Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1897-02-26

pANiOns in those battles ana raluS tbons
and over the border which made famous
and to some timid minds made terrible the
name Of John H. Morgan.
"The representative character OF MOI
gan's men us Kentuckians and Americans
is shown by the fact that the command em-
braced the best young mon OF Kentucky,
many Of them graduates OF the highest
eastern colleges and others OF the same
cl,.ss too young to be grad uated. Among the
leaders were Willie Breckinridge, Hart
3 Gibson Of Yalo, at ono time Morgan's adj.
jutant general; Colonel Griggsby OF an
old Virginia family and graduate OF the
University of Virginia, Colonel Chenault,
Colonel Tucker, Lieutenant Colonel Cicero
Coleman, Leroy Cluke, ex-G1vernor Nc
Creary and scores of others whose names
are prominent in the west, and, IN fact,
all over the Union, as honorable ana active
cltizens. The ranks were filled with the
best blood of the Blue Grass country and
tho flower of the youth around Louisville,
where Morgan was known. All OF them
were men of worth, whose families for
generations had been prominent aud re-
apected III all that makes good citizens.
They had not been born to millions, but
had enjoyed the best education and bring
ing up. Isis e., .ss
r. II have named some of the leaders, and
the relatives and connections of these, IN
sense picked men, filed the ranks. All
were of the same class, officers and prl-
Yates, the majority of the latter probably
not above IS or at the most go years OF age
whom the war broke out. True, Morgan
was a raider, but only pioneer in the
style Of warfare which the enemy was glad
to adopt later In the war. Morgan took
to it naturally and because of bis expe-
rlence In the Mexican war, where ne had
Commanded u company. Furthermore, he
had read Of the ancient use of cavalry, and
not of cavalry simply, but Of mounted in
fantry, which could move with the speed OF
the wind far into the enemy's country.
When we were in the enemy 8 country, one
man would hold the horses Of four others
while they dismounted to fight or to carry
On the work of bridge and railroad destroy
Ing. The chief idea If our campaigns was
to cripple the enemy by destroying his
roads and bridges, fighting when necessary
to cut our way in to the objective point or
20 sAve our bacon in getting back home.
For this work our command was ideal.
Just as the men were highly educated, 80
were they highly trained In all that makes
good, independent soldiers. They had been
taught to ride, and, in fact, had been born
to the saddle. Without saddle or even q
sircingle 1t was all the same. I had men
In my command who could reach down
from the saddle and pick silver half dol
lar from the ground. This was famous
trick Of the Texans, and our Kentuckjans
initiated them. They also had the sports
mans pride and could shoot squirrel In
the head at the top Of the tallest tree. To
bring o squirrel homo shot In any other
way would have been considered lnutila.
ton and laughed at by the old men OF tie
neighborhood They could shoot bird
on the wing and decapitate quail neatly
amid the rankest swamp grass. Naturally
these men became expert in every kind Of
warfare knew in all my experiences
but one or two cases Of Sinking, and the
men recovered pluck afterward. In my
first real experience with 8 body Of these
men under fire they came out like heroes.
''After serving about year CROSS the
border went buck to Louisville and re.
3kuited q company Of Yale and Princeton
boys and took them through the lines TO
Aorgan's camp The first fight was In ?
mountain raid into Kentucky. where we
vent to capture tho Federal general, George
". Morgan. We ran into an ambush, and
Morgan, being ahead, rode right through
before the fire fairly opened. The Federals
we're on both sides Of the road, firing stead
tly. 1t was daylight, and of course we
we're mounted. Gano's command proceed.
4 mine, and after striking the ambush he
turned bis column and retreated out Of the
IRE at walk, himself coolly eating come
Wild fruit al be crouched to avoid the bull.
Va ~ g.
Aont Of mine had to wheel, and while