| John Hunt Morgan | |
|---|---|
| June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864 | |
 Brig. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Gen. John Hunt Morgan |
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| Nickname | Thunderbolt |
| Place of birth | Huntsville, Alabama |
| Place of death | Greeneville, Tennessee |
| Allegiance | United States of America Confederate States of America |
| Years of service | 1846–47 (USA), 1861–64 (CSA) |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | Mexican-American War American Civil War |
John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825 – September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War. Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate Cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1825 ( MDCCCXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South He led 2,460 troops in a daring raid, called Morgan's Raid, racing past Union lines into Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in July 1863. Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate Cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads This was the farthest north any uniformed Confederate troops penetrated during the war.
Contents |
Early life and career
John Hunt Morgan was born in Huntsville, Alabama, the eldest of ten children of Calvin and Henrietta (Hunt) Morgan. Huntsville is a city in Madison and Limestone Counties in the U Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. John Hunt Morgan ( June 1, 1825 &ndash September 4, 1864) was a Confederate General and Cavalry officer in the He was an uncle of geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan and a grandson of John Wesley Hunt, an early founder of Lexington, Kentucky, and one of the first millionaires west of the Allegheny Mountains. Thomas Hunt Morgan ( September 25, 1866 &ndash December 4, 1945) was an American geneticist and embryologist. John Wesley Hunt (1773-1849 was a prominent businessman and early civic leader in Lexington Kentucky. Lexington (officially Lexington-Fayette Urban County is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 68th largest in the United States. The Allegheny Mountain Range (also spelled Alleghany and Allegany) &mdash informally the Alleghenies &mdash is part of the vast Appalachian He was also the brother-in-law of A.P. Hill and of Basil W. Duke. Ambrose Powell Hill (November 9 1825 &ndash April 2 1865 was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Basil Wilson Duke (May 28 1838 &ndash September 16 1916 was a Confederate General officer during the American Civil War, most noted for his service [1]
Morgan's father lost his Huntsville home in 1831 when he was unable to pay the property taxes following the failure of his pharmacy. Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences The family then moved to Lexington, where Calvin Morgan would manage one of Hunt's sprawling farms.
Morgan attended Transylvania College for two years, but was suspended in June 1844 for dueling with a fraternity brother. Transylvania University is a private liberal arts college related by covenant to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ located in Lexington, Kentucky As practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals with matched weapons in accordance with their combat Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal In 1846, Morgan joined the Freemasons, as had his father before him.
He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a cavalry private in the Mexican-American War, and saw combat at the Battle of Buena Vista. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. A Private is a Soldier of the lowest Military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Grades OR-1 to OR-3 depending on the force served in The Battle of Buena Vista ( 23 February 1847) also known as the Battle of Angostura saw the United States Army use heavy artillery to repulse On his return to Kentucky, he became a hemp manufacturer and eventually took over his grandfather's prosperous mercantile business. This article is about the cultivation and uses of industrial hemp not its psychoactive cousin Cannabis (drug. In 1848, he married Rebecca Gratz Bruce, 18-year-old sister of Morgan's business partner. Morgan raised a militia artillery company in 1852, but it was disbanded two years later. The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary Citizens to provide defense emergency law enforcement or Paramilitary service
In 1853, Morgan's wife delivered a stillborn son. Rebecca Morgan contracted septic thrombophlebitis, an infection of a blood clot in a vein, which eventually led to an amputation. Thrombophlebitis is Phlebitis (vein Inflammation) related to a blood clot or Thrombus. Relations with his wife's family suffered over different views on slavery and with her health problems. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another In 1857, Morgan raised an independent infantry company known as the "Lexington Rifles," and spent much of his free time drilling them. The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists
Civil War
