“We rode over a rode cut up with gullies. The night was dark and the boys kept getting into them. We had to call one another to keep together in our places. We halted about midnight, and camped near a house on the right where Col. Morgan put up. We hitched along the fence and made our beds in the corners on the opposite side. I slept very well.”
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B [i]
The Raiders looted Dupont of more that 2,000 Mayfield hams. Men tied as many hams to their saddles as they possibly could.
“Two thousand hams were stolen from Frank Mayfield’s meat packing plant as well as $1,600 worth of merchandise. The Raiders left town with hams dangling from their saddles …”[ii]
John Hunt Morgan slept for a few hours in the house of Thomas Stout.
“Sunday July 12th, 1863. Weather cloudy. We had a light shower early in the morning. Corn was very scare, but I managed to get a few ears for my horse. We saddled up and moved on to old Vernon or Dupont, Ind. and crossed the railroad with halting in town, but as we did so nearly all of our regiment broke ranks and went to a depot or warehouse where there was a lot of canvass hams said to be Yankee property, that is government property. We got a ham or two each. We had eat nothing that morning and were hungry. I took a ham and carried it in front of me. As I left I noticed some cars burning. In about an hour or so the yellow began to rub off of the hams on the boys cloths, and they began to throw them away. We were riding lively. Some would cut out a few choice pieces and throw the balance away. I held on to mine for some time longer, then cut a haversack full of the driest and leanest portions and left the balance on a fence post. Some of the hams were dropped in the road and left, others were given away at houses on the road. We had fine sandy roads to travel on. The horse pressing details never stopped for an hour. As we moved on every stable and lot was searched in sight and some times miles off the road.”
~Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B[iii]
The Raiders neared the town Vernon where Home Guard had assembled.
“July 11. Marched without hindrance through Vienna, New Philadelphia, Lexington, and Paris, and came to Vernon, where we found the enemy in great force. The enemy consisted of a large force of Volunteers and Militia. We made a flank movement, tore up all the railroads around Vernon, and then traveled all night to Dupont, where we rested and fed our horses. Like an irresistible avalanche we are sweeping over this country. Man never knows his powers of endurance ‘till he tires himself. The music of the enemy’s balls is now familiar and common as the carol of the spring bird which, unknowing of death and carnage around, sings today the same song that gladdened our forefathers.”
~ Lt. Col. James B. McCreary, 11th Kentucky Cavalry CSA[iv]
After sending in two demands for surrender to the town of Vernon and in return receiving a demand from Union General Love for his surrender, Morgan simply chose to skirt the town and avoid wasting any more time. By moving his men southeastward around the town during the two hours requested for women and children to be evacuated in preparation for battle, Morgan avoided battle, saved lives, and put more distance between himself and the perusing Union forces.
Conversely, such actions are fodder for the argument that Morgan was acting as little more than a bully and fighting only when his own forces vastly out numbered the poorly trained and organized home guards. Morgan relied heavily on a show of his cannons to produce the surrender of petrified civilians. Such arguments suggest that John Hunt Morgan was a terrorist rather than a warrior.
“At Vernon, Indiana, Governor Morton had posted a strong force of the ‘Home Guards’ to meet the invaders. Morgan made a demand on the commander of this force for surrender. This was refused and two hour’s time asked in which to remove the women, children and non-combatants. General Morgan was a chivalrous leader and generously granted the time asked for. These two exciting hours were consumed by the Home Guards hustling the women, children and old men away form the dangers of the battlefield, and as the hand of time marked the expiration of the truce, the citizens rolled up their sleeves, swallowed their “Adam’s Apple,” which had risen uncomfortably high in their throats, and prepared to wipe Morgan and his cavaliers off the face of the earth; but Morgan was ten miles away when the Home Guards advanced to pulverize him.”
~ Captain Theodore F. Allen, Seventh Ohio Cavalry [v]
“About dusk we came insight of Vernon, Ind. then took through the woods on our right. It was reported that there was too many Yanks in town to attack the place. General Morgan ordered an old cason to be burned. It was backed into a hollow and a man made a fire around it. In a few minutes it burst with a loud, noise, fortunately hurting no person. The man did not examine the cason before firing it and a shell was left in it. At first the boys thought that the Yanks were shelling us from town.”
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B [vi]
Union leadership struggled to find arms, ammunition, and reliable reports regarding Morgan’s whereabouts as they tried to determine where Morgan would attempt to cross the Ohio River.
“Madison, July 11, 1863
(Via Vevay, July 12)
Major-general Burnside:
The railroad and telegraph wire cut at Vernon at 5 p. m., stopping train of re-enforcements for Madison. The enemy moved on Paris, then to Vernon. My forces consist of 1,200 infantry, four pieces of artillery, and 150 cavalry, imperfectly and poorly provided with ammunition. We have from 300 to 500 without arms. Can you send me men, arms, and ammunition? The later, for Austrian rifle .54 and smooth musket .69; also 3-inch and 6-inch pounder canister. Answer.
B. F. Mullen,
Colonel, Commanding Post.”[vii]
“Indianapolis, July 12, 1863.
General Boyle:
Morgan was at Vernon yesterday p.m., on the Madison Railroad, and was turned off from that point by General Love, who thinks he has taken the road to Madison. It is possible that the main body was still at Paris.
O. B. Willcox,
Brigadier, General.”[viii]
“Headquarters, Vernon, July 12, 1863 – 3:40 a.m.
General Burnside:
Arrived here at 6 last night, in time to answer Morgan’s second demand for town to surrender. Sent him word my force sufficient to hold the town. He said in thirty minutes would open his artillery. Got the women and children out as fast as possible, and made the best disposition possible with our small force and limited time. Expected an attack every minute, till 2 o’clock, when information I believe to be reliable leads me to believe he declines a fight and is hastening toward Madison; if so, he will reach the Ohio at Madison or vicinity about early dawn. I don’t think he can escape. Information looks as if his command was wearied out and he anxious about his escape.
Love.”[ix]
Cincinnati, July 12, 1863 – 6 a.m.
General Hartsuff:
The Indiana militia brought Morgan to bay at Vernon, on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, last night. He declined to fight, and retreated toward Madison. Hobson is close after him, and the gunboats are patrolling the river. We have a reasonable chance of catching him.
A. E. Burnside,
Major-General”[x]
ENDNOTES
[i] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[ii] Student Tour Guide, John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail 1863
[iii] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[iv] Diary of James B. McCreary
[v] Allen, Theodore F. “In Pursuit of John Morgan,” Sketches of War History 1861-1865, Papers prepared for the Commandery of the Sate of Ohio, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States 1896 -1903, pages 228-229.
[vi] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[vii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports p. 725
[viii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.732
[ix] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.733
[x] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, pages 733-734.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Lexington, Paris, and Deputy
Sketch of the Courthouse Square in Lexington, Indiana[i]
“After riding an hour or so we halted in the suburbs of the town of Lexington, Ind. The report was that the Yanks were in town and we were to fight them. I let my lead horse go and road forward to find my company. I fell in and we moved through town without any disturbance and camped a mile beyond in a lane and lot. We had to go a half mile after corn. It was very dark. Most of the boys did not feed at all. I and another fellow went and got some corn. It was as much as I could do to find my way there and back.”
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [ii]
Burke, a true cavalryman, often showed remarkable concern for his horses, feeding them before entertaining thoughts of finding food for himself. Burke realized, that without a fit horse, he was doomed.
“Bivouac on a Mountain Side”
Walt Whitman
I see before me now, a traveling army halting;
Below, a fertile valley spread, with barns, and orchards of summer;
Behind, the terraced sides of a mountain, abrupt in places, rising high;
Broken, with rocks, with clinging cedars, with tall shapes, dingily seen;
The numerous camp-fires scatter’d near and far, some away up on the mountain;
The shadowy forms of men and horses, looming, large-sized flickering;
And over all, the sky – the sky! far, far out of reach, studded, breaking out the eternal stars.
After spending the night in Lexington, the Raiders traveled northeast.
“Saturday, July 11
Rebels reported to have traveled all night. We follow. Pass through Salem, Canton, New Philadelphia, Vienna & Lexington. Camped near the latter.”
~ Charles W. Durling, Company G, 45th Ohio Infantry[iii]
Rest and sleep period were quite short. Often time that could have been spent in rest was spent in collecting booty.
“Saturday, July 11th, 1863. Weather pleasant. We got up early and saddled up. The report was that the Yanks had passed near us that morning. We went back to Lexington, Ind. and hitched our horses to the fence around the courthouse, then fed from the hotel stable crib. I learned that the Yankee cavalry had actually entered town very early that morning not knowing our men had possession of the place, but as soon as they found it out, they left in a hurry, before the Gen. who saw them had time to have them attacked. Lexington is a small place. The courthouse is a plain square building enclosed in a circular white fence. Sergeant Miller and toggle bursted open the door of a confectionery store. The company pitched in and soon cleaned it out. I got a box of peanuts, some cakes, candy, cove oysters, cheese, etc. We all got as much as we could eat and store about us. It was late when we mounted and took the Vernon road singing Morgan’s Northern Raid Song.
“Morgan’s Northern Raid Song”
Boom! Boom! Hear ye the crash
As our Roving Exile Bands
Chase with a wild “Hurrah and dash”
The Yankees through the land.
The “Vaulting Saddle” is out home
Our chamber the welkin wide
And where’ ere danger darkest roam
There we are bound to ride.
Fore “Liberty or Death” we fight,
And woe to those who dare
To wake our carbines flashing light
Or wait their deadly glare.
Our homes beneath the Tyrants hoof
Groanth in direst pain, But let his minions stand aloof,
When we shall come again.
Our chieftain, brave as “Desert King”
Roameth where’ ere he will,
And we but wait his clarions ring,
To bound o’er vale and hill.
Our guerdon is the “fair ones” smiles
That shine along our way,
And we, for them, despise the toils-
That face us night and day.
To horse! To horse! The bulge calls
Inviteth to the field
When we must meet both “Shell and Ball”
Or to the tyrant yield.
