The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-13

'The rebels undoubtedly have control OF
| telegraph all around US There Is great
danger in Kentucky"
At that time the Confederate lines in the
west lay along northern Mississippi and
/ Alabama, with forces in observation at
! Chattanooga and Knoxville, Tenn. The
| main Union army was around Corinth,
! Miss, where Halleck was, and a portion OF
/ Halleck's force, under Gen. Buell., was
/ moving out along the Tennessee river to
| wards Chattanooga.
! But the Confederate cavalryman, Nor
gan, was out on his first great ride and his
] errand was to bring about the state Of
alarm indicated in the dispatches Of Presi-
dent Lincoln and Gen. Boyle.
| The Confederate troops in East Tennes-
see were held in cheek by Union force at
at Cumberland Gap, the mountain pass to
Kentucky, and the southern commander
could spare only a small force for a demon
stration in the rear of Buell.. One column,
consisting Of two regiments and two small
attachments, was placed under Morgan to
operate in Kentucky, and his success with
this small force was due to the manipula-
ton of the telegraph, which he found in
working order on his route. As neither he
nor his cOmpeeTs were permitted to repeat
the exploit by the same unique methods the
case stands alone in annals of famous raids.
Morgan took with him SIS telegraph opera
tor George A. Ellsworth, OF his command,
and after he struck the first blow, which
was at TOmpkinsville, KY, July 8, four
days after he set out from Knoxville, Els
worth tapped the wire between Louisville
and Nashville and learned from passing
dispatches that the Union authorities we're
alarmed and were putting the railway and
depot guards under orders. For the pur-
pose of confusing the enemy a bogus dis
patch, signed by the provost marshal at
Nashville, was sent over the wires to the
provost marshal at Louisville announcing
that Confederate column under Forrest
was advancing on Nashville and that Nor
gan was in that vicinity cooperating.
This was July 10, and Forrest was at the
time operating against Murfreesboro; but
he had not taken it, and Morgan was then
over a hundred miles from that point.
On the 18th Morgan captured Lebanon,
KY, before daylight, and Ellsworth went
with the advance guard and seized the tele-
graph Office Here he found a dispatch sent
the day previously from the Union COM
mander at Lebanon to Gen. Boyle at Louis
VILE stating that Lebanon was threatened
and calling for re-enforcements immedi-
ately He se5tlcd himself in the operators
chair and very soon he heard the instru-
ment call B, which the books told him was
the signal for Lebanon. The following
conversation then took place between Els
worth, Confederate, aud a Union operator
at a station between Lebanon and Louis
VILE:
To 3 Gebanon): What news, ANY more Skin
mshing?-Z."
To Z Station unknown): mo; we drove what
little cavalry there was away.-B."
To Z: Has The train arrived yct?-Z"
To Z: NO. About how many troops on trainr
b"
To B: About 500"
There was but one railroad, q branch from
the Louisville and Nashville, but the re-
endorsements were evidently coming Ill an
swer TO the call Of the day previous, and the