Morgan's Raiders Spread Out from Sharonville
—John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail —
More than a week after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania, nearly 2,000 rebel soldiers remained on Northern
soil. In the early morning of July 14, 1863, the crack Confederate
cavalry division of Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan rode
south and east through Evendale, separating into small squads
to forage for food, horses, and other provisions. Civilians described
Morgan's men as "un-uniformed, many of them having linen
dusters over their coats." Some raiders carried new repeating rifles,
while others had sabers and revolvers. To the locals, "the men
appeared very much fatigued, and pushed on rapidly."
Union Cavalry Chases Morgan's Raiders
Riding on the heels of Morgan's men, Brigadier General Edward
H. Hobson's Union troopers arrived in the mid-afternoon.
Like Morgan's cavalry, Hobson's soldiers took whatever horses
and supplies they needed. Plenty of water and home-cooked food
patriotically provided by local residents. Learning from
citizens that the Confederates had passed through at dawn,
Hobson realized that his men would need every ounce of energy
and determination to catch up with Morgan.
Confederate Foraging
A small group of Morgan's Raiders quenched
their thirst and watered their horses at George
Brown's lower springhouse. They rode away with
two
horses from Brown's barn. Brown later
recovered one of his horses after it had been
ridden hard and discarded as damaged.
Although the 8th Kentucky (U.S.) Cavalry
retrieved the other horse, the soldiers never
returned it.
[Photo captions]
Left map: To maximize foraging operations, Morgan's Raiders took several routes through Sycamore Township. Morgan's men confiscated horses and other items from at least ten farms (here highlighted) within present-day Evendale. The timeline of Confederate maneuvers on July 14, 1863:
(1) 2:30-5:30 am Morgan's Division marches to Sharonville;
(2) 4:30-6:30 am Colonel Duke's brigade, guarding the wagon train,
takes the direct route to Montgomery;
(3) 3:30-6 am General Morgan rides with Colonel Johnson's brigade toward Reading;
(4) 5-7 am Morgan and Johnson's men pass through East Sycamore (today's Rossmoyne).
Top right: Morgan's Raiders foraged the George Brown Farm at dawn on
July 14, 1863. The 1835 Brown home and barn are preserved within the Gorman Heritage Farm at the end of the trail leading east from here.
Text: David L. Mowery and Dutch Speidel
Map and Illustration: Bev Kirk
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