“Hark!” hear ye the ringing shout
Of those who will be free,
Our glory is the Yankees’ route,
Our watchword “Victory.”
~Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [iv]
Following the Lexington-Salem State Road (now known as the Cincinnati Trace) the Raiders rode toward Lexington. Morgan was employing his best tactics, as were even the youngest citizens of Indiana who were bent upon protecting their prize possessions.
“One little Lexington girl, afraid the invaders would steal her pony, hid the animal behind a piano in her home.” [v]
“After riding an hour or so we halted in the suburbs of the town of Lexington, Ind. The report was that the Yanks were in town and we were to fight them. I let my lead horse go and road forward to find my company. I fell in and we moved through town without any disturbance and camped a mile beyond in a lane and lot. We had to go a half mile after corn. It was very dark. Most of the boys did not feed at all. I and another fellow went and got some corn. It was as much as I could do to find my way there and back.”
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [ii]
Burke, a true cavalryman, often showed remarkable concern for his horses, feeding them before entertaining thoughts of finding food for himself. Burke realized, that without a fit horse, he was doomed.
“Bivouac on a Mountain Side”
Walt Whitman
I see before me now, a traveling army halting;
Below, a fertile valley spread, with barns, and orchards of summer;
Behind, the terraced sides of a mountain, abrupt in places, rising high;
Broken, with rocks, with clinging cedars, with tall shapes, dingily seen;
The numerous camp-fires scatter’d near and far, some away up on the mountain;
The shadowy forms of men and horses, looming, large-sized flickering;
And over all, the sky – the sky! far, far out of reach, studded, breaking out the eternal stars.
After spending the night in Lexington, the Raiders traveled northeast.
“Saturday, July 11
Rebels reported to have traveled all night. We follow. Pass through Salem, Canton, New Philadelphia, Vienna & Lexington. Camped near the latter.”
~ Charles W. Durling, Company G, 45th Ohio Infantry[iii]
Rest and sleep period were quite short. Often time that could have been spent in rest was spent in collecting booty.
“Saturday, July 11th, 1863. Weather pleasant. We got up early and saddled up. The report was that the Yanks had passed near us that morning. We went back to Lexington, Ind. and hitched our horses to the fence around the courthouse, then fed from the hotel stable crib. I learned that the Yankee cavalry had actually entered town very early that morning not knowing our men had possession of the place, but as soon as they found it out, they left in a hurry, before the Gen. who saw them had time to have them attacked. Lexington is a small place. The courthouse is a plain square building enclosed in a circular white fence. Sergeant Miller and toggle bursted open the door of a confectionery store. The company pitched in and soon cleaned it out. I got a box of peanuts, some cakes, candy, cove oysters, cheese, etc. We all got as much as we could eat and store about us. It was late when we mounted and took the Vernon road singing Morgan’s Northern Raid Song.
“Morgan’s Northern Raid Song”
Boom! Boom! Hear ye the crash
As our Roving Exile Bands
Chase with a wild “Hurrah and dash”
The Yankees through the land.
The “Vaulting Saddle” is out home
Our chamber the welkin wide
And where’ ere danger darkest roam
There we are bound to ride.
Fore “Liberty or Death” we fight,
And woe to those who dare
To wake our carbines flashing light
Or wait their deadly glare.
Our homes beneath the Tyrants hoof
Groanth in direst pain, But let his minions stand aloof,
When we shall come again.
Our chieftain, brave as “Desert King”
Roameth where’ ere he will,
And we but wait his clarions ring,
To bound o’er vale and hill.
Our guerdon is the “fair ones” smiles
That shine along our way,
And we, for them, despise the toils-
That face us night and day.
To horse! To horse! The bulge calls
Inviteth to the field
When we must meet both “Shell and Ball”
Or to the tyrant yield.
“Hark!” hear ye the ringing shout
Of those who will be free,
Our glory is the Yankees’ route,
Our watchword “Victory.”
~Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [iv]
Following the Lexington-Salem State Road (now known as the Cincinnati Trace) the Raiders rode toward Lexington. Morgan was employing his best tactics, as were even the youngest citizens of Indiana who were bent upon protecting their prize possessions.
“One little Lexington girl, afraid the invaders would steal her pony, hid the animal behind a piano in her home.” [v]
"As the morning progressed, the Postmaster was held up, the office looted of all cash and postage stamps. According to Josephine Shea, Morgan and a few of his men took the mail bags down to her grandfather Patrick Shea's home and emptied the contents on the living room floor, opening all letters. Many of the letters contained money from soldiers to their families which was also stolen. After opening the mail Morgan demanded that the Shea family cook dinner for him. The three general stores in town were broken into and the men fitted themselves in new clothes and boots and took corn and sides of bacon. At about eleven o'clock the raiders left town. Two miles east of Lexington a farmer hailed them shouting 'Hooray for Jeff Davis.' Morgan's response was 'good, now bring your best horses and help the cause' and they forced him to lead the way to Dupont. He walked home later a much wiser man.”
~ Alice Jones , Scott County Journal, September, 1924
Hot weather and dusty roads made the long hours in the saddle difficult to endure.
“We halted in a little town called Paris for fifteen minutes. It was very hot and dusty. A man from each section gathered all the canteens in the section and fell out and filled them with water. I fell out several times for that purpose. Once the regiment got a mile or two ahead and I had to do some hard riding to catch up.
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B.[vi]
Whenever the men were allowed to stop, cool milk and spring water were sought after luxuries.
“The most exciting event was when a bunch of rebels come into the yard, clamoring for something to eat. One insistent fellow attempted to go into the kitchen in spite of a refusal of my stepmother to admit him. She flourished a butcher knife in his face saying, ‘I’ll let you know I am one of the blue hen chickens from the state of Virginia and if you make any further attempts to enter here, I’ll cut your heart out!’ Eyeing her intently for an instant, the rebel said, ‘I know them Virginians will fight like the devil and I have no doubt you mean what you say.’ He went away and left her, for the time being, mistress of the situation.”
~ Rebbecca Robinson, Deputy, Indiana[vii]
ENDNOTES
[i] Courtesy of the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail Project and the Historic Hoosier Hills Organization.
[ii] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[iii] Diary of Charles W. Durling.
[iv] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[v] Student Tour Guide, John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail 1863.
[vi] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[vii] Robinson, Deputy Middleton .“ The WPA Life Histories Collection,” February 1938
Monday, January 5, 2009
Canton and Vienna
“We passed on to the village of Canton, Ind. about three miles distant and halted on a side street. We fed our horses from a crib which the boys soon cleared on a double quick. Whenever we stop to feed, the boys all break for the corn or whatever we intend feeding on and each get as much as he can carry notwithstanding he may know at the time that his horse will not eat half of his load, but in Tennessee or Kentucky the forage is mostly issued to us and we get twelve ears of corn or two bundles of oats. Tap Carpenter got two pair of new boots and gave me one pair of No. sixes. The boys took six or seven pair of boots from a shoemaker shop and when the lady of the place found it out she took on like a lunatic, screaming and beating her head with her fists. Two stores were opened and some things were sold to us, but most of the tricks we got we did not pay for. When one got more of anything than he needed he divided it with the rest of the boys. Part of the boys eat dinner at houses in town, but I was not so fortunate. We had captured buttercrackers and cheese issued to us.
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [i]
Union leadership continued to persist in the belief that Morgan would attack the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Furthermore, Boyle still could not get Judah to obey his orders.
“Louisville, July 10, 1863 – 8:30 p. m.
Major-General Hartsuff, Stanford:
At 5 o’clock Morgan was at Canton, 34 miles from New Albany Railroad. He will move from there to Charlestown, near Ohio River, to cross, or he may go to Vienna, on Jeffersonville railroad, and thence 35 miles to Madison Shoalwater, just below. Colonel Pennebaker telegraphs General Judah is at Litchfield, waiting orders from you. If he was at the river, where transport could be sent, or at railroad, he might be brought up in time to intercept Morgan. I gave him orders, by General Burnside’s direction, but he would not receive them. Hobson is in pursuit; where he is I do not know.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General.”[ii]
Poor Boyle! Judah continued to be his uncooperative self. Was Judah bent out of shape at receiving an order from an officer he considered his junior or was this resistance simply a reflection of his difficult alcoholic personality?
“Munfordville, July 10,1863
General Boyle, Louisville:
I sent your dispatch of yesterday to General Judah by special courier, who has not returned. Will send your dispatch, just received, by courier on every road that can be traveled between here and Litchfield and Big Spring. Will start six couriers, with orders to find him and report.
C. D. Pennebaker,
Colonel, Commanding Post.”[iii]
While the Union General squabbled, Morgan turned his columns to the east. By six o'clock, both of Morgan’s columns had reached the railroad in Vienna. The Raiders set to work burning a railroad bridge and depot, and tapping the telegraph lines.
