The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-05
OPERATORS WORK IN WAR
Ellsworth Tells His Experiences as
Operator for John II. Morgan.
HE INTERCEPTED THE MESSAGES
Threw the Enemy ON the Track md
Stole Information Of His where
abouts and Movements.
From the Louisville Courier Journal.

From the Louisville Courier journal.
MIR. George A. Ellsworth of Algicrs. La.
who was General John II. Morgans chief
telegraph operator from May IL. 1862. until
the death OF that dashing Confederate OFF
Ger. was in the city yesterday. He was the
guest OF his old friend. Captain Irwin
Dugan.
Mr.. Ellsworth has a wonderful faculty
for remembering names. dates and incl
dents of the late war. and can entertain his
friends by the hour relating stories OF his
career with Kentuckys most dashing cav
airy officers. He was born In Canada and
learned telegraphy when boy. lie took
charge Of his first office on September ID,
1854, at Gait. Canada, on the Great West
ern railroad. lie left there In 1857 aud went
to st. Louis. In 1865 he took charge OF tho
office at Brownsville, Tenn. In 1860 he
went to Texas and took charge of the
Houston office. when there were only fifty
miles OF wire and two offices In the State,
the other office being at Galveston.
When the war broke out MIR. Ellsworth
realized that he could be OF great assist
ance TO the Southern cauSe. and having
read OF the dashiug career OF General John
He left Texas in April, 1862. and went to
Mobile where he accepted position until
he could learn OF the whereabouts OF Gen.
eraI Morgan. He did not have long to walt,
for May 10 General Morgan and part Of his
stan passed through Mobile ON their way
from Corinth to Chattanooga.
MEETING WITH MORGAN.
Mr.. Ellsworth went to the Battle house
and saw the famous KentuckIan for the
first time. Colonel Morgan at once per-
ceived that an expert operator would be OF
great assistance TO him In taking messages
from the enemyg wires. and Immediately
engaged Mr.. Ellsworth They left Mobile
the next morning and arrived at Chatta-
nooga several weeks later, where Mr.. Ellis
worth was enlisted az a private In com
pany A. Second Kentucky cavalry. His
captain was Jacob Cattle and his colonel
| Basil W. Duke
| Soon afterward the command marched to
Knoxville. Tenn, where Il remained for
several weeks prior to the famous raid that
General Morgan made through Kentucky
| IN the month Of July, 1862. Mr.. Ellsworth
occupied conspicuous place In this raid
and In speaking OF II yesterday, he said:
July 4, 1862, General Morgan, command
! Ing SEQ men, including Colonel Basil Dukes
| regiment, General X. NJ. Gano's regiment
and Colonel Hunts Georgia battalion,
started for Kentucky. We crossed the river
near Tompkinsyille, KY, where he attacked
and defeated Colonel Jordan. Passing
through Glasgow, KY. General Morgan
took detail OF ten men, Including myself.
TO tap tho Louisville and Nashville rail-
road telegraph line near Horse Cave. Ky.
] always carried a pocket instrument aud
tapped the wire by connecting " loop
on the main line with my instrument at
tached TO II. then cut the main wire at
a point between the two places whore my
| loop was attached.
THE CURRENT UNDISTURBED.
"In this way the current was never dis
turbcd. Other men went along 10 hold my
loop off the ground with rope halters. We
| got to the wire about 8 o'clock In the even :
ing during one OF the heaviest electric
storms / ever witnessed. 1t was from this
| incident that was nicknamcd lightning.
a name that | have been known by e'cr
since. rhe rain soon began to fall In tor.
| rents, and although l was greatly incon-
| venlenced sooD had my instrument at
! tacbcd. Louisville was calling b. o.,
| which / knew was Bowling Green. and NJ
still tho call for that place. ] grounded tho
| wire on the switch 10 that none Of the
towns below me could receive the message
and answered the call OF b. G. The fol.
lowin9smessagc flashed over the wire:
:" Colonel Saunders d. Bruce. Command
ing Bowling Green:
".'Lonisvills. KY. July 3. 1e62.--Morger
with upward Of thousand men had crossed