|
|
General John Hunt Morgan Room
Room #4 -- $119-$139 |
| |
BRASS BED - Hand-Carved Walnut, 8' tall, circa 1850
CHEST - English Veneer Overlay
PICTURE - Generals Lee, Johnson, & Jackson
BATHROOM - Porcelain Pedestal Sink, Old Footed Tub from building
|
|
|
During the Civil War, General John Hunt Morgan led his
Confederate Cavalry Division of 2,400 men on a raid through
Southern Indiana and Ohio. The only battle of the Civil Ware
fought in Indiana occurred July 9, 1863, between the Indiana
Legion, or "Home Guards", and Morgan's Confederate cavalry
division. It is officially recognized as the "Battle of
Corydon".
On the morning of July 8, 1863, Morgan's division arrived at the small Kentucky town of Brandenburg on the Ohio River. Two steamers, the "Alice Dean" and the "T.J. McCombs", were seized to transport the troops across the river to Indiana. The crossing was interrupted by artillery fire from a small company of the Harrison County Legion, but their "six-pounder" on the Indiana shore was silenced. The crossing was completed without further incident and the "Alice Dean" was set afire and sunk. Until a few years ago, the hulk of the "Alice Dean" could be seen at low water resting on a sand bar off the Indiana shore near Mauckport.
On receiving information of the invasion of Indiana soil, Governor Oliver P. Morton issued a proclamation ordering all able-bodied male citizens in the counties south of the National Road to form into companies and arm themselves with such weapons as they could procure.
 The following morning, July 9, the advance guard moved north on the Mauckport Road. One mile south of Corydon, they encountered the Harrison County Home Guard. Numbering about 450, the home guards were drawn up in a battle line behind a hastily made barricade of logs. In a short, but spirited battle lasting less than one hour, Morgan met his first and only organized resistance, in which Morgan's men completely routed the militia. Four of the home guards were killed; several wounded, 335 captured, and the remainder escaped. Eight Confederate soldiers were killed and thirty-three wounded. The "Home Guard" prisoners were paroled by Morgan on entering the town of Corydon. The raiders spent most of the afternoon plundering stores and collecting ransom money. The County Treasurer was relieved of $690, two leading stores of $600 each, and "contributions" of $700 to $1000 were collected from three mills to save them from being burned.
Following the raid, Morgan and his officers rested at the prominent Kintner House Inn. The innkeeper's daughter, twenty-year-old Miss Sallie, a staunch Northern supporter, informed General Morgan of the Confederate's defeat at Gettysburg. News
traveled slowly, and Miss Sallie's announcement was the first news Morgan received concerning the Southerner's defeat as they tried to invade the north in Pennsylvania. Morgan had timed his invasion of Indiana with the invasion of the Confederate forces in Pennsylvania. Late in the day, General Morgan led his troops north out of Corydon, toward Ohio. For a short time, Morgan flew the Confederate flag over Corydon, Indiana.
|
|
