The National tribune., 1901-12-12
WASHINGTON THURSDAY, DECEMBER

ence of the enemy amusing, if not ridicu-
lous The fights with the Indianp Home
Guards were "all of ssmensss"-end-
ing in panic. About $50 valiant defend
ers Of home and nHtive land were found
in front of Salem, and, although their
line would not elicit admiration from the
cynical military critic, they had, for the
time being, stout hearts, their war-cry,
interpreted, being like this:
Strike till the last armed foe expires!
Strike-for your affairs and your fres!'
Well. Morgan did the striking" BE
ordered up the "Old Regulars" and di-
rected them to disperse the foe-'sacri-
fetal lambs" n facetious raider called
them-and capture the town. Lieut..
Welsh. in command Of the 18th "Regu-
lars" leading the extreme advance, un-
hesitatingly dashed in among them, rout-
ing them before the body of the advance
guard reached the carnival scene of ac-
ton Some 200 or 300 were in the town,
but when a battalion of Regulars" ap-
peared they wildly fed, throwing their
guns away in the streets. The following
incident is related by an eyewitness: "A
small piece of ordnance, used by the
younger population of Salem to cele-
brate Christmas and the Fourth of July,
had been planted to receive us. Loaded
to the muzzle, the piece, about IS inches
long, was mounted in the public square
by being propped against stick of fire.
wood. However, it was not fired, the
'crnnonecr' assigned to that important
duty being astounded by the sudden com
ing of a whole battalion of Regulars
dropped the coal of fire with which he
had intended to touch it off, and, be-
fore he could get another, the ruthless in
vaderS captured the battery"
A brief halt was made at Salem to
feed men and horses, and incidentally to
burn a few railroad bridges. Ellsworth
took temporary charge of the telegraph
office and opened up communication with
the enemy. Intercepted dispatches re
vealed fully the fact that the North
country" was rising and that troops were
being hurried to attack Morgan from all
quarters.
Shortly after noon the Confederate
rough riders" left Salem, turning east
ward, and marching rapidly and steadily
until nightfall, when they reached Wen
ma, on the Indianapolis & Jeffersonyille
Railroad. Having captured the telegraph
operator before he could give any alarm,
Ellsworth installed himself in the Office,
monarch OF all he surveyed. By his pc
cular methods Ellsworth was soon in
communication with Louisville and In
dianapols, and very thankfully received
much information valuable to Gen. Nor
| gan. Among other things, he learned that
OTItES uuu DeeH lSSueu W lHt ulillld W
| blockade all roads that Morgan was like
| ly to travel, an annoyance from which
rapid marching hitherto had saved him.
This ride of Morgan's was a drama
| the dramatiZation of romance full of
action. From the initial movement at
Alexandria, Tenn, to Burlington Island
and beyond his pathway was beset with
thOrns, the roses being few and far be-
| tween. 1t was only by ceaseless march
| ing and fertile devices that he avoided
and deceived organized military forces
| that were endeayoriDg to intercept him.
| Of course, there was no deceiying of Hob
| sons cavalry, following his track. The
amusing militia, in the open field, were
| annoying but not formidable-certainly
not terrible. Across the Rubicon, in a
country where he ihad no friends, where
| he received no ovations, hundreds
of miles from any supporting army,
Morgan had to make his command self
sustaining If repulSed, he could not fall
back and reform behind sheltering infan-
| try. He had to fight infantry, cavalry
and artillery, saying nothing of the
Home GuardiansY iuD
Leaving Vienna; Morgan marched six
or seven miles to Lexington about 30
miles from Salem, where he rested the re-
mainder of the night Gen. Morgan.
sleeping in a house, could easily have
| been captured-if the Federals only had
| known. Some time in the night small
party of Federal cavalry rode into the
little town. advancing as far as the house
in which the General slumbered, then
turned and rode away. The C0nfeder-
ates in a strange land were tired and
sleepy, too" and the Federals were con-
fused-no one scarcely knowing where
he was at"
Early in the morning the march was
| resumed, the next objective point being
Paris, directly north Of Lexington, which
was reached by somewhat winding
| way"-the column first marching north
Of east to the apex of an angle. within
some eight miles of Madison, on the Ohio
River, and then marching north to Paris.
When near Madison, detachment was
sent toward that city, threatening an at
tack to deter any troops that might be
there from coming out and making them
selves troublesome. Another object was
to make the officials elsewhere believe
that Morgan intended to recross the river
at Madison. My home was about seven
miles above Madison, on ''the old Ken
tucky Shore" and when i came home,
after the "unpleasantness" was over |
learned that that little detachment created
the widest CONSERVATION in Madison, the
citizens, certain that Morgan was coming,
refused to be comforted, and looked to-
ward the Kentucky hills for refuge from
| the invading hOst-now only 1000.
Continuing the march, moving quietly
| through Paris, Morgan approached Yer
non in the afternoon where he briefly
halted to investigate and ponder. Here
| the detachment that had made the feint
on Madison rejOined him.
Finding that a strong force was posted
at Vernon, Gen. Morgan, not caring to
attack the enemy, concluded to do some
manuvering.
TO be continued)