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THE ATHENS MESSENGER AND HERALDWhy Smith Left Home.■| deniy while Judah was trusting: to the j flood to stay his march, Morgan crossed the Cumberland with 2,460 men and started for the Ohio river.Mr, Obadiah Smith Frightened all his kin and kith Running through the town like mad To insert a WANTED AD.•Fore the paper went to press.Or be left in dire distress:For his cook had flown the coop, Lea ving Madam in the soup.STORYNo Event in the History of the StateSince Her Admission in1803Created Such General Consternation as Did Old John Morgan'sRaid and Nothing Ever OccurredThatBrought the State Authorities Into Greater Ridicule.The following storv of the notedrebel, General Morgan, and his raid across the state of Ohio, is taken from the McConnelsville Democrat and will be of interest to many Athens county people:Since the admission of Ohio in 1803of 19 in the Mexican war and waspromoted for gallantry to b« a First Lieutenant.no event in her history created such general consternation at the time as Morgan’s Raid and nothing ever occurred that brought the state authorities and the state militia into greater ridicule and caused such world wide diversion and derision. Thewomanwho climbs upon a table to escape a mouse acts no more foolishly than did the civil and military authorities in Ohio in 1863 during Morgan’s raid.When Morgan started across Kentucky he had but 2,460 men all told. When he crossed the Ohio into Indiana the number decreased and when he entered Ohio his total force was less than two thousand To meet this insignificant body of invaders who wereEarly in the Civil war frequent daring raids in Kentucky in the rear of the Union armies convinced the North that a dangerous cavalry leader was in command of these bold horsemen It soon developed that General John H. Morgan was the intrepid leader. In 1862 he made a raid into central Ken tucky and threatened Louisville and Cincinnati. He captured Cynthiana, a few miles from Cincinnati, and the whole states of Ohio and Indiana were In a panic. He captured over a thou sand prisoners and destroyed vast quantities of northern military stores.He showed his wonderful genius byhaving a telegraph operator with him and by capturing an operator at a small station he intercepted dispatches and gained the secret plans of the Union forces at Cincinnati, liouisville and Frankfort and then sentfar from their base of supplies and in I dispatches under the name of the cap-a hostile country, the governor of Indiana proclaimed martial law and called out a vast army of state troops General Burnside, at Cincinnati, hadtured operator that completely deceived the northern generals. He laid I several thousand Union troops in hia vicinity completely panic stricken andnot less than 25,000 veteran soldiers ! they estimated Morgan’s forces atat his disposal, General Hobson withover 3,000 cavalry was hard on Morgan's rear through Indiana and Ohio. General Judah was hastening from Kentucky with an overwhelming force and then Governor Todd, of Ohio, capped the climax by calling out 49.* 35? of the Ohio militia!All this time old John Morgan was simply trying to get back across the Ohio river. When he crossed Morgan county he did not have to exceed 600fully five thousand After he had completed the work of destruction and retired beyond the Cumberland it wasdiscovered that he only had 300 cav alrymen under his command.In the fall of the same year Morgan was with General Kirby Smith when with 12,000 men he invaded Kentuckyand almost captured Cincinnati. Thedefense of Cincinnati was in charge of Gen. Lew Wallace, the famous novand onlv the recall of Smith'sto 700 men, probably not that many,and yet Governor Todd had called all the able bodied citixens in Noble, Morgan, Washington, Monroe, Meigs, Perry, Hocking and Athens to assem bie at Marietta and repel the Invaderelist, and only the recall army prevented the fall of the city.By this time the name Morgan hadbecome a terror to the authorities ofthree states Kentucky, Indiana andOhio—and when in the following y^ar the refsirt came that Morgan with aand fifteen thousand responded. Why, j powerful army” was preparing toif these 15,000 had been cannibals the whole force of Morgan’s raiders would not have furnished one rhoal!It would seem that all the northern military brains must have been at the front, for the leaders In Ohio acted like frightened school children; and like a village fire department at a fire when they destroy ail the property with water after the fire is out, the pursuers did more damage to private projierty than the raiders. It cost Ohio a million dollars and after all the wastefulness in collecting and supplying ten times more men than were needed, the state authorities suddenly were seized with a fit of economy and did not pay half prfce for th horses, provisions and property aje propriated by Hobson, Shackelford and the state troops.A short sketch of General Morganand his raid will be read with interestin connection with the article in this issue describing the capture of a detachment of Morgan’s men by a few unarmed citizens of York township.Gen. John H. Morgan was born at Huntsville, Ala., June 1, 1826, but fromcross the Ohio river, the whole region was panic stricken.This was in July, 1863. General Burnside had collected a large force at Cincinnati and was preparing to Invade East Tennessee, Rosecrans was at Stone river confronting Bragg General Buckner In East Tennessee did not have sufficient force to oppose Burnside and Bragg felt that he could not longer hold Rosecrans in check. Something must be done. General Morgan was the man for the emergency. Bragg ordered him to make a diversion into Kentucky in the rearwi of Rosecrans and compel Burnside toj fall back to Cincinnati. Bragg did not intend that Morgan should attempt to cross the Ohio, in fact he had given him strict orders not to attempt such a hazardous move.Gen. John Morgan was a man who cared little for the commands of superior officers. He usually followed his own plans. The invasion of the north was of Morgan’s own planning. General