The National tribune., 1907-07-18
THE OLD REAR=GrARD.
Yankee Officer Sleeps in the Camp with "Morgans Men,
By Capt. THEODORE F. ALLEN, 9Th Ohio Cav.

= Burlington Island, Ohio, where, witt
{ Col. Howard Smith, of the 9Th Ky. Cav.
he was a prisoner. At that time (Juiy
l 1859 Gen. Duke was about 23 years o
l age, and from the beginning of Nor
2 gan's career had been Morgan's right
{ hand man in all his campaigns 1t was
therefore. right and proper, and me
l with the entire approval of all of Nor
: gan's Men," that Gen. Duke should sue
| ceed to the command of the division Il
I Morgan'S DEATH
The very last hours of the Confeder
? acy have been better described by Gen
Duke than any other writer l know OF
when he tells of the last Confederate
council of war, held in the early par
of May, 1855.
The Last Confederate Council of War.
l Gen. Duke, in command of Morgan's
i Cavalry, comprising a portion of the
mounted troops escorting Jefferson Da-
Wis in his effort to reach the Trans
Mississippi region, tells that at Able
i vile, S. c., there was held the last Con-
federate council of war. Mr.. Jefferson
i Davis, President of the falling Confed-
eracy, desired to know from the COM
manders of the troops with him the
true spirit of the men. At this last
council of war Mr.. jefferson Davis
himself presided. and there were pres
| snt Gen, John c. Breckenridge, Gen.
| BraXton Bragg, and Gems. Basil w.
Duke, Ferguson, Dibrell, w. c. P. Breck-
inridge, and Vaughan, each of the last
five named commanding remnants OF
icavalry brigades forming the Davis es-
cort. Gen. Duke states that at the open
ing of this council of war, Mr.. Davis
was apparently untouched by the gen.
Ieral decentralization which then prevail
ed--he was affable dignified, and he
Hooked the perSonification of high and
| NM tal Each officer at this
council of war gave in his turn a state
Iment of the conditions and feelings of
| his men, and when asked to do so an
nounced his own views of the situa-
| ton. In substance, they all declared
that they and their followers despaired
of successfully conducting the war any
further, and doubted the propriety OF
prolonging it. Each and every one of
these officers, however, stated that the
honor of the soldiery was involved in
securing Mr.. Davis's safe escape and
their pride induced them to put off sub
mission to the last moment The gen.
| Ieral officers at the council of war stat
ed further that they would risk battle
in the accomplishment of these objects.
but they We're unanimous in the state
ment that they would not ask their men
| to struggle longer against fate which
was inevitable, nor would they ask their
men to forfeit all hope of a restoration
| 10 llltii ana tiiciA II i'huo ~
continuing battle against fate. These
opinions having been unanimously an
nounced, Mr.. Jefferson Davis declared
/ that he wished to hear no plan which
had for its object merely his personal
safety-that. in his opinion, $500 brave
men were sufficient to prolong the war
until the present panic and demoraliza-
| ton had passed away, and these $500
brave men would then be nucleus for
many thousands more He urged those
present at the council of war to ac-
cept these his views of the situation,
and Gen. Duke in his report of this
most interesting council says: I'VE
We're all silent. for no one could agree
with him, and we all respected him too
much to oppose him. Mr.. Davis then
said bitterly that he saw that all hope
was gone that all the friends of the
South We're prepared to consent to her
| degradation. Gen. Duke states that
this closed the council of war, and adds
| that when Mr.. Jefferson Davis rose to
| leave the room he had lost his erect
bearing. his face was pale. and he fall
tered so much in his step that Gen.
John c. Breckenridge stepped to his
| side to assist him, and supported by
Gen. Breckenridge he left the room.
This was the last ditch, This was the
end of the Confederacy,
| At the Savannah River the next day
| (the eth of May) the men OF Morgan's
command were paid, thru the influence
of Gen. John G. Breckenridge. with a
| portion of the gold and silver brot from
Richmond, Va, and each man got from
1925 to S32 in hard money At
Washington. Ga. on the same day. the
1th of May. 1865. Mr.. Davis left the
lcavalry escort vita the understanding
that he was to attempt to make his cs-
| cape. On the next day "Morgans Men"
under the command of Gen. Duke
] L.
under the advice of Gen. John G. Breck-
inridge, given to Gen. Duke. the last
/ organization of .Morgan's Men was
/ disbanded. Gen. Duke states that "'Tht
comrades who felt for each other the
esteem and affection which brave and
true men cherish, parted with sliden-
| ed hearts and dimmed eyes. There re-
mained of the old command of Nor
gan's Men" only the recollection Of IN
eventful career and the ties of friend
Iship which would ever bind its mem
bers together. There was no humilia-
ton for these men. They felt that they
had done their part. and served faith
fully until there vas no longer cause
! or .; country to serve. They knew not
! what their fate might be, and they in
Idulged in no speculations regarding it,
They had been taught fortitude by the
| past, and without useless repining or
iunmanly fear they faced the future
| ne tStItlS spoken tl ABOVE occurred
! as is well known, in the Spring of 1865.
| Now. 4 years later. at the Reunion at
Parks Hill. KY, in August, 1906, ] find
! Gen. Basil Duke still the Commander
Of the veterans of "Morgan's Men, He
| is now about 6S years of age, but re-
tains in very large degree the mental
and physical activities of his younger
| years. In the camp fire meetings of
"Morgan's Men ! found at times as
many as Is or 20 groups of Confederate
veterans relating the experiences of the
past and marking back to the far
| distant yonder, but in little while one
group and then another would melt
away, all of the members gathering
about Gen. Duke. until after Il little
while all the separate groups had dis
<olved and resolved themselves into one
large group about Gen. Duke. The
camp fire circle about Gen. Duke was
widened and widened and as each new
conner pulled up his chair the circle
would be opened that the newcomer
might find a place.
When their several stated meetings
were held, there being meeting in the
morning. another in the afternoon, and
| still another in the evening of the two
days and nights / WAS with them, Gen.
Duke presided, and he held the reins
with a light hand, giving free play 10
every man, and no man felt under re-
straint
Reverend Capt. Il. o. Guerrant, ID. ID.
! The Chaplain of the Association of