By July 26, 1863, Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan was in a race that was rapidly coming to an end. Union pursuers seemed to be everywhere as the Confederates worked their way north from Nebo (near present-day Bergholz). After passing through Monroeville, Morgan learned that a large Union force occupied Salineville, just a mile ahead. With Union cavalry closing in on their rear, Morgan's raiders were trapped.
At the Burson farm, north of Monroeville, Morgan instructed his rear guard, commanded by Colonel Leroy Cluke, to hold the enemy while the main force escaped cross-country. Around 8 am, Cluke's cavalrymen were attacked by the 9th Michigan Cavalry under Major William B. Way, who pushed the Confederates southwest, wounding several raiders and capturing 55 along the Monroeville-Salineville Road before they would escape.
Meanwhile, Union artillery in the Monroeville Cemetery found the range of Morgan's main force. Morgan, mounted on his trusty thoroughbred sorrel "Glencoe"," skillfully led his men through a deep ravine. The Union cannon barrels could not be depressed enough to fire effectively on the Confederates, and the shots sailed harmlessly over the rebels' heads. Although his men suffered many casualties at Burson's farm, Morgan had once again escaped.
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