Another Ruse
—John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail —
After the Battle of Buffington Island, Brigadier General John Hunt
Morgan and his remaining Confederate force of about 800 raiders
turned inland from the Ohio River to escape the navy's gunboats
and avoid pursuit. Union Brigadier General James M. Shackelford
was at the head of a hard-riding force of about 600 cavalrymen and
several hundred mounted Ohio militia. Morgan knew his pursuers
were gaining on him, but he had a plan.
On the evening of July 19, 1863, in a rugged region near the head
of Indian Run, Morgan gave instructions to fill a hilltop with
large campfires. Union observers saw the fires and assumed the
Confederates had camped for the night. After partly surrounding
Morgan's camp, Shackelford rested just east of Tuppers Plains,
confident that he would capture the raiders at first light.
Morgan and his men waited and then quietly slipped away under
cover of darkness, riding around Tuppers Plains and their Union
pursuers. When the Union troops, including the 23rd Ohio
Infantry, stormed into Morgan's campsite in the morning,
they found only 49 sick and wounded raiders who had stayed
behind to tend the fires. Morgan had, once again, fooled his
would-be captors.
Morgan Doubles Back to Cheshire
From Tuppers Plains, Morgan led his men
west along the Athens-Meigs County
line.
They rode nonstop through Alfred and
Burlingham in the early morning hours
of July 20 and turned southwest,
intent on reaching Eight Mile Island Ford
at Cheshire. With Shackelford's troopers
close behind, Morgan's men passed
through Harrisonville, dispersing its
local home guard and foraging its horses
and goods. The raiders raced southward
through Rutland to Kygerville,
where Shackelford's advance caught
up to Morgan's rear guard. A running
fight ensued, but Morgan continued
toward Cheshire in hopes of crossing
the Ohio River.
[Photo caption]:Morgan devised a classic ruse to mislead his Union pursuers: filling an area with campfires to give the impression of a large camp. The Confederates stealthily rode off, heading west back into the Ohio interior and around their enemy.
Text: Edd Sharp & David L. Mowery
Illustration: Bev Kirk
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