MORGAN’S SECOND GREAT RAID.
General Morgan was allowed but ten days’ rest after his return from his
great victory at Hartsville. General Rosecrans had finished repairing the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad, and trains were running again between
the two cities. Reports had been brought to General Bragg that the Federal
troops at Nashville were suffering greatly for want of food; that military
stores of all kinds were short; and he thought if the road were again
broken, Rosecrans would be forced to fall back on account of supplies. Who
so willing and able to break it as General Morgan?
But there was little use of trying to raid the road south of Bowling
Green, for it was guarded by thousands of men. To cripple the road
effectually meant another raid clear through the state of Kentucky. To
this General Morgan was not averse.
When his men heard that another raid was to be made into Kentucky, their
enthusiasm knew no bounds. What cared they for the dangers to be
encountered, for long rides, for sleepless nights, and the tremendous
fatigue they would be called upon to endure? They were to stir up the
Yankees once more; that was enough.
“Kentucky! Ho, for Kentucky!” was their cry, and they shouted and sang
until they could shout and sing no longer for want of breath.
Bragg was fully alive to the importance of the expedition, and was willing
to give Morgan all the troops he could possibly spare. Morgan was soon at
the head of the most formidable force he had ever commanded. It consisted
of over three thousand cavalry, with a full battery, besides his own light
battery.
The task which had been assigned him was indeed a perilous one. It was to
ride almost to the very gates of Louisville, and to destroy the immense
trestle works at Muldraugh Hill. This done, the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad would again be effectually crippled for weeks.
He set out from Alexandria, on December 22, and in two days he was in
Glasgow, Kentucky. The citizens of Glasgow had come to look upon Morgan as
a monthly visitor by this time; therefore they were not surprised at his
coming. Here he met with the first Federal force, which was quickly
scattered.
Remaining in Glasgow only long enough to rest his horses, he pushed on for
Mumfordsville, where the great bridge spans the Green River. But learning
that the place was held by so strong a force that it would be madness for
him to attack it, he passed a few miles to the right, and struck the
railroad at Bacon Creek. Here a stout block-house, defended by ninety
soldiers, guarded the bridge. They put up a stout defence in hopes of
being reinforced from Mumfordsville, but at last were compelled to
surrender, the block-house being knocked to pieces by Morgan’s artillery.
Burning the bridge and destroying four miles of road, the command moved on
to Nolan, where another block-house was captured and a bridge burned. This
was the third time that these bridges had been destroyed by Morgan.
Elizabethtown was the next goal to be reached. As they approached the
place, Calhoun, who was in advance with his scouts, was met by an officer
bearing a flag of truce, who handed him a dirty envelope, on which was
scrawled:
ELIZABETHTOWN, KY., December 27, 1862.
To the Commander of the Confederate Force.
Sir: I demand an unconditional surrender of all of your forces. I have you
surrounded, and will compel you to surrender.
I am, sir, your obedient servant,
H. S. SMITH,
Commanding U. S. Force.
“Well,” exclaimed Calhoun, as he glanced at it, “I have often been told
that Yankees have cheek, but this is the greatest exhibition of it I have
met. Who is H. S. Smith, anyway?”
“One of the numerous Smith family, I reckon,” dryly responded one of his
men. “He should have signed it John Smith. This would have concealed his
identity, and prevented us from knowing what a fool he is.”
But the message was taken back to Morgan, and Calhoun never saw him laugh
more heartily than when he read it.
“Go back and tell Mr. Smith,” replied Morgan, trying to keep his face
straight, “that he has made a little mistake. It is he who is surrounded,
and must surrender.”
The message was taken back, but Mr. Smith answered pompously that it was
the business of United States officer to fight, not to surrender.
“Very good,” replied Calhoun, “get back and let us open the ball.”
It took only a few shells from Morgan’s battery to convince Mr. Smith he
had made a mistake, and that it was the business of at least one United
States officer to surrender, and not to fight. Six hundred and fifty-two
prisoners fell into Morgan’s hands, also a large quantity of military
stores. The stores were destroyed. At Elizabethtown Morgan was in striking
distance of the object of his expedition, the great trestles at Muldraugh
Hill. There were two trestles, known as the upper and lower, both defended
by stout stockades.
General Morgan divided his forces, Colonel Breckinridge with one brigade
attacking the lower stockade, while Morgan with Colonel Duke’s brigade
attacked the upper. A couple of hours of severe shelling convinced the
commanders of these stockades also that it was the duty of a United States
officer to surrender, and not to fight. Seven hundred more prisoners and
an immense store of military goods were added to Morgan’s captures. The
goods, as usual, were destroyed.
It was but a few minutes after the surrender of the block-houses when the
trestles were a mass of flames. They were immense structures, each nearly
fifteen hundred feet long, and from eighty to ninety feet high. Thus the
object of the expedition had been gained. Again the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad was rendered useless to Rosecrans’s army.
But Morgan’s danger had just commenced. Thus far he had had his own way.
The enraged Federals were moving heaven and earth to compass his capture.
A brigade was transported from Gallatin to Mumfordsville by rail, joined
to the force at that place, and ordered to move east and cut off his
retreat. The forces in Central Kentucky were ordered to concentrate at
Lebanon. Thus they hoped to cut off every line of retreat.
“Don’t let Morgan escape,” was the command flashed to every Federal
officer in Kentucky.
