The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-11-24
WITH GEN. BURBRIDGE.
Opposing Raider Morgan in Kentucky ii
1864.

Opposing Raider Morgan in Kentucky in
1864.
! EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: I wish to
say something relative to the operations OF
Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge's force in Ken
lucky in 1864. We started from Mt Sterling
in the Spring. Our scouts saw Morgans
command come from Virginia into Kentucky
through the Pound Gap Of the Cumberland
Mountains and take the road leading to and
down the Kentucky River.
ComTade r. H. Burns, 9th MID Inf, in
the issue of Dec Is, 1897, incorrectly said
that at Powell's Gap they "tell in the rear of
Morgan command"
The information was obtained by Gen.
Burbridge from the scouts when our COM
mand was ON the Big Sandy River, more
than 40 miles from Pound Gap. Gen.
Burbridge had to about-face his command
We reached Prestonburg, KY. on the new
course on the night of June 5, and there
made additional preparations to intercept the
force Of Gen. Morgan.
The effort was to intercept Morgan before
he reached the bluegrass region of the
State, where he expected to remount his COM
mand; but the delay from the time Morgan
crossed the mountain until we heard of it
enabled him to reach the main road leading
from the Kentucky River to Mount Sterling
in advance of our force, and it was more
than 100 miles from the mountain gap
where we fell in at the rear of Morgan's COM
mand.
At early dawn Of June 6, 1864, our COM
mand left Prestonburg toward Mount Sterl-
ing, 100 miles distant, and continued for
three days and nights.
At early dawn of the 9th we arrived at
and attacked Morgan's force in the town Of
Mount Sterling. We drove him out of that
town, fed and rested our horses, buried the
dead of both sides, and slept.
The battle Of the morning Of the 9th did
not last to exceed three hours, if so long,
and the enemy took to their old mounts.
The battle was fought mainly on foot, our
force being principally mounted infantry.
After we had dispersed the enemy, and
ing our horses to different pastures near the
town to Craze, the willy enemy, avoiding the
pickets on the roads, made three several
attacks. The first was upon sleeping soldiers
near the town. This was for blind, to dis
tract our attentionifrom the other two upon
the horse-guards. They attempted to capture
our horses, but were defeated in all three
efforts.
The exhausted condition OF our horses
necessitated rest until the next morning,
when, learning that Morgan had gathered his
command together and by an indirect way
proceeded toward Lexington, 80 miles dis
tant, we proceeded in that direction upon the
Winchester pike.
This was mace uized road and the gait
was rapid. We reached Lexington before
nightfall of the 10th.
Morgan had been there during the day, and
had driven the pickets and guards into the
citadel, which he wisely failed to attack.
On the 18th, at Cynthiana, we fought a
battle with Morgan, and his force was en-
tirely vanquished. Those not captured,
! killed or wounded were scattered and escaped
in small squads through the country toward
Virginia and Tennessee. No other fighting
occurred, except with few flying parties,
| which continued far into the mountains
though there may have been more of this
than l heard of, for my regiment took the
prisoners, quite a large number, back to
Lexington.
There was given to US the most enthusi-
astic reception by the loyal people of that
| town that / met with in the time of the
war. We did not dismount, but while we
halted we were graciously supplied with all
the good things they had prepared or could
get.
The comrade above referred to said that
from April to July there was continual
battling between our command and that of
Morgan" There may have been some small
squads OF Morgan's irregular force in Ken
lucky farther south, say, on the head waters
of the Cumberland and Kentucky Rivers,
earlier than June, but his command as
whole made but one invasion of Kentucky in
1864, and that was the one which came
through the Pound Gap in the first days of
June, and which was disposed of as above de-
scribed and at the times and places stated
J. +. STEWART, Washington, d. G.