“An Act of Devilishness”

—John Hunt Morgan Heritage Trail —

Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan and his Confederate raiders, wearied by the relentless Union pursuit, crossed the Hocking River into Nelsonville in the mid-morning of July 22, 1863. They found the town almost abandoned. Nelsonville's local militia were in nearby Athens, the raiders' rumored next destination. The local newspapers had reported that Morgan had very few troops remaining after the Battle of Buffington Island, and residents were lulled into thinking Morgan was not headed in their direction.

On Morgan's arrival, the mayor immediately surrendered the town, hoping to avoid extensive damage. The Confederates helped themselves to the food families had prepared for themselves. Despite the mayor's request, Morgan ordered about a dozen canal boats and a canal bridge put to the torch, and the fire spread to an adjacent coal yard. A flour mill was spared only through a personal plea to the general by the owner's wife.

After seizing around 36 fresh horses and all the supplies they could carry, the Confederates left Nelsonville and headed northeast in the early afternoon. Union forces under Brigadier General James Shackelford arrived about six hours later.

Morgan's Raid in Ohio
The Civil War, which most thought would be over quickly, had bogged down into a long fight between the states. Heavy



fighting was going on in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and in Vicksburg, Mississippi, when Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan brought the war to the northern home front. Racing through Indiana, he crossed into southwestern Ohio on July 13, 1863, and brought more than 2,000 veteran raiders with him. Their mission in crossing the state was to occupy and divert as many Union troops as possible. Department of the Ohio commander Major General Ambrose Burnside sought to stop Morgan, but that would prove a much harder job than he expected.

Text: Edd Sharp · Illustrations: Bev Kirk

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