John Hunt Morgan And His Raiders

Whether one things of him as dashing cavalier or shameless horse thief, it is impossible not to regard John Hunt Morgan as a fascinating figure of the Civil War. He collected his Raiders at first from the prominent families of Kentucky, though later the exploits of the group were to attract a less elite class of recruits. Morgan was able to lead these men into the most dangerous adventures by convincing them that the honor of the South was at stake; yet he did not always succeed in appealing to that sense of honor when temptations of easy theft drew the Raiders from military objectives to wanton pillage. In John Hunt Morgan and his Raiders, Edison H. Thomas gives us a balanced view of these controversial men and their raids. In a fast-paced narrative he follows the cavalry unit for the evening the first group set out from Lexington to join the Confederate forces until the morning of Morgan's death in Greeneville, Tennessee. Basil Duke, St. Leger Grenfell, Lightning Ellsworth, and the beautiful Martha Ready all receive their due, and the truly remarkable story of the Raiders' newspaper is told. A special contribution is the insight this account offers into the disruption of rail communications carried out with such enthusiasm by Morgan and his men. Thomas' study of the railroad records of the period has enabled him to present this part of the Raiders' story with rare detail and understanding.

"The first full biography of the famous Confederate cavalry leader from Kentucky. It provides fresh, unpublished information on all aspects of Morgan's life and furnishes a new perspective on the Civil War. In a highly original interpretation, Ramage portrays Morgan as a revolutionary guerrilla chief. Using the tactics of guerrilla war and making his own rules, Morgan terrorized federal provost marshals in an independent campaign to protect Confederate sympathizers in Kentucky. He killed pickets and used the enemy uniform as a disguise, frequently masquerading as a Union officer. Employing civilians in the fighting, he set off a cycle of escalating violence which culminated in an unauthorized policy of retaliation by his command on the property of Union civilians. To many southerners, Morgan became the prime model of a popular movement for guerrilla warfare that led to the Partisan Ranger Act. For Confederates he was the ideal romantic cavalier, the "Francis Marion of the War," and they make him a folk hero who was especially adored by women. Discerning fact from folklore, Ramage describes Morgan's strengths and weaknesses and suggests that excessive dependence on his war bride contributed to his declining success. The author throws new light on the Indiana-Ohio Raid and the suspenseful escape from the Ohio Penitentiary and unravels the mysteries around Morgan's death in Greeneville, Tennessee. Rebel Raider also shows how in the popular mind John Hunt Morgan was deified as a symbol of the Lost Cause.

Biography of the Confederate general, John Hunt Morgan.

This is the legend of Morgan's Raiders--as it's never been told before. . . In the summer of 1863, Brigadier-General John Hunt Morgan led two thousand Confederate soldiers across the Ohio River into southern Indiana. Pursued by fifteen thousand Union cavalry, infantry, and militia, Morgan's Raiders blazed a trail of destruction unparalleled in Civil War history. In forty-six days, they covered one thousand miles, destroyed thirty-four bridges, and captured six thousand enemy soldiers. But only a handful of Morgan's men would live to tell the tale. . . Born in the heart of Kentucky, Ty Mattson never knew his parents. His mother died in childbirth while his father went off to fight in the Mexican War. For seventeen years, Ty never discovered why his father didn't return. But when he receives news that his father is alive--and he's joined the forces of General John Morgan--the boy leaves home to enlist with the Raiders, hoping to finally meet the father he never had. Owen Mattson turns out to be everything Ty imagined he would be: a good man, a true mentor and a great soldier. But the bullets of a self-appointed Confederate assassin divide father and son yet again, leaving Ty near death. From the blood-soaked chaos of Morgan's devastating defeat at Buffington Island, to the care of an enemy nurse and the harsh brutality of a Union prison, Ty Mattson will do whatever it takes to fight and survive. For his father. For the love of a beautiful woman. For revenge. Filled with military action and fascinating historical detail, Raiding with Morgan is award-winning author Jim R. Woolard at his page-turning best. North to Glory "We are bound for the Ohio in a bold bid to carry the war and its bloodletting and destruction into the enemy's lair. We will etch the terror and fright of our passage in the minds of every man, woman and child we encounter as well as those who hide in fear of us. The fame and glory garnered by our victories will shine forever in the hearts of our southern brethren and earn us the hatred of northern sympathizers. May the Lord ride with us." --Journal of Lieutenant Clinton J. Hardesty, Morgan's Confederate Cavalry, 7 July, 1863.

One of the nation's most colorful leaders, Confederate general John Hunt Morgan, took his cavalry through enemy-occupied territory in three states in one of the longest offensives of the Civil War. A military operation unlike any other on American soil, Morgan's Raid was characterized by incredible speed, superhuman endurance and innovative tactics.The effort produced the only battles fought north of the Ohio River and reached farther north than any other regular Confederate force. With twenty-five maps and more than forty illustrations, Morgan's Raid historian David L. Mowery takes a new look at this unprecedented event in American history, one historians rank among the world's greatest land-based raids since Elizabethan times.

From July 13-26, 1863, Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan led a daring group of more than 2,000 men across Southern Ohio. His mission: to distract and divert as many Union troops as possible from the action in Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee. Union troops under the command of Major General Ambrose Burnside gave chase. Although they were ultimately successful, ending Morgan's raid was a much harder job than anyone anticipated. With the John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail, you too can follow Morgan's route through southern and eastern Ohio. Fifty-six interpretive signs covering 557 miles through nineteen counties tell the story of the raid's successful beginnings, the battle with Union forces at Buffington Island, Morgan's desperate escapes, and finally his capture.

Based on the diaries and memoirs of the men who made the legend, on newspapers and official records, and illustrated with contemporary photographs, this story of a famous regiment in action creates a feeling of actual participation in the entire Civil War, from Shiloh to the fall of the Confederacy.

This lively Civil War biography presents an unbiased chronicle of the controversial Confederate General who led the 2nd cavalry in Morgan’s Raid. Whether one thinks of him as a dashing cavalier or shameless horse thief, it is impossible not to regard John Hunt Morgan as a fascinating Civil War figure. Morgan led his men into the most dangerous adventures by convincing them that the honor of the South was at stake; yet he did not always heed his own sense of honor when temptations of easy theft drew the Raiders from military objectives to wanton pillage. In John Hunt Morgan and his Raiders, Edison H. Thomas gives us a balanced view of these controversial men and their raids, including rare insight into their disruption of rail communications. In a fast-paced narrative he follows the cavalry unit from the evening they set out to join the Confederate forces to the morning of Morgan's death in Greeneville, Tennessee. Basil Duke, St. Leger Grenfell, Lightning Ellsworth, and the beautiful Martha Ready all receive their due, as does the truly remarkable story of the Raiders' newspaper.