Like most Kentuckians, Morgan did not initially support secession. The John Hunt Morgan Memorial in Lexington Kentucky, is a tribute to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, who was from Lexington and is buried in nearby Lexington Lexington (officially Lexington-Fayette Urban County is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 68th largest in the United States. Immediately after Lincoln's election in November 1860, he wrote to his brother, Thomas Hunt Morgan, then a student at Kenyon College in northern Ohio, "Our State will not I hope secede[. ] have no doubt but Lincoln will make a good President at least we ought to give him a fair trial & then if he commits some overt act all the South will be a unit. " By the following spring, Tom Morgan (who also had opposed Kentucky's secession) had transferred home to the Kentucky Military Institute and there began to support the Confederacy. Just before the fourth of July, he quietly left for Camp Boone, just across the Tennessee border, by way a steamer from Louisville to enlist in the Kentucky State Guard. John stayed at home in Lexington to tend to his troubled business and his ailing wife. Becky Morgan finally died on July 21, 1861. Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In September, Captain Morgan and his militia company went to Tennessee and joined the Confederate States Army. The War Department was established by the Confederate Congress in an act on February 21, 1861. Morgan soon raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment and became its colonel. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country
Morgan and his cavalrymen fought at the Battle of Shiloh and he soon became a symbol to secessionists in their hopes for obtaining Kentucky for the Confederacy. Background and opposing forces After the losses of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862 Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston withdrew Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity A Louisiana writer, Robert D. Patrick, compared Morgan to Francis Marion and wrote that "a few thousands of such men as his would regain us Kentucky and Tennessee. Francis Marion ( February 26, 1732 – February 27, 1795) is considered one of the fathers of modern Guerrilla warfare, and is " In his first Kentucky raid, Morgan left Knoxville on July 4, 1862, with almost 900 men and in three weeks he swept through Kentucky, deep in the rear of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell's army. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Major General or Major-General is a Military rank used in many countries Don Carlos Buell (March 23 1818 &ndash November 19 1898 was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War He reported the capture of 1,200 Federal soldiers, whom he paroled, acquired several hundred horses, and destroyed massive quantities of supplies. He unnerved Kentucky's Union military government and President Abraham Lincoln received so many frantic appeals for help that he complained that "they are having a stampede in Kentucky. During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal " Historian Kenneth M. Noe wrote that Morgan's feat "in many ways surpassed J.E.B. Stuart's celebrated 'Ride around McClellan' and the Army of the Potomac the previous spring. James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart ( February 6, 1833 &ndash May 12, 1864) was an American soldier from Virginia and a George Brinton McClellan ( December 3 1826 October 29 1885) was a major general during the American Civil War. The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. " The success of Morgan's raid was one of the key reasons that the Confederate Heartland Offensive of Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith was launched later that fall, assuming that tens of thousands of Kentuckians would enlist in the Confederate Army if they invaded the state. The Confederate Heartland Offensive or Kentucky Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in East Tennessee and Kentucky in 1862 during the Braxton Bragg (March 22 1817 &ndash September 27 1876 was a career United States Army officer and then a General in the Confederate States Army, a Edmund Kirby Smith (May 16 1824 – March 28 1893 was a career United States Army officer an educator and a general in the Confederate Army during [2]
Morgan was promoted to brigadier general (his highest rank) on December 11, 1862. Brigadier General is the lowest ranking General Officer in some countries usually sitting between the ranks of Colonel and Major General. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday He received the thanks of the Confederate Congress for his raids on the supply lines of Union Maj. The Congress of the Confederate States was the legislative body of the Confederate States of America, existing during the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865 The Union Army was the army that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. Gen. William S. Rosecrans in December and January, most notably his victory at the Battle of Hartsville on December 7. William Starke Rosecrans ( September 6, 1819 &ndash March 11, 1898) was an inventor coal-oil company executive diplomat politician and The Battle of Hartsville was fought on December 7, 1862, in northern Tennessee at the opening of the Stones River Campaign the American Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Also in December, Morgan married Martha "Mattie" Ready, the daughter of Tennessee United States Representative Charles Ready and a cousin of William T. Haskell, another former U. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Charles Ready was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee 's 5th congressional district cousin in Kinship terminology is a relative with whom one shares a common Ancestor, but in modern usage the term is rarely used when referring to a William T Haskell was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for Tennessee 's 11th congressional district S. representative from Tennessee.