“As soon as our horses were done eating we mounted and left on the Vienna road. Jack Curd was my partner. He was the life of the first section and in fact the whole company. I was generally sleepy and Curd would always wake me up with his nonsense. My pony proved to be too hard a rider for the service, so I gave him up and took Sergeant Tuggle’s Tennessee horse. He was thin and pretty well broken down but a good fast riding horse. Late in the evening we were riding along a high ridge road. The country in sight was hilly. As we were going down hill at the end of the ridge we could see some mounted home guards raising a dust a half mile ahead in the road on the next hill. The advance guard pitched out after them under spur and we followed at a lively gate. A little beyond the top of the hill we captured a spring wagon and a fine pair of horses. A little farther on a dead home guard lay in a fence corner. The advance guard had charged into a home guard company here and scattered them. We rode a few miles farther picking up some men with axes going to appointed places to blockade the road to stop our onward progress. They were sent to the rear to be paroled. Then the regiment halted and my company was ordered to take Vienna, Ind. where we were expected to capture a train of cars. It was five miles to Vienna. We started off at a gallop. At every half mile or less we met from two to ten men with axes. We did not stop but sent them to the rear. We captured two more wagons. Our speed enabled us to take everybody by surprise. The people did not know we were in the neighborhood till they saw us. We charged into Vienna. The citizens and a lot of the ax squad were completely surprised and made no resistance. All of the roads were immediately picketed and the stables searched before more than a dozen companies had come up. A large Yankee flag hung over the street. We soon tore it down. We went around inquiring for arms and ammunition. Several of us got into a little grocery, but took nothing. I and Ed Lonney came across two home guard horses saddled, bridled, and hitched to the fence. We tried them and found them unfit for the service, so we left them hitched. I hitched my horse and went to the nearest house to get something to eat. I knocked at the door and found the lady and children crying. They said that we would burn the house. Of course, I went to work contradicting the opinion of our men. I told them that the prisoners we had in town would be immediately paroled and set at liberty. I had cause to suspicion that the head of the family was among the prisoners. They set out a couple of crocks of milk, some bread, butter, and preserves. I eat a hearty supper and left the family in amore tranquil state of mind. It was dusk by this time. I rode down to the railroad and found my company dismounted and deployed along the railroad expecting a train of cars. Myself, William Sloan and three others was detailed to tear up the railroad track a mile from town. We dismounted and gave our horses in charge of the horseholders. Then got a couple of crow bars and set out on foot across the rail road bridge down the railroad. The bushes on both sides was high and thick, just the place for bushwhackers. We went about half a mile and went to work, keeping our guns within arms reach. We took up two rails, one on each side, in two places, then laid them down putting the ends against the track in the direction that the train was expected and the other ends about eight inches off, throwing the rails away to prevent the break from being detected by the engineer. The track was perfectly straight for a mile and the smallest objects could be plainly seen by any light strong as those carried on the front of locomotives for a long distance. We worked hard, expecting the train every minute. One of the rails fell on my foot in bursting them up which did not feel very pleasant. We started back and saw a fire on the railroad at the crossing of the town. At first we did not know what to make of it. We knew that the train would not come into our trap when they saw the fire, but on approaching nearer we saw that our boys were burning the bridge. The hour for the train was passed and it had been given out. They had taken alarm and stopped. We mounted our horses then fell in line. The command had just caught up. We moved off and as we went through town I fell out and took one of the home guard horses that I had tired that evening, and mounted him intending to lead my tired horse till we camped for the night, then give it to some dismounted man. It moved so slow and led so bad that I soon found I was getting behind in spite of my vigorous spurring and whipping. I got mixed up with one of the regiments. I then rode out to one side and mounted my old horse again and lead the other, but the change did not facilitate my progress much as if would not lead well. It came near pulling me off my horse several times, but I determined to hold to it."
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [iv]
“Lighting” Ellsworth was set to work tapping the telegraph lines for information regarding the Union movements.
“At Vienna the railroad station and the telegraph operator were captured before the operator could give the alarm. General Morgan put one of his own men, Lieutenant Ellsworth who knew how to operate the telegraph, in charge of the office. He listened on the wires until he had learned all the news to be obtained from Louisville and Indianapolis, including the fact that orders had been issued to the Militia to fell timber and blockade the principal roads which the invaders would be likely to travel to the East. According to Duke "our rapid marching had, hitherto, saved us this annoyance." They also learned in this manner that the Union forces under Hobson had crossed the Ohio River and were only a few miles behind them.They learned that the state was virtually swarming with soldiers and that every train entering Indiana was bringing additional forces. The Raiders did all they possibly could to hamper the pursuit of the Union Cavalry, such as burning all the bridges. Their system of horse stealing was almost perfect. They would dispatch men from the head of each brigade to go five miles into the country on each side of the road. They would then seize every available horse and fall in at the rear of the column. In this way the Confederates swept the countryside of all horses for ten miles, leaving their own worn-out animals for the use of the Union forces.
According to Goodrich in his Illustrated History of Indiana (1875), a Scott County farmer ruefully said, "Many are the farmers through this county who have bewailed the day when they 'swapped' their fine, fat, sleek horses for the worn-out, sore-backed jades of the Rebels!" The fine blooded Kentucky horses, however, which were left behind in Indiana, though worn-out, were of such good stock that the breed of Indiana horses was greatly improved.At both Henryville and Vienna the railroad depots were burned, the tracks torn up and the telegraph wires cut. At Vienna they also burnt the water station, the turntable and a railroad bridge which spanned Pigeon Roost Creek. All of these structures were built of wood, as was the custom then. In Vienna they also robbed the stores and private houses.”[v]
Through a defector, the Union was given a glimpse into Morgan’s mind. Yet, they failed to believe the information and continued a hurried effort to prevent Morgan from crossing the Ohio River near Madison.
“Indianapolis, July 10, 1863 – 1 p.m.
Major-General Burnside:
The following dispatches just received:
First Dispatch
Have just examined a reliable employee of the Jeffersonville Railroad, who left Vienna at 6 o’clock this morning. He says it was agreed in Vienna that Morgan himself with 11,000 men and from six to twelve pieces of artillery, passed through Vienna, toward Lexington, this morning. From this I judge Morgan’s whole force (say 4,000) are trying to cross the river.
Second Dispatch
A prisoner from Duke’s regiment left Morgan at Vienna this morning; deserted. He says the rebels were in great haste, and says all he could gather of the intention of the raid it was to pass through Indiana and Ohio and join Lee in the East; that the programme was carried out up to his leaving. I have no doubt they are hurrying to cross the river.
John Love,
Brigadier-General
O. B. Willcox,
Brigadier-General”[vi]
“Memphis, Ind., July 11, 1863.
General Boyle, Louisville, KY:
Send all the cavalry force and artillery you can to Vienna this evening. General Hobson is in the advance.
J. M. Shackleford.”[vii]
ENDNOTES
[i] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[ii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.719
[iii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.719
[iv] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[v] Wilson, Mary and Asher, Sharon Y. “ Lexington” Morgan’s Raid http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/7705/MorgansRaid.htm
[vi] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.722.
[vii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.725
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [i]
Union leadership continued to persist in the belief that Morgan would attack the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Furthermore, Boyle still could not get Judah to obey his orders.
“Louisville, July 10, 1863 – 8:30 p. m.
Major-General Hartsuff, Stanford:
At 5 o’clock Morgan was at Canton, 34 miles from New Albany Railroad. He will move from there to Charlestown, near Ohio River, to cross, or he may go to Vienna, on Jeffersonville railroad, and thence 35 miles to Madison Shoalwater, just below. Colonel Pennebaker telegraphs General Judah is at Litchfield, waiting orders from you. If he was at the river, where transport could be sent, or at railroad, he might be brought up in time to intercept Morgan. I gave him orders, by General Burnside’s direction, but he would not receive them. Hobson is in pursuit; where he is I do not know.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General.”[ii]
Poor Boyle! Judah continued to be his uncooperative self. Was Judah bent out of shape at receiving an order from an officer he considered his junior or was this resistance simply a reflection of his difficult alcoholic personality?
“Munfordville, July 10,1863
General Boyle, Louisville:
I sent your dispatch of yesterday to General Judah by special courier, who has not returned. Will send your dispatch, just received, by courier on every road that can be traveled between here and Litchfield and Big Spring. Will start six couriers, with orders to find him and report.
C. D. Pennebaker,
Colonel, Commanding Post.”[iii]
While the Union General squabbled, Morgan turned his columns to the east. By six o'clock, both of Morgan’s columns had reached the railroad in Vienna. The Raiders set to work burning a railroad bridge and depot, and tapping the telegraph lines.
“As soon as our horses were done eating we mounted and left on the Vienna road. Jack Curd was my partner. He was the life of the first section and in fact the whole company. I was generally sleepy and Curd would always wake me up with his nonsense. My pony proved to be too hard a rider for the service, so I gave him up and took Sergeant Tuggle’s Tennessee horse. He was thin and pretty well broken down but a good fast riding horse. Late in the evening we were riding along a high ridge road. The country in sight was hilly. As we were going down hill at the end of the ridge we could see some mounted home guards raising a dust a half mile ahead in the road on the next hill. The advance guard pitched out after them under spur and we followed at a lively gate. A little beyond the top of the hill we captured a spring wagon and a fine pair of horses. A little farther on a dead home guard lay in a fence corner. The advance guard had charged into a home guard company here and scattered them. We rode a few miles farther picking up some men with axes going to appointed places to blockade the road to stop our onward progress. They were sent to the rear to be paroled. Then the regiment halted and my company was ordered to take Vienna, Ind. where we were expected to capture a train of cars. It was five miles to Vienna. We started off at a gallop. At every half mile or less we met from two to ten men with axes. We did not stop but sent them to the rear. We captured two more wagons. Our speed enabled us to take everybody by surprise. The people did not know we were in the neighborhood till they saw us. We charged into Vienna. The citizens and a lot of the ax squad were completely surprised and made no resistance. All of the roads were immediately picketed and the stables searched before more than a dozen companies had come up. A large Yankee flag hung over the street. We soon tore it down. We went around inquiring for arms and ammunition. Several of us got into a little grocery, but took nothing. I and Ed Lonney came across two home guard horses saddled, bridled, and hitched to the fence. We tried them and found them unfit for the service, so we left them hitched. I hitched my horse and went to the nearest house to get something to eat. I knocked at the door and found the lady and children crying. They said that we would burn the house. Of course, I went to work contradicting the opinion of our men. I told them that the prisoners we had in town would be immediately paroled and set at liberty. I had cause to suspicion that the head of the family was among the prisoners. They set out a couple of crocks of milk, some bread, butter, and preserves. I eat a hearty supper and left the family in amore tranquil state of mind. It was dusk by this time. I rode down to the railroad and found my company dismounted and deployed along the railroad expecting a train of cars. Myself, William Sloan and three others was detailed to tear up the railroad track a mile from town. We dismounted and gave our horses in charge of the horseholders. Then got a couple of crow bars and set out on foot across the rail road bridge down the railroad. The bushes on both sides was high and thick, just the place for bushwhackers. We went about half a mile and went to work, keeping our guns within arms reach. We took up two rails, one on each side, in two places, then laid them down putting the ends against the track in the direction that the train was expected and the other ends about eight inches off, throwing the rails away to prevent the break from being detected by the engineer. The track was perfectly straight for a mile and the smallest objects could be plainly seen by any light strong as those carried on the front of locomotives for a long distance. We worked hard, expecting the train every minute. One of the rails fell on my foot in bursting them up which did not feel very pleasant. We started back and saw a fire on the railroad at the crossing of the town. At first we did not know what to make of it. We knew that the train would not come into our trap when they saw the fire, but on approaching nearer we saw that our boys were burning the bridge. The hour for the train was passed and it had been given out. They had taken alarm and stopped. We mounted our horses then fell in line. The command had just caught up. We moved off and as we went through town I fell out and took one of the home guard horses that I had tired that evening, and mounted him intending to lead my tired horse till we camped for the night, then give it to some dismounted man. It moved so slow and led so bad that I soon found I was getting behind in spite of my vigorous spurring and whipping. I got mixed up with one of the regiments. I then rode out to one side and mounted my old horse again and lead the other, but the change did not facilitate my progress much as if would not lead well. It came near pulling me off my horse several times, but I determined to hold to it."
