Hines ' Raid The Hines ' Raid was a Confederate exploratory mission led by Thomas Hines , on orders from John Hunt Morgan , into the state of Indiana in June 1863 during the American Civil War . Hines ' mission was to prepare the groundwork of Morgan ' s Raid across the Ohio River into Indiana and Ohio by seeing what support the local Knights of the Golden Circle and Copperheads would provide for the main operation . Mission . The mission began in Woodbury , Tennessee , on June 10 , 1863 , where Morgan had a picket camp . At the start of the mission , Hines only told his men that their mission would be " long and dangerous " and allowed any man who did not wish to go to step out ; none did . From there , they traveled through Brownsville , Kentucky , and Elizabethtown , Kentucky . At Brownsville , they stole clothing from a Union sutler , consisting of shirts , trousers , and boots of Union uniforms . At Elizabethtown , the group robbed a train , providing Hines ' force with Union currency . When they reached the Ohio River , Hines ' then informed his men that they would pose as Union troops under General Jeremiah T . Boyle with orders to pursue deserters , called the Indiana Grays . The crossing occurred between Alton , Indiana , and Tobinsport , Indiana , on June 18 , 1863 , presumably near Derby , Indiana . Once he crossed the Ohio River , Hines ' men rode straight to Paoli , Indiana , successfully posing as Union soldiers . While being served dinner in Paoli , actual Indiana Home Guards entered the town , and informed the mayor of the deception . The Confederates escaped by convincing a separate band of Home Guards that they were surrounded , taking the best horses the actual Union troops had , and saying the captured Union band was paroled . They then went to Corydon , Indiana where a marker exists , where Hines met the local Copperhead leader Doctor William A . Bowles , whose home was a gathering place for the Democratic Party . Bowles told Hines he could raise a force of 10 , 000 , but before the deal was finalized , Hines was told a Union force was approaching , causing him to flee . As a result , there would be no support for Morgan ' s Raid by them . From French Lick , Hines ' men traveled to Valeene , Indiana . At Valeene , while still posing as Union troops , they set a house on fire whose occupants refused to give them dinner . This exposed that Hines ' men were actually Confederates to the local populace . A resistance was quickly formed at Paoli . Hines had hired a local man , Bryant Breeden , to guide them to safety , but Breeden was strongly pro - Union , and instead guided the Confederates onto the Little Blue Island , a small island in the middle of the Ohio River near Leavenworth , Indiana . On this island , a skirmish began , killing three Confederate soldiers . Hines escaped across the Ohio River with a few of his men , and the rest of the Confederate force surrendered , having successfully covered Hines ' escape . The " Corydon Weekly Democrat " said of the Home Guards " Our citizens , though unused to actual war , showed the nerve of soldiers " . Aftermath . Thomas Hines traveled throughout Kentucky by railroad until it was time to rejoin Morgan , which he did at Brandenburg , Kentucky , being put immediately in command of Morgan ' s artillery . Hines had to inform Morgan that they would receive no help from Hoosier Confederate sympathizers , which many believe made Morgan decided to deal more harshly with any Hoosier citizen who would later claim to be sympathetic to the Confederate cause . In Morgan ' s subsequent raid , on July 3 , 1863 after capturing Corydon he exacted tribute from the citizens , in part because of the treatment of Hines earlier that year . Lew Wallace would say that it was his actions that discouraged any Hoosiers from helping Hines and Morgan . Hines ' immediate superior and Morgan ' s second in command , Basil W . Duke , had not been informed of Hines ' mission previously . When Hines finally saw what he saw as his prodigal son , Duke remarked how Hines was resting next to a wharfboat " apparently the most listless inoffensive youth that was ever imposed upon " . Most of the area Thomas Hines traveled in this raid is within present - day Hoosier National Forest .