and as the rebel was on a small horse not larger than

a good sized pony, Knapp was in position to cave in his ribs

had he shown a disposition to fight.

They were ordered to dismount and give up their arms

which they did in true military style. Hardly had the capture

been made when about a dozen Muskingum county militiamen

under Colonel Ed. Ball, a brother of Judge Ball, arrived on the

scene coming down the road leading north. It was fortunate,

for when the Rebels discovered the unarmed condition of their

captors, it is probable that they would have made a desperate

effort to escape. As it was, one of the six Rebels put spurs to

his horse and escaped in the darkness. -When captured it was

found that the raiders had Michael Longstreth as a prisoner.

The rebels were marched to the Helmick mill and guarded

till morning but in the darkness another escaped. This fleeing

Rebel lost his way and was captured the following morning by

Jacob Mast and taken to Deavertown. The four prisoners at

the mill were taken the next day to Stovertown and turned over

to the proper authorities.

Thus ended the most notable northern success, when num-

bers and armament are considered, in the whole history of Mor-

gan's famous raid. It was one of the boldest undertakings ever

attempted by citizens of Morgan county and the marvel is that

these 6 York citizens were not all killed. Only two of the six

are now living- Jacob Knapp and Geo. Swytzer. Both reside

still in York township. Morgan county ought to build a monu-

ment on Island Run where Helmick Mill formerly stood in com-

memoration of this notable occurrence.

Early in the morning of July 23rd about 20 Union soldiers

ate breakfast at our home at Rokeby Lock. Where they were

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when Morgan approached, no one seemed to know. Evidently

they had

"Folded their tents like the Arabs

And as silently stole away."

 

Although not yet six years old, the writer well remembers

the bright sunny morning of July 23, 1863. I had not long been

out of bed at my home at Rokeby Lock, when upon looking

across the river just below the dam I beheld a sight never to

be forgotten. My childish mind was filled with awe, mingled

with fear and admiration. Morgan's cavalry was approaching,

as it seemed to me in solid phalanx, while their polished sabers

glistened in the morning sun. This was war. Rumors had

reached us the day before that Morgan was near and would in

all probability cross the river at this point, and that he was

burning and destroying property on all sides as he came to it,

and, worse, sparing the lives of no one, not even the women and

children. Eight children, of whom I was the youngest, and

mother constituted our family at that time, our father having

a few days before responded as a militiaman to the call of Gov.

Tod, and was then at Marietta. Nearly all able bodied men

were either at the front, or in the militia.

The ford at Eagleport was then and still is, as many of

you know, some 200 yards below the dam. It is approached

from the west side by passing over the upper end of the island

-there being but little water on the west side of the island in

the summer season. Immediately opposite is the Weber farm,

with high and precipitous banks. After reaching the ford the

bank furnished some protection from bullets of the rebels, and

a few citizens gathered here for the purpose of preventing the

crossing. Bullets began to fly around them, some uncomfortably

close and they ceased resistance and sought shelter. Robertson

in his Morgan county history says that with the protection of

this bank and the hollow, which he places immediately opposite

the ford, a small body of men could have prevented the pas-

sage. But the fact is, that while the ford is of course lower,

the bank on the west side and beyond the island is almost as

high as on the east side, and Morgan with his Parrott rifles,

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could from that point, readily reach anyone stationed on the east

bank within squirrel gun shot of the ford. And the hollow spoken

of is too far up stream, and not opposite the ford as claimed.

But Morgan did not undertake to cross all his men below

the dam. Above it there was, as there is now, a ferry, near the

old Devol store. As his men were passing opposite our home

a few citizens stationed behind trees in front of the house, kept

up a fire at them across the river. Their guns of course would

not throw a bullet that far at least with any accuracy, and such

conduct served only to aggravate matters. There was an im-

mediate response from guns that would and did carry and bullets

flew about and through our house.

Three bullet holes may yet be seen in the weather boarding.