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [iv]
“Lighting” Ellsworth was set to work tapping the telegraph lines for information regarding the Union movements.
“At Vienna the railroad station and the telegraph operator were captured before the operator could give the alarm. General Morgan put one of his own men, Lieutenant Ellsworth who knew how to operate the telegraph, in charge of the office. He listened on the wires until he had learned all the news to be obtained from Louisville and Indianapolis, including the fact that orders had been issued to the Militia to fell timber and blockade the principal roads which the invaders would be likely to travel to the East. According to Duke "our rapid marching had, hitherto, saved us this annoyance." They also learned in this manner that the Union forces under Hobson had crossed the Ohio River and were only a few miles behind them.They learned that the state was virtually swarming with soldiers and that every train entering Indiana was bringing additional forces. The Raiders did all they possibly could to hamper the pursuit of the Union Cavalry, such as burning all the bridges. Their system of horse stealing was almost perfect. They would dispatch men from the head of each brigade to go five miles into the country on each side of the road. They would then seize every available horse and fall in at the rear of the column. In this way the Confederates swept the countryside of all horses for ten miles, leaving their own worn-out animals for the use of the Union forces.
According to Goodrich in his Illustrated History of Indiana (1875), a Scott County farmer ruefully said, "Many are the farmers through this county who have bewailed the day when they 'swapped' their fine, fat, sleek horses for the worn-out, sore-backed jades of the Rebels!" The fine blooded Kentucky horses, however, which were left behind in Indiana, though worn-out, were of such good stock that the breed of Indiana horses was greatly improved.At both Henryville and Vienna the railroad depots were burned, the tracks torn up and the telegraph wires cut. At Vienna they also burnt the water station, the turntable and a railroad bridge which spanned Pigeon Roost Creek. All of these structures were built of wood, as was the custom then. In Vienna they also robbed the stores and private houses.”[v]
Through a defector, the Union was given a glimpse into Morgan’s mind. Yet, they failed to believe the information and continued a hurried effort to prevent Morgan from crossing the Ohio River near Madison.
“Indianapolis, July 10, 1863 – 1 p.m.
Major-General Burnside:
The following dispatches just received:
First Dispatch
Have just examined a reliable employee of the Jeffersonville Railroad, who left Vienna at 6 o’clock this morning. He says it was agreed in Vienna that Morgan himself with 11,000 men and from six to twelve pieces of artillery, passed through Vienna, toward Lexington, this morning. From this I judge Morgan’s whole force (say 4,000) are trying to cross the river.
Second Dispatch
A prisoner from Duke’s regiment left Morgan at Vienna this morning; deserted. He says the rebels were in great haste, and says all he could gather of the intention of the raid it was to pass through Indiana and Ohio and join Lee in the East; that the programme was carried out up to his leaving. I have no doubt they are hurrying to cross the river.
John Love,
Brigadier-General
O. B. Willcox,
Brigadier-General”[vi]
“Memphis, Ind., July 11, 1863.
General Boyle, Louisville, KY:
Send all the cavalry force and artillery you can to Vienna this evening. General Hobson is in the advance.
J. M. Shackleford.”[vii]
ENDNOTES
[i] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[ii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.719
[iii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.719
[iv] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[v] Wilson, Mary and Asher, Sharon Y. “ Lexington” Morgan’s Raid http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/7705/MorgansRaid.htm
[vi] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.722.
[vii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.725
Palmyra, New Pekin and, Salem
“As near they drew and nearer my heart beat fast in alarm;
But still I stood in the doorway, with baby on my arm.
They came; they passed; with spur and whip in haste they sped along;
Morgan, Morgan the raider, and his band six hundred strong.” [i]
Spirits ran high amid the Union soldiers pursuing Morgan.
“Friday July 10
Rebs reported ten miles ahead and we are after them again. Pass through Corydon. Enthusiastic cheering by citizens. Joined by a lot of squirrel hunters of Indiana. Travel till after dark. Camped five miles from Salem.”
~ Charles W. Durling, Company G, 45th Ohio Infantry [ii]
Union leadership however was in a state of disharmony. It was difficult to know any fact with certainty. Tracking the movements and progress of both Morgan and the Union troops pursuing him was becoming a nightmarish task. Unreliable reports, exaggerated counts, long distances, flooded rivers, downed telegraph wires, missing couriers, spies, wire taps, and an alcoholic general who refused to receive orders complicated an already marginally functioning system.
“July 10, 1863
General Boyle, Louisville, KY:
What is the state of affairs this morning? Do you hear anything of Hobson or Judah? Has the battery arrived from here yet? Have the troops from below arrived, and where is Colonel Moore? Don’t fail to send back the Seventy-first Indiana and the battery if you become satisfied that the rebels are moving north. Hobson must pursue rapidly and overtake Morgan. Report soon. Answer in cipher.
A. E. Burnside,
Major-General.” [iii]
The nature of the movement of 2,500 cavalrymen is hard for the modern, civilian mind to comprehend. At times Morgan’s Men were spread in a long serpentine file over a single road much like the current of an impressive river. On other days, the mighty surge of men broke into slender rivulets randomly streaming across the countryside, and flowing along the paths of least resistance. By separating into multiple groups, the men could more easily search for fresh horses, seek food, and confuse the Union scout’s knowledge as to which the direction the main column might be traveling.
Thus, leaving Salem, Morgan broke apart his force. Morgan and his command moved toward Palmyra while he sent one group off to forage in Paoli and another to Greenville.
When the main force of Morgan’s Raiders came into view near Palmyra, 350 frightened militiamen selected to retreat. Again Morgan divided his men sending one group off to destroy a railroad bridge and another off to scout Salem.
“July 10. Attacked Palmyra and captured a small force of the enemy. Then moved on Salem, where after some fighting, a considerable force surrendered to us. Here we destroyed heavy supplies, a depot, and several bridges. Then we captured Canton, tore up the railroad, tore down the telegraph, and then rapidly moved on, like an irresistible storm, to the vicinity of Vienna, where, for a brief period, we bivouacked. The citizens seemed frightened almost to death, for Federal papers have published the wildest tales about us. The Governors of Indiana and Ohio have ordered out all able-bodied men, and we have already fought decrepit, white-haired age and buoyant, blithe boyhood.”
~ Lt. Col. James B. McCreary, 11th Kentucky Cavalry CSA [iv]
Morgan was in good humor.
“Give the lady enough cloth to make herself a dress. Give her the whole bolt. She’ll need it!”
~ John Hunt Morgan upon witnessing a stout Indiana matron scolding his cavalry as they past her home [v]
The Union leadership however, were feeling rather miffed.
“ Louisville, July 10 , 1863
General Hartsuff:
Wires all cut in Indiana. Morgan’s force reached the railroad. I cannot communicate with General Burnside. Can you inform me when Colonel Sanders will reach Eminence? I will send special train or messenger to him. I have sent courier to General Judah to move to Elizabethtown, and report his arrival to me.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General.” [vi]
General Henry M. Judah was a notorious drunkard. His leadership ability had been under question since 1854 when he was found to be too inebriated to lead his men against a group of Native Americans. His unseemly behavior was recorded by Lieutenant George Crook:
"It seemed that the rear guard had gotten some whiskey, and were all drunk, and scattered for at least 10 miles back. Judah was so drunk that be had to be lifted from his horse when the rear guard straggled into camp. The next day he was sick all day with the delirium tremens.”
Judah’s performance through the Civil War was dismal (save his remarkably humanitarian gesture in Georgia wherein he issued rations to straving captives) and horrifically mared by his alcoholism.
Jeremiah T. Boyle was also a paradox. A slave-owning Kentuckian, Boyle had argued for gradual emancipation. Yet, Boyle had sided with theUnion and after providing military service which included fighting in the Battle of Shiloh, he was appointed Military Governor of Kentucky by Abraham Lincoln in May of 1862. By July of 1863, Boyle had already dispatched Federal troops several times to combat the raids by led John Hunt Mogan. In fighting to save the Union, Boyle, very much like the persident he served, had a direct hand in destroying both resources and lives in his beloved home state.
Disputes between Judah and Boyles only made it easier for Morgan to keep his cavalry ahead of the pursuing Union forces.
Just beyond Palmyra Morgan split his men into three parties in order to secure food, procure horses and confuse the Union forces trying to both follow and predict his movements.
“It must be borne in mind that in Morgan’s sweep across three States, a distance of nearly one thousand miles, he swept his line of march, and for some distance on each side, almost clean of horses, giving his command almost daily remounts, leaving us, his pursuers, to secure our remounts with extreme difficulty.
~ Captain Theodore F. Allen, Seventh Ohio Cavalry [vii]
While crossing Blue River near New Pekin, Captain William J. Davis and his men were captured by a group consisting of the 73rd Indiana Infantry and a detachment of the 5th U.S. Regulars. Davis was taken to New Albany in held the county jail.
