Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-12-27
UNDER TWO FLAGS
(Original.1

war, not among generals or even OIL
GERS of high rank, though knew casa
of captain who fought on both sides
But the change was not from disap-
pointed ambition. 1t was from love-
"Yet it was all the same inexcusa--
ble.'
There was strong temptation, and
the man was very young. You can
Judge better after hearing the story
Henry Morgan was but eighteen
when the war came on. Living in Ken
lucky, where families were divided, his
father and mother were Unionists
while his sister and brother were Con-
federate sympathizers. Henry was
more thoughtful than most men of his
age, and his fathers arguments made
deep impression on him. When there
fore, Union regiment was organized
in the neighborhood, he enlisted. He
was much troubled at the contempta-
GUS treatment of those Of his own age,
especially as he had followed his judg-
ment rather than his sympathies. How
ever, his little sweetheart, Lille Storms,
stood by him, as she would have done
under any circumstances, and this was
great comfort.
"Henry Morgan proved to be a nat
ural fighter. He was one of the very
few men who are unconscious of fear.
His GOODNESS under fire made him first
lieutenant, then a captain.
when Bragg was marching on
Louisville in the fall of 1862, Henry
passed through his old home The
meeting of the lovers was delightful,
absorbing, but it only rendered their
separation more painful. Lille held to
her lover as if he were going to certain
death, begging him to do anything to
avert the recurrence Of the long alb
sence they had endured. The Union
troops marched on, but Captain Nor
gan remained. Then came a detaeh-
ment of the Confederate army which
occupied the place and captured him.
1t was relief both to him and to Lii
lie, since Henry was put on parole and
| permitted to remain at home. Among
| the men who had captured him vera
many of her old friends, who convinced
them that the recent Confederate sue
cesses precluded the possibility of the
| north ever restoring the Union. This is
not remarkable when at that time
some of our most prominent Union
| generals were Of that opinion. Proba-
bly, what Influenced Henry most was
that the southerners would probably
| never be driven away from his home
again and he would not have to endure
a long separation from Lille Yielding
to the persuasion Of all except his IA
ther, who was absent from home. COM
handing a Union regiment, he accept
ed the appointment Of captain in the
Confederate army Lille, not fully
realizing what he had done, was de-
lighted.
"While we were lying at Murfrees-
boro in the spring of 1868, in one of our
brushes with the enemy's cavalry Hen
ry Morgan was captured, recognized.
tried for desertion to the enemy and
sentenced to be shot. l was acting as
provost marshal at the time and had
charge of the prisoner. A few daya
before his appointed execution he sent
for me. Dwelling on his unnatural
taking off, he was planning to render
it as light as possible to his sweet
heart Could she not be led to believe
that he had died in battle, or, better
yet, be left under the impression that
he was among the missing and would
some day come back to her? l have
never seen a case of such unconscious
ness of the disgraceful act for which
he suffered. He gave me the whOle
story, not the bare synopsis l have
given you, but much to show me that
he and Lille Storms were actually
what with married people is often IN
empty name, 'one.' At any rate, hea>
misfortune had obliterated his own
He begged so hard that after cons'aE
tation with the general commanding L
consented, on his making written re-
quest, to secret execution and prom
Used him that l would do all in my
power to prevent the fact Of his fden-
tity being known.
"The papers in his case were sent to-
Washington for approval, and beforo
they were returned we had moved ON
Tullahoma, from there advancing to,
Chattanooga, where they were handed
to me approved. A few days before
the day fixed for the execution came
the battle Of Chickamauga, in which
all of the Army Of the Cumberland ex-
cept Thomas corps was routed. I
never saw Captain Morgan again.
Whether he fell into the hands Of tho
Confederates and fought during tho
rest of the war with them 1 don't
know"
A gentleman on the opposite side OF
the table had listened to the recital
with singular and at times a panied
interest.
"Gentlemen," he said, II can tell you
what became of Captain Morgan. At
Chickamauga he fell into the hands OF
| Nonfodorof I'd Colono1 Elliott RrOxyn ON