One of these seemed to have come from a point farther up the

river, and quite a long distance. My mother was making up a

bed in a front room, when a bullet entered the window barely

missing her head. She had just stooped the moment before, to

arrange the bed clothes. Had she remained in an upright po-

sition the ball would have struck her in the face.

By the time this had occurred it is useless to say that there

were some frightened occupants therein. We at once "took to

the woods." I can remember, as the shooting was going on, of

looking out in the back yard and seeing my sister now Mrs.

Jones, then almost a young woman, standing in the back yard

crying, while my only brother then approaching manhood, had

stationed himself near, behind the smoke house to take observa-

tions. He was evidently seen for soon a number of bullets

struck uncomfortably close. In our hasty retreat I took my pet

dog, "Rover," and my sister, Mary, next older, took "Dash" and

left our purses of silver and pennies each amounting to eight or

ten dollars. They were not there on our return nor was a gold

watch which my father had left hanging on the wall. In fact

there wasn't much of anything left except the bare building.

Comfortables, quilts, blankets, sheets, pillows, in fact everything

that could be at all carried, was gone. I shall never forget the

appearance of the cupboard when I stepped in the kitchen that

Thursday p. m. when we returned home. What dishes were left

were empty either on the table or on the floor. Not a thing left

• 16
 

Morgan's Raid.                   95

 

in it- fruit all gone out of the cellar. In fact we were per-

fectly destitute. I believe there wasn't enough food of any kind

left about the house to furnish a chicken a satisfactory meal.

But we were fortunate to have even the house left. Morgan's

men were irritated by the annoying rifle fire from in front as

above mentioned.

When we left the premises that morning there was one, Dan

Zinsmeister, a tailor, who had no legs (that he could use) and

consequently, who did not run off with us but remained at the

house. When Morgan's men entered the house they reported

that they had received orders to burn the building. Zinsmeister

pleaded with them, explaining that the owner of the premises

had not been at home for several days, and, knew nothing of

what had been going on and consequently was not responsible for

the shooting. He did not tell them where the proprietor was,

but did succeed in persuading them to spare the home. Similar

orders, it was reported, were given by Morgan for the burning

of the Richard McElhiney home a half mile below, where many

people from McConnelsville and those who lived between, and

people from the hills had gathered and many shots fired as

Morgan emerged from the mouth of Island Run hollow. But,

upon learning that Mr. McElhiney was not responsible for the

shooting they did not burn the building.

It is needless to say that consternation reigned among all

the inhabitants of that vicinity. We found plenty of company

at our retreat in the woods on the hill tops. Some of the Eagle-

port people did not have time to get away. One Mr. Forgrave

sought refuge in a pig pen where a motherly occupant thereof

was contentedly nursing her progeny. A rebel in passing saw

Forgrave and inquired of a comrade, so Forgrave reported,

whether he thought those pigs were all of the same litter. He

was not disturbed.

The ferry could not accommodate all of Morgan's men who

desired immediate passage. It was then a toll ferry owned by

Hiram Winchell. Poor Hiram--good old soul, I'll venture,

never did a thriftier business or a harder forenoon's job in his

life and with poorer pay than he did that eventful day. Dalphin

Devol, merchant, rank abolitionist, rebel hater, stiff, gruff,

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96       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

(though with many commendable qualities), was impressed into

service with his fine skiff. Dalphin likewise, worked faithfully

and well, and sweat. The rebels would get in the skiff and hold

their horses' reins while they swam and our merchant rowed.

When the last load had been landed on the Rokeby side he pro-

ceeded to return to his store. When nearly across they (per-

haps in sport) demanded his return. He stubbornly refused

and rowed steadily on. They fired two or three shots in the

direction of the skiff. Devol claimed that he dodged each of the

bullets by "ducking" his head the instant the smoke issued from

the guns.

At the upper store in Eagleport, conducted by Silvey and

Price, Mr. Silvey was likewise pressed into service with his skiff.

While he was reputed to be a "rebel sympathizer" and a rank

Democrat (and those terms were in those days considered by

many as being synonymous) the rebels were no respecters of

persons, and he performed labor equally as arduous as Devol.

