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Accession no.
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WPA L. C. PROJECT tAhJ UNIT
Form --3
12672
*;7- /4-4.4.4.7.4r `‘...1../ Collection (or Type)
Date received Title'
jet//0/h/0
Consigninent no. 4
Shipped from Place of origi 4/47"a‘tt... Date/ gig/3 I
(14„.44/ 40.
Label Project worker
Amount Project editor
741/. Remarks
Grape Monroe,
District #e
Jefferson Co.
Morgan's Raid
mansarats OF MORGLN'S RAID BY AN OLD CITIZEN
OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
Reference' Am Mr. Middleton Robertson, Deputy. Indiana.
On the 11th day of July 1863, General John H. Mersin and his argy
passed through Graham township, Jefferson county, in his flight ough
southern Indiana, from Kentucky to Ohio. It is not the purpose of this
article to point out his objectives in melting this invasion. The historian,'
have already done this as satisfactorily petheps, as can be done.
General Morgan not being a trained soldier di not rank in ability
with the best military loaders of the Southern coonitoderemy, but he was a
courageous ()Moor and General Grant is authority for the statement that
in his military operations in Kentucky and Tennessee Morgan killed, mounded
and captured several times the number under his *amend at any one time.
At the time of the raid I was not at home in Graham township which
was less than a mile from the line of march of the enemy army, but was away
temporaril visiting my uncle, Dr. N. D. Gaddy, at Weston, in Jennings
county, and so did not see any of the rebels.
Of course there wore no telephones or radios in those days, but we kept
fairly well advised as to what was going an outside of our community. Hearing
of a movement among the *Wilms to assemble at Vernon and engage the enemy in
battle, my uncle joined them. I see him now through the eyes of memory as he
rode away that Sunday morning in °company with some *this neighbors, his rifle
on his shoulder and with enough bullets in his ammunition pond' that I had
helped him mould, to send the seek of scores of rebels to purgatory. The
day passed, but no sound of pennon came our way, loading us to believe there
was no battle in progress. After hours of waiting for him, my uncle returned,
not bearing on his person any marks of earwig', or strife, but bringing the glad
tidings that Morgan had gone without unleashing his guns in the destruction of
12672
lift or property.
Net many years prior to his death, G. W. Vbiteitt, who for a lens
period was well known in this part of the country by reason of his musioal
talent, informed as that he vas in Vernon at that oritleal period of it.
history, and that a regiment of Union soldiers from Wield.= were there,
also a oonsiderable nuiber of eitisen soldiers, and that he was present
and overwubeard a oonversation between General IserFia.Usee who vas in Gomm
mend and the 601=01 of the Niehigan roe:moot, in *Ash the latter begged
permission to lead an mates& against the enemy, but, the general vas firm
in his opposition alleging that in view of the superior strength of the
foe, such a move would result in a useless vista of life.
The most vivid remembranee I have of any experience in those troub-
uleus times was of a happening a fie day after Mersin had gone out of the
state. Two men came along, riding fast and fOriously past my mole's,
pausing just long enough to tell us that the rebel general, Forrest, had
destroyed Paris by fire and was eoming our vow, bovine baring buildings and
A
killing nan4 my uncle assigned me two tasks' —'one to assist in burying a box
of silver coins amounting in value, I suspect, to several hundred dollars,
any my other job was to walk over to the home of his father-in-law and give
miming to the family of impending danger, the dieter.* being about avail*
and in part through a dark woodland. I vas younger then than I an nor, being
in my 12th year and not overetoeked with that admirable quality of the mind
called courage. I diseharsed my trust, but net without realising that the
sense of fear had not been left out of my makeup. But the supremo peril was
yet to come. It vas not long until a body of armed men on horseback mane
into view. Surely, we thought, this nnst be 'Wrest and his army and the end
of the world, but we were unduly alarmed, for when the men came sloe., and
don't knov-wty we did not run my, they told us they were not rebels, but
for the Union, and it vas they who were at Paris and that it vas through the
distorted imaginations of some parties who had seen them that had *prima
the rumors of disaster and death. An imaginary danger for the time being
is as nerve reeking as an actual one, for while one think* be is in danger,
to him it is real and palpable. Learning that se had been &waived, whither
intentionally or otherwise, by the exalted horsemen, the bleak cloud of fear
lifted and passed away, and from that day to this I have never felt any danger
imminent to myself or country from armed rebellion or foreign fee.
