Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1897-02-18
GENERAL DANIEL MORGAN.

SCNGhNG SHlN'-@
It's hard, after the lapse of ninety
years, to make out the real facts as to
the life of this old Revolutionary Gen
eral and hero. The trouble apparently
is that he mas had two sets of illustra-
tors, one which desired to make him
out as one Of the people, and the other
one of the aristocracy Of Virginia. We
are inclined to take the views of the
first set of illustrators He was born
in New jersey in 1886. He was Of the
Welsh descent, but little seems to have
been known of him, except that he was
at Charlestown, Va, at the age of Is,
in 1854, and was a teamster in Gen.
Braddock's army. In the rout on the
Mononghelia his bravery attracted the
notice Of Col. Washington. Afterward
he was attached to the quartermaster s
department and hauled supplies to the
military posts on the frontier.
In 1857 he knocked down British
officer who had struck him, and was
condemned to 500 lashQs and, it is said,
got them. We do not believe the story,
however. In 1862 he located near Ber-
rvville, now the countY-seat Of Clarke
county. He lived in Frederick county
from 1856, and seems to have been a
very lively and pugnacious person, as
the records of Frederick county court
show not less than thirteen different
prosecutions against him for assault
and battery. Berryvi!le got the name
of Battletown on account Of Morgan.
He was much given to hilarity and he
would 60 into that village for an even
ing's sport and would generally retire
under shower of stones. This thing
was so common with him that he made
piles of small loose stones at several
points on the road from Berryville to
his home, and when he had to retire
from Berryville lie would fall back
from one stone pile to another in good
order. In 1875, at the opening of the
Revolution, he marched ten companies
Of rihemen from Frederick county to
Boston, in three weeks, one Of which
he commanded. On January |, l776,
he and his company fought their way
into Quebec, but not being supported
he was captured.
He was exchanged in the fall efl716
and at Washington's instance, given a
coIonel's commission, and joined him
with a regiment of riAemen in March,
1777. He took an active part IN the
campaign against Burgoyne, and was
largely instrumental in his surrender,
He sent l 800 of the British prisoners,
taken in Gen. Burgoyne's surrender to
Frederick county, where they were de-
tanned until 1871 600 Of them on the
Darlington farm, four miles northwest
of Winchester, on the Pughtown road
Gen. Joseph Darlington, afterwards of
Adams county, o., was then a boy Of
ten years old, and spent much of his
time learning what he could Of these
prisoners; 500 of them were kept in his
fathers barn, and 800 more in bar
racks built for them on the same farm.
On June 3Oth, 1879, Morgan resigned
and went home to Winchester. He re-
Joined the army in September, 1850,
and on the 18th Of October was made
brigadler-general. He fought the
battle Of Cowpens and vanquished the
redoubtable Tarleton, who out of l 100
engaged, escaped with only go, while
Morgan only had - killed and sixty
one wounded. In tactical view it has
been said that the battle Of .Cowpens
was the most brilliant of the Revolu
ton, and it marked the beginning of
CORVALLIS final defeat.
Morgan, however, was soon after this
taken down with rheumatism and was
obliged to leave the army and 90 home
on the 10th of February, 1871. Gen.
Morgan had commodious home some
Is miles from Winchester, which was
built for him by Hessian prisoners,
and which he named Saratoga in men,
ory Of his part in the battles with
Burgovne. He continued to live in
Saratoga until 1900, when he removed
to the house of married daughter in
Winchester, where he resided until his
death, on July 9th, 1902 He was
member of Congress from 1895 to 1899,
elected by the Federalists. As major
general he led the forces in 1875 that
put down the whiskey insurrection in
the State of Pennsylvania.
The house in which he died in Win
chester is still intact, and is now used
as a clearinghouse, kept by the Misses
Sl ...,l L - n larra +y-o s{ory- o4r,,n