Hoping to divert Union troops and resources in conjunction with the twin Confederate operations of Vicksburg and the Battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863, Morgan set off on the campaign that would become known as the Great Raid of 1863 by Confederates, or derisively as the "Calico Raid" by Federals. Background See also [[Vicksburg Campaign]] After crossing the Mississippi south of Vicksburg at Bruinsburg and driving northeast Grant had won battles at Background and movement to battle See also [[Gettysburg Campaign]] [[Gettysburg Battlefield]] [[Gettysburg Confederate order of battle]] [[Confederate order of battle]] Morgan's Raid was a highly publicized incursion by Confederate Cavalry into the Northern states of Indiana and Ohio during the Morgan crossed the Ohio River, and raided across southern Indiana and Ohio. After many skirmishes and battles, during which he captured and paroled thousands of Union soldiers, Morgan's raid almost ended on July 19, 1863, at Buffington Island, Ohio, when approximately 700 of his men were captured while trying to cross the Ohio River into West Virginia. Events 711 - Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad defeat the Visigoths led by their king Roderic. Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Battle of Buffington Island, also known as the St Georges Creek Skirmish, was an American Civil War engagement in Meigs County Ohio, on Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by (Intercepted by Union gunboats, less than 200 of his men succeeded in crossing. ) Most of Morgan's men captured that day spent the rest of the war in the infamous Camp Douglas Prisoner of War camp in Chicago, which had a very high death rate. Camp Douglas was a Union training camp and later Prisoner-of-war camp in Chicago Illinois, USA during the American Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. On July 26, near Salineville, Ohio, Morgan and his exhausted, hungry and saddlesore soldiers were finally forced to surrender. Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus Salineville is a village in southwestern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States.
On November 27, Morgan and six of his officers, most notably Thomas Hines, escaped from their cells in the Ohio Penitentiary by digging a tunnel from Hines' cell into the inner yard and then ascending a wall with a rope made from bunk coverlets and a bent poker iron. Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Thomas Henry Hines (October 8 1838 &ndash January 23 1898 was a Confederate spy during the American Civil War. The prison variously referred to as the Ohio Penitentiary, or the Ohio State Penitentiary, or (informally the Ohio Pen or State Pen, operated in Morgan and three of his officers, shortly after midnight, boarded a train from the nearby Columbus train station and arrived in Cincinnati that morning. Morgan and Hines jumped from the train before reaching the depot, and escaped into Kentucky by hiring a skiff to take them across the Ohio River. Through the assistance of sympathizers, they eventually made it to safety in the South. Coincidentally, the same day Morgan escaped, his wife gave birth to a daughter, who died shortly afterwards before Morgan returned home.
Though Morgan's Raid was breathlessly followed by the Northern and Southern press and caused the Union leadership considerable concern, it is now regarded as little more than a showy but ultimately futile sidelight to the war. Furthermore, it was done in direct violation of his orders from Gen. Braxton Bragg not to cross the river. Braxton Bragg (March 22 1817 &ndash September 27 1876 was a career United States Army officer and then a General in the Confederate States Army, a Despite the Raiders' best efforts, Union forces had amassed nearly 110,000 Union militia in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio; dozens of U.S. Navy gunboats along the Ohio; and strong Federal cavalry forces, which doomed the raid from the beginning. A gunboat is literally a Boat carrying one or more Guns The term is rather broad and the usual connotation has changed over the years (sometimes encompassing The Ohio River is the largest Tributary by volume of the Mississippi River. The cost of the raid to the Federals was extensive, with claims for compensation still being filed against the U. S. government well into the early 20th century. However, the Confederacy's irreplaceable loss of some of the finest light cavalry in American history far outweighed the Union's replaceable losses in equipment and supplies. When taken in together with the defeats at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the loss of Morgan's cavalry brigade dealt another serious blow to Confederate morale.