Basil W. Duke, his second in command, in his book “History of Morgan’s Cavalry” says that Morganearly boyhood lived on a farm near made careful preparations and hadLexington, Kentucky. Like many of the greatest fighters of the North and South he received no military education at West Point. What be knew of the strategy of war he acquired from actual experience at the front. He served in the cavalry at the agesent spies to examine the fords In the Ohio as far up the river as Pomeroy.Morgan began his movement July 2d. 1863. Across the Cumberland was an overwhelming force of northern cavalry under Gen. Judah. The river was swollen by heavy floods. Sud-Six days later on July 8th he reached that stream at Brandenburg, sixty miles below Louisville. Two river steamers were captured and with their assistance Morgan’s raiders were soon on the Indiana side.PMorgan’s force was so small that he made no attempt to attack any ofthe forces about him. His plan was to elude all his pursuers, spread startling reports of his intentions in the surrounding regions, confuse the enemy and prevent their discovering hia purpose or concentrating a force In his front and then when he has created sufficient consternation, cross back over the Ohio and join one of the Rebel armies. In all these plans hesucceeded except his escape across ♦ he Ohio and he came very near accomplishing that also.tingBiaitoMorgan had little fear of Ktate militia. If he could get past C,Hn. Burnside. at Cincinnati, he felt certain that he could elude his pursuers and finally cross the Ohio. To do this he marched toward Cincinnati and arriving near the city threatened an attack. This had the desired effect for Burnside did not discover the trick until Morgan had gained many miles in his flight. To show how badly “rat-tied the northern forces were we quote the following paragraph from Whitelaw Reid’s history “Ohio in the War.” After describing the mania of Morgan’s men for carrying off allmanner of plunder of no value or use to them, Reid describes the foolishexcitement in Ohio as follows;foitwdrn*thtriinortharasein“Some movements of our own were, after their fashion, scarcely less ridiculous. Some militia from Camp Dennison followed Morgan to near Batavia when they gravely halted and began filling trees across the road to—-check him in case he should decide to come back over the route he had just traveled. A militia officer telegraphed Governor Todd telling Morgan's exact position and positively assured him that Morgan had 3,750 men. Even Burnside telegraphed that he had definite and reliable information that Morgan had four thousand men. At ChllHcothe the citizens mistook our own militia for Rebels and by way of protection burned a bridge over a little stream that was always fordable. Gov. Todd felt sure that his timely concentration of nearly 20,000 militia at Camp Chase saved the city of Columbus and prevented Morgan plundering the state treasury and several days after the bulk of Morgan’s raiders had been captured the governor wrote the militia officer In command at Cleveland to make every preparation to defend the city for ‘Morgan may yet reach the lake shore.’ Thegovernor was certainly determined tobe on the safe side for he called outacty8lt;] iH1 MPiM M M(VI|€luIsSCvlRlt;VibiBPiEtiblt;taPiblt;thHIPiover fifty thousand militia, not half of whom ever were within three daysmarch of MorganReid might truthfully have added that not one tenth of this militia ever attempted to get in the vicinity of Morgan.Morgan rapidly crossed the statemarching day and night and struck the Ohio river again above PomeroyBuffington’s island 30 miles by the river above Pomeroy. Here Morgan made his first serious mistake. Had he attempted the passage of the river at once hosucceeded butthe nexthe rested one night and morning found his avenue of escapeclosed.Hobson’s 3.000 veteran cavalrymen had arrived, Col, Runkle, with state militia, was north of him and Judah with a larger force than Hobson arrived, together with several gunboats.The battle of Buffington ensued andMorgan was overpowered by numbers. A number were killed and Morgan's brot her, with Colonels Duke, Ward tnd Huffman and about 700 men werePw Ihoheabataken prisoners.Morgan with less than 1200 men es raped and retreated on up the river hoping to cross at Biennerhasset Island About 20 miles above Buffington he made another attempt to cross the Ohio and 300 succeded in reaching the West Virginia shore when the gunboats arrived and Morgan less than 900 started on his tramp through Athens, Perry, Morgan, Muskingum, Guernsey and on to Columbiana county where on July 26th he was captured by Major Rue seven miles south of New Lisbon. At this time Morgan had only 336 men rce maining. f?:V'He was taken to Columbus and confined in the penitentiary. On Nov.27th, Morgan and 6 of his men madetheir escape by tunneling under the walls. Morgan and Hines separatedfrom the others, and took the train jthat night for Cincinnati arriving the* next morning. They Jumped from the car in the suburbs and made for the river. They hired a boy to take them across the Ohio in a skiff and soon reached the Rebel army.During a later raid Gen. Morgan whs surprised on the night of Sept. 4th, 1864 near Greenville, Tennesse, and in attempting to escape was killed So ended the life of the greatest Rebel cavalryman except Stuart and Forrest.In Morgan’s remarakble raid he made astonishing marches. leaving the Ohio 60 miles below Louisville on July 9th, he entered the state of Ohio at Harrison, in Hamilton county, on July 13th and arrived at the Ohio near Pomeroy on July 18th. He crossed at Eagleport on July 23d and was captured in Columbiana county not far from the Pennsylvania line on JulyMteswpHPCththWicainthutgcMrJtofrmt«*blt;orFiefreelt;3Vialafect€lothO!fralwPiel26th,CijthaKoHol For Indigestion.Js IV/UV M. Relieves sour stomach,palpitation of the heart Dig was what you eat13abE
Newspaper Details
Athens Messenger
Athens, Ohio, US
Fri, Jan 25, 1907
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Massillon P.
OH, USA 01 Mar 2021
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