When he had assisted the last load to the east side, an officer

handed him a Confederate bill for his pay and, applying an epi-

thet which it would not be appropriate to repeat here, ordered

him to "pull for the shore" on the west and not look up, and if

he ceased "pulling" before he got there he would never "pull"

any more. He obeyed and had no bullets to dodge. The other

member of the firm, Wm. Price, when he learned that Morgan

was in town hastily emptied the money drawer which contained

a large pocketbook with considerable money therein, several hun-

dred dollars as I now remember. He was trying to reach his

home about a quarter of a mile above -a near cut taking him

through a rank patch of timothy. As he was hurrying through

this, pocketbook in hand, he was halted by the rebels and or-

dered to return and unlock the store. He immediately loosed

his grip and the money fell unobserved in the high grass. After

he had concluded waiting on his "customers," he was permitted

to return to his home. He found the pocketbook unmolested,

where he had dropped it.

A man named Henry Kelly, from Hocking county, as I

always understood it (Dr. Robinson says from Nelsonville) was

shot by Morgan's men on the bluffs overlooking Eagleport. He

• 18
 

Morgan's Raid.                    97

 

had had several horses taken by Morgan and had followed them

all the way to Eagleport, vainly endeavoring to get them, and

frequently firing at them. Morgan, by the use of his glasses,

identified him. He, at the time he was killed, was in company

with Alex Stinchcomb, of near Deavertown, who had also lost

some horses. He stepped out on the rocks in full view of Mor-

gan watching his movements in crossing the river. Stinchcomb,

but a few yards away, remained under cover and pleaded with

Kelly to be more cautious, who insisted that there was no dan-

ger. Robertson says: "Five of the raiders standing on Devol's

store steps took deliberate aim at him; three of their shots took

effect, killing him instantly. The distance is about 250 yards."

The writer's understanding, gathered from what was told shortly

after, is that the shots were fired from the eastern shore, that

an officer by the use of his field glass recognized Kelly and or-

dered him shot and that thereupon the five men laid their guns

across their horses and fired with above results. This would

make the distance at least 100 yards farther.

Morgan remained in the immediate vicinity of Eagleport

and Rokeby about one and a half or two hours. He started

up the river ostensibly for Gaysport, and perhaps thence to

Rural Dale. He had gone but a short distance when he saw a

steamer loaded with troops coming. It was the steamer "Dime"

with a portion of the 86th regiment aboard from Zanesville

under the command of R. W. McFarland. The troops were

landed about two and a half miles above Rokeby and ascended

the steep hill on the Eli Barr farm. Morgan wheeled about,

came back to Rokeby, leaving the river by the road that leads

east. There is quite a bend in the river at Eagleport and this

road passes northerly through the Barr farm only a short dis-

tance from the river hill. Here, at Barr's Ridge, the opposing

forces unexpectedly met. Morgan, not knowing the enemy's

strength, avoided an engagement, and wheeled square to the

right for the McElhiney hollow. Here was McFarland's op-

portunity. Through lack of judgment or courage or both, he

failed to seize it. Morgan could easily have been captured in

that hollow. In fact, Morgan wanted to quit then and there,

as reported, but declared that he could find no one worthy to

 

Vol. XVIII-7.

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98       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

accept his sword. Whether this report was true or not, I do

not know. This hollow is wild and the hills on either side are

so steep and rocky that only in a few places in the section where

they crossed it, can a man and horse scale them, and a company

of 50 men, it seems to me, could have shot or captured every

man of them as they attempted to emerge from that ravine.

I remember of following their trail in company with my

father, not long after and the fresh marks from the horses'

shoes were yet visible on the huge rocks down over which they

clambered and it seemed almost miraculous that anyone would

be able to reach the bottom without being killed or receiving

serious injury. Not a few shots were fired at Barr's Ridge.