Boyles still wasn’t entirely certain of the position of Morgan’s position.
Indianapolis, July 12, 1863.
General Boyle:
The following just received:
Since my last, Colonel Heffner, at Salem, telegraphs me that skirmish took place at Pekin, in which we killed 1 and wounded 5, and took about 20 prisoners. My pickets have been twice disturbed tonight, and cannon have been distinctly heard in the direction of Salem about half an hour ago.
W. C. Kise,
Colonel, Commanding at Mitchell
O. B. Willcox.” [viii]
The splintered groups of Raiders rejoined in Salem. Upon entering the town, Morgan agreed not to destroy the town’s mills in exchange for a payment of $1,000 per mill. However, the depot, railcars, water tower, and two bridges were destroyed. And all the saloons looted of their whiskey. After the whiskey, the plundering grew out of hand as men sought presents for their wives and sweethearts.. One man was seen carrying a cage full of canaries, another carried pairs of ice skates; still others tied bolts of calico to their saddles. On the way to Canton the Raiders tore up railroad tracks and tore down telegraph wires.[ix]
“INDIANAPOLIS, July 10. – The rebels captured Salem this morning, burned the depot of the Louisville and Chicago Railroad and took 500 home guards prisoners. No particulars of the fight received. A prisoners who escaped, reached Seymour this evening, says General Morgan’s forces, 7,000 strong with six pieces of artillery, left Salem this afternoon, moving eastward; supposed purpose to strike the Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad at Vienna and Seymour. General Hobson, with forty-five hundred cavalry, was at noon today in close pursuit, being fifteen miles in the rear. When last heard from, the rebels were at Canton. The home guards were retarding the progress of the rebels by felling trees and bushwhacking. Brigadier-General Carrington has assumed command of the Indiana Militia, and has already assigned a large portion of the companies to report to regiments and brigades. At least fifty thousand will have reported for duty tomorrow morning.
~ The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer [x]
“Friday July 10th, 1863. Weather clear. We fed our horses and got some meat and bread. By this time our regiment came up and we took our places in ranks. Our regiment was in the rear of the first Brigade and in advance of the second Brigade. The city of Salem, Ind. surrendered before we got there without much opposition. The courthouse and pavement was crowded with home guard prisoners. They were being paroled and turned loose as fast as possible. We got some fresh horses here. I gave up my broken down C. S. horse for a heavy made road pony. Some of our men rigged up a new wagon with new harness and fresh horses and filled it with captured ammunition.”
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [xi]
Again Morgan divided his men. One column dipped southward, crossing the Jeffersonville and Indianapolis Railroad at Henryville. The other traveled through Canton, New Philadelphia and Leota.
Each day he [Morgan] and his men spent an average of 21 hours in the saddle. [xii]
This hurried pace left the Union leadership frantically telegraphing each other for any information on Morgan.
“Louisville, July 10, 1863 – 4 p. m.
General Hartsuff:
Morgan passed from Corydon toward Salem, which he occupied today; part of town was fired. Last reposts that he moved northward from there. I believe unless he concludes to go to National road, and go through Indiana, and thence to Western Virginia, he will endeavor to cross above this city, and take Madison at Grass Flats, where he will attempt to ford. Hobson is in pursuit. Don’t know where General Judah is. If Morgan crosses above, he will move for Frankfort, Harrodsburg, or Lexington. I will advise you of his movements as I am informed.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General” [xiii]
“Mitchell, Ind., July 10, 1863
General Boyle:
Morgan is now north of Salem. He came near capturing one of our trains after troops. Salem is reported on fire.
Budd,
Captain.” [xiv]
“Salem, Ind., July 11, 1863.
General Boyle:
I am here with my command; marched 50 miles yesterday. Morgan has gone in direction of Madison. If he can be checked up in front, I will attack him in rear. Fresh horses cannot be procured in this part of the state. My men have all been fed, and will push on, if you do not order otherwise.
E. H. Hobson,
Brigadier-General.” [xv]
ENDNOTES
[i] Woolson, Constance Fennimore. “Kentucky Belle.”
[ii] Diary of Charles W. Durling.
[iii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.718.
[iv] Diary of James B. McCreary.
[v] Souder, Marjorie Ann Martin. Outdoor Indiana, Vol. 40, No. 6, July-August 1975, p. 34.
[vi] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, pages 718 – 719.
[vii] Allen, Theodore F. “In Pursuit of John Morgan,” Sketches of War History 1861-1865, Papers prepared for the Commandery of the Sate of Ohio, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States 1896 -1903, pages 230-231.
[viii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.732.
[ix] Student Tour Guide, John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail 1863.
[x] Daily Cincinnati Enquirer, July 11, 1863.
[xi] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[xii] The International Museum of the Horse http://www.kyhorsepark.com/museum/history.php?chapter=81
[xiii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.719.
[xiv] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.723.
[xv] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.724.
But still I stood in the doorway, with baby on my arm.
They came; they passed; with spur and whip in haste they sped along;
Morgan, Morgan the raider, and his band six hundred strong.” [i]
Spirits ran high amid the Union soldiers pursuing Morgan.
“Friday July 10
Rebs reported ten miles ahead and we are after them again. Pass through Corydon. Enthusiastic cheering by citizens. Joined by a lot of squirrel hunters of Indiana. Travel till after dark. Camped five miles from Salem.”
~ Charles W. Durling, Company G, 45th Ohio Infantry [ii]
Union leadership however was in a state of disharmony. It was difficult to know any fact with certainty. Tracking the movements and progress of both Morgan and the Union troops pursuing him was becoming a nightmarish task. Unreliable reports, exaggerated counts, long distances, flooded rivers, downed telegraph wires, missing couriers, spies, wire taps, and an alcoholic general who refused to receive orders complicated an already marginally functioning system.
“July 10, 1863
General Boyle, Louisville, KY:
What is the state of affairs this morning? Do you hear anything of Hobson or Judah? Has the battery arrived from here yet? Have the troops from below arrived, and where is Colonel Moore? Don’t fail to send back the Seventy-first Indiana and the battery if you become satisfied that the rebels are moving north. Hobson must pursue rapidly and overtake Morgan. Report soon. Answer in cipher.
A. E. Burnside,
Major-General.” [iii]
The nature of the movement of 2,500 cavalrymen is hard for the modern, civilian mind to comprehend. At times Morgan’s Men were spread in a long serpentine file over a single road much like the current of an impressive river. On other days, the mighty surge of men broke into slender rivulets randomly streaming across the countryside, and flowing along the paths of least resistance. By separating into multiple groups, the men could more easily search for fresh horses, seek food, and confuse the Union scout’s knowledge as to which the direction the main column might be traveling.
Thus, leaving Salem, Morgan broke apart his force. Morgan and his command moved toward Palmyra while he sent one group off to forage in Paoli and another to Greenville.
When the main force of Morgan’s Raiders came into view near Palmyra, 350 frightened militiamen selected to retreat. Again Morgan divided his men sending one group off to destroy a railroad bridge and another off to scout Salem.
“July 10. Attacked Palmyra and captured a small force of the enemy. Then moved on Salem, where after some fighting, a considerable force surrendered to us. Here we destroyed heavy supplies, a depot, and several bridges. Then we captured Canton, tore up the railroad, tore down the telegraph, and then rapidly moved on, like an irresistible storm, to the vicinity of Vienna, where, for a brief period, we bivouacked. The citizens seemed frightened almost to death, for Federal papers have published the wildest tales about us. The Governors of Indiana and Ohio have ordered out all able-bodied men, and we have already fought decrepit, white-haired age and buoyant, blithe boyhood.”
~ Lt. Col. James B. McCreary, 11th Kentucky Cavalry CSA [iv]
Morgan was in good humor.
“Give the lady enough cloth to make herself a dress. Give her the whole bolt. She’ll need it!”
~ John Hunt Morgan upon witnessing a stout Indiana matron scolding his cavalry as they past her home [v]
The Union leadership however, were feeling rather miffed.
“ Louisville, July 10 , 1863
General Hartsuff:
Wires all cut in Indiana. Morgan’s force reached the railroad. I cannot communicate with General Burnside. Can you inform me when Colonel Sanders will reach Eminence? I will send special train or messenger to him. I have sent courier to General Judah to move to Elizabethtown, and report his arrival to me.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General.” [vi]
General Henry M. Judah was a notorious drunkard. His leadership ability had been under question since 1854 when he was found to be too inebriated to lead his men against a group of Native Americans. His unseemly behavior was recorded by Lieutenant George Crook:
"It seemed that the rear guard had gotten some whiskey, and were all drunk, and scattered for at least 10 miles back. Judah was so drunk that be had to be lifted from his horse when the rear guard straggled into camp. The next day he was sick all day with the delirium tremens.”
Judah’s performance through the Civil War was dismal (save his remarkably humanitarian gesture in Georgia wherein he issued rations to straving captives) and horrifically mared by his alcoholism.
Jeremiah T. Boyle was also a paradox. A slave-owning Kentuckian, Boyle had argued for gradual emancipation. Yet, Boyle had sided with theUnion and after providing military service which included fighting in the Battle of Shiloh, he was appointed Military Governor of Kentucky by Abraham Lincoln in May of 1862. By July of 1863, Boyle had already dispatched Federal troops several times to combat the raids by led John Hunt Mogan. In fighting to save the Union, Boyle, very much like the persident he served, had a direct hand in destroying both resources and lives in his beloved home state.
Disputes between Judah and Boyles only made it easier for Morgan to keep his cavalry ahead of the pursuing Union forces.
Just beyond Palmyra Morgan split his men into three parties in order to secure food, procure horses and confuse the Union forces trying to both follow and predict his movements.
“It must be borne in mind that in Morgan’s sweep across three States, a distance of nearly one thousand miles, he swept his line of march, and for some distance on each side, almost clean of horses, giving his command almost daily remounts, leaving us, his pursuers, to secure our remounts with extreme difficulty.
