On July 8th 1863, CS Brigadier General John Hunt Morgan, defying direct orders from CS General Braxton Bragg, ferried 1800 Confederate soldiers across the Ohio River at Maukport Indiana, encountering minimal resistance from Indiana home guards with an artillary piece and a riverboat carrying a six pound gun. Some guards were chased off others captured along with their gun. Morgan then burned two steamer ships ( one named the Alice Dean) on the Ohio before heading north away from the Ohio River. Indiana's Governer Oliver P. Morton scrambled to organize a defense against the raiders among Indiana's poorly trained militia. Col. Lewis Jordan took command of 450 Harrison County Home Guardsmen with the intention of delaying Morgan and his men until Union troops could arrive.
Federal Troops coming from Cincinatti cut Morgan's return south. Morgan headed northward on Maukport Rd. and on July 9th encountered Jordan's force one mile south of Corydon Indiana. A spirited skirmish lasting less than an hour left the Guard troops routed. Morgan's raiders suffered loses of 11 dead and 40 wounded. Col. Jordan lost 4 dead and a dozen wounded, with 355 captured. Morgan's raiders also killed a Lutheran Minister on his farm four miles from the battle, and a civilian toll collector at a tollgate. Morgan led his troops and dispirited prisoners into Corydon where he paroled them and ransomed the town for supplies and cash. Morgan then headed east over the next couple of days burning railroad depots, bridges and destroying telegraph lines while terrorizing small Indiana towns including Versailles, New Pekin, Salem, Dupont and Vernon. Morgan and his rebels left Indiana on July 13th entering Ohio.
Federal gunboats and troops kept Morgan from re-entering Kentucky and 750 of his troops were captured at The Battle of Buffington Island. Colonel Adam Johnson and 300 raiders escaped, and crossed the Ohio upriver from Buffington. Morgan and his 400 remaining troops eluded Union capture until July 26th. Captured near West Point Ohio Morgan and his raiders were imprisoned at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus as common inmates instead of a POW's.
Morgan and six of his men escaped fron the Penitentiary on November 27th and made their way back south. Morgan was killed less than a year later while trying to surrender to Union cavalerymen in Tennessee. Indiana citizens turned in claims for property loses from Morgan and his rebels in access of 413,000 Dollars.

On October 6th 2005 Jenni and I stopped at the site of the Battle of Corydon (where I took these photos) on our way back from Tennessee.

Chuck Pace ©2005