News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1895-11-21

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tween mountain
barriers by q post Of observation in the
pass at Cumberland Gap, and Buell's
army, set free by the Union successes
around Corinth, was pushing eastward
along the Tennessee river to attack
Chattanooga. Desperate deeds must
needs be done to stay the impending
evil, the fall Of Chattanooga, that stood
as a bulwark to defend Georgia for the
~Confederacy. Bragg selected Colonel
John H. Morgan to do the work. Nor
gan's column comprised two mounted
regiments and two small detachments
also mounted, but the best card in his
hand for the crisis was a bold and skill
full telegraph operator named George A.
Ellsworth. Morgan's .orders were to
create a stampede in Kentucky, and by
that means alarm the Union authori-
ties, compelling thC9l to stop Buell's
march. The net result of his enterprise
was summed up i'll three dispatches
wired by Lincoln, Halleck and a district
general in Kentucky July Is and IA. On
the 18th President Lincoln wired Hal
leck at army headquarters as follows /:
"They are having a stampede i'll Ken
lucky. Please look to it," The same
day General j. T. Boyle, commanding
the Union forces in kentucky. tele-
graphed to Washington this startling
news: "The rebels undoubtedly have
control of the telegraph all around US.
There is great danger in Kentucky"
The next day Halleck sent a dispatch to
Buell., saying, "Do all in your power to
put down tho Morgan raid, even if the
Chattanooga expedition should be de-
layed."
Ellsworth had begun his mystiication
of the Union leaders on the 9Th by tap
ping wires between Louisville and Nash
vile. After taking off messages show
ing exactly what the opposing generals
knew about Morgan's band and what
they were doing to thwart the raiders
he wired the provost marshal at Louis
vile that Forrest was threatening Nash
vile and Morgan lowering in that vicin-
ity to cooperate with him. All was
false. On the 18th Morgan captured
Lebanon, KY, and Ellsworth found evil
dence in the telegraph office that Union
troops were marching toward that point.
Morgan sent out a detachment to burn
a bridge and destroy the track ahead Of
the train bearing his enemies. This was
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burned at Lebanon and the raiders NOV
ed northeast to avoid further collisions
with the troops which the telegraph an
nounced, through Ellsworth, were NOV
ing out of Louisville south to capture
Morgan. Next day, July 10, at noon,
just when the alarm was at its widest
in Washington and at the headquarters
of Halleck and Boyle, Morgan was at
Midway, between Frankfort and Louis
vile, in the very heart of Kentucky.
Ellsworth captured the operator and aft
er cajoling him with a show Of profes-
sional sympathy, carelessly asked him
to call the Lexington office and ask for
the time of day. This was a ruse to get
the operators style, Rhich proved to be
registering. A search brought to light a
signal book, and the files of dispatches
showed that the towns and garrisons all
about were alert for Morgan. A test of
the wires showed that the Frankfort
office could be cut and all dispatches for
that point received at Midway. In a
short time Lexington asked Midway if il
would be safe to run a train between
those stations. Ellsworth's answer was
Cali right! Come on. No rebels
here"
Following that query came a military
order from the Union commander al
Lexington to his subordinate at Frank
fort to move all his forces out on the
railroad and await orders at Midway.
It was therefore necessary to deceive the
Union authorities long enough to give
Morgan a chance to be off in one direc.
ton while his enemies were massine
troops in the other direction. Ellsworth
telegraphed to Union headquarters a
Lexington that the raiders had passed
Midway toward Frankfort. 1t was
necessary to confirm this later by {
bogus dispatch from Frankfort, but
Ellsworth did not know the rules ant
charges between Lexington and Frank
fort and could not fisk a formal mes
sage for fear of making a fatal mistake
He waited some time until the wires
were occupied by through messages
then broke in in great excitement
sounding the Lexington call frantically
OF course he got the circuit. He dis
patched word to the Union commando
at Lexington that Morgan was before
Frankfort and had driven out the Union
pickets. Having secured the Frankfor
signal, he signed the dispatch and raj
the wire into the ground Sc that Licking
ton could not call Frankfort and detec
the fgud.
Galloping cut Of Midway, Morgan
approached Lexington, gave it a goo(
scare and passed Oh within go miles Of
Cincinnati. Cynthiana and Paris wert
raided, and the band headed southwark
again. At the recrossing of the Cum.
berland into Tennessee Ellsworth tool
off a dispatch showing that q Unior
column was marching from Danville
40 miles north of Somerset, to head of
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