About a fortnight after Morgan had omme and gone I returned to my hone
in Grahmn township. The perspeetive was about the same, no marks of vandalism
ewe observable except the loss of three good home., There had been a forcible
transfer of the title to ownership from the fmmily to the Southern Confederacy.
On the morning of July 11th my brother, Philander, had gene to elan about
three miles east of our house on land now owned by Hiram Foster, in a two -horse
wagon, where ble had exchanged wheat for flour. The chylous fair and no portents
Imre in the sky or impending danger until on the return trip he ravelled a point
in the road opposite Pisgah Murrell, when suddenly about fifty men appeared in
view and soon demanded that he get out of themes= and unharness the horses.
Being slow to obey, they persuaded him to hurry by pointing their guns in his
direotion. They took the horses, and they were good ones, and made him walk
in front of them to the oreek,about half a mile north of the church, store they
bade him go home. Before he reached hams the marauders had visited the premises
and taken from the stable a fine young black mare, the idol of the tinily+ W
eldest sister, Nancy, though habitually of a mild and equable temper, boom* so
angry when she saw her pet mare being taken away, that she told those sons of
Dixie that she thought than abusive, but the did not accomplish more than if
instead she had given them her blessing. -the bension of good will, for they tot*
her beautiful more away and the never saw her more. This was one of the great
sorrows of her life.
My home was not the only one visited by the troopers. Almost all the
good horses near the lino of march had been taken. There was one marked
emeeption. James Dewy Robertson. better kzwen in this vieinity as "Uncle Doc,"
lost only one horse and saved four. His eldest son, Melville, was home on
his summer vacation free eellege and happened to look toward the south and saw
a large body of horsemen in a high point in the road where &Aka Stewart new
lives, heading in the direetion of his home, acting with qui& pregame of mind,
he went to the barn and rushed off four good horses to a thicket in the bask
part of the farm and tied than near together so they did not get lonesome and
libipy. All four horses escaped capture. Returning to the house he found home
rebels ransacking it. Uncle Doe had recently biome the owner of a new pair
of fine boots and one rebel, evidently having some sense of humor, picked up
the boots and saids "This fellow has some good boots and I believe I will trade
with him," and so he did. By reason of some offensive remark, Melville was ems.
polled to go with the rebels as tar as Dupont, where he was release Later he
joined the Union army, was captured in his first battle, east into a rebel prison
and there contracted typhoid fever Jutish ended his life. -another sacrifice in
the cause of human liberty.
puolo Aquino. Robertson, better known as "Melo Quill." and a brother to
Uncle Doe, was less fortunate than his brother in saving his horses, as all
three of his were taken. His youngest daughter Mts. Rebeeea McClelland of
Deputy, remembers well the leading events of the Morgan raid. This is her story:
I lived with my Atther, less than half a mile of the road over which Morgan and
his army passed. We could see the cavalry and artillery as they passed along
the road. We first sow that they mere nearly all day passing from about 8 40
in the forenoon. The most smiting seen* in the drama was when buns& of rebels
cams into the yard, olamoring for something to eat, one insistent fellow attempt.
trig to go into the kitchen in spite of a refusal of my stepmother to admit him,
and so she flourished a butcher knife in his fees sayings "I'll let you knew I
am one of the blue hen's 43114k:ens from the state of Virginia and if you make any
further attempt to enter here cut your heart out." Eyeing her intently
for an instant, the rebel said; "I knew thee Virginians vill fight like the
devil and I have no doubt you mean what you smy." lie then mint away and left
her, for the time being, mistress of the situation.
Next morning July 12th at about 6150. while we verso at featly devotions
my father leading in prayer, several armed men in federal uniform entered,
disregarding the usual eivilities on entering a bane. and in a rough and omr..
bearing manner demanded something to eat, Being Union soldiers, we were glad
to feed than. Father ended his prayer rather abruptly, as eny other good man
would have done under the eireumstanees. Regarding the number of men in each
army, my impression is that aocording to the estinates of the people at that
time that there were somewhere between four and five thousand men in sash arny.
