The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-07-12
A FATAL PANIC.
One Bloody Incident of the Famous Morgan Raid
in Indiana.
HENRY c. HIcRERsoN.
us, n. Y. Sergst, Co. A, 18th n. j. Vols.


To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Your paper is invaluable as a chronicler of the
personal and minor incidents of the war, and now
that nearly twenty years have passed since the close
OF that great struggle, "Reminiscences have become
of greater interest than history TO the participants
and survivors. Permit me the use of your columns
to relate occurrence. which have never seen in
print. beyond the brief newspaper mention that
was made of it at the time but which remains a
painfsl remembrance in the minds of many of the
people in Indiana, and is part of the history OF
Morgan's raid into that State in 1868.
may not be able TO faithfully tell the story, be-
cause before the individual experiences OF the men
engaged could be related and compared, and erys-
tallzed into taDgibiity and accuracy the men them
selves sent home TO various parts of the State
and the incident was lost sight of in the shadow of
the great events that Transporting at the front
boy of less than fifteen left the harvest field
the 10th Of July, 1868, with n Home Guard COM
pany, of which was g member, to meet the bold
invader. Arriving at indianapolis we were organ
lied the 18th, by General Darlington into the
One Hundred and Fifth State Legion, the militia
of that State were designated and put under COM
mand OF Kline q. Sbryock as colonel, and on the
18th moved out on the Cincinnati Railroad to the
town OF Sunman, from the vicinity of which we
started about O'Clock in the afternoon of the
18th after the guerrilla raiders. who, preceding
by several hours, burned the bridge over the White
water River at Harrison, on the Ohio line. This
arrested advance, and leaving Hobson's cav
airy to follow, we marched TO Lawrenceburg. on
the Ohio River, on the next day, the 18th. IL was
near there the incident in question occurred. The
rumor was started IL the evening that Morgan had
changed his course and was heading for Lawrence
burg, and would burn the town and endeavor to
the river at that place. The bells rang, the
stores closed, and women shrieked and started for
the country-or the cellar.
About dusk Colonel Gavin's regiment, the One
Hundred and Seventh Legion, marched out oftown
on the pike leading east, and soon after my regi-
ment followed. When about three miles out
arrived at the little hamlet of Hardenburg,
made up of a church, blacksmith shop, cooper
shop and two or three dwellings, On our right
was old disused canal. on left a cornfield.
Here the command to halt given,
were afterwards told but in such indstinct
tone that none but the leading company
heard it. My company was c. Not hearing
the order, the rear and center companies
closed up on the head of the command, and then
came that terrible recoi which undrilled troops
marching in column experience when the order TO
halt Is not understood or promptly obeyed. In
stantiy we were IN confusion and panic-stricken.
1t seemed that divided about equally each
side of the pike. Those on the right ran over
against those on the canal, and facing about saw in
the misty darkness the remainder of the column
by the cornfield on the left Surprising they were
Morgans men, they fired. was on the left, and,
thinking we were attacked from the canal bank, we
returned the fire. Perhaps every man in the regi-
ment fired once, and some reloaded and fired again.
! was scared. Mr.. Editor-so badly scared, didn't
have instinct enough to run. Ny canteen at the
left side was shot off, and splinter whizzed past my
right ear. swelling 1t TO the thickness of my hand
the next day If Thought about anything, sup
pose thought ought to shoot. / recollect trying
to get my gun 10 my shoulder. but just then some
big fellow jammed against the left. and,
staggering me. kept me from aiming. I pulled
The gun did not go off. as afterwards discovered,
but supposing it discharged-if / supposed
anything-I rainmed another load down. We
were armed with big Dutch musRets that seemed
TO weigh about twenty pounds before they
loaded, and If that gun had gone off at the second
trial there would have been q vacant chair in the
family circle. About this time we began to hear
the command, " cease firing" and the most agile
leap of my life the cornield fence, by
which lay until the stray shots Were all over. /
do not know the casualties of this false alarm. We
heard there Were seven killed and twenty-five
wounded. My first lieutenant, Samuel Rewsey,
was shot in the foot. and Of the men of my
company, Daniel Darrish in the knee, disabling him
for life
VIII Col Shryock, or some other officer mem
Der of the One Hundred and Fifth Legion, explain,
through the columns of The TRIBUNE, the cause
of this lamentable affair and the circumstances
connected with it, how many were killed and how
many wounded, and why we marched out under
the false impression that we liable to be at
tackled az any time.
do not know that any body was to blame The
observations and ideas of badly frightened, I'M
disciplined farmer boy of such event, transpir-
ing III the darkness of night must of necessity be
both limited and obscure; but, although | enlisted
in the volunteer service in few months thereafter
and served nearly two years the false alarm at
Harcenberg during the Morgan raid made deeper
impression on my mind than any subsequent incl
dent of the war.
MARION, KAN. FRANK DosTER.