~ Captain Theodore F. Allen, Seventh Ohio Cavalry [vii]
While crossing Blue River near New Pekin, Captain William J. Davis and his men were captured by a group consisting of the 73rd Indiana Infantry and a detachment of the 5th U.S. Regulars. Davis was taken to New Albany in held the county jail.
Boyles still wasn’t entirely certain of the position of Morgan’s position.
Indianapolis, July 12, 1863.
General Boyle:
The following just received:
Since my last, Colonel Heffner, at Salem, telegraphs me that skirmish took place at Pekin, in which we killed 1 and wounded 5, and took about 20 prisoners. My pickets have been twice disturbed tonight, and cannon have been distinctly heard in the direction of Salem about half an hour ago.
W. C. Kise,
Colonel, Commanding at Mitchell
O. B. Willcox.” [viii]
The splintered groups of Raiders rejoined in Salem. Upon entering the town, Morgan agreed not to destroy the town’s mills in exchange for a payment of $1,000 per mill. However, the depot, railcars, water tower, and two bridges were destroyed. And all the saloons looted of their whiskey. After the whiskey, the plundering grew out of hand as men sought presents for their wives and sweethearts.. One man was seen carrying a cage full of canaries, another carried pairs of ice skates; still others tied bolts of calico to their saddles. On the way to Canton the Raiders tore up railroad tracks and tore down telegraph wires.[ix]
“INDIANAPOLIS, July 10. – The rebels captured Salem this morning, burned the depot of the Louisville and Chicago Railroad and took 500 home guards prisoners. No particulars of the fight received. A prisoners who escaped, reached Seymour this evening, says General Morgan’s forces, 7,000 strong with six pieces of artillery, left Salem this afternoon, moving eastward; supposed purpose to strike the Indianapolis and Louisville Railroad at Vienna and Seymour. General Hobson, with forty-five hundred cavalry, was at noon today in close pursuit, being fifteen miles in the rear. When last heard from, the rebels were at Canton. The home guards were retarding the progress of the rebels by felling trees and bushwhacking. Brigadier-General Carrington has assumed command of the Indiana Militia, and has already assigned a large portion of the companies to report to regiments and brigades. At least fifty thousand will have reported for duty tomorrow morning.
~ The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer [x]
“Friday July 10th, 1863. Weather clear. We fed our horses and got some meat and bread. By this time our regiment came up and we took our places in ranks. Our regiment was in the rear of the first Brigade and in advance of the second Brigade. The city of Salem, Ind. surrendered before we got there without much opposition. The courthouse and pavement was crowded with home guard prisoners. They were being paroled and turned loose as fast as possible. We got some fresh horses here. I gave up my broken down C. S. horse for a heavy made road pony. Some of our men rigged up a new wagon with new harness and fresh horses and filled it with captured ammunition.”
~ Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. [xi]
Again Morgan divided his men. One column dipped southward, crossing the Jeffersonville and Indianapolis Railroad at Henryville. The other traveled through Canton, New Philadelphia and Leota.
Each day he [Morgan] and his men spent an average of 21 hours in the saddle. [xii]
This hurried pace left the Union leadership frantically telegraphing each other for any information on Morgan.
“Louisville, July 10, 1863 – 4 p. m.
General Hartsuff:
Morgan passed from Corydon toward Salem, which he occupied today; part of town was fired. Last reposts that he moved northward from there. I believe unless he concludes to go to National road, and go through Indiana, and thence to Western Virginia, he will endeavor to cross above this city, and take Madison at Grass Flats, where he will attempt to ford. Hobson is in pursuit. Don’t know where General Judah is. If Morgan crosses above, he will move for Frankfort, Harrodsburg, or Lexington. I will advise you of his movements as I am informed.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General” [xiii]
“Mitchell, Ind., July 10, 1863
General Boyle:
Morgan is now north of Salem. He came near capturing one of our trains after troops. Salem is reported on fire.
Budd,
Captain.” [xiv]
“Salem, Ind., July 11, 1863.
General Boyle:
I am here with my command; marched 50 miles yesterday. Morgan has gone in direction of Madison. If he can be checked up in front, I will attack him in rear. Fresh horses cannot be procured in this part of the state. My men have all been fed, and will push on, if you do not order otherwise.
E. H. Hobson,
Brigadier-General.” [xv]
ENDNOTES
[i] Woolson, Constance Fennimore. “Kentucky Belle.”
[ii] Diary of Charles W. Durling.
[iii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.718.
[iv] Diary of James B. McCreary.
[v] Souder, Marjorie Ann Martin. Outdoor Indiana, Vol. 40, No. 6, July-August 1975, p. 34.
[vi] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, pages 718 – 719.
[vii] Allen, Theodore F. “In Pursuit of John Morgan,” Sketches of War History 1861-1865, Papers prepared for the Commandery of the Sate of Ohio, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States 1896 -1903, pages 230-231.
[viii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.732.
[ix] Student Tour Guide, John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail 1863.
[x] Daily Cincinnati Enquirer, July 11, 1863.
[xi] Journal of Curtis R. Burke.
[xii] The International Museum of the Horse http://www.kyhorsepark.com/museum/history.php?chapter=81
[xiii] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.719.
[xiv] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.723.
[xv] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, p.724.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
A Letter from Captain Thomas M.Combs
Captain Combs wrote to his wife describing the Raid across
“’Twas a calm still morning. All nature had put on her most attire. The steady breeze from the Sunny South caused the forest through which we threaded our winding pathway to appear a living green. I was in command of a scout, a mile to the left of our advancing column. Ascending a gentle slope to a wide plateau of elevated ground, the eye looked over a beautiful landscape to the west, north and east for miles upon miles. On my right, over fields of waving grain, waiting for the sickle, I could just discern our advance guard in command of Colonel Dick Morgan. My eyes followed him leading his gallant men to within two hundred yards of a fine dwelling. Suddenly and unexpectantly, a sheet of flame lit up the doors and windows of this place, and one of Colonel Dick’s men fell, to rise no more. The advance was checked but only for a moment. The yell with which our boys went at them was conclusive evidence of their indomitable courage, as well as their certainty of success. Ten minutes elapsed before I reached the scene of the conflict. Colonel Dick and his men had all left, and the only sounds that broke the solemn stillness was the roaring of the flames as they fast encircles the beautiful mansion, and the heart-rendering cries of the wife and children. The owner lay mortally wounded on a lounge in the garden surrounded by his wife and children, who had thus at one fell blow been bereft of husband, home and father. Close to the burning house lay two men that a few minutes before had been our enemies, and close to them lay, weltering in blood, one of our own men who was always foremost in the fight. I turned from this melancholy spectacle and rode onward ruminating upon the horrors of this unjust war, and thinking of my far distant home.”
~ Captain Thomas M. Combs, Company G, 5th KY Cavalry[i]
ENDNOTES
[i] Thomas M. Coombs’ letter to his wife Lou,
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
JUDAH: The North’s Unruly General
Morgan was not the only Civil War general inclined to disobey direct orders. Brigadier-General Boyle struggled with both General Judah and gunboats as he sought to apprehend Morgan.
“Cincinnati, July 9, 1863
General Hartsuff, Stanford, KY:
General Judah refused to obey the order of General Boyle, and consequently is far out of the way, where he can do no one any good. General Boyle must have full authority to move troops until this emergency passes. The rebels are now in Indiana, in rear of Louisville and New Albany, and unless we can concentrate troops rapidly we are liable to lose those two places. I asked you some time ago where Byrd and Sanders were.
A. E. Burnside,
Major-General
Stanford, July 9, 1863.
General Burnside:
Immediately after my arrival here today, I sent dispatch authorizing Boyle to order two regiments from Munfordville to Louisville and the fragments of Moore’s regiment from Lebanon. I notified Judah and Manson that Boyle was so authorized. The message went after Judah’s refusal to obey Boyle’s order and would correct. I preferred this to issuing the order myself, as Boyle would know what arrangements to make with railroad. Many of my messages have been strangely delayed or misunderstood. I sent you also the whereabouts of Sanders and Byrd. Sanders intended going, via Perryville, to Bardstown, and I gave him nearly the same instructions I gave Colonel David, but before he got off I received a message from you and sent it immediately to him. He is acting on these instructions. I gave him no other. Following is the message:
Have Sanders send forces in direction of Lawrenceburg and Frankfort. Byrd has between 500 and 600 at Lebanon; the remainder at Camp Nelson. If railroad is open to Munfordville, I can see no difficulty in getting troops from there in time; if not, I might force a couple of infantry regiments to Danville or Lebanon, to take rail for Louisville.
Would not advise unless you consider it absolutely necessary. Sanders is occupied with between 100 and 200, who are trying to cross Kentucky River and escape, via Mount Sterling. Heard this eve they had succeeded in crossing. I leave for Danville tomorrow. Think I will leave the infantry here for a little while. All quiet in front.
Geo. L. Hartsuff,
Major-General
Louisville, July 9, 1863 – 4 p.m.
Major-General Hartsuff:
Morgan was within 4 miles of Corydon, which place is 20 miles from New Albany. Without troops sent here, if Morgan comes, no show of resistance can be offered. He was at Brandenburg, and no means to cross river. I have endeavored to get transports and the gunboats to convoy them. Gunboats are under no one’s orders; never reported to me. I could bring Manson’s troops from Munfordville, if I had authority, and send them back. I brought troops from Nashville and all intermediate points during Morgan’s first raid, and never lost a bridge.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General.”[i]
ENDNOTES
[i] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, pages 713-714.
“Cincinnati, July 9, 1863
General Hartsuff, Stanford, KY:
General Judah refused to obey the order of General Boyle, and consequently is far out of the way, where he can do no one any good. General Boyle must have full authority to move troops until this emergency passes. The rebels are now in Indiana, in rear of Louisville and New Albany, and unless we can concentrate troops rapidly we are liable to lose those two places. I asked you some time ago where Byrd and Sanders were.
A. E. Burnside,
Major-General
Stanford, July 9, 1863.