From Muldraugh Hill Morgan marched for Bardstown. This led him across the
Lebanon Railroad. Before all of his force had crossed the Rolling Fork of
Salt River, the pursuing force, under Colonel Harlan, came up and engaged
the rear. The rear guard under Colonel Duke gallantly resisted them until
all had crossed in safety, but during the action Colonel Duke was severely
wounded by a piece of shell. General Boyle, the Federal commander at
Louisville, gave out that he had died of his wounds and there was great
rejoicing. But the gallant Colonel lived, to the disappointment of his
enemies.
The Federals, in close pursuit, left Morgan little time to destroy the
railroad leading to Lebanon, but he captured a stockade, and burned the
bridge at Boston. Reaching Bardstown in safety, he pushed rapidly on to
Springfield. From that place he could threaten either Danville or Lebanon.
His rapid movements puzzled the Federals, and prevented them from
concentrating their forces, for they knew not which way he would go next.
From Springfield Morgan turned south, leaving Lebanon a few miles to his
left, so as to avoid the large force at that place; he reached New Market
a few hours in advance of his pursuers. To avoid the troops which had been
concentrating at Hodgensville, he now took the road to Campbellsville.
In going through the Muldraugh range of hills to the south of New Market,
his rear guard was struck by the advance of the Federals under Colonel
Hoskins, and was only beaten back after a lively fight. There was now more
or less skirmishing for some miles.
There now happened to Calhoun one of the most thrilling adventures he
experienced during the whole war. As the post of danger was now in the
rear, he was there with his scouts doing valiant service in holding back
the Federals. There had been no skirmishing for some time, and nothing had
been seen or heard of their pursuers. Not thinking of danger, he and a
Captain Tribble halted their horses by the side of a bubbling spring and
dismounted to get a drink, the rest of the guard passing on. They lingered
longer than they thought, and had just remounted their horses when they
were suddenly surprised by three horsemen, who came galloping up, yelling
to them to surrender. For Calhoun and Tribble to snatch their revolvers
and fire was the work of a moment. The Federals returned the fire. A
pistol duel now took place, and both sides emptied their revolvers, but
strange to say, no one was hurt.
Throwing down their now useless weapons, all drew their swords and
furiously spurred their horses on to the combat. It was almost like a
mediæval contest, where knight met knight with sword only. While one of
the Federals engaged Captain Tribble, two rode straight for Calhoun, the
foremost a fine-looking man in the uniform of a Federal colonel. Parrying
his blow, Calhoun, by a skilful turn of his horse, avoided the other. They
wheeled their horses, and came at Calhoun again. Again did Calhoun parry
the fierce blow aimed at him; at the same time he managed to prick the
horse of the other, so that for a moment it became unmanageable. This left
Calhoun free to engage the Colonel alone, who aimed at him a tremendous
blow. This blow Calhoun avoided, and as it met with no resistance, its
force threw the Colonel forward on his saddle. As quick as lightning, the
point of Calhoun’s sword reached his heart, and the combat was over.
[Illustration: THE FORCE OF THE BLOW THREW THE COLONEL FORWARD ON HIS
SADDLE.]
During this time Tribble had vanquished his antagonist. The remaining
Federal, seeing one of his comrades dead and the other a prisoner, threw
down his sword and surrendered. The dead officer proved to be Colonel D.
J. Halisy of the Sixth Kentucky cavalry.
This conflict was long remembered as one of the most remarkable ever
engaged in by any of Morgan’s men, and Calhoun was warmly congratulated by
the whole command on his prowess.
The death of Colonel Halisy seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of Morgan’s
pursuers. Although they followed him to Campbellsville, and from
Campbellsville to Columbia, the pursuit was a feeble one. In fact, so
timid was Colonel Hoskins that he ordered his advance not to engage Morgan
if they found him at Columbia, but to wait for the column from
Hodgensville to come up. From Columbia all pursuit ceased, and Morgan was
left to return to Tennessee at his leisure.
While at Columbia Morgan reports that his men heard distinctly the sound
of distant cannonading away to the southwest. To their accustomed ears it
told of a battle raging. It was the thunder of Rosecrans’s cannon at Stone
River. Little did Morgan’s men think at that time that that distant
thunder meant that hundreds of their brave brothers were being slaughtered
in that fatal charge of Breckinridge. Murfreesboro is, as the crow flies,
a hundred and eighteen miles from Columbia. In no other battle during the
war is it reported that cannonading was heard so far.
From Columbia Morgan proceeded by easy stages to Smithville, Tennessee,
which he reached January 5, just fourteen days after he had started on his
raid from Alexandria. During this time his command had travelled fully six
hundred miles. This raid was one of the most remarkable Morgan ever made,
when we consider what he accomplished, and the number of troops that tried
in vain to capture him. Riding within a few miles of thousands of men, he
easily eluded all his pursuers and escaped almost scot free.
General Morgan, in summing up the results of this raid, says: “It meant
the destruction of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad from
Mumfordsville to Shephardsville within eighteen miles of Louisville,
rendering it impassable for at least two months; the capture of eighteen
hundred and seventy-seven prisoners, including sixty-two commissioned
officers; the destruction of over two million dollars’ worth of United
States property, and a large loss to the enemy in killed and wounded. The
loss of my entire command was: killed, 2; wounded, 24; missing, 64.”
It seems impossible that so much could be accomplished with so slight a
loss. The number of his killed and wounded shows that the Federals touched
him very gingerly; that they did not force the fighting. In the capture of
the stockades in which he took so many prisoners, Morgan suffered hardly
any loss, as he forced the surrender with his artillery. But the joy which
Morgan and his men felt over the success of the raid was clouded when they
reached Tennessee by the news of the result of the battle of Stone River.
Murfreesboro no longer belonged to the South. Bragg had retreated to his
new line along Duck River.