Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-04-01
Az AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT OF TIEE
DEATH or GEN. J. III. MORGAN.
BY AN EYE WITNESS.

{ BY AN EYE WITNESS.
From the Columbus (Ohio) Crisif.l
Happening 20 be present at the death
VI Gen. J. II. Morgan, have concluded
TO send YOU a few memoranda OF that
and its ACCOMMODATING events. ! accom-
PANIED the. expedition into Tennessee,
made for the purpose Of driving back
] Gen. GiIlem's brigade OF Federal cav
airy. We arrived at Grcenville early in
| the evening of the 81 OF Semtember
1861 Greenvile is distant from Bulls
Gap Gen. Gillem's pOsition) nine
lished his headquarters at the
house Of q Mrs. Williams, in the
town Of Greenville. His own
! brigade was sent on the road leading 10
| Rodgersville, TO point three miles from
/ Greenville, Tor the purpose OF getting for
age, and detachment Of Tennessee cav
airy, six hundred strong, was ordered
under Col. Bradford, 10 eneamp on the
road leading TO Bulls Gap, and TO picket
the roads leading toward Fhe enemy.
This force was not increased because a
large number Of horses could not be for
aged in that direction. The country be-
tween Greenville and the Gap is hilly,
and wild, and very poor. Gen. Gillem
stated afterward that he received infor-
nation Of the status of affairs about
Greenvilie at half past nine of that night |
He Immediately moved his command !
in the direction Of Greenville; when |
about five miles from TO town he halted /
and sent q detachment through |
the woods, and succeeded in getting on /
the flank of Bradford's command he I
drove him Bradford back from the /
road, leaving it open 10 Greenville. A 4
detachment Of four companies Of the 18th 1
Tennessee cavalry was then sent forward !
10 charge the town. They met with no
resistance. The square on which Mrs.
WIS house is situated (the house and |
grounds occupy the square,, was sur
rounded Immediately; officers of the staff
being aroused by the eouriers, Of whom
there were three or four at the front gate,
rushed out and were captured one by one. 1
Gen. Morgan attempted to escape through
the garden findingexit in that direction
cut of, he concealed himself among
some grape vines. He had no wea-
pom at all, Capt. Rogers having one
Df his pistols, Mr.. Johnson, 4. A. G.'s
clerk, the other. While the officers Of
his staff and coUriers were together un- J
der guard within twenty yards Of his ,
place of concealment, he necessarily r
heard the questions asked them and the
threats made against them. The ques-
ions were as 10 his whereabOuts-th :
threats to make them tell his place of ,
Seeing that there was no :
iope Of successful cOncealment, he came =
,ut and surrendered to Capt. Wilcox, Co. 9
Z, 18th Tennessee Cavalry. He had
.lready both Of Gen. Ms pistols IN his n
possession. This Captain sat on his
lorse lhe and fifteen or twenty others
lad ridden into the garden, having I
,TOken down the plank fence to a
ret I'M and cOnversed with the Gen d
raj and US for some time-abQut ten or
wenty minutes; he then rode off In Z
ew minutes after he had left man rode q
p and presented his gun at Gen. Nor {,
an: the General said "FOr Gods sake /
ont shoot mel am prisoner The Il
un was fired and the General fell. The
luzzie of the gun a Colts army rifle
ras within two feet OF MOrgan's breast
then it was discharged; his clothing
nd his body were blackened with pow
er. This man then dismounted and
lrew the Generals body across his
OTse, in front of the saddle, and rode u
bout town shouting "here's your horse
lief. When Gen. Gillem gave US per- Il
lissiOn to 90 and attend TO Gen. Ms al
ody, We found it lying in the road, Ii
bout one mile from the place where it 81
ad been shot. 1t Was 50 covered with I DC
lud that we could scarcely recognize it. IN
lac ball struck the center of the breast, 1t
bout three or four inches below its iunc- Gu
on with the neck, and came out behind GO
le left hip bone. He met his death as of
e met his foes thousand times before th
lere was no shrinking-nOt a quiVer OF In
agve-thOugh he saw murder in that th
'awny felon's eye. Kentucky viii vet vi
, H..e IL. q TO-.
ishing life and fearless death. And in sa
le land Of sun and flowers long Will Ia
IS deeds be the theme of song and to
Ory.n The man who shot him was pc
lmed Campbell, Of company G., 18th ou
annessee cavalry. He was promoted go
a Heutenancy for his JrgUeTy ON this hi
casion. IN
At Knoxville the staff officers were tel
cked up in iron cages, in a Jail whose Sc;
indOws had neither glass nor sash. They so
sd neither change Of clothing, nor over qu
ats nor blankets. These had all heen sol
ken from them. They were permitted up
gOinto the prison-yari i'm the daytime, Nv
ID they had a dead line there. IRE
We found AT Knoxville several officers frc
ID men of MOTgan's command, who had pc
en- taken two weeks before Us. They in
Id US that the soldiers who captured
ke Gen. Morgan alive. In
After this il was rum0red that the sol iU
ers Of Gen. Alorgans command re- bo
sed TO take as prisoners of war men M
longing to the l5uh Tennessee cavalry. tn
en-. Gillem sent a communication, un- alb
= a fiag Of truce 70 Gen Breckinriiye an
this subject, complaining that some th'
cmbers Of the 18Th had been killed, / en-
d stated that he supposed it was done the
retaliation for the repOrtedn - mur- etc
4 Of Gen. Morgan. he stated that jne
IN. Morgan had been killed in fair IS
Int, and inclosed a copy of a note from is J
pt. Rogers, of Gen. Morgan's staff, in wi
swer 10 one from him inquiring into ont
e circumstances OF zen. HOrgan's ext
ath. Rogers was then a prisoner in 4
N. Gillem's hands, cru
AZ the bottom Of this note was written, fur
: true copy. A, G, GiIlem, Brighten b0i
H. When Gen. BrecEinridge Gfler- no
.rd attacked and routed Gen. Gillem, rist
captured his headquarters desk and The
yate papers, among which was the int
ginal note Of Capt. Rogers, altered and tbs
lended to read as the copy Gen Gillem ant
1t Gen. b, and very different from the
! sad copy These papers are sIli in the
stence. tro