McFarland, the commander of the union troops, in a recent

article in the "Ohio Archaeological and Historical Quarterly,"

relating what occurred after the landing of his troops says: "In

about two miles we came to the road on which Morgan was

retreating. The soldiers at the front of the column were able

to give Morgan one volley at long range. No one was hurt

but some of the raiders dropped a part of their plunder. We

picked up a bolt or two of calico and also a bolt of muslin. On

the west side of the road and about a hundred yards distant

there was a small frame house on the face of the hill. The

woman living there was on the porch at the east side of the

house, watching Morgan's men as they passed along the road.

One of the soldiers shot at her as she was leaning against a

post. The bullet hit the post about a foot above her head and

buried itself in the hard wood. This outrage occurred about

the time when my men discharged their guns at long range. I

saw the mark of the bullet and gave the woman the dry goods

which we had picked up in the road, to offset as far as possible

the fright which she had suffered. Early in the morning, only

an hour or so after my troops had landed, there occurred the

following incident which probably gave Morgan an exaggerated

estimate of the number of my men. While waiting for develop-

ments, I saw two cavalrymen approaching my position. They

were in the woods a couple of hundred yards distant, but pro-

ceeding very cautiously. They were attempting to make some

reliable estimate of our numbers. I called on the half dozen

• 20
 

Morgan's Raid.                    99

 

soldiers who were closest to me 'to shoot those spies.' The

guns rang out in an instant, but the soldiers, further away

from my position knowing nothing of the facts, all fired their

guns also, but fired at random. The roar of these 350 rifles

was grand, and as we were concealed by the timber, our num-

bers were largely overestimated." (Vol. 17, No. 3, p. 245).

Mr. McFarland's memory does not correctly serve him as

to distance of his position on the ridge from the river. It does

not much exceed a quarter of a mile if any, from the landing

at the foot of the bluff. The house referred to is a log building,

still standing on the Barr farm and was then occupied by Mrs.

Julia Thomas.

One confederate was shot here. He was found unconscious,

but later regained consciousness and was carried on a litter to

our home. I well remember of looking with much curiosity,

upon him, a real live rebel (or at least not dead), who wouldn't

hurt me. He was shot in the lung. Can remember of seeing

the blood blubber in the wound in his breast as he breathed. He

was taken to Eagleport and after a few weeks' nursing, he suf-

ficiently recovered so that he was able to be sent to Columbus.

In the hollow a dead rebel was found, with a pillow placed

under his head, where Morgan's men, unable to convey the body

out of there, had left it. He was found by Chas. Patterson and

Dave Bailey and perhaps others, who hastily laid the body under

a shelving rock near by, cast some leaves over it and left it. On

the following day Jas. Shilling (afterwards the father-in-law

of our fellow townsman, J. M. Betz, and an uncle to J. L. Shill-

ing on Kennebec Ave.), who is yet living, Joseph M. Briggs

and Mr. Bailey took the remains and buried them near by. A

few years after this the run cut into the grave and it was again

moved to the opposite side only a few yards away. The grave

is marked with a rough sandstone at either end and this ro-

mantic spot has been an object of interest to many a curious vis-

itor. About 20 years ago a rumor was in circulation in that lo-

cality that some of the dead rebel's friends had been in that

vicinity searching treasure supposed to have been hidden in that

hollow at the time of crossing. It was then that the name was

discovered rudely inscribed on the headstone of the grave

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100       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

"Tommy McGee" which is yet plainly visible. Dr. Robertson

says that the evidence is strong that this man was killed at Eagle-

port where another rebel lost his nose, both from shots fired from

my father's house and that this was the cause of the special at-

tention given the house by the carbines.

That afternoon a portion of Hobson's army still in hot pur-

suit, under the command of Gen. Shackelford, crossed the ford

at Rokeby. About 25 of them rode up to our house and ordered

dinner. While I do not remember what was set before them,

it must certainly have been a slim meal.