General Burnside:
Immediately after my arrival here today, I sent dispatch authorizing Boyle to order two regiments from Munfordville to Louisville and the fragments of Moore’s regiment from Lebanon. I notified Judah and Manson that Boyle was so authorized. The message went after Judah’s refusal to obey Boyle’s order and would correct. I preferred this to issuing the order myself, as Boyle would know what arrangements to make with railroad. Many of my messages have been strangely delayed or misunderstood. I sent you also the whereabouts of Sanders and Byrd. Sanders intended going, via Perryville, to Bardstown, and I gave him nearly the same instructions I gave Colonel David, but before he got off I received a message from you and sent it immediately to him. He is acting on these instructions. I gave him no other. Following is the message:
Have Sanders send forces in direction of Lawrenceburg and Frankfort. Byrd has between 500 and 600 at Lebanon; the remainder at Camp Nelson. If railroad is open to Munfordville, I can see no difficulty in getting troops from there in time; if not, I might force a couple of infantry regiments to Danville or Lebanon, to take rail for Louisville.
Would not advise unless you consider it absolutely necessary. Sanders is occupied with between 100 and 200, who are trying to cross Kentucky River and escape, via Mount Sterling. Heard this eve they had succeeded in crossing. I leave for Danville tomorrow. Think I will leave the infantry here for a little while. All quiet in front.
Geo. L. Hartsuff,
Major-General
Louisville, July 9, 1863 – 4 p.m.
Major-General Hartsuff:
Morgan was within 4 miles of Corydon, which place is 20 miles from New Albany. Without troops sent here, if Morgan comes, no show of resistance can be offered. He was at Brandenburg, and no means to cross river. I have endeavored to get transports and the gunboats to convoy them. Gunboats are under no one’s orders; never reported to me. I could bring Manson’s troops from Munfordville, if I had authority, and send them back. I brought troops from Nashville and all intermediate points during Morgan’s first raid, and never lost a bridge.
J. T. Boyle,
Brigadier-General.”[i]
ENDNOTES
[i] “Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies,” Part I –Reports, pages 713-714.
BURKE’S JOURNAL: July 9, 1863
The following memories were recorded by Curtis R. Burke, 14th Kentucky Calvary, Co. B. He paints such a compelling picture of the Battle of Corydon, it seemed only fitting to present his work as a whole.
Thursday, July 9th, 1863. Weather pleasant. About sun up we saddled up and moved a few miles and stopped in a lot near a house. We got plenty of corn from the crib. There was a large pond in the center of the lot. Henry Bethods of company A was wounded in the arm accidentally by a shot from a pistol in hands of John Camdon of the same company who was cleaning it at the time. The boys got all of the meat and bread in the house then got into the milk, butter and preserves in the diary. On these I made a good breakfast. We had some bushwhackers at the house prisoners and some boys scared them very much by telling them that General Morgan was going to shoot them. The lady of the house appeared to be in a great stew or fret. I suppose her weight was something near two hundred and fifty. As soon as our horses were done eating we moved on. About ten o’clock the advance guard was fired on by men in the bushes who would fire and run. Our advance guard was from the regiment, each company being represented and were led by Winder Monroe. When we got about three miles from Corydon John Dunn of company D or Capt. Hines Co. was killed from a house. Hutty Hutchison [M. Hutcherson] and several others of my company received orders to burn the house. Hutchison went in and the woman declared that there was no men or arms in the house and begged Hutchison not to burn the house. He paid no attention to her but got fire from the stove and commenced firing the beds and bookcase. In a few minutes the old man and young son came bouncing down stairs and tried to put the fire out. Hutchison attempted to stop the old man and the old fellow the pitched into him and tired to take his carbine from him. In the scuffle Hutchison found that the old man was stronger than he was and determined to use his carbine if he could. He soon managed to get the muzzle of his gun against the old man’s thigh and fired. The old man still contended for the gun. Hutchison called to Huston Garvin to shoot him! Shoot him!! Garvin then cocked his gun and pressed the muzzle against the old man’s side. The old man instantly released his grip on the gun and said, “I give up.” Being weak from his wound he staggered out and laid down in the yard. The flow of blood could not be stopped and the old man soon bled to death. By this time the house was all in flames. The women made a great fuss over it. There seems to have been a good many loaded guns in the upper story of the house for a good many reports were distinctly heard above the roar of the flames. During the above Transaction the regiment was halted in the road. We then received orders to go on a scout to the right of Corydon. A guide was furnished us and we took a road to the right through the woods and went a mile or so when the advance caught sight of some bushwhackers and we all put out after them on a double quick. Turning a corner to the right at a house where some women and children were crying I saw a fine pair of boots on the side of the road that some of the boys ahead had dropped. I thought that I would have time to stop and get them so I rode out, dismounted, and got the. Just then a heavy volley was fired into us from the woods just about [a] stone’s throw ahead. My horse was restless and before I could mount, the rear of my company closed up and dismounted to fight and I could not get to my position in the first section. I was holding my horse and five or six reins was partly forced into my hands. The boys thinking I was a No. 3 or horse holder. Before I could turn around our boys had taken to the trees. The bullets came pretty thick and low but our boys soon made the work too hot for the bushwhackers and they run taking off their wounded and leaving one man dead on the field. The causalities on our side was M. Johnson got his foot shattered, Charles Bess [or Best] got a deep graze on the side of his head, both of the advance guard. R. S. Porter of Co. C got a shot in his hand, L. P. Thorp badly wounded in the shoulder. The wounded and a couple of prisoners we had captured in the skirmish were sent to the rear. Then we all mounted and took a road to the right through the woods on a double quick, the guide keeping in front with the advance and the advance from twenty five to a hundred yards in advance of the regiment. We went about three miles bearing a little to the left when the advance vidette sent word back that the bushwhackers were ahead. We galloped into a large stubble field and formed a line in the center of the field on a double quick. As fast as the companies got into line they dismounted to fight, then we double quicked about fifty yards to the top of a little rise in front of a house which brought us within a hundred yards of a clump of trees where a group of about a dozen mounted men had just ridden up. “There they are! Give it to them boys!” ran along our line. I had a fair shot. They broke without returning the fire leaving one man dead. We followed them about a hundred yards or so loading as we run. Some got two shots. I did not get a second. We could see the bushwhackers and home guards galloping past us on the pike some distance below us into Corydon. We could see Corydon on our left. Our horses came up and we mounted and went to the pike, then took right down the pike about two hundred yards to a house. The regiment formed behind the house in an orchard and company B (my company) dismounted and got in an old log stable on the side of the pike to keep the yanks from escaping from town on that road as our forces were all around town and we felt sure of taking it. We had a clear view of the pike for about two hundred yards and good cracks between the logs of the stable to shoot from both below and in the left. I laid a lot of my cartridge in a trough before me hoping to get a chance to use them soon. We waited for half an hour, one person made his appearance and we captured him and returned to the regiment. There was a dozen or so home guards came up the pike from the country but on seeing us they halted. The boys hollowed to them to come on, that we would whip the robbers and etc. So they took it for granted that we were home guards also, so they came right up and were very much surprised when they were informed that they were prisoners in the hands of Morgan’s men. There was another lot came in sight and halted. The boys had a considerable argument whether they were our men or Yanks. We all looked so much alike. We knew there was other scouts out from command besides ourselves. We tired to call this second lot to us, but they would not come. Some of the boys saw bayonets in their crowd and decided they were Yanks and fired at them and they broke back. One of the first prisoners said that there was a wagon load of provisions cooked just behind the party that we drove back and if we had fired we would have captured the wagon. The boys regretted very much not getting hold of the wagon. The prisoners said that they were going to Corydon in compliance with a general order to help drive the rebels out of the country. They were on foot. Some of the officers paroled them to go back home. Then we mounted and moved towards Corydon falling in with one of our regiments coming from the direction that we had come. We stopped at a place where about two companies of the enemy had surrendered and ground their arms. Several of us tried to trade off our old muskets for better guns, but the guard over them would not let us change. WE received news that Corydon had been surrendered, and moved on. As we passed the toll gate I saw among a scared looking group of women and children the large lady that lived at the house where we fed that morning. She hollowed to us, “Oh please don’t kill anybody or burn the town. Everybody has surrendered.” As we entered Corydon we sung The Bonnie Blue Flag. As we passed through town I noticed that every house was shut up and our men and the prisoners, some seven or eight hundred in number, were crowded in the streets. The houses were mostly white frame buildings. It is not a very large place but a tolerable good looking lace. We took the Salem pike, dismounting to fight five or six times in an hour. At one place my company was thrown out as skirmishers and went to a house looking for some home guards that went in that direction. The lady said that about twenty five men just went in that direction. The lady said that herself and her husband had never openly taken sides on either side, but stood neutral. We went no farther but returned to our regiment. At another place the advance came to a halt on a rise in the road. There was some mounted home guards near a house and stable in a bottom, cleared piece of land. My company was sent around the hillside to the left through the woods to get in the rear. The woods was very thick with undergrowth. We could scarcely keep our seats in the saddle riding single file. WE got into the position we wished but the game had fled with two exceptions. The advanced fired on them and got their horses. We galloped to the next house and halted till all got up, then moved on passing through the village of Palmyra, Ind. And halted to camp two miles beyond, about dusk, at a good looking house. We were all very tired and getting sleepy. Myself, Wm. Gibbons, Henry White, and others was called out on a detail for picket before going into camp. We immediately went down the road to the next house about a quarter of a mile and made it our base. There was a cross road a hundred yards below where the pickets stood. The family at the house were Dutch. We got plenty [of] corn for our horses and meat, bread, milk, cheese, and butter for ourselves, and no charge. One of the boys gave him a pair of ladies slippers as a present. He professed to be a little secesh but had to keep neutral. I and Henry White made a bed near our horses of our extra blankets. There was fifteen of us all together. I and William Gibbons stood together from three o’clock until five o’clock. We could hear bells ringing and cars whistling all through the night. Just before sun up the advance of the command commenced passing and we were relieved, but remained at the picket base.
The Bonnie Blue Flag
Harry McCarthy
We are a band of brothers and native to the soil,
Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil;
And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far,
"Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!"
