Morgan's most famous wartime exploit was his "Great Raid" into Kentucky, Indiana and
Ohio in July 1863. On July 2, 1863, Morgan led 2,500 soldiers with four cannons across
the Cumberland River in southern Kentucky. Traversing Kentucky, they crossed the Ohio
River into southern Indiana south of Corydon where there was a major skirmish. The
mission of this raid was to act as a diversion to allow Bragg to withdraw unseen from his
headquarters in Tullahoma. While the Union cavalry chased Morgan north through
Kentucky, Bragg successfully withdrew to Chattanooga without being attacked. But
Morgan violated Bragg's orders by crossing the Ohio River into the North rather than
confining his movements to Kentucky as ordered.
Entering Indiana, Morgan's Raiders spread false rumors that they intended to attack
Indianapolis. Rather than doing this, they spent five days in southeastern Indiana,
procuring supplies and fresh horses from Northern civilians. On July 13, as General
Hobson and Indiana militia pursued Morgan's men, the Confederates entered Ohio at
Harrison. Morgan led his men around the outskirts of Cincinnati, passing within sight of
Camp Dennison. They arrived at Williamsburg at 4:00pm and went into camp. The next
morning, Morgan sent his brother, Col. Richard Morgan south toward the Ohio River
with the 14th KY Cav. They passed through Georgetown and to the outskirts of Ripley
where they saw a large force of armed troops and several gunboats guarding the crossing.
Richard rejoined his brother, John, at Locust Grove to report his findings. Morgan's main
column continued east through Brown, Adams, and Pike counties. They crossed the
Scioto River at Piketon and proceeded to Jackson. They paused for the night at
Wilkesville in Vinton County. The following morning, they entered Meigs County, trying
to reach the Ohio River and the ford at Buffington Island.
The Confederates faced little opposition until July 18, when they were delayed upon
encountering a small earthwork, defended by Ohio militiamen. Severely outnumbered,
the militiamen retreated under the cover of darkness, but their presence had allowed
Union cavalry, under Brigadier-General E.H. Hobson, and another Union force under
Gen. Henry M. Judah to catch up to the Confederates. Union General Ambrose Burnside
also had sent Northern soldiers and gunboats to patrol the Ohio River. Morgan's men
attempted to cross the Ohio River at a ford near Buffington Island. The Confederates
succeeded in getting a small number of men across the river before Union gunboats and
soldiers under Hobson and Judah arrived.
The Battle of Buffington Island began at daybreak on Sunday, July 19. The Northern
forces numbered approximately six thousand men, while Morgan's force was less than
2,000. The battle raged for hours. Seven hundred Confederates surrendered. Among them
was Morgan's brother-in-law, Col. Basil Duke. About 60 rebels were killed and are
buried in unmarked graves near Buffington Island. Northern soldiers lost twenty-five in
the battle, including Daniel McCook of the famous Fighting McCooks.
Morgan was able to escape leading about 1,000 men on a northerly direction along the
Ohio River, seeking another place to cross. At Reedsville, over 300 hundred
Confederates succeeded in crossing the river into West Virginia before Union gunboats
arrived to stop them. Morgan and his remaining force of 600 soldiers retreated westward
through Meigs and Gallia Counties and then moved in a more northeasterly direction
through Vinton, Hocking, Athens, Perry and Morgan counties.
On the evening of Wednesday, July 22, Morgan and his men stopped to rest at the twostory log cabin on John Weaver's farm at the headwaters of Island Run in Morgan
County. His group of 600 ragged troopers gathered about the Weaver's farm buildings
and house. Morgan dismounted and, with a cramped gait of one who had spent too much
time in the saddle, walked over to the front door where Weaver and his family stood.
Fear and astonishment were written on the Weavers' faces. "We are putting a guard
around your house," Morgan said. "You and your family will not be molested, but you
must not come out until we are gone. You might get hurt." He entered the house and
walked to the bedroom where he pulled the straw tick from the bed and dropped it on the
floor. He threw himself upon it and at once fell asleep. His men camped for the night in
the surrounding orchard. Groups of raiders took Weaver's fence railings and built fires
over which they cooked the food products they had found on Ohio farms, homes and
stores.
Mr. Weaver's wife, Susanne, had a baby only a few weeks old, but she stayed up much of
the night making griddle cakes and biscuits for some of Morgan's men. In the barn, the
men found many bushels of freshly threshed wheat. Mr. Weaver made a claim for
reimbursement for the following items taken by the raiders: one horse with saddle and
bridle, 100 bushels of wheat, four tons of hay, clothing and one barrel of salt. For his
claim, John Weaver was reimbursed $222. Although many other Ohio citizens asked to
be compensated for "feeding meals to rebels," Mr. Weaver made no such claim.
Sometime after the Civil War, Weaver's log cabin was dismantled and reassembled on
Glick Road at the entrance to Dublin, Ohio near the Columbus Zoo. Today, it serves as
the main dining room for The Morgan House Restaurant and Gift Shop.
Morgan's men continued their raid into Muskingum, Noble, Guernsey, Harrison,
Jefferson, Carroll, and Columbiana counties. On Sunday, July 26 at 2:00pm, Union
cavalry under the command of Major George Washington Rue, 9th KY Cavalry, USA,
blocked Morgan's path on today's Rt. 518 in Columbiana County and succeeded in
capturing Morgan and 350 men, the remnants of his command.
Morgan and about 60 of his officers were sent to the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus. He
and several of his men planned an escape. They tunneled into an airshaft below their cells
on November 27. Morgan and six of his captains reached the prison yard. They had
fashioned a rope with a grapple to scale the two walls surrounding the prison. Morgan
and Capt. Thomas Henry Hines purchased train tickets to Cincinnati, where they paid a
young man $2 to row them across the Ohio River into Kentucky where they were aided
by southern sympathizers. Eventually, Morgan and Hines safely reached Richmond,
Virginia, the Confederacy capitol. Morgan was hailed as a hero and given a new
command.
Morgan's Raid netted few positive gains for the Southern military. It did provide some
hope to Confederate civilians that their military could still succeed despite Northern
victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg. It also caused a great deal of fear among Indiana
and Ohio residents. In Ohio, there were 4,375 claims for Rebel damages, while in
Indiana, there were 2,201 claims.
In his book, History of Morgan's Cavalry, Confederate General Basil W. Duke wrote,
"The objects of the raid were accomplished. General Bragg's retreat was unmolested by
any flanking forces of the enemy, and I think that military men, who will review all the
facts, will pronounce that this expedition delayed for weeks the fall of East Tennessee,
and prevented the timely reinforcement of Rosecrans by troops that would otherwise have
participated in the battle of Chickamauga."
A similar assessment was made by Union Colonel J.E. McGowan. "Morgan delayed the
invasion of East Tennessee three months. He thus broke the plan of co-operation, and
delayed General Rosecrans at Murfreesboro, giving Bragg time to get back the men he
had loaned Johnston. Rosecrans was so late in pressing his enemy into decisive action
that the enemy had time to obtain reinforcements from Lee and Chattanooga [Gen.
Longstreet]. Had Morgan been readily beaten back from Kentucky in a crippled
condition, Burnside would have met Rosecrans at Chattanooga by the 20th of July; the
battle at Chickamauga would not have been fought; and the war might have ended
sooner."