Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-02-05
M0RGAN'S CAPTURE.
Renainiscenee of the Capture of the
Great Rebel Raider.

"Reminiscences of the Capture of the
Great Rebel Raider.
Gen. Frank Wolford. of Kentucky
says Carp" In tho Cleveland Leader.
was one of the bravest soldiers of the
union army during the late war. and
he is now one of the most popular
members of the house of represents
tives. He lis an eloquent and ready
speaker, and his heart is as tender as
tits brave. He is not a handsome
man, nor does he affect the dude-liks
air of William Walter Phelps. He
looks somewhat like some pictures OF
Punch Ii have seen, and he coulA
Pose for the traditional country Judge
of the stage without the change Of a
feature. He still feels the effects OF
his wounds received during the war.
but he bears his 81 years with mo-
wrinkles on his kindly face and few
strands of silver in. hisl brown hair.
During the war Gen. Wolford was in
command OF the Kentucky cavalry,
and it was he who captured Gen.
Morgan, the great rebel raider.
1T was a hard chase, " he said te,
me the other day. Morgan was a.
brave and daring fellow, and as slip
perry as an eel. We had followed
him out of Kentucky, up through
Indiana, and almost across Ohio. It
was IN southeastern Ohio, near the
river, that we finally caught him.
Six miles from the point where he
was captured met Gen. Shackleford.
who wanted me to stop and dine with
him. But [ had heard that Morgan
was not far in advance, and I told
him that l would ride on ahead and
see, and if there was nothing IN the
report [ would come back to dinner.
My wound was troubling me. but i
went on. After my six-mile ride i
came up to the boys, and found that
our array had surrounded the troops
of Morgan, and that NJ organ was In
their midst. There were only 400 of
them, and there were 10000 of us.
and we had haaked him. Just as /
came up he turned and su rendered
to militia captain named Burbaoe.
or Borbeck. and this man handed
him over to me. | did not know
anything about the terms of surren-
der to Capt. Burbage, and supposed.
of course, he had surrendered uncou-.
dltlonally to me. I then asked him
If he would not take couple OF Off
GERS and ride with me to Gan Shack
letord's, and we would take dinner
together and arrange matters. AS we
did so he asked me something about
his parole, and I discovered his idea
of surrender I told him at once that
cur orders were to accept nothing but
an unconditional surrender, and Z
considered MIN so. He objected to-
this, and / told him we would talk
over the matter with Gen Sackleford
and settle it at dinner. We found that
Gen. Shackleford held the same ideas
as I did as to our orders. General
Morgan then demanded, according to
the rules of war, as he said, to be
placed back in the same position as he
was before he surrendered. We Of
fered to do this, but [ told how dan
gerods would be his position.
Your life, said L, now that our
troops know who you are, would not
be worth feather. It would be am
honor to any one Of the soud srs to-
kill you We have surrounded you,
and L cannot assure you Of safety If
you persist in the dem md you make
Gen. Morgan fnally saw that was
right, and told him that would take
him to Gen. Burnside at Cincinnati,
and let him decide as to his status.
When we got to Cincinnati General
Burnside had received orders from
President Lincoln to treat Morgan In
the same way as the rebels had treated
Gsn. Straight, and he was taken to-
the Ohlo penitentiary and incarcer-
aled there ike common prisoner"
Some say" / here remarked,
that he did not escape from thence
by digging out, as was supposed, but
that he bribed his jailers.' y
II don't know as to that" replied
Gen. Wolford. 81 only know that he
had enough money to have or bed
them if he had chance He had
when 1 captured him 5000 0O0 i'm
greenbacks in q tin box. [ counted
it over myself, and gave it back to
him when he went out of nv hands"
How was he finally captured 9"
I asked.
HE was killed at his last CAPTURE
was the reply. 1T was a love affair
which ruined him. Notwithstanding
the fact he had been married only q
short ti2ae he had mistress, and it
was she who betrayed him. One night
when ae was asleep in her house,
away from his troops, she skipped
out, mounted a horse, and rode off to
the republican camp. A band Of
soldiers was sent TO capture him, and
Gen. Morgan was shot while tying
to escape"