Morgan's Raid

    In July, 1863, during the late civil war, John Morgan, a General in the rebel army, passed through this county on his raid through Indiana and Ohio. His troops destroyed a great amount of property, but as their visit was somewhat restricted as to time, their opportunity for plunder was straightened also, to the advantage of the citizens of the county.

    Morgan seemed to be heading for Madison for the purpose of plunder, and of escape back into Kentucky, but he city was so well garrisoned by the troops of the Indiana Legion, that he made a detour northward from Lexington, Scott County, towards Vernon, Jennings County; so that the main body of his troops went only through the western and northern portions of the county. The route of his men was marked by wanton destruction of property, the roads being strewn with all kinds of portable property, taken from the houses and farms of the citizens, and when found to be in the way of the soldiers, or from panic of the pursuing troops under Gen. Hobson, were cast away in order to lighten their horses. The road from Dupont across to the Michigan road was covered with hams, shoulders and side meat and merchandise of all kinds taken from Mayfield's pork house and the stores of Dupont. The fields of wheat alongside of the road, were, in many instances, entirely destroyed by the cavalry riding though them, and allowing the horses to forage upon the shocks, and by trampling hem under the feet of the horses. The railroad bridges for miles on either side of the line of their march were burned, and the track of the railroad was torn up wherever any party of the rebels crossed it. The railroad track at Dupont was of such a construction as to resist their attempts at tearing it up and destroying it at that place, to the great astonishment of the rebels who had never seen any combination rails before. five miles of the road (two and one-half miles on either side of Dupont) was laid with rails which lapped and were bolted together, so that the track for this distance was one continuous rail.

    The farmers of the county suffered considerable loss form both the armies -the army of Gen. Morgan taking the best of the horses that they could find, and the pursuing army, under gen. Hobson, taking the greater part of the remnant. In this case, the prayers of farmers were as hearty to be delivered from their friends as they had been before to be delivered from their enemies. For these losses, by the two armies, many of the citizens have not been reimbursed to this day. Although it was but a light touch of the hand of war, the people did not recover from its effects for years. May we not experience another, especially of the character of that, where brother was arrayed against brother for the destruction of each other. This was not true only as to the nation, but was a literal fact as to families; in one instance, a brother with the rebels sending a message to one of the towns to his brother that he would kill him on sight. Happily they did not meet.

Source: Biographical and Historical Souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott and Washington, Indiana. By John M. Gresham & Co., 1889.