After his return from Ohio, Morgan was never again trusted by General Bragg. He was placed in command of Confederate forces in eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia, but the men he was assigned were in no way comparable to those he had lost. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Nevertheless, Morgan did what he could. On September 4, 1864, he was surprised and killed while attempting to escape capture during a Union raid on Greeneville, Tennessee. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Greeneville is a town in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. His men always believed that he had been murdered to prevent a second escape from prison, but it seems he was simply shot because he refused to halt.
Morgan was buried in Lexington Cemetery. Lexington Cemetery 170 acres (07 km² is a private non-profit Cemetery and Arboretum located at 833 W The burial was shortly before the birth of his second child, another daughter.
Legacy
Hart County High School, in Munfordville, Kentucky, the site of the Battle for the Bridge, named their mascot the Raiders, in honor of Morgan's men. Lexington Cemetery 170 acres (07 km² is a private non-profit Cemetery and Arboretum located at 833 W Munfordville is a city in and the County seat of Hart County, Kentucky, United States. Also, a large mural in the town depicts Morgan.
The John Hunt Morgan Memorial statue in Lexington is a tribute to him. The John Hunt Morgan Memorial in Lexington Kentucky, is a tribute to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, who was from Lexington and is buried in nearby Lexington
The Hunt-Morgan House, once his home, is a contributing property in an historic district in Lexington. The Hunt-Morgan House, historically known as Hopemont, is a Federal style residence in Lexington Kentucky built in 1814 by John Wesley Hunt,
See also
- Alvan Cullem Gillem
- Battle of Buffington Island
- Battle of Corydon
- Battle of Salineville
- Guerrilla warfare
- Kentucky in the American Civil War
- William P. Sanders
- John Hunt Morgan Memorial
References
- Eicher, John H. Alvan Cullem Gillem (July 29 1830 &ndash December 2 1875 was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The Battle of Buffington Island, also known as the St Georges Creek Skirmish, was an American Civil War engagement in Meigs County Ohio, on The Battle of Corydon took place July 9, 1863, in Harrison County Indiana, during Morgan's Raid in the American Civil War. The Battle of Salineville occurred July 26, 1863, near Salineville Ohio during Morgan's Raid in the American Civil War. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc Kentucky was a border state of key importance in the American Civil War. William Price Sanders ( August 12, 1833 &ndash November 19, 1863) was an officer in the Union Army in the American Civil War The John Hunt Morgan Memorial in Lexington Kentucky, is a tribute to Confederate General John Hunt Morgan, who was from Lexington and is buried in nearby Lexington , and Eicher, David J. , Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- Mackey, Robert R. , The UnCivil War: Irregular Warfare in the Upper South, 1861-1865, Norman, Okla. : University of Oklahoma Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8061-3624-3.
- Noe, Kenneth W. , Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, University Press of Kentucky, 2001, ISBN 978-0-8131-2209-0.
- Ramage, James A. , Rebel Raider: The Life of General John H. Morgan, Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1995. ISBN 0-8131-0839-X.
- Horwitz, Lester V. , "The Longest Raid of the Civil War. " Farmcourt Publishing 1999. ISBN-13: 978-0967026725.
Notes
Further reading
- Duke, Basil W., Morgan's Cavalry New York, 1906. Basil Wilson Duke (May 28 1838 &ndash September 16 1916 was a Confederate General officer during the American Civil War, most noted for his service
- Johnson, Robert Underwood, and Buel, Clarence C. Robert Underwood Johnson ( January 12, 1853 &ndash October 14, 1937) was a U (eds. ), Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, Century Co. , 1884-1888.
External links
- John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail
- "The Battle of Corydon, Indiana" — Article by Civil War historian/author Bryan S. Bush, which contains rare images of Morgan shown courtesy of the Civil War Museum of the Western Theater in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Civil War Museum in Bardstown Kentucky is a collection of five attractions along what is called "Museum Row"
- John Hunt Morgan at Find A Grave
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