What transpired at McConnelsville and elsewhere I will

leave for others to tell, who know more about it. If history por-

trays the facts I believe that a monument of donkey skulls should

have been erected somewhere near the crossing, to the memory

of Col. Hill, for his bravery and valor. He left Marietta the

morning of July 22 by the Steamer "Jonas Powell," with 500

troops and two brass cannons aboard. In the afternoon of that

day a message was received at McConnelsville from Hill that

Morgan was approaching McConnelsville or Eagleport. With

this knowledge, he came with his troops as far as Stockport, 10

miles below, where he landed the steamer and waited. This was

the evening of the 22nd. Three times that night he was notified

and urged to proceed to McConnelsville and on to Eagleport,

for it was that night positively ascertained that Morgan was

encamped on the head waters of Island Run. Without an ef-

fort he could have steamed up in the vicinity of Eagleport that

night and there thwarted Morgan and without doubt captured

him. But he would not do so, neither would he permit Capt.

Marsh, under him, to take a company and march up. Along

about 9 o'clock that day, the 23rd, Hill arrived at McConnels-

ville. Then a brilliant idea struck him. He took a portion of

his men and started out the Zanesville road to head of Morgan

who long before he got started, had the last of his forces safely

across the river at Eagleport eight miles above. Col. Marsh

took one division and started up the river. After going up about

three miles to the Doc Reed farm Marsh learned that Morgan

had crossed, so he bore to the east leaving the river and joined

Hill. On the Ritchey farm, less than one-half mile this side the

• 22
 

Morgan's Raid.                   101

Pisgah church, stands a high and commanding knob. There the

bold (?) Hill planted a cannon; and observing some stir in the

neighborhood of Meloy's barn which stands about 1 mile to the

northwest he, without further investigation, concluded that Mor-

gan might be in that barn. Brilliant thought! The main body

of his men never were near this barn. A few straggling foragers,

not to exceed perhaps, half dozen, were in the vicinity at the

time the shot was fired. More likely was this building to have

been then occupied by women and children, but it chanced to be

empty. Hill succeeded in hitting the barn. The cannon ball

hole may yet be seen from the public road and its destructive

work inside by opening the barn door. Robertson says Hill re-

turned to the Steamer Powell without the loss of a man or ma-

terial. How remarkably and mysteriously strange.

Mr. James G. Crisman, who lives on the River road, north

of town, was living with his uncle and aunt, Daniel Meloy and

wife, on the Meloy farm, when Morgan went through. Mr.

Meloy was absent, so he and his aunt were, that day, holding the

fort, the old brick building, which is still standing near the barn,

which Hill shot into. Jim was a boy of ten--old enough for

some vivid and lasting impressions. He was called upon, by

two of Morgan's men, to serve as guide for his army. Jim didn't

just take to the crowd, and declined to go alone. His aunt was

at once drafted into service. Her movements afoot were not

rapid enough, so one of the soldiers dismounted and Mrs. Meloy

was assisted to the saddle. A large portion of the troops

was in waiting at the forks of the road, at the election house

a mile further up the road. They, the guides, did not go

far. After getting from them the information desired, they

were permitted to return home. As they started back, the

troops parted to either side of the road as an act of courtesy,

and Jim and his aunt, on dress parade, marched between,

with an escort, who accompanied them almost to their home.

Mr. Crisman says the shot, which penetrated the Meloy barn,

was not fired from the Ritchey knob, but from a position

nearer the barn, along the east side of the road, and that several

cannon shots were fired. Mr. E. M. Stanbery, a spectator, says

that other shots were fired from Ritchey's Knob in bombarding

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102      Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

Meloy's woods to the right. He did not witness this from a

location similar to that of Mr. Forgrave's in Eagleport. He had

taken safe refuge in an impregnable wheat shock hard by. Judge

Evans who was involuntarily doing service for Morgan in that

section as a guide, reported that the confederates were not within

hearing when this cannonading was done. These conflicting state-

ments may be accounted for from the fact that Morgan's men

were widely scattered. They were compelled to forage their

living and necessarily covered a wide scope. Mr. S. A. Thissell,

a farmer living two miles below Eagleport, claims to know the

exact spot where the rebel found in McElhiney's hollow was

killed. He says his father, Benjamin F. Thissell, in company

with Fred Merriam, a brother of the late Charles Merriam, was

hidden behind the willows at the river's edge, just above the dam,

watching the rebels as they passed along the road within a few

rods of them; that just as this man was passing by the shot was

fired from the hillside above, which killed him; that the dead

man's comrades strapped him on the horse he was riding and

left his gun which Mr. Thissell procured; that the gun was in

their residence which was consumed by fire in the early seventies

and that he still has the barrel and lock. This may account for

the shooting of Mr. Kelly (above) by Morgan's men, on the

same hill, a few minutes thereafter. Many amusing incidents,

of that stirring day, might be mentioned but I pass on.

