The Twenty-Five Days of Morgan - July 2, 1863

The Great Raid of 1863 officially begins. Known in the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion as the Indiana-Ohio Raid, but also referred to simply as the Ohio Raid, this campaign will become the hallmark of Confederate Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan’s many raids behind Union lines – not for the Great Raid’s outcome, but for its execution.

Morgan’s mission, as given to him from General Braxton Bragg, the commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee: To divert Union troops away from Tennessee, particularly the Federals of Major General Ambrose Burnside’s recently formed Army of the Ohio who were threatening to assault the lightly defended region of East Tennessee. Bragg knew that if East Tennessee fell, it would force Bragg’s army to abandon the whole state of Tennessee to the Union juggernaut. He hoped that Morgan’s incursion into Kentucky would buy time to allow Bragg to confront and defeat the Union Army of the Cumberland in Middle Tennessee, which would subsequently allow Bragg to supply reinforcements to face Burnside’s invasion of East Tennessee. However, Bragg had ordered Morgan’s raid to stay within the confines of Kentucky so that his cavalry division could stay close enough to support the Army of Tennessee.

The Cumberland River on this date marks the dividing line between No Man’s Land to the south and Union-controlled territory to the north. During the spring of 1863, while planning the raid, General Morgan had identified the crossing of the Cumberland River as one of four key barriers that his division would need to overcome to make his diversionary raid a success.

On the evening of June 30, General John H. Morgan and his division of 2,460 cavalry and four pieces of artillery started their crossing to the northern bank of the Cumberland River. The crossing centers upon the small town of Burkesville, Kentucky. Morgan’s two brigades, commanded by Colonel Adam R. Johnson and Colonel Basil Duke, use most of the fords and ferries within a 25-mile stretch of the Cumberland River, ranging from McMillan’s Ferry on the west to Creelsboro, Kentucky, on the east.

The Union resistance is feeble. Only scattered Federal cavalry pickets (mainly from the 1st Kentucky US Cavalry and 12th Kentucky US Cavalry) fire on the Confederates as they employ makeshift rafts, boats, and canoes to get their men, horses, and equipment across the raging, flooded waters of the Cumberland. Many of Morgan’s men strip naked to avoid having soaked clothes by the time they reach the north bank. They swim in the swiftly flowing river, holding tight onto the sides of the rafts on which their horses stand dry. When within range, the naked Rebel soldiers wade up the opposite bank with rifles in hand, surprising their foes with a “shock and awe” that few would expect to encounter in any war.

Defending the north bank of the river are the veteran Union cavalrymen from the 3rd Division of the XXIII Army Corps (designated in May 1863 as the Army of the Ohio) under Brigadier General Edward H. Hobson and Brigadier General Mahlon Manson. In addition, within close range are cavalry under Colonel Frank L. Wolford, Colonel August Kautz, and Brigadier General James Shackelford, who belong to different divisions, but who may receive orders from Brigadier General Henry M. Judah, the 3rd Division commander, and the superior Union field leader in the region. Each of Judah’s subordinates heads a brigade-sized cavalry force that, when combined, outnumber Morgan’s Division. However, the cavalry today remains scattered over a 40-mile front because Judah does not expect the main body of Morgan’s troopers to cross at Burkesville.

Thomas Quirk - courtesy Tom Bosse, hmdb.org

Around 11:00 am on this day, Hobson attempts to determine the size of Morgan’s invaders around Burkesville by sending a large detachment of Union cavalry from Marrowbone along the Glasgow-Burkesville Road. The detachment, composed mostly of the 9th Kentucky US Cavalry under Colonel Richard T. Jacob, rides headlong into an ambush that General Morgan sets up personally near the Norris Branch, a small creek located four miles west of Burkesville. The 9th Kentucky boys are routed five miles until they reach the safety of the camps of the Union infantry and artillery at Marrowbone. Though the fight at Norris Branch and Marrowbone is a Confederate victory, it is bittersweet. Captain Tom Quirk, the outstanding leader of Morgan’s Scouts, falls seriously wounded in the skirmish. Quirk is taken to a local house and would eventually recover, but he is unable to continue the journey. His loss would be felt later in the raid. Satisfied that Morgan’s opponent has been stunned enough to buy time for the Confederates, the Rebel chieftain falls back to Burkesville to hurry up the rest of his troops who are still crossing the river. By the late afternoon of July 2, all of Morgan’s 2,460 troopers, artillery, and wagons are safely on the north side of the Cumberland River.

General Judah, in addition to the cavalry brigades, also holds infantry and artillery units in reserve at key places nearby, such as Tompkinsville, Marrowbone, and Jamestown in Kentucky, in case of Confederate attack. However, Judah convinces himself that Morgan’s crossing of the river around Burkesville is a decoy for an attack on Tompkinsville, a key Union outpost that had been captured by Morgan the previous year. Judah also believes the responsibility to defend the Burkesville sector belongs to another Union leader (unnamed in Judah’s official after-action report, but he was likely referring to Brigadier General Samuel P. Carter). Hobson disagrees with Judah, having learned firsthand from the lively skirmishes at Marrowbone and Mud Camp, and from subsequent incoming dispatches, that Morgan’s Division has been spotted at multiple locations along the river far east of Tompkinsville. A quick response is needed at Burkesville, no matter who is responsible.

Despite Hobson’s evidence to the contrary, Judah orders Hobson to hold his forces at Marrowbone to be ready for an attack on Tompkinsville that Judah thinks will come, but never does. To satiate Hobson’s concerns, however, Judah orders Brigadier General James Shackelford’s brigade to march from Glasgow to Marrowbone during the afternoon, and Shackelford reaches Marrowbone at 10:00pm tonight. It’s a weak response, at best. Hobson is frustrated by Judah’s decisions and lack of initiative to defend the Burkesville sector. Morgan now has a clear road ahead to Columbia, Kentucky.

Sources:

Duke, Basil W. A History of Morgan's Cavalry. Cincinnati, OH: Miami Printing and Publishing Co., 1867, pp. 402-465.

Johnson, Adam R. The Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army. Louisville, KY: George G. Fetter Co., 1904, pp. 142-150, 438-467.

Gorin, Betty J. “Morgan Is Coming!” Confederate Raiders in the Heartland of Kentucky. Louisville, KY: Harmony House Publishers, 2006, pp. 99-260.

Mowery, David L. Morgan’s Great Raid: The Remarkable Expedition from Kentucky to Ohio. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2013, pp. 15-72.

U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Ser. 1, Vol. 23, Pt. 1. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1880–1901, pp. 11-15, 632-818.

“The Great Raid, Summer 1863.” Trails-R-Us (Kentucky)—John Hunt Morgan Home Page, http://www.trailsrus.com/morgan/map.html.