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
As long as the Union was faithful to her trust,
Like friends and like brothers both kind were we and just;
But now, when Northern treachery attempts our rights to mar,
We hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
First gallant South Carolina nobly made the stand,
Then came Alabama, who took her by the hand;
Next quickly Mississippi, Georgia and Florida,
All raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Ye men of valor, gather round the banner of the right,
Texas and fair Louisiana join us in the fight;
Davis, our loved president, and Stephens statesman are,
Now rally round the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
And here's to old Virginia, the Old Dominion State,
Who with the young Confederacy at length has linked her fate;
Impelled by her example, now other states prepare,
To hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Then cheer, boys, cheer, raise the joyous shout,
For Arkansas and North Carolina now have both gone out;
And let another rousing cheer for Tennessee be given,
The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag has grown to be eleven.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Then here's to our Confederacy, strong are we and brave,
Like patriots of old we'll fight our heritage to save;
And rather than submit to shame, to die we would prefer,
So cheer for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Thursday, July 9th, 1863. Weather pleasant. About sun up we saddled up and moved a few miles and stopped in a lot near a house. We got plenty of corn from the crib. There was a large pond in the center of the lot. Henry Bethods of company A was wounded in the arm accidentally by a shot from a pistol in hands of John Camdon of the same company who was cleaning it at the time. The boys got all of the meat and bread in the house then got into the milk, butter and preserves in the diary. On these I made a good breakfast. We had some bushwhackers at the house prisoners and some boys scared them very much by telling them that General Morgan was going to shoot them. The lady of the house appeared to be in a great stew or fret. I suppose her weight was something near two hundred and fifty. As soon as our horses were done eating we moved on. About ten o’clock the advance guard was fired on by men in the bushes who would fire and run. Our advance guard was from the regiment, each company being represented and were led by Winder Monroe. When we got about three miles from Corydon John Dunn of company D or Capt. Hines Co. was killed from a house. Hutty Hutchison [M. Hutcherson] and several others of my company received orders to burn the house. Hutchison went in and the woman declared that there was no men or arms in the house and begged Hutchison not to burn the house. He paid no attention to her but got fire from the stove and commenced firing the beds and bookcase. In a few minutes the old man and young son came bouncing down stairs and tried to put the fire out. Hutchison attempted to stop the old man and the old fellow the pitched into him and tired to take his carbine from him. In the scuffle Hutchison found that the old man was stronger than he was and determined to use his carbine if he could. He soon managed to get the muzzle of his gun against the old man’s thigh and fired. The old man still contended for the gun. Hutchison called to Huston Garvin to shoot him! Shoot him!! Garvin then cocked his gun and pressed the muzzle against the old man’s side. The old man instantly released his grip on the gun and said, “I give up.” Being weak from his wound he staggered out and laid down in the yard. The flow of blood could not be stopped and the old man soon bled to death. By this time the house was all in flames. The women made a great fuss over it. There seems to have been a good many loaded guns in the upper story of the house for a good many reports were distinctly heard above the roar of the flames. During the above Transaction the regiment was halted in the road. We then received orders to go on a scout to the right of Corydon. A guide was furnished us and we took a road to the right through the woods and went a mile or so when the advance caught sight of some bushwhackers and we all put out after them on a double quick. Turning a corner to the right at a house where some women and children were crying I saw a fine pair of boots on the side of the road that some of the boys ahead had dropped. I thought that I would have time to stop and get them so I rode out, dismounted, and got the. Just then a heavy volley was fired into us from the woods just about [a] stone’s throw ahead. My horse was restless and before I could mount, the rear of my company closed up and dismounted to fight and I could not get to my position in the first section. I was holding my horse and five or six reins was partly forced into my hands. The boys thinking I was a No. 3 or horse holder. Before I could turn around our boys had taken to the trees. The bullets came pretty thick and low but our boys soon made the work too hot for the bushwhackers and they run taking off their wounded and leaving one man dead on the field. The causalities on our side was M. Johnson got his foot shattered, Charles Bess [or Best] got a deep graze on the side of his head, both of the advance guard. R. S. Porter of Co. C got a shot in his hand, L. P. Thorp badly wounded in the shoulder. The wounded and a couple of prisoners we had captured in the skirmish were sent to the rear. Then we all mounted and took a road to the right through the woods on a double quick, the guide keeping in front with the advance and the advance from twenty five to a hundred yards in advance of the regiment. We went about three miles bearing a little to the left when the advance vidette sent word back that the bushwhackers were ahead. We galloped into a large stubble field and formed a line in the center of the field on a double quick. As fast as the companies got into line they dismounted to fight, then we double quicked about fifty yards to the top of a little rise in front of a house which brought us within a hundred yards of a clump of trees where a group of about a dozen mounted men had just ridden up. “There they are! Give it to them boys!” ran along our line. I had a fair shot. They broke without returning the fire leaving one man dead. We followed them about a hundred yards or so loading as we run. Some got two shots. I did not get a second. We could see the bushwhackers and home guards galloping past us on the pike some distance below us into Corydon. We could see Corydon on our left. Our horses came up and we mounted and went to the pike, then took right down the pike about two hundred yards to a house. The regiment formed behind the house in an orchard and company B (my company) dismounted and got in an old log stable on the side of the pike to keep the yanks from escaping from town on that road as our forces were all around town and we felt sure of taking it. We had a clear view of the pike for about two hundred yards and good cracks between the logs of the stable to shoot from both below and in the left. I laid a lot of my cartridge in a trough before me hoping to get a chance to use them soon. We waited for half an hour, one person made his appearance and we captured him and returned to the regiment. There was a dozen or so home guards came up the pike from the country but on seeing us they halted. The boys hollowed to them to come on, that we would whip the robbers and etc. So they took it for granted that we were home guards also, so they came right up and were very much surprised when they were informed that they were prisoners in the hands of Morgan’s men. There was another lot came in sight and halted. The boys had a considerable argument whether they were our men or Yanks. We all looked so much alike. We knew there was other scouts out from command besides ourselves. We tired to call this second lot to us, but they would not come. Some of the boys saw bayonets in their crowd and decided they were Yanks and fired at them and they broke back. One of the first prisoners said that there was a wagon load of provisions cooked just behind the party that we drove back and if we had fired we would have captured the wagon. The boys regretted very much not getting hold of the wagon. The prisoners said that they were going to Corydon in compliance with a general order to help drive the rebels out of the country. They were on foot. Some of the officers paroled them to go back home. Then we mounted and moved towards Corydon falling in with one of our regiments coming from the direction that we had come. We stopped at a place where about two companies of the enemy had surrendered and ground their arms. Several of us tried to trade off our old muskets for better guns, but the guard over them would not let us change. WE received news that Corydon had been surrendered, and moved on. As we passed the toll gate I saw among a scared looking group of women and children the large lady that lived at the house where we fed that morning. She hollowed to us, “Oh please don’t kill anybody or burn the town. Everybody has surrendered.” As we entered Corydon we sung The Bonnie Blue Flag. As we passed through town I noticed that every house was shut up and our men and the prisoners, some seven or eight hundred in number, were crowded in the streets. The houses were mostly white frame buildings. It is not a very large place but a tolerable good looking lace. We took the Salem pike, dismounting to fight five or six times in an hour. At one place my company was thrown out as skirmishers and went to a house looking for some home guards that went in that direction. The lady said that about twenty five men just went in that direction. The lady said that herself and her husband had never openly taken sides on either side, but stood neutral. We went no farther but returned to our regiment. At another place the advance came to a halt on a rise in the road. There was some mounted home guards near a house and stable in a bottom, cleared piece of land. My company was sent around the hillside to the left through the woods to get in the rear. The woods was very thick with undergrowth. We could scarcely keep our seats in the saddle riding single file. WE got into the position we wished but the game had fled with two exceptions. The advanced fired on them and got their horses. We galloped to the next house and halted till all got up, then moved on passing through the village of Palmyra, Ind. And halted to camp two miles beyond, about dusk, at a good looking house. We were all very tired and getting sleepy. Myself, Wm. Gibbons, Henry White, and others was called out on a detail for picket before going into camp. We immediately went down the road to the next house about a quarter of a mile and made it our base. There was a cross road a hundred yards below where the pickets stood. The family at the house were Dutch. We got plenty [of] corn for our horses and meat, bread, milk, cheese, and butter for ourselves, and no charge. One of the boys gave him a pair of ladies slippers as a present. He professed to be a little secesh but had to keep neutral. I and Henry White made a bed near our horses of our extra blankets. There was fifteen of us all together. I and William Gibbons stood together from three o’clock until five o’clock. We could hear bells ringing and cars whistling all through the night. Just before sun up the advance of the command commenced passing and we were relieved, but remained at the picket base.
The Bonnie Blue Flag
Harry McCarthy
We are a band of brothers and native to the soil,
Fighting for the property we gained by honest toil;
And when our rights were threatened, the cry rose near and far,
"Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star!"
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
As long as the Union was faithful to her trust,
Like friends and like brothers both kind were we and just;
But now, when Northern treachery attempts our rights to mar,
We hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
First gallant South Carolina nobly made the stand,
Then came Alabama, who took her by the hand;
Next quickly Mississippi, Georgia and Florida,
All raised on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Ye men of valor, gather round the banner of the right,
Texas and fair Louisiana join us in the fight;
Davis, our loved president, and Stephens statesman are,
Now rally round the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
And here's to old Virginia, the Old Dominion State,
Who with the young Confederacy at length has linked her fate;
Impelled by her example, now other states prepare,
To hoist on high the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Then cheer, boys, cheer, raise the joyous shout,
For Arkansas and North Carolina now have both gone out;
And let another rousing cheer for Tennessee be given,
The single star of the Bonnie Blue Flag has grown to be eleven.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Then here's to our Confederacy, strong are we and brave,
Like patriots of old we'll fight our heritage to save;
And rather than submit to shame, to die we would prefer,
So cheer for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
Hurrah! Hurrah! For Southern rights hurrah!
Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star.
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