This chronicle would not be eomplets vithout some reference to another
prayer, but made on the day of the raid. There then lived in this township a
lewd preacher, Reuben Rice by name. He was an ardent Methodist and a militant
abolitionist. These fasts together with his heavy artillery voice when in
prayer made him a distinctive eitisen in the enormity. It was currently refl.
ported and generally believed that some rebels called upon him and under threat
of death commanded him to et down an his knees and prey for Jeff Davis and the
sueoess of the Southern government, which being under duress he did so, but
"prayer being the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed", it vas really
no prayer, but mere lip service. It aseemplished no goods Ripe limed for
years and scores of years after John Morel= and the southern confederacy were
dead as an Egyptian mummy, and all through these years prayer was a part of his
daily program. Maybe the rebels felt that their government needed praying for.
It was certainly in a bad way at the time. Evidence was multiplying fast that
the Lord was "Trampling out the vintage where the grape* of wrath are stored,"
for one week before this time Leis and his splendid paw were defeated at Gettysburg
and hurled bask across the Maryland border, and Grant, alter long, patient and
laborous effort, had captured Viskinurg. Surely the cloak had 'truck the
hour marking the begjaning of the end oft!** southern sonfedersey.
Dr. C. H. MoCaslim4 now of Kansas City, Mo., was at the time of the
Morgan raid a bay of about my age, but mush larger and braver. Hs lived
on what is now the H. J. Half farm4 the dwelling house, being within ZOO
ft. of the road over which the armies of Morgan and Hobson passed. Pram
a recent letter I rec'd from him, he had this to say about the Morgan raids
'When John Margan's raid through Jefferson oounty ocourrid, I was plowing
corn* I looked up the road and saw a company of soldiers on horseback. I
supposed it vu the hems guard going to Washington. Indiana, where the
eompany at Parid, Ind., had boon ordered. Morgan had telegraphed Gov. Morten
that he was going that way. My brother was at home on a ft/am and hoariest
with the Paris home guard* The rebels were all day passing our home, and I
wish to state that my mother was sick in bad and I was sent to the spring fbr
wator. An officer approached and asked if I wantod water. I told him my
mother was sic* and wanted a drink and he ordered his soldiers to stand boOk
and let mo fill my bucket* They had several carriages whioh in those days
INITIO known as rooksmaysi Whether General Morgan was riding in one of than
or not, I sonnet say. They took all of the horses within the radius of two
or three miles on each side of the road. They told us there would be a larger
army the next day and that they would burn houses and barns, but General
Hobson and Shaakelford of the Union army followed than.
There INIA an inoident on the day of the raid that gave a touch of Dowdy
to the tragic side of the picture. An aunt of mine whom anal). call 'Aunt
Julia.' who evinosd considerable excitement when she learned that Morgan Was
near, lived in a large house well stored with valuable goods and furnishings.
Wishing to salvage something of great worth fron ths caning destruction, in
her oonfusion she selected a mirror and hastily took it to the garden and
buried it. This seems ludicrous in view of the feet that she maids no *MA
to save things wore valuable, but perhaps thorelmmi$006,1 in her madman.
ter, after all, whet in there about a home whieh a women prises more than
a looking glass?
If the searohlight of truth were applied to all the foots connected
with the Morgan raid, it would awaken o memory not complimentary to the
notional government. Morgants men, about as fast as they captured and
appropriated good horses, discarded those they did net dare to use longer,
and quite a number of the.. were taken over by, the firmer* and were fed,
groomed and taken care of until they were fit for formwork. My brother
appropriated two of those horses and just as he in common with his neighbor*
felt that they had some amends for their losses, the national government
sent agents around and through might, not right, took possession of these
horses without any eomponsation to the farmers whatever. This VAS not only
flagrantly unjust, but it was obviously unwise. gore was a government in
a groat war and needing provisions to feed the armies and navies and were
depending in pert on these very farmers to supply the sinews of war in food
stuffs and at the same time taking from them the means and the vehicles of
production needful to help the muse along. Later a concerted effort was
made to induce congress to appropriate money to reimburse the farmers for their
losses sustained by reason of the facts stated, but these olaime were never
allowed.
For more than three spore years and ton the body of John Morgan has slept
in the dust of the earth, but the government he sought to destroy still lives
at Washington anddthe flag he dishonored and tried to oast aside still waves
in undimished splendor "o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."