The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-08-22
JOHN MORaaN's DEATH.
How the Confederate General Was XII


How the Confederate General Was Killed.
The Story OF AN Eye Witness.
DR.. Gaines, of Slater, No, is one of the
three men who witnessed tho killing OF the
confederate General John Morgan. He hss re-
lated history of the affair of the Louis
vile Ceurier-Journsl, and it ia the frat state
ment of an eye witness that has ever bsen in
print
at has been nearly nineteen years since
that memorable incident occurred" he BE-
gan, 'but the events were so firmly i'm
pressed on my mind that do not think L
could ever forget the slightest particular. if
lived thousand. It was on the evening of
the Sd of September that General Nj organ es-
tablished his headquarters in Greenville
Our detachment, of which l was then adu-
tant, had ridden from Abingdon that day,
without anything to eat for either ourselves
or horses. do not remember how many
men we're with us at the time. The country
was very poor one, and they were sent out
in squads wherever they could find forage.
General Morgan fixed his headquarters at the
house Of q Mrs. Williams, while l en-.
camped with my detachment short distance
of.
81 think the general hsd slme Fremont.
ton of danger from the start. When ne rode
up 10 Mrs. Williams house s woman, who.
was ascertained to be her daughter, was sean
to ride swsy quickly. This awakened his
suspicious, and he inquired her object in
thus leaving, of her mother, but was told
that she had gone out into the country to est
wateTmelons at friends house. Mrs. VIII
Gsms told this very frankly, but added that
her daughter had husband in the federal
army, which was lying encsmped at Bulls
gap, a distance of eighteen miles from Green
Vile, and that he would probably have them
to fight next day. She did not say that her
daughter had gone to give them information
of our arrival, but declared that she would
be back in q short time. AS the evening
wore off the woman failed to return, and
General Morgan again questioned Mrs. VIII
lisms, but wss told that her daughters horse
had probably been taken by our troops, and
with this explanation he was forced to be
satisfied. / believe he thought that sn at
tack would probably be made sgsinst u the
next day, and in view of this it seems
little remarkable that he should have sent
the most of his men out of town. This could
not we'll be avoided, however, there
wss nothing for either them OF
their horses to eat in Greenville, and ne was
too humane a man TO be willing 10 see his
soldiers suffer for the provisions which they
could easily procure by scattering out in the
surrounding country. My headquarters with
the remnant of Colonel, Dick Morgan's detsch-
ment, of which l was in charge, were near
General Morgans. There was q rumor that
night that 3 federal spy was in town, and, in
company with Lieutenant Wade, l searched
the whole place over till midnight, but was IN
able to find anyone but the citizens and our
soldiers. returned to headquarters with
ha mt Of i'm 20
shortly after II o'clock, but was told that he
was in bed and asleep, so did not disturb
him. 1t had commenced to rain hard about
that time, and continued pouring down till
morning. That morning at daylight we had
been ordered to move. 1t viii be remembered
that our command was the only one near
town, the others being scattered around for
several miles out in the country. Before we
started l and Major. Lawrence Dick
son took our horses in town TO procure them
some hay. We found some feed after little
trouble, and while the horses were eating
strolled out to take look ct the place. just
then we hesrd shooting begin all over town.
We ran out into the square, and there was
six federal soldiers who hsd just
come out and ordered us TO come
were overpowered, we started to do so, but Is
sOOl ns VIC tnoJ COu1monScA
We returned the fire, end two of their men
ran, leaving four standing ground. We con-
tinued our firing until our pistols we're emp
tied, and then Dickinson suggested that as
| we had no more loads we had better surren-
| der; but though we offered to do 30 they
| kept up the attack. We then retreated
| around house, where they followed and &C
cepted our surrender. All this happened in
| less time than it has taken to tell it.
CATER capturing US we we're marched to
| General Morgsns headquarters, where the
shooting was still going on. A few other
| prisoners were there, and we were all put
together in charge of guard. While we
were standing there saw General Morgan
come out from under the house, which was
little elevated off the ground. He was &C.
companied by Lytton johnson, then quite
young man. By this time the town was
| filled with blue coats, and Captain Wilcox.s
federal officer, coming up with about twenty
men, General Morgan surrendered. As
well 20 / remember, there was 8 fence be-
tween the place where was standing and
where the general was, but we were only
| few yards apart. Captain Wilcox remained
talking few minutes and then turned TO
leave. He was riding General Morgan's ia
nous forrel horse, which some of his men
had just captured, and we're joking him about
having it at last in hii possession. About
| fifteen minutes after he left Sergeant w. 4.
| Campbell, with a squad of five or ak men,
rode up in staggering bravsdo manner.
snd roughly demanded which was General