The National tribune., 1902-01-16

many others of the hundred thousand
readers of The National Tribune. Inc
description of the raid through kentucEI'
Indiana and Ohio by Gen. john ii.
Morgan and his Rough Riders was eX-
ceedingly we'll told. MosgrOve has the
happy faculty of keeping up the interest
in his story from the opening of the nrSt
to the end of the last chapter.
THE OHIO MILITIA.
l rise only to say that there was
point of view, which, in the very nature
of things, MosgrOve could not see for the
reason that he was on the other SIDE
For instance, Mosgrove could not tell IN
his description the story OF the ONO
militia company foot SOldiers) who, ma
dust and sweat tramped after Morgan
from Camp Dennison, Ohio, until near
Batavia. a distance of, maybe, ID miles,
which they covered during the very neat
of a July day, when they SOlemnly halted,
and gravely began telling trees across the
road-to check Morgan should he decide
to turn round and come back.
Nor could MOSgrovc tell Of the alarm
at another Ohio town, when q body oi
homeguards mistcok some of their own
men for Morgan'S and in their great
alarm burned 4 bridge spanning dry
stream.
Nor was it possible for Mosgrovc to
tell of the excitement and apprehension
in all of the towns and villages within 80
to so miles of AIorgan's line of march,
and how this excitement was unpre-
cedented in the history of the State. How
thrifty farmers drove their horses ana cat
tie to the most distant woods; how thrifty
housewives buried their silver spoons, and
how one terrified matrOn in Il certain IN
land town, many miles from Morgan
route, in her husbands absence. resolved
to protect Dolly" the family horse, at
all and every hazard. Knowing OF no
safer plan, she led Dolly" into the house,
stabbed her in the parlor, and locked and
barred the doors and windows. Later ON
her neighbors heard distant cannonading,
and with their ears to the ground they
counted the resounding the cannon shots,
which they were certain indicated
fierce attack between Morgan and the
"Homeguards," but later on they dis
covered that what they thought were dis
tant peals of artillery was caused by Old
Dolly" tramping around on the resonant
floor of her mistress parlOr.
1t is well understood that Gen.
Morgan's commander Bragg, did not ap-
prove of the raid into Indiana and Ohio.
These two Generals were distinctly Op-
posite in character. Bragg,s disposition
was to act continually on the defensive,
while Morgan was strongly in favor of
fighting the Devil with fire and carrying
the war into the North. NOtwithstand-
ing Bragg's opposition, Morgan disobeyed
orders and took the consequences.
MoRGAN's TACTICS.
After crossing the Ohio River, the task
before Morgan was a simple one and could
not be other than an easy one. His dis
tinctly-fOTmed plan was to march through
southern Indiana and Ohio, avoiding large
towns and large bodies of militia, spread
ing alarm through the country, making all
the noise he could and disappear again
across the upper fords of the Ohio River
before the militia organizations could get
into shane. His march across Ono was
like the course of meteor across the sky.
For some time at least lie could not eX-
pect any great resistance, and while the
bewilderment as TO his purpose and the
uncertainty as TO where he was going
paralyzed the militia, Morgan meant to
place many a long mile between them and
his Rough Riders"
Spreading, therefore, all manner of re-
ports as to his purposes, and assuring
everybody that he meant to penetrate to
the Capitals of the States of Indiana and
Ohio, and to the cities on the shores of
Lake Erie, he turned the heads Of his
horses up the Ohio River toward Cincin-
natl, scattered the militia with the
charges of his advance brigade, burned
bridges, cut telegraph wires right and left,
marched q hours out of the q, aud rarely
made less than 60 miles a day. The mill
tia everywhere were sure that it was their
duty TO gather in their towns and keep
Morgan off, and he usually saved them the
trouble by riding around. Gen. HobsOn
followed in rapid pursuit, but found 1t
difficult to procure fresh horses, as
Morgan made almost clean sweep Of all
horses as he went along.
MOrgan's true purpose was not defined.
His very audacity was his protection. As
he approached Cincinnati there was the
greatest apprehension that he was going
to seize the city. Gen. Burnside, the COM
manding officer, came to the same view
and proclaimed martial law, and ordered
the suspension Of all business. Naviga-
ton of the merchant-marine on the Ohio
River was practically stopped. GunbOats
patrolled the river and removed all the
Scows, hatboats, and even skiffs, which
might aid Morgan in his escape back to
the Kentucky side.
As Morgan neaIed Cincinnati he de-
ceived everybody. Hamilton people tcle-
graphed in great alarm that Morgan was
marching on their town. The wise militia
officers who had been captured by Morgan
and paroled hastened TO tell that the rebel
chief had cOnyersed with them freely, and
that he had no hesitation in telling them
all his plans and assured them that he
was going to Hamilton. All of this was
retailed on the streets Of Cincinnati and
in the newspaper Offices.
That very night while the much-endur
ing printers were putting such stories into
print, MOrgan's entire command of 1000
hOrsemen was marching through the
suburbs of Cincinnati, within view of the
city lights, almost within hearing of
troops enough To eat them, and almost
without meeting a solitary picket or re
ceiying a hostile shot. 1t was at this time
that Morgan established the worlds
record for moving cavalry, having march
. ed his 1000 troopers nearly 100 miles in
80 hours. This record has never been ex-
ceeded in the world. 1t must be under
stood that there are many individual
horses that can march 100 miles in 30
hours, but the speed Of a column Of cav
airy is not measured by the speed of the
fastest and best horse, but by the speed
Of the sEOwest horse. Morgan had no
stragglers. He led n solid column
Furthermore. it was Gen. Morgan's task
10 keep his 1000 horses in such condition
as 10 be able to march 100 miles any day
and every day he might call on them for
the effort, and all with only brief periods
of rest.
crossed the Ohio River were some Of the
best blOOded animals Of Kentucky and
were capable of making long marches.
They had the staying qualities and were
called upon for their best efforts. At this
point in his career it is safe TO say that
Morgan's was the bcst-muuntcd light cav
airy the world has ever seen, and Morgan
was in the zenith OF his fame
The horses impressed by Gen. Morgan
and Gen. HObson rs we passed across the
three States were not of much service,
baipr grass f,I L.