Morgan passed on northeasterly, thro' Bloom, leaving

Rural Dale to his left, and on through Museville and High Hill,

Muskingum county, and through Noble, Guernsey, Carroll, Har-

rison, and Jefferson and into Columbiana county, with Shackel-

ford not far behind. At Washington, Guernsey county, he over-

took the rear guard of Morgan's forces, and some skirmishing

took place. On July 26th, 1863, he succeeded in reaching Saline-

ville, Columbiana county, (again almost to the Ohio), between

Steubenville and Wellsville. He was being guided to the Penn-

sylvania line by one Mr. Burbeck, a private citizen. - Perceiv-

ing in his flight, clouds of dust rising on a parallel road, he rec-

ognized that a cavalry force was fast cutting off his escape.

Shackelford was close pressing him in the rear. Burbeck, who

• 24
 

Morgan's Raid.                   103

 

had with him a small squad of volunteeers, was conducting him

through his county on consideration that Morgan would destroy

no property within its limits. Morgan realizing the situation, pro-

posed to surrender to Burbeck on condition that he and all his

men would be immediately paroled. Here was an opportunity

for Burbeck to immortalize his name. Who would not have

looked upon this coveted prize with favor! Burbeck accepted

his sword on these terms. The arrangement was barely com-

pleted when Major Rue, ₉th Kentucky cavalry, arrived, then

Shackelford. This sly move by Morgan, of making terms of

capitulation with a private citizen (for, in fact, with Burbeck,

such was the case), did not meet with the approval of Rue, who

referred the matter to Shackelford, and the latter refused to ac-

cept or recognize it. Morgan appealed to Governor Tod, but

the latter, upon consideration, held them not binding or effective,

and the prisoners were at once taken to Columbus.

Here Morgan and his officers, as a matter of retaliation, it

seems, for similar treatment our men had received in the South,

were confined in the Penitentiary--their heads duly shaved.

After several months of confinement, Morgan and six other

prisoners, on the night of the 27th of November, made their es-

cape, it is said, by cutting through the stone floors of their cells,

with knives from the prison table. Tunneling under the walls

of the building, they scaled the walls that surrounded the grounds

by aid of ropes made of bed clothes. It is claimed that this op-

portunity for escape presented itself through willful neglect on

the part of the prison officials, to care for these prisoners' cells.

- Many others think they left the prison through doors that

opened at their bidding.

On the outside they changed their prison clothes, and Mor-

gan proceeded to the depot and took a train for Cincinnati, about

1 o'clock a. m. Alighting from the car in the suburbs of Cin-

cinnati, he ran to the Ohio, crossed on the ferry and immediately

found shelter. - He then made his way through Kentucky and

Tennessee to northern Georgia. He proceeded to Richmond,

where he was greeted with an ovation. In a speech he declared

that "his escape was made entirely without assistance from any

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104       Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications.

 

one OUTSIDE" the prison. "An assertion," says Greely, "not

needed to incite and justify a strong presumption that the fact

was otherwise."

Morgan lived to make one more "raid" in the "Blue Grass"

egions, to witness the decline of his popularity, to be harassed

by officers, in Richmond, who did not understand him, and by

difficulties in his command, and finally, the next year after his

escape, at Columbus, to fall while fleeing through a kitchen gar-

den in a skirmish, in an obscure little village in East Tennessee.

"He left a name second only to those of Forrest and Stuart,

among the cavalrymen of the Confederacy, and a character

which, amid much to be condemned, was not without traces of a

noble nature."

• 26