The National tribune., 1899-07-13
INTERCEPTING MORGAN.
Tse I'D lads Story Of the Raid Of 49, Which Ended s
the Rebels Capture.

| EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Seeing
/ several pieces in your valuable paper Of
| late treating on the Morgan raid in 1868,
| | would like to insert little of my expert
| encc and what | saw about the beginning
| q; that undertaking. Others have written
aboIt the midway march. the closing scenes,
and the zoo miles of fried chicken" etc,
| but see nothing of the waking up of the
| forces in the immediate country to stop
and head him Off.
Morgan. with n large force, emerged
| from the borders of the then contendinc
armies, passed through Kentucky. plum
dering and devastating, then entered the
Confines of Indiana. thinking to arouse
the Northern sympathi2ers, draw them
| into his command. and then strike such a
blow as would weaken the Union. Failing
| i'll that presumption, like n chased deer he
was pursued and driven into Ohio and
| there captured with n number of his men,
| the rest scattering into the woods.
The report was that his organization,
which he had formed in the remote parts
| of the Cumberland Mountains, was nearing
the Cumberland River, with every appear
ance of a grand move northward. having
Il large force OF cavalry and a few pieces
os light artillery. Orders were at once
issued for all the scattering troops in and
around Bowling Green and Russellville to
concentrate and meet the invader: so, on
June 27, 1863. We received marching orders
at RuSSellvilie. In haste a train was made
ready, taking on our battery and two regi-
ments of infantry.
| BY 8 O'Clock that evening we were off,
passing through Bowling Green, and We
went on to the Nashville Railroad as far as
| Bells Tavern. Getting off the cars We
proceeded on a forced march in the direction
| of BurkeSyille, on the Cumberland River,
| where 1t was supposed he would cross. 1t
was now Sunday, but no Sabbath was
| known to the soldier on the march. so on
we went, up hill and down. across creek and
| plain. with many poor infantryman
| tagged out before night, footsore and
weary, while We of the battery rode, and
had our knapsacks and stuff carried. By
| 10 o'clock that night We stopped and camp
| ed in a fair grounds near Glasgow.
On Monday we remained there all day,
| recruiting somewhat and waiting, on ac-
count of conflicting rumors in regard to
the enemy; but on Tuesday, the SOth very
| early in the morning, We were off on our
way, still in the direction of Burkesville.
1t rained on us very hard all the forenoon,
making the roads muddy, but we pushed
| on, SplaShing cheerfully, the infantry
wading the creeks. At3 o'clock we stopped
| again, went into camp in a large meadow,
and staid there until the next morning.
The sun was again up, and We were hav-
| ing pleasant day of it. We marched
along with a good heart, went eight miles,
and camped at place called Parker's
more infantry, and 1900 cavalry COM
manded by Gen. Shackelford. We now
| numbered in all some 1000 or 5000, but
! this first division started on in the advance
about noon; We remained and foraged
some for our horses. At o'clock that
evening orders came back to us to come on
/ in haste, as they had met the enemy.
| Down the Marrowbone Creek we went till
| ~ o'clock at night, it being very moonlight,
which was In our favor. Now we were in
had the day defore. Morgan and his men
had crossed the Cumberland and were max
| ing their way up the Marrowbone Valley,
when our cavalry met them, driving them
| back at first, then the rebels in turn driving
our forces; so, between this and the crossing
10 or II miles ahead, where seemed to lie
the disputed ground, we stopped and were
| formed into line of battle, as the enemy
were supposed to be near at hand.
Much excitement and watching marked
the night, but when morning came it was
| revealed that Morgan had slipped around
US, leaving the Marrowbone Valley, and was
on the way toward Columbia. We felt
much disappointed, as We did not get
range on him.
The order was to countermarch, get
| around over the hills, and make after the
invader. His force was reported to be
| 1000 or 5000 cavalry, with few pieces
of light artillery. Our force, being formed
| into kind OF army divisions, commanded
by Shackelford, pushed on hard after the
invaders-cavalry. infantry, our big guns
and two pieces of light artillery, with all
the baggage trains to follow up in the rear.
| We marched all the day and part of the
| night, and were near two days getting to
Columbia. Then we found Morgan had
passed through one day ahead of us, but
not without having a. skirmish with some
so cavalrymen, who happened to be sta
| toned there. A Captain of their number
had been killed, and several of the rebels
| laid low, but onward they had gone, taking
some $4,000 worth OF store goods out of the
| town This was on Sunday .IIlOa when
we arrived about noon.
| The news now was that Morgan was at
Green River, being held in check by the
25th Mich, Col. Moore commanding, sta
| toned there to guard the crossing. Our
force was divided at this place, cutting
loose all the cavalry and the two pieces of
| artillery, to push on independent of the
slow-going infantry and 12-pounders.
| We followed on the best way we could
in the track of the raiders, seeing in many
places where tie cut wheat had been car
| ried off to feed horses, and meadows tram
! pied down where they would stop awhile to
Craze. So, before night, we came up to tho
| river and saw for ourselves the effect the
| 25th had with the Morgan horde. There
were only $50 of the 25th Mich, but they
| had held the rebels in check two and half
| hours, till they had asked for an armistice
| to bury the dead, then taken advantage Of
| it, gotten back, and crossed the river above
| and below. Our boys had killed some 60
| The 25th's loss was three killed and 81
wounded, three dying soon after. Many
of the enemy's dead were carried up and
placed alongside of the road as we passed.
1t looked hard, but We only thought they
got their deserts.
saw several of the wounded of our men,
and all seemed patient and cheerful under
their misfortune, considering their suffering
was in good cause, and all were much
elated over the victory they had won against
so many odds.
We We're now left out of sight and hearing
of the pursued foe. We manuvered
around for few days, thinking the chase
might turn the raiders back again, then we
would take them in. But no such thing
as old Johnny being turned around and
off his course on his long journey, which
was most successful for travel, but ended
in defeat and capture.-P. III. BURNS,
22d Ind. Battery.
An Awful Sufferer.